Reader_Sept1_2022

The week in random review

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

quotable

“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”

— William James, from The Portable Curmudgeon, compiled and edited by Jon Winokur

unhappy history

I just learned that the 1500s may have been among the grumpiest centuries in Western history. The word “curmudgeon” is said to originate in the 1570s, as well as “crab,” as in a “crabby” person. Meanwhile, “malcontent” made its way into English from French in the 1580s. No one knows where “curmudgeon” came from, though some suggest it may stem from the the word “cur,” for dog and the Gaelic muigean, meaning “disagreeable person” (at least according to “Wordnik,” published on theweek.com in honor of National Curmudgeons Day, which occurs each year on W.C. Fields’ birthday: Jan. 29). “Crab” is said to come from the sour-tasting crab apple, whose name may have come from the Swedish skrabba, a term for “fruit of the wild apple tree.” “Malcontent” is pretty self explanatory in its meaning “never happy,” as it draws from the Latin words mal (“bad,” “ill” or “evil”) and contentus, meaning “satisfied.”

tooth fairy

My 7-year-old daughter lost both her front teeth the other day, though “lost” is maybe not the right word. Her left front tooth had been wiggly for weeks, and finally came out with some minor pulling on a recent Tuesday evening. When she suggested the Tooth Fairy might provide an extra reward for such a dental milestone, she smiled and winked at my wallet. There are, indeed, two tooth fairies in our house — neither are very diligent, but one of them does tend to cough up more dough. Somehow my daughter figured out that I had two five-spots on hand and, around 9 p.m. that same day, came downstairs to inform me that she’d “lost” her other front tooth. That is, it had been a little loose, but thinking about doubling her money led her to pretty much yanking that one out, too. She is now $10 richer. No pain, no gain, I guess.

DEAR READERS,

Hooray for Labor Day! Here’s to all of you hard workers out there. I hope you all enjoy this long weekend and do the things that bring you joy.

This week’s cover was created by Hannah Combs, one of our favorite artists who has submitted covers for the Reader in the past. It’s titled “Full Steam Ahead.” Combs said, “I often find myself overwhelmed by the rapid pace of development that seems to consume Bonner County in this current moment. As a historian, I see layers of our collective story disappear under new building projects before we can document them.”

This piece is part of a larger collection on display at the Museum Guild storefront right next to the Panida Theater, focusing on specific properties in Sandpoint where she paints a layer first from historic photographs, then cuts a paper skeleton of the buildings that have been or will be built on the site. “By visually excavating these layers, we can see what has been, what is and perhaps imagine what could be,” she said. The location Combs selected for this piece is Bridge Street and First Avenue, which will soon transform into high-rise luxury condos. – Ben Olson, publisher

READER

111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 946-4368

www.sandpointreader.com

Publisher: Ben Olson

ben@sandpointreader.com

Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com

Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com

Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus)

Advertising: Jodi Berge

Jodi@sandpointreader.com

Contributing Artists:

Hannah Combs (cover), Ben Olson, USFS, Woods Wheatcroft, Bill Borders, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey

Contributing Writers:

Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Emily Erickson, Dick Sonnichsen

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com

Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID

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Web Content: Keokee

september

There is a lot of significance to the month of September — taking its name from the Roman septem, which means “seven” and once the seventh month of the calendar. Chief among its folklore is harvest time, with a number of sayings related to weather and crops. Among them, according to almanac.com: “Heavy September rains bring drought”; “September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges”; “September blow soft, till the fruit’s in the loft”; “Married in September’s golden glow, smooth and serene your life will go”; “If the storms of September clear off warm, the storms of the following winter will be warm”; and “Fair on September first, fair for the month.”

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 300 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com

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

About the Cover

This week’s cover was painted by Hannah Combs, who has several Reader covers under her belt. Great work as always, Hannah!

Hard data

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Kochava Inc. drew international headlines Aug. 29 when the Federal Trade Commission announced a lawsuit aimed at the Sandpoint-based data broker and analytics company, alleging geolocation data sold by Kochava to its clients can be used to track people’s visits to sensitive locations, including reproductive health clinics.

“The FTC alleges that by selling data tracking people, Kochava is enabling others to identify individuals and exposing them to threats of stigma, stalking, discrimination, job loss and even physical violence,” the agency stated in its announcement. “The FTC’s lawsuit seeks to halt Kochava’s sale of sensitive geolocation data and require the company to delete the sensitive geolocation information it has collected.”

The company, through its Kochava Collective marketplace, purchases mobile device location data from third-party suppliers, then aggregates it and sells it in customized feeds to clients so they can track the success of targeted marketing campaigns, monitor how effective advertising is in generating foot traffic to specific physical stores or other locations, and assess how well billboard advertising works.

According to Kochava, data suppliers collect that geolocation information from users who have consented to making it available via mobile operating systems such as Apple iOS and Google Android, as well as apps and websites.

Some of those consent prompts are more obvious than others, but, “Mobile devices cannot track location without first gaining consent from the consumer,” Kochava Collective General Manager Brian Cox stated in a news release Aug. 10, announcing the company’s new “Privacy Block” capability, which is intended to remove location data related to health care services from the marketplace.

“Today, there are millions of

locations that could be categorized as health care services locations in the U.S. and mobile devices pass in and out of the boundaries of these locations,” Cox stated. “There is no federal regulation or federal database which catalogs these locations to protect consumer privacy.”

That’s why Kochava stated it is putting Privacy Block in place, inviting its data suppliers to register to participate and provide their definitions of what constitutes a “health services location” so those locations can be blocked from further acquisition. Health services providers themselves are also able to register with the Kochava Collective marketplace to have their locations removed and blocked.

“We believe it’s important for the industry to be proactive and to collaborate on a unified health services location block list,” Cox stated.

In its complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Idaho, the FTC stated that the availability of exactly that kind of geolocation data poses a risk to individuals. In certain hands, the agency alleged, that information could be used to disclose and trace people at abortion clinics, as well as places of worship, homeless and domestic violence shelters, and addiction recovery facilities. Such data can also be used to infer LGBTQ+ identification, the agency stated.

What’s more, the FTC alleged, that geolocation information — including latitude and longitude coordinates, as well as timestamps — can be combined with a device’s “mobile advertising identifier” (MAID) to reveal the identity of its owner, making it possible in turn to associate that user with a physical home address.

The agency in its filing contended that it was able to track individuals using a sample data set made available by Kochava through the Amazon Web Services Marketplace until this past June. The FTC complaint alleged that one day’s worth of data in the sample corresponded to nearly 62 million unique mobile devices.

“[I]n just the data Kochava made available in the Kochava

FTC sues Kochava, alleging sale of location data puts people at risk, while company calls suit ‘frivolous litigation’

Data Sample, it is possible to identify a mobile device that visited a women’s reproductive health clinic and trace that mobile device to a single-family residence,” the FTC stated in the complaint. “The data set also reveals that the same mobile device was at a particular location at least three evenings in the same week, suggesting the mobile device user’s routine. The data may also be used to identify medical professionals who perform, or assist in the performance, of abortion services.”

According to a statement from Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, “Where consumers seek out health care, receive counseling, or celebrate their faith is private information that shouldn’t be sold to the highest bidder.”

The agency has alleged that by selling such data, Kochava is in violation of the FTC Act, which prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce,” defining “unfair acts” as causing or “likely to cause substantial injury to consumers that [they] cannot reasonably avoid themselves and this is not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or competition.”

In a statement Kochava provided to the Reader, Cox characterized the FTC’s complaint as “a fundamental misunderstanding” of

the functioning of data brokers. He stated that the company had spent the weeks prior to the complaint working to illustrate to the agency how data is collected and used in digital advertising.

“We hoped to have productive conversations that led to effective solutions with the FTC about these complicated and important issues and are open to them in the future,” Cox stated. “Unfortunately the only outcome the FTC desired was a settlement that had no clear terms or resolutions and redefined the problem into a moving target.

“Real progress to improve data privacy for consumers will not be reached through flamboyant press releases and frivolous litigation,” he added. “It’s disappointing that the agency continues to circumvent the lawmaking process and perpetuate misinformation surrounding data privacy.”

FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips was the sole dissenting voice during proposed rulemaking surrounding commercial surveillance and data security, writing on Aug. 11 that, “Reducing the ability of companies to use data about consumers, which today facilitates the provision of free services, may result in higher prices — an effect that policymakers would be remiss not to consider in our current inflationary environment.”

He added that Congress, rather

than the agency, should formulate national data privacy policy, and the proposed rulemaking would put the FTC in a position of “banning or regulating conduct the Commission has never once identified as unfair or deceptive.”

Phillips, who announced he will step down from his position this fall, also criticized the FTC’s proposed rules as vague when they came to actually defining “sensitive data,” writing, “Almost as an afterthought, the [rulemaking proposal] asks ‘which kinds of data’ might be subject to any potential rules, but there is no attempt at real engagement on the topic. There is no question asking how ‘sensitive data’ should be defined.”

Finally, in another section of his 11-page dissent, Phillips took the FTC to task for seeming “skeptical that consumers can be trusted to make their own choices” when it comes to providing consent to have their data collected, and called it “paternalistic” to contemplate different standards of consent for individuals who are “‘in crisis’ or ‘especially vulnerable to deception.’”

“Heaven forbid adults make decisions and permit companies to use their data to serve them

Kingsland removed from BoCo Zoning Commission

Delayed notice contains little detail about cause for dismissal

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Despite Bonner County commissioners voting unanimously in an Aug. 16 executive session to remove Kristina Kingsland from the county’s Zoning Commission, records show that she was not informed of the decision until more than a week later on Aug. 24. Kingsland, who attended a zoning meeting between those dates without knowledge of her removal, spoke at the board’s Aug. 30 business meeting seeking further explanation for her termination from the volunteer position, which she has held since May.

According to Kingsland, she received written notice of her removal on Aug. 29 after “repeated requests” following a phone conversation Aug. 24 with BOCC Chairman Dan McDonald. The written notice states that Kingsland was being removed from the commission due to “failure

targeted ads,” he wrote.

Lost among the high-profile coverage of the FTC’s complaint against Kochava is the fact that amid the agency’s rulemaking process, Kochava preemptively sued the FTC in mid-August, filing its own suit in U.S. District Court in Idaho based on the then-proposed complaint.

According to a report Aug. 18 from the Idaho Statesman, Kochava in its lawsuit denied that the information it makes available on the marketplace is identified with specific users. Rather, it pairs encrypted email addresses and IP addresses with MAID information, keeping the data anonymous.

“Kochava does not collect, then subsequently sell data compilation that allows one to track a specific individual to a specific location,” Kochava stated in its filing, according to the Statesman “Even if an injury to the consumer did indeed occur, it is reasonably avoidable by the consumer themselves by way of the opt-out provision to allow the data collection.”

Several sources familiar with Kochava’s operations, speaking on

to follow procedural rules for commissioners regarding due process and ex parte communications,” and “public comments and social media posts showing overwhelming bias regarding land use decisions which resulted in public complaints.”

Kingland pushed back during the public comment portion of the Aug. 30 commissioners business meeting.

“It contained no descriptions of these offenses, nor did it list any of the comments or who complained about them,” she said. “While I am a known passionate advocate for our rural lifestyle and for public access, since my appointment to the Zoning Commission I have been careful to maintain an open mind and professional approach to each and every file presented.”

Leading up to her May appointment to the Zoning Commission, Kingsland had voiced opposition to certain land use files before the

background, told the Reader in separate conversations that the FTC’s complaint appears to be intended to make an example of the company, noting that there are many other — much larger — firms offering similar data services to advertising clients. Ad Age on Aug. 29 described the complaint as “a warning over data practices for the entire ad industry,” and “puts the rest of the ad world on notice.”

Meanwhile, in July, President Joe Biden signed an executive order intended to protect access to reproductive health services following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which triggered state-level restrictions and outright bans on abortion in a variety of circumstances — including in Idaho — that in many cases place both women who undergo an abortion and health care providers who perform or even assist in obtaining an abortion in dire legal jeopardy.

Among other directives, the order addressed “the transfer and sales of sensitive health-related data,” as well as “combatting digital surveillance related to reproductive health care services.”

county, including a proposal to change acreage minimums on more than 700 acres in the Selle Valley and the hotly contested vacation of Camp Bay Road.

McDonald told the Reader following the Aug. 30 meeting that the delay in notifying Kingsland was because “my schedule had me busy the day we made the decision so it took me a few days to make the call.”

“I’m not really sure how that was an issue to begin with and seems more like a red herring to me,” McDonald wrote in an email.

He added that the board doesn’t “take appointing, and especially removal, of any commission seat lightly,” and, “we tend to keep these things in-house and not make them public.”

“Kristina had expressed that she felt her ‘good name’ was defamed, however she chose to make the issue public at our meeting so I’m confused by her actions,” he continued.

As for the code that dictates

While the FTC in its complaint pointed directly to reproductive health service locations as emblematic of the type of sensitive data that shouldn’t be available for purchase or sale, a spokesperson told the Reader in an email Aug. 30 that “since at least 2012,” the agency “has publicly stated that precise location data, of the type sold by Kochava, is sensitive information. The FTC has also long warned about the potential invasion of consumer privacy that such data poses.”

Then-director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Jessica Rich testified in 2014 before a U.S. Senate panel on privacy, technology and law that precise geolocation data could be used to reveal the answers to such questions as, “Did you visit an AIDS clinic last Tuesday? What place of worship do you attend? Were you at a psychiatrist’s office last week? Did you meet with a prospective business customer?”

The FTC has also brought actions in the past related to improper use of geolocation data, including “stalkerware” cases in 2019 and 2021 that alleged some

the board’s ability to remove commission members, McDonald pointed to that Idaho statute states: “Members may be removed for cause by a majority vote of the governing board.”

“She was given the reasons via the phone conversation and it was outlined in her letter,” McDonald said, adding that “there was more than enough cause for her removal.”

While the extent of the “public complaints” remains unclear in the board’s written statement to Kingsland, McDonald received

app developers were deceptively collecting and using consumers’ data or otherwise failing to make that information secure.

“These and other statements and actions by the Commission have made clear to the public the sensitivity of this data,” the agency told the Reader.

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, has been among the members of Congress to address data privacy from a policy level, writing in a 2019 “weekly column” on crapo.senate.gov that while mobile devices, social media and search engines “have become everyday tools … their usage is accompanied by a shocking amount of hidden data collection without individuals’ knowledge or consent.”

On data brokers, in particular, Crapo wrote, “Companies will argue that this data is needed in order to provide customized, free services, but consumers will just as rightly argue that they were never fully informed of such data collection, nor consented to it.”

He called for establishing a clear regulatory framework to protect consumer privacy while providing data collectors, brokers

two emails — one from Camp Bay resident Jim Frank and the other from local real estate broker Eric Skinner — which expressed concern about her possible bias in making land use decisions. However, he shared those emails with Kingsland in May, soon after her appointment, and months from when she would be dismissed.

“I was known to be who I am and even held out as an example of how fair the commissioners were being to have dissenting voices on the commission, and I was warned not to make any statements that were inappropriate,” Kingsland shared in a written statement to the Reader Aug. 31.

“I believe this appointment was not about my ability to serve our community, it was to shut me up or to humiliate me into submission to divert attention away from the real issues facing our county,” she continued, adding later: “I will weather this storm to fight again another day.”

and users with concrete “obligations” and an enforcement structure to make sure consumers’ data is appropriately collected and secured.

Crapo’s office declined to comment on the FTC complaint against Kochava, as it is an ongoing legal matter, but a spokesperson told the Reader that “the column still reflects his overall views.”

For its part, Kochava stressed that the company “sources 100% of the geo data in our data marketplace from third-party data brokers, all of whom represent that the data comes from consenting consumers,” according to Kochava Collective GM Brian Cox, and underscored in its statement that the company prior to litigation had taken the “proactive step … to block geo data from sensitive locations via Privacy Block.”

Meanwhile, in the ongoing absence of clear guidelines from the FTC, “we are constantly monitoring and proactively adjusting our technology to block geo data from other sensitive locations,” Cox stated.

Wildfires burn north of Bonner County

Campers should stay aware of fire danger over the holiday weekend

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

August saw North Idaho’s fire danger elevated to “Very High,” as well as a number of lightning storms igniting fires throughout the panhandle — a handful of which continue to burn. While none of these blazes are located in Bonner County, locals may notice smoke coming into the area as fire crews continue to work toward containment.

The longest burning of these fires is the Diamond Watch Fire, located a little more than five miles from Nordman in Pend Oreille County. Started by lightning on July 14, the Diamond Watch Fire was reported Aug. 30 to be 835 acres and 44% contained. According to a media release from the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, firefighters used heavy equipment to complete containment lines on the west, south and east sides of the blaze as Diamond Creek continues to act as a natural containment line in the north.

Containment tactics remain the focal point of the Diamond Watch Fire as the burning terrain is too dangerous for fire personnel to attack directly.

While there are currently no evacuations ordered surrounding this fire, Forest Service Roads 311, 308 and 1362H are currently closed, as well as Petit Lake and its associated dispersed campsites.

Another grouping of nearby fires is in the Bonners Ferry Ranger District in Boundary County, where the Eneas Peak (816 acres), Trout (21 acres) and Russell

Bits ’n’ Pieces

From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: Russian state-owned media has claimed Moscow officials have already been perusing top-secret documents the FBI was looking for when it raided former President Donald Trump’s home.

While some have blamed the American Rescue Plan for U.S. inflation, it is actually a global phenomenon, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Upon review of U.S. policies to restrict spending or slow economic growth, EPI reported that such actions “would be misguided at best.”

Mountain (123 acres) fires all increased in size early in the week due to dry, hot weather.

Firefighters are using a contain-and-confine management strategy on all three blazes, which are causing the closures of Ball Creek (FSR 432) and Trout Creek roads, as well as the trails in those areas: Russell Mountain (No. 12), Russell Ridge (No. 92), Ball & Pyramid Lakes (No. 43), Pyramid Pass Trail (No. 13), Pyramid Peak (No. 7), Fisher Peak (No. 27) and Trout Lake (No. 41).

While these local fires were caused by lightning, most wildfires are actually the result of human negligence — something that fire officials hope recreationists will keep in mind as the Labor Day weekend approaches.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, there were about 6,300 lightning-caused wildfires nationwide in 2021, compared to about 52,000 wildfires caused by humans.

While campfires are currently allowed on public lands, USFS officials ask visitors to have a shovel, ax and bucket of water on hand. Also learn where there may already be fires burning by visiting inciweb.nwcg.gov or calling the IPNF fire information hotline at 208-557-8813.

Area residents are encouraged to visit nixle.com or text their zip code to 888777 to sign up for emergency alerts related to fires, evacuations and other public safety issues. Those wishing to monitor possible smoke impacts in the region should go to fire.airnow.gov.

President Joe Biden recently announced a student debt forgiveness program, under which Pell grant recipients earning less than $125,000 annually would get $20,000 in student loan forgiveness, and federal borrowers with the same income would have $10,000 forgiven. Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, called it a “slap in the face” to grads who had paid their debt and those who had taken career paths to avoid student debt. But Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., disagreed, saying that McConnell graduated college in 1964 when it cost $330 a year.

CNN collected various reactions to Biden’s student debt relief, for instance: a 66-year-old woman said that together with scholarships, she and her husband were able to help their daughter get a Master’s degree, loan-free, and are delighted for those who will receive help from debt forgiveness; one man who worked his way through college said the bill sends “the wrong message”; a 28-year-old man said he can now afford to move out of his parent’s home; and a 30-year old man with $26,000 student debt said that he’s been paying on the loan for seven years (and still owes $21,000), but can now consider making a down payment on a house and starting a family.

Close to 90% of the student debt relief will go to those earning less than $75,000 a year, according to the Department of Education, and will benefit some 43 million borrowers (one out of eight Americans). The White House National Economic Council director pointed out that a comparison to the 2017 Republican tax bill saw 15% of people benefiting who made under $75,000 annually.

Various media reported that the Trumpera Paycheck Protection Program included Republican lawmakers being forgiven for figures like $183,504 (Rep.

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

Marjorie Taylor Greene); $482,321 (Rep. Matt Gaetz); $987,237 (Rep. Mike Kelly); $1 million (Rep. Kevin Hern); $1.4 million (Rep. Markwayne Mullin); $2.3 million (Rep. Vern Buchanan); and more. PPP benefits went to 85% of those making more than $75,000 a year, with nearly half going to those making more than $250,000 annually.

Biden weighed in with a tweet noting that all the Republican hand-wringing about the deficit didn’t mesh with the “unpaid-for $2 trillion [Trump era] tax cut to the wealthy and big corporations. It makes you laugh. Under my Administration, the deficit is on track to come down more than $1 trillion this year.”

Biden, apparently on a roll, said more at a Democratic National Committee meeting, addressing the threat from the far-right MAGA Republican faction: What is on the ballot this year is voting rights, the existence of Social Security, safety for kids from gun violence and “the very survival of our planet.”

Blast from the past: Student debt like that in the U.S. does not exist elsewhere in the developed world, according to historian Thom Hartmann. He notes that student debt began a noticeable increase when Ronald Reagan, as California governor, ended free tuition at University of California, and cut state student aid by 20%. Why? Reagan explained that college students were “too liberal” and we “should not subsidize intellectual curiosity.” Prior to Reagan’s presidency, states paid 65% of college costs, federal aid covered about 15% and students were left to handle 20%.

Between 1980 and 1985 spending on higher education was slashed by 25%, and no other programs experienced deeper cuts than student aid. Four decades after Reagan, students are responsible for 80% of the cost of a college education. (By comparison, most northern European countries today provide free college and a stipend for books and rent.)

Before Reagan, the 1944 GI Bill educated 8 million people, with a return of 14 Nobel prize-winners, 24 Pulitzer prize winners; 238,000 teachers; 91,000 scientists; 67,000 doctors; 450,000 engineers; and millions of lawyers, nurses, artists, actors, writers, pilots and entrepreneurs. Another blast: The Economic Policy Institute reported that today’s minimum wage is worth 21% less than in 2009.

County upholds Wood View Acres minor land division

Neighbors to the property — owned by the planning director — criticize code interpretation in appeal hearing

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Bonner County commissioners upheld approval of a minor land division off Wood View Road during an appeal hearing Aug. 29, attended by neighbors of the proposed division who argued it would set a dangerous precedent for other suburban zones in the county.

The MLD application — filed by new Planning Director Jacob Gabell in June, before he was hired for the position — proposes taking the director’s private 6.27 acres and splitting it into four: one 3.49-acre lot, one 1.06-acre lot and two one-acre lots.

While MLDs are typically processed administratively by the Planning Department, the Wood View Acres proposal went before the commissioners due to Gabell’s position as both director and applicant.

Gabell was not present at the hearing due to National Guard obligations.

The property in question is zoned Suburban, where lots must remain at least 2.5 acres unless they receive urban services such as water and sewer. According to Gabell’s application, he plans to service each divided lot with its own septic system and have a well drilled to service the three oneacre lots.

Planning staff recommended

approval of the file on the grounds that Bonner County Code defines “urban services,” in part, as “publicly or privately maintained water supply and distribution systems.”

Liz Iha, who represented the Wood View Road neighbors in the appeal, argued that interpreting the code to allow for a single well servicing several lots to qualify as “urban services” would be setting a precedent for unchecked growth in Suburban zones. She also alleged that planning staff had not adequately considered the property rights of Gabell’s neighbors, including possible traffic, ecological and land value impacts.

Chistopher Davis also presented on behalf of the concerned neighbors, bringing into question the possible conflict of interest associated with the commissioners ruling on a file brought by one of their employees.

“It’s not enough for you to say that you have no conflict, because there is the appearance of impropriety, and the appearance is enough to cause an ethical issue,” Davis said.

In concluding her appeal presentation, Iha doubled down on Davis’ comments.

“Many people in this room have reached that place — we’ve reached that place of undermined trust and loss of faith in the integrity of our decision-making process,” she said.

A dozen people commented

against the MLD, urging the board to appeal its decision. Many of them focused on the “urban services” issue, with Reg Crawford testifying to the “gymnastics” the county had to employ to interpret the code in such a way that the MLD could be approved.

“This is an unacceptable stretch for code that is designed to define our county’s growth and is supposed to be used for planning,” she said.

Many members of the public expressed concern about the perceived conflict of interest in having the board rule on the file, rather than using a party outside of the county — a sticking point for the county commissioners.

“That fact that he became the planning director has no bearance [sic] on this file whatsoever — none,” said Commissioner Steve Bradshaw. “For somebody to implicate that favoritism went with it kinda agitates the hell out of me.”

In her rebuttal to planning staff, Iha pointed to the quick turnaround of the appeal, as well as the fact that Gabell requested during the MLD’s original hearing that any appeal be heard after he’d returned from National Guard duty.

“We’re looking at unanswered emails, we’re looking at unanswered calls, we’re looking at unanswered office visits and we’re looking at loss of due process,” Iha said, noting the $380 cost to file the appeal.

“For us to have to pull this together in the time we had to pull it together and then not be given $380-worth, I would say, of time to prepare for this quasi-judicial appeal is upsetting,” she added.

Commissioners voted unanimously to uphold their approval of the MLD, with Commissioner Dan McDonald stating that in the first hearing the board “spent a great deal of time unpacking definitions,

so it was very clear that ‘urban water’ doesn’t mean ‘urban water,’ because right in there it talks about shared systems, private systems, and we do have them.”

He added that the MLD proposal “should have been a slam dunk” had the applicant not been the planning director, therefore requiring the public hearing process to take place.

“Staff did an excellent job, completely unbiased. They ran [Gabell] through the ringer, and rightly so,” McDonald said. “This thing couldn’t have been handled cleaner or better than it has. … Just trying to claim that there’s an appearance of impropriety is pathetic and ridiculous. It really is. … It’s disturbing to me that we have people in this county who try to make these pathetic arguments, that go after neighbors. It’s just sad. It’s not the Bonner County that I know.”

Bouquets:

• A Bouquet goes out to all the campers who leave their campsites cleaner than they found them. It’s such a great feeling to arrive at one of our favorite places to camp and not see a fire pit filled with broken glass, soiled diapers, beer cans and burnt-out mattresses. I’ll never understand the justification that must go through some people’s minds when leaving trash behind in a fire pit. Do they think some magical tree fairy emerges from the forest to eat their leftover bags of Cheetos and Busch Light cans? If you recreate in nature, you should learn to clean up after yourself. It’s that easy. If you can’t handle this simple task, just stay home and leave the outdoors to those of us who want to keep it untrampled.

GUEST SUBMISSION:

•“To the EMS/EMTs’ response to my wife’s 911 call: I went into anaphylaxis shock from yellow jacket/bee sting/bite, and was out cold on our kitchen floor. They stabilized my back and took me to BGH Emergency, an MRI was done and I have a compression fracture. I can’t thank you all enough (including the BGH Emergency Room staff/personnel) for your response and care provided. Special thanks to the best neighbors (Elizabeth and John) and friends (to include Will), a person could ask for. You have all been so helpful and caring during this period of my incapacitation.”

— By Michael Harmelin

Barbs:

• I’ve heard from one of our readers again about the stinky, smelly pile of sawdust leftover from the Bonner County Fair which has attracted flies, which are annoying neighbors wishing to spend these late summer days in their backyards. Can someone from Bonner County look into getting rid of this pile?

Thank you Helen…

Dear editor,

Re: Helen Newton’s letter of Aug. 25 [“Inappropriate endorsement…”] on the topic of City Council members posing for a particular private business (Ting). Helen, I myself thought that was a bit strange, but didn’t follow up. This seems a bit inappropriate for not only the Chamber of Commerce director to do but for any elected official. Should Councilwoman McAlister ever even vote on something that has to do with Sandpoint business? She has twofold influence here and that does not seem ethical. Did the chamber board know of this advertisement before it went public?

Bill Litsinger Sandpoint

‘Smile, wave and keep on going’…

Dear editor,

I feel compelled to talk about cycling in this town and the conundrum that is “motorists who are too nice.” When I am stopped on my bike in the street at an intersection with a stop sign, where vehicles are crossing in both directions with no stop sign, those vehicles have the right of way. I must wait until traffic is clear from both directions to cross. It’s no different than if I were a car.

If I approach a stop sign and there is no traffic, I am allowed to proceed cautiously through the intersection without stopping, according to Idaho bike laws (Idaho Code Chapter 49 Title 7).

But in this friendly town, when I am stopped waiting for traffic, more often than not, some conscientious motorist will stop to let me cross. Although I appreciate the gesture, it is not correct and that motorist has just stopped traffic behind them for no reason. Now, if I were off my bike, standing at a crosswalk, then it is correct for a motorist to stop for me and any other pedestrian wanting to use the crosswalk.

So please, friends, when you are driving down the street and a cyclist is on their bike, stopped in the street waiting for you, do the right thing. Just smile, wave and keep on going. Thanks!

Judy York Sandpoint

Response to Helen Newton…

Dear editor, First, I want to thank Ms. Newton for bringing up the topic of my photo in the Reader [Letters, “Inappropriate endorsement…,” Aug. 25, 2022], and it was also in the Bee, to be perfectly transparent.

Here are the things the public should know:

Said photo was taken long before I decided to run for City Council. I was not a sitting council member when this photo was taken.

As president of the Chamber of Commerce it is my job to support local businesses and, yes, once my tenure is over on City Council, I would support other chamber members with a photo, if that is what they would like. I support chamber members now, in person and verbally.

Ting happened to ask for a photo and I agreed to be part of their marketing campaign. I had no idea Ting was going to publish this photo now as part of their current campaign. I would have asked them not to if I had known about it.

I have worked very hard over the past 30 years to be a participating member of our community and supporter of our businesses. I would recommend Ms. Newton talk to some of those businesses and ask them how I support them. I also support businesses who have Facebook pages by sharing their information on all our chamber platforms. I started the Support Local campaign and it has been ongoing for the past two years.

To be called unethical was a shock, especially since I received no phone call from Ms. Newton asking me about it before she went to the paper. I guess that’s the way of the world now — you can accuse people of things without first finding out the truth.

If you have questions about what I do, please feel free to reach out to me.

Kate McAlister Sandpoint

Write in Steve Johnson for ‘representation that deals with reality’…

Dear editor,

This November we have many important choices to make. Do we want forward-looking representation that deals with reality? Or do we choose representatives who are trying to hold on to an imaginary past? We have candidates who want to control the content of our libraries and what teachers can talk about in the classroom. Why, you ask? Simple: They are afraid of people seeing truths that they have denied for decades.

The GOP candidate for state senator wants to abolish public education so he, and people like him, can control what our children learn. This candidate used disinformation, misinformation and outright lies to secure his primary win.

We have a chance to stop this

person. That chance is Steve Johnson, an independent write-in candidate. Steve is a lifelong Idaho resident, a retired educator, a farmer and businessman. I’m proud to say that Steve is a friend of mine. I worked with Steve on building our wonderful libraries — Sandpoint and Clark Fork. Steve understands that we need great schools and libraries if our children are to succeed and prosper in tomorrow’s world.

For a brighter future for all Idahoans we must support Steve Johnson, independent write-in candidate for Idaho Senate.

Gil Beyer Sandpoint

Vote for Dist. 1 Senate write-in candidate Steve Johnson…

Dear editor,

Thank goodness we still have a choice in November for District 1 state senator. Write in Steve Johnson for ethical and honest representation.

Scott Herndon is everything Steve Johnson is not. Herndon lied consistently during the primary about Jim Woodward when the actual facts were easy enough to find and prove. His extreme views on human rights and gun safety are right at your fingertips on his website. He has a strange view of what freedom actually is.

Steve Johnson has an agenda to include increasing the homeowners exemption to help keep folks in the homes for which they worked so hard, he supports quality public education for all Idaho children and he would fight to preserve our rural lifestyle. He will fight for women’s health and to bring our Idaho dollars back to be used for the benefit of our state.

Please, if you’re not registered to vote, do it yesterday. Apply for an absentee ballot if you are inclined at voteidaho.gov and, for your children and grandchildren’s sake, vote on Nov. 8 for write-in candidate for state senator, Steve Johnson.

Sylvia Humes Sandpoint

Steamboat Springs housing crisis looks like Sandpoint’s…

Dear editor, You might want to check out recent articles about Steamboat Springs, Colo. I arrived there in 1965, transferring from three years at another college and received a degree from a new four-year college, now known as Colorado Alpine College. I lived there until I moved

to Sandpoint in 1991 (not counting 1968 and 1969 in Vietnam).

I worked as the reporter for the Steamboat Pilot newspaper from 1970 through 1976, when I bought 40 acres and “dropped out.” Had I waited until 2005 to sell, I would be a millionaire today.

A recent Associated Press article said the lowest rental was $2,000 per month for a motel roomtype setup. Apartments go for about $2,800. Needless to say, it is hard to find workers for even Walmart. Imagine ever trying to buy a house within 40 miles.

The same thing is happening here. Somehow the wealthy (mostly young inherited wealthy) are buying and speculating and driving the lower-income families out of a place to live.

I wish I could figure out a way to stop this, other than a few super-rich who care about the issue wanting to donate housing money because they care about a particular town and the preservation of its values.

James Richard Johnson

Clark Fork

Support Prop 1 education funding initiative…

Dear editor, Education is opportunity. My dad did not finish high school. As a teenager, he was young and strong and healthy and able to get good-paying jobs in the sawmills and the woods. But later, after his service in the Army Air Force in World War II, he had injuries to his back that made the physical work impossible.

My dad and my mom both impressed on my three brothers and myself that education created a path for opportunity.

With their encouragement, my three brothers and I all graduated from Sandpoint High School, attended college and received bachelors and graduate degrees. We have all been blessed with work that is meaningful and pays a living wage.

Regardless if the post-high school education is vocational, technical, apprenticeship or academic college, it is a proven and consistent pathway to successful careers and productive work. My personal experience is one of the main reasons I am a strong advocate for Prop 1, the Quality Education Act that will be on our Idaho ballot this Nov. 8.

Education is an investment in our youth and an investment in our future. Please join me in voting for Prop 1 this November.

Steve Johnson Sagle

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Student loan (and) forgiveness

I’m not proud of my initial reaction to the Biden administration’s student loan debt forgiveness plan. The plan, announced last week, is a multi-pronged strategy to cancel $10,000 in student loan debts ($20,000 for Pell Grant recipients) for people earning less than $125,000 a year. This plan also caps undergraduate loan repayment at 5% of a borrower’s monthly income, providing significant relief for an estimated 43 million Americans.

My reaction to this relief for my peers was feeling swindled — like I had been conned into giving away my ticket to abundance while everyone else was waving theirs around. I said I’m not proud, but let me explain.

The summer between my senior year of high school and before my freshman year of college, my mom — the sole earner of our family — died. I quickly realized the financial burden of my continued education (and the rest of my life) was mine alone to carry — a reality for many but, starkly, newly mine.

I chose my collegiate institution largely based on the amount of scholarship and financial aid I’d receive and was awarded a Pell Grant, with further assistance for low-income families. I supplemented my education with paid work, either juggling a full-time job with a full course load or part-time work, full-time school and running extracurriculars. But, despite all the assistance and all the hours spent slinging beers and waiting tables between my school work, I still left college with about $23,000 of student loan debt.

Post-graduation, I began the arduous process of loan repayment, often contributing a significant portion of my wages to meet the monthly minimums. After about a year, and with thousands of dollars contributed, I checked the balance on my accounts and was horrified to learn that nearly all of what I’d been paying went to cover the interest on the loans. I was in the perpetually re-filling hole of debt, with only one way out: spending the life insurance money my mom left my siblings and me upon her death. I used this entrusted $20,000 — a sum that my mom hoped would be spent on a down payment for my first home — and, effectively, paid off all my loans.

So, when the announcement was released, I didn’t think about the relief for my peers, but, rather, fixated on how much I could have done with $20,000 if I’d only waited for its forgiveness. It felt like being punished for doing the “sensible” thing.

But that logic and my reaction were flawed. A scarcity mindset — or the general notion that prosperity is a pie, and one person’s large slice means another’s small one — made me think of all the ways in which the plan

wouldn’t help me, and all the ways it should have helped me, but didn’t. My own self-absorption distracted me from considering all the people who had been stuck in the re-filling hole of debt that I’d been fortunate enough to climb out of, as well as all that I’d been able to accomplish without the crushing weight of loans and interest influencing my life’s decisions.

My myopic thinking broadened beyond my own experience in the hours after the announcement, recognizing other people’s relief and the collective abundance that can occur when money is allocated to people who actually need it.

This perspective really clicked into place when I read New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s reflection on the plan on Instagram.

She wrote: “Not every program has to be for everybody. People with apartments pay for first-time homeowner benefits. Young people pay for Medicare for our seniors. People who take public transit pay for car infrastructure. Maybe student loan forgiveness doesn’t impact you. That doesn’t make it bad. We can do good things and reject the [idea] that doing something good for someone else comes at the cost of something for ourselves.”

She reiterated that a scarcity mindset is not compatible with public programs.

Canceling student debt will transform the lives of so many people, opening up funds for the opportunities my generation has been frequently denied: purchasing a house, putting away money for retirement and starting businesses. Beyond that, it will begin to correct for the disproportionate student load debt held

by minorities, and serve as the first step in fixing a system built on extorting young people with dangled promises of “a better future” post-degree.

Part of being a citizen is thinking broadly about things — considering widespread impact, even when it doesn’t directly benefit us. It’s thinking about all the lives that can and will be made better by things that may not improve ours. And it’s con-

fronting our own less-than-ideal reactions to programs designed to elevate our collective experience, evaluating and amending our perspectives and, perhaps, it’s asking for a little forgiveness.

Emily Erickson is a writer and business owner with an affinity for black coffee and playing in the mountains. Connect with her online at www.bigbluehat. studio.

Retroactive

By BO

Science: Mad about

tomatoes

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

Think about your pantry for a moment. Does a banana, a potato or a tomato interest you? Have you ever thought about where that fruit or vegetable came from, or why that dull, rusting globe of sugar and water is so incredible?

Despite their seemingly mundane nature, tomatoes are incredible plants with a rich and storied history, and a wild genetic lineage that rivals the vibrant diversity of canines around the world. Imagine a great dane, a corgi, a chihuahua and any member of the terrier family. Now imagine a tomato.

Doesn’t seem fair, does it?

Average on-the-vine and beefsteak tomatoes are the bulk of what you find at the grocery store. They’re easy to fill with water, slow to rot and easy to transport. Most important: they’re all uniform in taste and presentation. Despite making up the vast majority of tomatoes we experience in our daily lives, they are only two breeds in a vast ocean of tomato genetics.

Roma tomatoes are another common type of tomato, often rich with firm flesh used famously in the sauce of Italian grandmothers. Did you know that the famed Roma tomato was actually developed in 1955? Its ancestor, the San Marzano, originated in Italy, near Naples. It’s rumored that the San Marzano first arrived in Italy in the 1700s, but that’s nearly impossible to prove. What is known about the San Marzano is its status as a staple saucing tomato in Italian cuisine. A good and hearty alternative on this side of the world

is the Amish paste, which grows wonderfully well in our acidic soil, provided it gets enough fertilizer to flourish.

Italy may have claimed the tomato as its own special fruit, but the tomato isn’t native to Europe. Tomatoes, much like potatoes, originated in the Andes mountains of Peru and Ecuador. It’s likely that cultivars were first domesticated in Mexico before Columbus arrived. There is historical evidence of domesticated tomatoes flourishing in South America as early as 700 CE.

Tomatoes made their way to Europe via Spanish conquistadors, having stolen them from the Indigineous peoples slaughtered at the hands of Hernán Cortés and his soldiers. It’s likely that the tomatoes themselves didn’t make the lengthy sea voyage, but their seeds certainly did.

Tomatoes were grown as ornamental food plants in southern Europe as early as the 1500s, quickly spreading from Spain to Italy and becoming staples of cuisine in both countries.

Tomatoes weren’t as popular in northern Europe, particularly in Britain. You may have heard that Englishmen and women refused to eat tomatoes for centuries because they believed them to be poisonous. This is not entirely true. The tomato was poisonous to the wealthy classes of English nobility, but not to the poor.

A fruit that discriminates based on wealth! How would that work?

The English nobility really loved lead. Queen Elizabeth I used to wear white lead makeup that likely led to her demise. Anyone who could afford regal pewter dishware did so, primarily because of its appearance

and durability. As you may well be aware, tomatoes are quite acidic, and the acid present in their juice would leach the lead from the pewter which led to poisoning and illness. Poor folks just ate tomatoes like apples or on wooden plates, which meant they wouldn’t be poisoned when eating the fruit.

Ever since the 1500s, we have developed tomatoes to fulfill a variety of roles in our diet. Saucing tomatoes will have denser flesh with richer flavors. Slicing tomatoes like beefsteaks will be larger to cover more area on sandwiches. Cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes are small, bite-sized tomatoes that are perfect for appetizer trays and salads. There is a huge variety of other kinds of tomatoes that fill every niche in between.

Ever wonder why tomatoes are red? It’s likely that they produce such brilliant shades of red in order to attract animals to come eat the fruit and either spit the seeds out or poop them elsewhere, a common tactic among fruit-bearing plants. The actual, scientific reason the tomatoes are red is because they produce a red pigment called lycopene, which can be found in a number of other fruits and vegetables, including watermelon, papaya, grapefruit and even carrots. There have been some studies into the health benefits of lycopene, though it’s tricky to say if lycopene is good for you or if the rest of the nutrients from the fruit or veggie are good for you. Either way, it’s good for you. Eat a tomato.

If you aren’t a fan of storebought tomatoes, you may consider purchasing an heirloom tomato from a local vendor, such as one from the Farmers’ Market

here in Sandpoint. Tomatoes grown with attention and care are packed full of flavor and are the difference between eating a $2 burger from a fast food joint and a burger made from Kobe beef. Moreover, heirloom seeds can be harvested, saved and grown the following year. Generally, the seeds from hybrid breeds are infertile and won’t produce anything when grown.

It’s important to foster the growth of heirloom varieties of

all food plants. Plants that are subjected to natural selection will develop tolerances to the areas in which they are grown. Heirloom tomatoes grow stronger with every generation.

Thank a farmer, eat a tomato and visit the seed library at the Sandpoint library and donate any extra heirloom seeds you might have. Want more information? Stop by the library and we’ll hook you up. Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner

•Garlic has been a staple of the table for more than four millennia, with archaeological evidence for its use going back to ancient Mesopotamia, in the modern-day Middle East. The ancient Chinese, Romans, Greeks and Egyptians also all enjoyed the pungent bulbs, with garlic found entombed alongside Egyptian pharaohs.

•Garlic is super healthy, having been shown to aid in lowering blood pressure, decreasing cholesterol levels and triggering dramatic reductions in the risk of heart disease. On top of that, garlic contains essential nutrients and antioxidants.

•Garlic may not be the cure for the common cold, but it certainly helps keep the sniffles away: not only does garlic boost the immune system, one study showed that people who took garlic supplements were up to 70% less likely to catch a cold.

•Chopping or crushing garlic releases an enzyme called alliinase, which acts on another compound in garlic called allin to create

allicin. The allicin absorbs into your bloodstream when consumed and, since allicin has sulfur in it, it’s what gives garlic its trademark smell. Eating a small amount will make your breath smell funky; but, if you eat enough, your sweat can even smell like garlic.

•China produces the lion’s share of garlic in the world, contributing a whopping 80%, or 25 million tons, to the world supply. The number would be much higher if the U.S. and EU didn’t heavily tax Chinese garlic in order to give their local growers a chance at the market.

•Chicago is named after garlic. Chicagaoua was the Indigenous word for a wild garlic that grows near Lake Michigan.

•Did you know you can make glue from garlic? Artisans have historically used it as glue since the 13th century, crushing a few cloves and using the resulting juice as an adhesive for glass and porcelain.

‘Idaho nice’

By Dick Sonnichsen Reader Contributor

A friend of mine from Minnesota brags about the friendliness of the people of his state, a concept the inhabitants call “Minnesota Nice.” “Minnesota Nice” is a cultural stereotype applied to Minnesotans who are mild-mannered and friendly, with an aversion to open confrontation. I have not spent much time in Minnesota, so I can’t vouch for the truth of his statement, but the notion of being friendly and cordial intrigues me. I wonder if we could adopt that approach here in Idaho and build a reputation among fellow inhabitants and visitors for being “Idaho Nice.” We could begin experimenting with the concept right here in Bonner County.

The quality of life in Bonner County is one of the primary reasons we live here, and I imagine most of us do so because of the area’s rural nature, the abundant opportunities for recreation, the low population and lack of crowded urban areas. Rural life is rooted in the shared values of independence, community, hard work, common sense, tradition and freedom from unreasonable government intrusion.

Most of us should be able to agree on two things: our goal in life is to be as happy as possible and improving the quality of life for everyone should be the goal of elected officials. Our own well-being depends on the well-being of others. Some of us live at the end of long dirt roads, some on the lake, some on mountain sides, some in town; but, no

matter where we live, we are all affected by the same social and political problems.

There is a profound urgency to the task of agreeing on thorny issues. Rural America is not immune from world problems. It’s important to address controversial topics in a cooperative manner. Collaborating with others improves the quality of life for ourselves and our neighbors. Something has to change, or the quality of life in Bonner County we cherish will quickly disintegrate and what once was an attractive place to live will become a county of bitter malcontents. We have become susceptible to misinformation, fragmentary data, conspiracy theories and outright lies. Important traits to develop are the twin analytical tools of skepticism and critical evaluation of information. We are poorly served by political labels, partisan minds and hardened ideological positions that impede creative solutions to tough problems. Unfortunately, noisy opposition and posturing captures attention and causes confusion. Hardened political and religious convictions become extreme views immune to attempts at

persuasion.

What’s the point of living in Bonner County if we are unhappy and constantly bickering?

If we increase our tolerance for opposing views, that will expose our differences that can then be evaluated. Then reason and a spirit of cooperation and compromise can move us forward to common ground and solutions to controversial issues.

Everyone benefits when open-minded people interact with each other in a mutually supportive fashion. We may need to examine our subjective viewpoints, reassess our prior understanding of issues and form new conceptions. If we could develop a little tolerance for views we don’t share and closely examine the differences, there is a potential for some common ground, which could be the basis for problem solving using the facts in evidence.

Quelling discontent should be a priority. Unfortunately, we have color-coded the county red and blue — mostly red — with different interpretations of the Constitution. A functional democracy depends on collective acceptance of the legitimacy of certain rules, laws, norms and institutions. Yet, there seems to be mutual hostility

between the blues and the reds and little agreement on emotive issues. Activists on both the left and right are pulling us apart on opposing views of what constitutes freedom and liberty. Shallow ideologies, shaky mythologies, whimsical opinions and outright distortions complicate progress toward solutions and prevent shaping rational community values. At the very least, we should seek some common ground and unite to solve problems that confront all of us.

What’s the point of living in Bonner County if we are unhappy and constantly bickering over questions that have little to do with the enjoyment of daily life? Our conversations on emotive issues should be pragmatic and based on values, not on the color of the political flag we are draped in. Small towns are often noted for their openness and friendliness. We could practice neighborliness and develop a congenial town atmosphere.

We share the world with each other but seem unable to carry on a rational conversation with anyone who disagrees with our

viewpoints. We were unable to unite as a community to fight a viral pandemic, but we may find a glimpse of common ground if we listen with an ideologically free mind and interest in the common good. At the very least, we should be able to agree on the essence of a problem and critically examine pragmatic options for solutions. We have the gift of freedom and an opportunity to define our culture.

Our brief life span ensures that we are all temporary residents in Bonner County, not owners. The county belonged to others before we arrived and it will belong to someone else after we’re gone. We are temporary trustees and it is our responsibility not to mess up what others have left us. The profound questions facing Bonner County residents are why do we live here and what do we want the county to look like?

Let’s all begin practicing “Idaho Nice” and see what happens.

Dick Sonnichsen grew up in North Idaho, is a former FBI special agent and the author of several books.

Embrace the shoulder season... while we still can

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

You hear it in conversations at bars and restaurants all over town. Locals complain to one another about the summer tourist struggles but, when someone brings up September, their eyes soften. They look wistfully for the coming shoulder season like farmers scanning the skies for much-needed rain.

When it comes, the collective sound of relief rolls through our potholed residential streets. It’s almost enough to drown out the constant noise of construction from housing developments sprouting up behind billboards breathlessly declaring that something is, “Coming Soon!”

Summer in Sandpoint takes some getting used to — especially if you’ve lived here long enough to remember how quaint this town used to be, even during the busy tourist months.

Back then, summer was a ripe cherry, waiting to be plucked. There were camping trips with the family to Round Lake and Green Bay, rarely, if ever, interrupted by concerns about finding every spot occupied for the night. There was a carnival at Sandpoint City Beach every year around the Fourth of July, complete with rides, games and first kisses from that-one-girlyou-had-a-crush-on. Invitations from family friends to go boating on the lake would consume a whole day, with frequent stops at tree-lined beaches as far as the eye could see. There were Little League games, followed by boisterous dinners at Panhandler Pies or breakfasts at the Whistle Stop Cafe, long nights wandering around downtown Sandpoint without adult supervision, stopping to say hello to our parents’ work friends and maybe one of our teachers.

Summers were a busy time, but the chaos we now associate with our summers in Sandpoint wasn’t really a thing. Out-of-town visitors were frequent sights, but they were usually met with curious, genial conversations from locals interested in what exactly inspired these people to spend

their vacation in our little corner of the world. Sandpoint was very much still a secret.

Now, during summers, we drive to our favorite trailheads and find there isn’t enough space to park — those places often choked out by rows of vehicles bearing out-of-state plates.

We ride bikes downtown for a date night dinner, only to turn around after seeing the line of people out the door at our favorite restaurant. We take deep breaths while driving five miles per hour behind some truck from Texas as the driver patrols for a parking spot on First Avenue, stopping at stop signs that don’t exist and blasting their horn at someone trying to use the crosswalk. We try not to let our eyes roll completely off the back of our heads while steering around motorhomes that have been parked in the diagonal spots downtown, completely blocking a whole lane of traffic.

The ripe cherry that was Sandpoint’s summer past is now a sour mash under our shoes as we navigate our way through each sweltering hot day after the next. The secret is out.

But once Labor Day comes and goes, it’s a different town. It’s the Sandpoint many of us remember. It’s shoulder season, roughly the span of time wedged between Labor Day and opening day at Schweitzer, which draws locals out of their summer hidey holes, many of them ravenous for connection with friends and loved ones again after their long hibernations.

Without these annual fall reprieves, Sandpoint would probably resemble any other soulless tourist town. These are much-needed times of respite, when locals feel as if they actually belong some-

where again.

That said, someone asked me the other day, “What happens if the shoulder seasons don’t come anymore? What if they’re a thing of the past, thanks to all this growth we’ve experienced?”

It’s an important question, if not a terrifying one. All signs are pointing to an uncomfortable new reality as the population keeps increasing. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Sandpoint had a population of 7,365 and Bonner County 40,877. By 2020, Sandpoint’s estimated population increased to 9,003 and Bonner County to 49,491.

That’s more than a 22% increase in Sandpoint in the past 10 years, and a 21% increase in Bonner County. It’s also important to underscore that the Census only went to 2020. Look around at how much growth has occurred over the past two years alone and you can be sure the actual numbers are far higher.

The population increase is enough to cause concern about growth getting out of control, but we also have to look beyond the number of people who are moving here and consider who exactly they are

In decades past, Sandpoint saw a healthy mix of newcomers — young professionals, retirees, “blow-ins” who fell in love while crossing the Long Bridge, or those simply seeking a cool town with a ski hill and a lake that hadn’t been discovered (i.e. ruined) yet.

Companies like Coldwater Creek once drew in hundreds of young professionals who raised families, sent their kids to public school and participated in community activities.

A recent report from Portland,

Ore.-based Leland Consulting threw some shade over that quaint past with some stark new realities.

In a report to the Sandpoint City Council and Planning and Zoning commissioners, Leland outlined some pressing issues facing Sandpoint and Bonner County. The study analyzed land use, economics, population and housing demand and found that greater Sandpoint has experienced a dramatic level of growth over the past few years — most of it coming from wealthy, increasingly older newcomers. This growing demographic has resulted in driving up home values to a point where lower-income residents and workers have begun to be forced out.

Some statistics are especially telling: Leland found that the average income for in-migrants is around $91,000, while those leaving the community earn an average of almost $53,000. Also, the aggregate household yearly income due to net migration in Bonner County rose from $44 million in 2019 to a whopping $155 million in 2020 — a 250% increase.

Furthermore, recent data shows that 55% of Bonner County’s income is non-labor-based. For comparison, Ada County — the most populous county in the state and containing the capitol of Boise as its seat — is closer to 32%.

This means that almost six out of 10 people living in Bonner County don’t rely on labor-based income, i.e. jobs.

Non-labor income generally refers to capital gains, dividends, interest, transfer payments, retirement payments, social security and medical payments such as Medicare.

Unlike most sources of labor

income, non-labor income can be more difficult to see in a local economy. In 1970, non-labor income in Bonner County sat around 31%, rising to 43.8% in 1990, then 53.7% in 2013, according to a 2015 report by Headwaters Economics.

As more Baby Boomers retire, this number will continue to grow, as it has around the rest of the U.S.

With this number increasing more and more every year, it leaves some wondering who will be left to work when all the luxury condos have been built and sold.

People were drawn to North Idaho long before it became en vogue. Whatever their reasons, it’s easy to look at the data and see that this new growth cycle is not sustainable. Those who move here to enrich themselves by systematically dismantling the very things that attracted them in the first place are a big part of the problem. The other part of the problem is ineffectual city and county governments whose answer to rampant growth is muttering “free market” with a shrug, while rubber stamping every luxury condo development that blows into town. Eventually we’re going to have to face these growth struggles, as every other resort town has had to in the West, but it becomes increasingly frustrating knowing that the moment of action always seems to come years after the damage has been done.

For now, we have shoulder season, when Sandpoint is at its best — when locals finally reclaim their town from the tourists, developers, land rapers and grifters for this glorious period of time until the next big wave hits.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

ANGELS ON THEIR SHOULDERS

Above: A young student picks out a new backpack at Farmin-Stidwell Elementary School on Aug. 30. This year’s School Supply and Backpack Giveaway marks the 20th year the Angels Over Sandpoint has donated school supplies to children of Bonner County. The Angels purchased enough supplies to provide for 1,100 children this year, which requires approximately $35,000. For those wishing to donate to help cover these costs, please send a check payable to the Angels Over Sandpoint BTS, PO Box 2369, Sandpoint, ID 83864 or visit angelsoversandpoint.org. Photo by Ben Olson.

COMMUNITY

‘Hold on, pain ends’

Walk for Hope, on the Long Bridge Sept. 4, supports local suicide prevention efforts

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Sandpoint will see its seventh annual Walk for Hope event on Sunday, Sept. 4, as participants take off from Dog Beach at 5 p.m. and walk the length of the Long Bridge to promote suicide awareness, healing and H.O.P.E.: “Hold on, pain ends.”

The seven-year milestone also marks how much time has passed since 14-year-old Sandpoint girl Madi Wyman died by suicide, leaving her family with a mission to make sure such a tragedy never happened again.

Madi’s mom, Jennifer Wyman, told the Reader in 2021 that the Walk for Hope has been a way for Madi to remain a part of her family’s life, and the positivity that has resulted continues to grow each year.

“I am always so inspired by our community each year. Seeing how much love and support we are surrounded with is just amazing,” Wyman told the Reader ahead of the seventh annual walk. “I especially look forward to meeting new people and spending the day with my family and friends who

come each year to support the event.”

Online registration is new this year and available at walkforhopesandpoint2022. eventbrite.com. Paper registration forms are also still available, and can be accessed either on the event’s website at walkforhopesandpoint.org or in person at Selkirk Glass and Cabinets, Sandpoint Furniture and Kokanee Coffee.

Registration costs $25 for adults and $20 for youth, with all participants receiving a shirt. Shirts will be ready for pickup on Friday, Sept. 2 from noon-3 p.m. as well as Saturday, Sept. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon at Kokanee Coffee. Shirts will also be ready at 4 p.m. at Dog Beach the day of the walk. People are welcome to register in person during any of the shirt pickup times.

Money raised through Walk for Hope goes toward suicide prevention efforts in North Idaho schools.

“It’s such a great way to end the summer, and let’s not forget about the free food and music,” Wyman said. “So much fun and laughter is had while making a difference and spreading kindness.”

To learn more or become a sponsor of the 2022 Walk, text or call 208-2908391.

Sand Creek Regatta is what being a ‘local’ is all about

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Each September for the past couple years, Sandpoint has come alive with local spirit at the Sand Creek Regatta. Usually under a drizzling rain, Sandpoint locals gather with truckloads of junk and flotsam that have been pounded into the rough shape of a raft, launch their homemade crafts in the creek, and race one another from Bridge Street to Cedar Street Bridge and back for bragging rights. Afterward, trophies are awarded to the winners in various categories and everyone retires to the nearest watering hole to begin scheming the next year’s raft designs.

(Full disclosure: the Reader raft won last year’s event, and we fully intend to win this year, too).

The third annual Regatta takes place Saturday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. Racers will meet at the Sand Creek parking lot (old Lakeside Inn) at 10 a.m. to launch their crafts and make any last minute repairs before the 11 a.m. start.

The rules of the event are simple. Teams have no size limit — race solo or cram as many people with oars as you can fit on your craft. Registration fees are $50 per raft and the after party this year will be at Idaho Pour Authority. Awards will be given for overall winner, most creative and most epic fail.

When it comes to constructing your raft, a few rules must

be followed: no existing watercraft are allowed; the rafts must be constructed from scratch; no inflatables are allowed bigger than 12 inches; leave no trace, meaning whatever you put in the water, you must take it all out; and all team members on the watercraft must wear a personal floatation device at all times. The Sand Creek Regatta is a non-partisan, non-political event.

Rafts can be built out of anything that floats, including pool noodles, plastic bottles, beer cans, styrofoam, wood, barrels, airline seats, balloons, water wings, life preservers and more.

The Sand Creek Regatta is the modern evolution of a popular local event from the 1980s called the Businessman’s Raft Race — part of a larger event called Waterfest, which saw canoe races, arm wrestling matches, triathlons, pie eating contests, water skiing

competitions and more.

An article from the May 23, 1984 edition of the Daily Bee said the prior year’s race included 18 rafts and drew more than 1,500 spectators lining the banks of Sand Creek.

Event organizers, husband and wife Jon and Amanda Knepper, said they decided to bring the event back from the dead a few years ago because of the changes going on in Sandpoint.

“It was the changing times, I guess,” Jon told the Reader “We wanted to see if one of those classic Sandpoint events carried on into the future generations. Amanda and I were sitting around talking about it and we said, ‘We can talk about it all we want, but if you want it to happen you have to do it yourself.’ We hope it continues to catch on and hopefully it creates another memory someone carries on.”

VA outreach in Priest River

By Reader Staff

Bonner County Veterans Service Officer Bryan Hult will be available at the VFW Post No. 2909 in Priest River from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13. The post is located at 113 Larch St. in Priest River. Hult will be on hand to assist with ongoing claims, answer questions about current veterans’ benefits and will

Those interested in entering a raft can email questions to sandcreekregatta@gmail.com. For those who would like to participate, but don’t want to build a raft, the shores along Sand Creek provide an excellent free vantage point to watch these freaks of nautical nature take to the water.

be available to take new claims for benefits for eligible veterans and their dependents.

Attendees are asked to schedule an appointment to ensure they are given quality time. Appointments may be made by calling 208-255-5291.

If there are no appointments scheduled for this outreach, or if conditions prohibit travel, the outreach will be canceled.

North Idaho CASA seeking child advocates

By Reader Staff

Fall advocate training for North Idaho CASA begins in September, with anyone who is interested in helping a child in need invited to attend.

Volunteer advocates are trained, supported and assigned cases to represent child victims of abuse and neglect in court. No

special training is necessary. North Idaho CASA is seeking five additional rural advocates to meet the growing number of local cases. Interested parties should email advocate trainer Jessica Cagle at jessica@northidahocasa.org to set up a volunteer interview. Class begins Thursday, Sept. 8 at the CASA Center, 1417 N. Fourth St., in Coeur d’Alene.

COMMUNITY Generations of treasures

Funky Junk Antique and Craft Festival brings a celebration of tradition to the fairgrounds

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Through its many iterations and locations over the past 15 years, the core purpose of Sandpoint’s Funky Junk Antique and Craft Festival has remained intact: to celebrate traditions and, more specifically, the well-loved relics of generations past.

“Tradition is so important to me,” Funky Junk founder and lifetime local Jennifer Wood told the Reader. “I think it is the base of everything we represent: continuing something wonderful and keeping it familiar.”

Funky Junk is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 3 and Sunday, Sept. 4 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds, with the show open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. This year’s event theme pays tribute to the old-school department stores of North Idaho.

Funky Junk organizers are teaming up with the Bonner County Museum to make it happen, with the Museum Guild selling goods from its downtown gift shop, including Bonner County-themed merchandise as well as vintage and handcrafted items.

Wood said this year’s Funky Junk is the biggest show yet, expected to fill “every inch” of the fairgrounds’ main exhibition building. The event will feature mostly vintage vendors, she said, along with artisans slinging candles, jewelry and more. There will also be food and drink — including beer, wine, cocktails and coffee — for pur-

Funky Junk Antique and Craft Festival

“The community feel that we create with Funky Junk is the same I grew up with in Sandpoint, whether at the fair, the Catholic Church dinners [or] community gatherings at a grange,” Wood said. “It is the backbone of the show and I’m honored to be able to help bring that together every year, as so much in our county seems to be changing.”

Saturday, Sept. 3 and Sunday, Sept. 4; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; $5 admission, those 12 and under get in FREE. Bonner County Fairgrounds, 4203 N. Boyer Ave., funkyjunkantiqueshow.com.

Wood is someone who seeks out ties between the past and present in her everyday life — something exemplified by how she wears her grandmother’s apron.

“It is the same one she wore for decades,” Wood said. “She has been gone for 20 years this year, but when

I wear that apron, I still feel her. I still remember how she kneaded bread, how she listened to her program on the transistor radio, and I’m there in her kitchen and she in mine, for a moment.”

Wood said she’s seen Funky Junk serve as the same kind of conduit for customers, who she hears say things like, “we had this as a kid,” “my grandpa had one of these” or “I’m so happy to have finally found this,” as they shop the event.

“I love when I see an old wool hunting jacket, perhaps once worn by one of the old loggers here, now being cherished and sported by a proud 20-something,” she said, “[or] maybe a Pyrex bowl that once served the prize-winning potato salad at every church potluck, now being used by younger hands, just learning how to cook.

“Keeping the previous generations with us — a legacy if you will — just a little bit at a time,” is possible by cherishing those past treasures, Wood said, adding later: “But even more than the material items, I see multi-generational Bonner County residents mingle at the show with new folks, enjoying the music together, maybe telling the story of the big winter of ’69 when asked, ‘Does it really snow much here?’”

As much as tradition is a guiding principle for Funky Junk, the event itself has morphed into its own.

“I see a tradition that has blossomed with Funky Junk now, as my son turned 12 this year and does not know life — let alone Sandpoint — without Funky Junk,” Wood said.

Sandpoint Parks and Recreation programming for September

By Reader Staff

The Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department will be offering the following programming in September:

•Coed youth flag football. For grades three-six. Play will be split into third and fourth grades and fifth and sixth grades, playing in seven-person “alligator” format. Teams will have a clinic-style practice prior to their games on Saturday. Play will take place at War Memorial Field Saturday, Sept. 24-Saturday, Oct. 29.There will be no practices during the week. Adults interested in coaching the philosophies of fun, fundamentals and sportsmanship are needed.

Mouth guards are required and one will be provided to each player. A red/ white reversible nylon mesh sports jersey is required and may be purchased at the Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces office at City Hall (1123 Lake St.). There will be a coaches meeting before play begins. All coaches will be contacted. Parents will be contacted with the schedules after the coaches meeting. A mandatory coaches meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall.

Fee: $34.50 per person ($5.25 non-resident fee). Register by Sunday, Sept. 11.

•Adult women’s volleyball league. Format: A-1 and A-2 on Mondays and A-3 and A-4 on Tuesdays from Oct. 3 through Dec. 13. All games played at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. Players will call their own games. Only a gym supervisor will be supplied, no officials. Fees are due in full at the mandatory captains meeting at 5:30pm Tuesday, Sept. 13 in the City Council chambers. Sponsor fee: $350/team. Register by Sunday, Sept. 11.

• Rails to Resort Hill Climb. Sandpoint Parks and Rec. presents the Rails to Resort Hill Climb, a.k.a. Schweitzer Hill Climb. Although a competitive event, it is open to riders of all skill levels who like a challenge. Meet at the Red Barn Parking Lot on Schweitzer Road on race day, Saturday, Sept. 10. Late registration/ check in is 8 a.m.-8:45 a.m. the day of the event. A pre-ride meeting is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Race starts at 9 a.m.

Online registration is available until Sunday, Sept. 10.

The Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department also acts as a clearinghouse to connect the public with other recreational opportunities in the community. Visit the online activity catalog to view listings in this category. Outside organizations and individuals wishing to list their activities are encouraged to contact Parks and Rec. with their program information at recreation@ sandpointidaho.gov

Register for any Parks and Rec. program at secure.rec1.com/ID/city-of-sandpoint/catalog, visit the office at Sandpoint City Hall (1123 Lake St.) or call 208-2633613.

Festival at Sandpoint announces volunteer of the year

By Reader Staff

The Festival at Sandpoint recently named Kelly Whitman as the 2022 Volunteer of the Year at the Festival at Sandpoint’s 2022 Volunteer Appreciation Event.

Whitman has volunteered for the Festival at Sandpoint for 27 years and is the organization’s front gate co-chairperson. Whitman helps coordinate, schedule and train as many as 75 volunteers per night.

“Kelly has continued to ensure there is dependable coverage at all gates at the venue and does an excellent job at cross-training, supervising and helping volunteers,” said Executive Director Ali Baranski.

The Festival at Sandpoint kicked off the start of a new tradition at its Volunteer Appreciation Event, honoring one of many volunteers who go above and beyond their volunteer duties.

“It was an extremely difficult choice,” said Baranski, “starting a tradition 39 years into an organization, there are a lot of contenders, a lot of years dedicated and time given back to this organization. We feel so lucky and honored to debate and consider so many standouts.”

More than 500 volunteers come together to support and donate their time to the Festival at Sandpoint. The organization has 17 volunteer chairpersons who run entire departments of the venue operations and are experts in their areas. In a news release, the Festival at Sandpoint thanked those individuals and their many supervisors for their support and generosity.

This year’s volunteer chairpersons are: Sharon Bistodeau, Adia Burton, Frank Cafferty, Jennifer Carter, Carly Dexter, Jay Dudley, Mary Ann Hamilton, Melissa Hanson, Amanda Knepper, Jon Knepper,

“The Festival at Sandpoint wishes to thank all of their volunteers, supervisors, and chairpersons for making this year’s events possible,” the organization stated. Sign up to volunteer at the Festival at Sandpoint at festivalatsandpoint.com/volunteer.

September 1-8, 2022

THURSDAY, september 1

Artist Reception for Susan Gallo • 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Susan presents a lovely variety of acrylic paintings, giclee and collage

FriDAY, september 2

Live Music w/ Miah Kohal Band

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Truck Mills and Global Gumbo

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Schweitzer FallFest (Sept. 2-5)

11-5pm @ Schweitzer

A celebration of beer, live music and fun, with souvenir glassware, 80 beers on tap and 10 bands! Check out the info here -->

SATURDAY, september 3

Live Music w/ Jason Perry

9-midnight @ 219 Lounge

This is the last show in Sandpoint before Jason Perry moves to New Orleans. Perry has been a staple of the music scene in Sandpoint for years. Come out and send him off with a bang

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz

7-9pm @ The Back Door

Live Music w/ Nights of Neon

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Friends of the Library book sale

10am-2pm @ Sandpoint Library

A monthly book sale. Science fiction books half price. Many DVDs and new donations of children’s books, cookbooks and bird/ marine life books in the animal collection

Funky Junk Antique & Craft Festival

10am-4pm @ Bonner Co. Fairgrounds

Enjoy the largest and longest running vintage crafts festival in Idaho. Live music, garden bar, great food and vendors. $5 admission, kids 12 & under free

Live Music w/ Jacob Rountree & The Somethings 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

9am-1pm @ Farmin Park

Fresh produce, artisan goods, live music by John Firshi

Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Artists’ Studio Tour (Sept. 3-6)

10am-4pm @ Various locations

A self-guided tour of working art studios through North Idaho. arttourdrive.org

SunDAY, september 4

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz

6-8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

7th Annual Walk for Hope 5pm @ Dog Beach

A walk across the Long Bridge to promote suicide awareness, hope and healing for our community. walkforhopesandpoint.org

Funky Junk Antique & Craft Festival

10am-4pm @ Bonner Co. Fairgrounds

Enjoy the largest and longest running vintage crafts festival in Idaho. Live music, garden bar, great food and vendors. $5 admission, kids 12 & under free

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee

monDAY, september 5

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz

6-8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

First Day of School BBQ

2:30-4:30pm @ 7B Lanes

Group Run @ Outdoor Experience 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome, beer after

tuesDAY, september 6

Hosted by Sandpoint Teen Center

Wildlife/Landscape Acrylic Painting 9am-12pm @ Joyce Dillon Studio Hosted by Dan Carpenter. artinsandpoint.org

wednesDAY, september 7

Live Piano w/ Jason Evans

5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Live Music w/ Jacob Robin 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Basic Impressions in Soft Pastel w/ T Kurtz

6-9pm @ Joyce Dillon Studio Class fee is $60. artinsandpoint.org

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park

Live music by Bright Moments Jazz Benny on the Deck • 6-8pm @ Connie’s Featuring BTP

thursDAY, september 8

Sandpoint Summer Music season finale - FREE concert • 6pm @ Farmin Park

The last free concert of the season, featuring Harold’s IGA and the Monday Night Blues Crew. All ages are welcome. Bring a blanket or chairs and have a great time

COMMUNITY

Celebrate the end of summer with FallFest at Schweitzer

By Reader Staff

What do you get when you combine beer tasting, live music, and views that span across three states and an international border? Schweitzer’s annual FallFest, a four-day festival showcasing the good life in North Idaho.

The fun begins Friday, Sept. 2 and doesn’t let up until the end of Monday, Sept. 5. There will be live music each day, 80 beers and ciders on tap, village activities for the kids and the Great Escape Quad will be open for visitors to check out the views from the Sky House on top of the mountain. Souvenir glassware will also be available to purchase all weekend.

The annual FallFest celebrates the end of the summer season at Schweitzer, with summer operations ceasing and lifts closing down until the snow flies. It’s free to attend the event and listen to live music, and the mountain will be open for sightseeing, hiking and mountain biking, but ticket fees will apply if using the chairlift.

Chairlifts will be open from 11 a.m.-5

p.m. each day. The beer tents will be open from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, noon-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and noon-5 p.m. Monday. The schedule of live music includes touring bands and a few local favorites:

Friday, Sept. 2

4-6 p.m.: Brendan Kelty Trio 6:30-8 p.m.: The Moss

Saturday, Sept. 3

Noon-2 p.m.: Thrown Out Bones

2:30-4:30 p.m.: Chris King and the Gutterballs

5-7 p.m.: Wes Urbaniak and the Mountain Folk

Sunday, Sept. 4

Noon-2 p.m.: Jacob Rountree Trio

2:30-4:30 p.m.: Laney Lou & the Bird Dogs

5-7 p.m.: Moontricks

Monday, Sept. 5

12-2 p.m.: Jackson Roltgen Trio 2:30-5 p.m.: Colby Acuff Band

For more information, call the Schweitzer Activity Center at 208-255-3081.

Comedy show to benefit wildlife rehab

Nationally recognized comedian Tyler Boeh will perform at the Panida Theater

By Reader Staff

Come for the laughs, stay to help raise money to rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife in North Idaho. Nationally touring comedian Tyler Boeh will perform Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Panida Theater at this clean comedy show. Proceeds from ticket sales and a silent auction will benefit the nonprofit American Heritage Wildlife Foundation. Doors open for the auction at 6 p.m. and the show runs from 7-8 p.m.

Boeh began doing live comedy after performing as a vocal percussionist in a college a cappella group. He began doing stand-up comedy in his hometown of Portland, Ore., but after placing in the finals of comedy competitions in Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and at the World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas, he moved to Los Angeles to establish himself at the country’s top comedy clubs.

He is best known for his high energy and quick wit, silly takes on life’s funny problems, as well as his award-winning beatbox talent, which factors into his act in hilarious ways.

Boeh has completed two television pilots, and his debut comedy album, Carpool Companion, was chosen as LaughSpin Magazine’s album of the year when it was released in 2012.

The comic has also appeared alongside

10

Craig Ferguson on his show, Celebrity Name Game, has been featured in numerous BuzzFeed videos and appeared in three episodes of Laughs on Fox. Boeh’s 2018 second album, Full Circle, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Comedy Charts, and his 2018 Dry Bar Comedy special “Wait For It” has already been viewed more than 5 million times online.

Tickets are $25 if purchased in advance or five for $100. They are available online at panida.org or at sponsoring businesses Eve’s Leaves, Alpine Shop, I Saw Something Shiny, Monarch Market in Clark Fork, A Shear Inspiration in Clark Fork. Tickets will be available at the door on show night for $35 while supplies last.

Along with ticket sales, proceeds from the auction will help benefit AHWF in its mission to rehabilitate injured wildlife in North Idaho. Auction items include an Orbea touring bicycle, snowy owl and bear scene quilts, metal work from Earth Indigo, woodwork from Burl Wood Dreams and artwork from local artists. There will also be vintage jewelry, Dogfish Head ale glasses and collectables, huckleberry food baskets from Monarch Market, and a food and gift basket from Winter Ridge.

For more information, visit ahwf.org. To learn more about Tyler Boeh, visit tylerboeh.com.

Ales for Tails benefits cats, dogs and the people who love them Live

By Reader Staff

Better Together Animal Alliance is partnering with Matchwood Brewing Company for a fundraiser to support cats and dogs in need. Ales for Tails brings together local breweries and performers for good beer, live music and a lot of fun. The event is Friday, Sept. 9 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Matchwood (513 Oak St., in Sandpoint).

While the event is free to attend, Matchwood is donating a portion of the proceeds from beer sales to BTAA, and BTAA will host a raffle for an outdoors package featuring a four-person tent, fire pit, marshmallow roasting sticks and two passes to bike the Hiawatha Trail.

Tickets can be purchased at the BTAA animal care center, thrift store in Ponderay or at the event. Tickets cost $5 for one ticket or $20 for five tickets. Live music from Courtney and

music and good brews will aid BTAA

“We always appreciate the support and collaboration we receive from local businesses,” said Joel Akins, BTAA volunteer and events coordinator. “It’s a great opportunity for us to connect with fellow animal lovers and provide ways for the public to learn about what we do and give them a new avenue to support

people and animals in our community.”

To learn more about Better Together Animal Alliance or view animals available for adoption, visit bettertogetheranimallalliance.org.

MUSIC

Summer Music Series ends season with a local lineup

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Mattox Farm Productions is wrapping up the 2022 season of the Sandpoint Summer Music Series with an ultra-local show starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, with Harold’s IGA — featuring Justin Landis on drums — and John Firshi and the Monday Night Blues Jam crew from Eichardt’s taking the stage at Farmin Park.

“It is a decidedly local lineup,” said Robb Talbott, of Mattox Farm. “I have received several requests to get local artists involved in the series, and I wanted to do that in a very intentional way.”

Previous shows this season included Oregon-based Cedar Teeth in June, San Diego-based Little Hurricane in July and Colorado-based Drunken Hearts in August.

Bringing Harold’s IGA and Firshi and company into the mix helps expose those bands to audiences that otherwise might not hear them.

“Monday night at Eichardt’s is packed, and it’s probably not the place where you’d want to bring your kids to run around, and Harold’s IGA [which is fronted by Reader Publisher Ben Olson] hasn’t been playing out much and the last time they did was at the 219,” Talbott said. “That’s definitely the point of this: They’re musicians that don’t often play before those family friendly crowds.”

Providing a family friendly environment for live music has paid off for Mattox Farm. The first Summer Music Series kicked off in 2019 with between 200 and 250 attendees per show. After a pandemic-induced hiatus in 2020, the shows in 2021

A

and 2022 have only grown, with crowds numbering about 500 — and 1,200 through the gate for the first show of this season, which was paired with the Sandpoint Summer Sampler local restaurant event.

What’s more, the number of sponsors has grown from seven or eight to 18.

“It’s grown a lot. The first two seasons we did three concerts, and for this year to do a fourth concert is pretty exciting,” Talbott said.

“What I hope people are responding to is what the goal was originally,” he added. “I love music, I’ve always been around it, and to be able to provide that family friendly music environment, I think Sandpoint wanted that.”

Mattox Farm isn’t slowing down with the change of season, looking forward to a busy fall filled with rentals and concerts at

the Heartwood Center, which the production company runs. There will be “everything from country to more folky stuff and a Celtic Christmas show” through the rest of the year, Talbott said, including the fifth annual Jack Frost Fest at the Granary District in November.

But first up is Comedian Alex Falcone, who made his late-night debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, appeared in Portlandia and was dubbed “Portland’s Funniest Person” in 2018. He will perform Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Pearl Theater in Bonners Ferry and Friday, Sept. 23 at the Heartwood Center.

“He’s going to be a good time,” Talbott said.

For more info about upcoming concerts and venue rentals, visit mattoxfarm.com or heartwoodsandpoint.com.

snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Jacob Rountree and the Somethings, Eichardt’s Pub, Sept. 3

The caliber of musicians hailing from Spokane. these days is astounding. One of the more unique performers originally from the Lilac City is Jacob Rountree, whose dynamic, multidimensional style roughly falls under the alternative folk and indie rock umbrella.

Jacob Rountree and the Somethings will play Eichardt’s Pub on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.

Punctuated by a unique fingerpicking style reminiscent of Shakey Graves, poetic lyrics that pay homage to greats like Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd, and a gritty shine like artists such as Nathanial Rateliff and Xavier Rudd, Roun-

tree has the ability to captivate an audience inside his diverse rhythms and moods.

Now based in Bozeman, Mont., Rountree and his band achieve their dreamlike sound with a multitude of digital effects, loops, percussive guitar playing and tapping, intricate fingerpicking and haunting harmonies. Their efforts ultimately earned them a nod as 2022 Bozeman’s Choice in a reader’s poll with Bozeman Magazine.

Playing alongside Andrew Olivo, Cole Thorne and Alex Speed, Jacob Rountree and the Somethings certainly cut through the mediocre and deliver a great soulful live

experience. Catch them for a more intimate show at Eichardt’s Pub on Saturday or see them at the top of Schweitzer at FallFest on Sunday, Sept. 4 at noon.

—Ben Olson

7 p.m., FREE. Eichardt’s, 212 Cedar St., 208263-4005, eichardtspub.com. Listen at jacobrountree.com.

Nights of Neon, MickDuff’s Beer Hall, Sept. 3 Truck Mills and Global Gumbo, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Sept. 2

Since forming in 2019, Nights of Neon has made a name for itself as one of Sandpoint’s most energized local bands, mixing an array of influences to create a sound that reaches into many realms but lands solid in the Land of Major Funk.

Nights of Neon is a good-time band offering ska, funk, blues and jazz sounds, complete with guitar, bass, drums, horn and soulful vocals. The upcoming MickDuff’s

gig will highlight the band’s “walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat,” which is guaranteed — with the help of some delicious local brews — to encourage some serious boogying to close out a spectacular Sandpoint summer.

— Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey

6:30-9:30 p.m., FREE. MickDuff’s Beer Hall, 220 Cedar St., mickduffs.com.

Though he got his start playing blues-inspired country guitar in the 1970s, Sandpoint treasure Truck Mills has built a musical career out of traversing audible offerings from around the world and creating an unmatched, connected sound.

Some of those far-flung influences will be on display as Mills brings his Global Gumbo set to the Pend d’Oreille Winery on Friday, Sept. 2. He will dabble in guitar, charango (a type of South

This week’s RLW by Ed Ohlweiler

READ

There is something so gosh darn endearing about A Girl Named Zippy (Growing up Small in Mooreland, Indiana). Maybe it’s the sense of innocence and wonder portrayed, or maybe it’s Haven Kimmel’s innate ability to see humor in circumstances. Maybe it’s the quirky cast of characters that color her early life. Maybe it’s the return to a simpler time where to “like“ something meant to thoroughly enjoy it — and its many facets. At any rate, the book is well executed and could have you laughing milk out your nose if you’re not careful.

LISTEN

American guitar), oud (a Middle Eastern short-necked string instrument) and vocals, while joined by Denis Zwang on saxophone, flute and clarinet, as well as Ali Thomas on the djembe drum. When it comes to Truck Mills, the musical gumbo is packed with flavor.

— Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey

5-8 p.m., FREE. Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St., powine. com.

I’ve had a Karl Denson‘s Tiny Universe Pandora station since the 12th of forever, so imagine my surprise when they came to the Hive a few years back. The album that really did it for me is titled The Bridge and is a flavorful cocktail of funk, R&B and jazz. When I finally figured it all out, I realized I’d been listening to Denson and his saxophone already, with the Greyboy Allstars and Lenny Kravitz. (Heck, even the Rolling Stones.) What I love about Denson and his band is the way they bring crazy live energy to pretty much everything they do.

WATCH

I may have mentioned that David Attenborough takes me to my happy place, a magical land where Mother Nature is sacred beyond measure and treated in kind. Of all of the nature documentaries, some featuring Attenborough, none is more dazzling than the series Africa, which is equal parts “how in the heck did they get that footage?“ and, “man, we sure live on a glorious planet.“ Did I mention I like David Attenborough?

From Sandpoint News Bulletin, Sept. 4, 1952

BOYS FIND TRUCK IN SLOUGH WATER

Small boys accounted for two unpleasant discoveries during the past week. On Aug. 28 four small boys riding bicycles along the highway that skirts a deep waterfilled backwater by an abandoned shingle mill, a few miles east of Priest River, spotted a small portion of the very top of a car glistening in the murky water. They notified Priest River authorities.

Hauled to the surface by a wrecker, it was discovered that the vehicle was a 1952 International pickup belonging to the Isaacson Iron Works of Seattle. A door of the car hung open. The body of the driver, Clifford Flood, was found near where the car had been retrieved.

The drowned man’s wrist watch was stopped at 3:50 o’clock; leading authorities to believe that he had died about that time Friday morning. He had last been seen alive shortly before midnight Thursday, officers learned.

Tire tracks along the shoulder of the embankment indicated Flood had probably been driving at a fast rate since several guard posts were sheared off and the car had traveled approximately 50 feet in shallow water before falling into the deeper hole.

The second discovery made by young boys was not so tragic but partly solved the mystery of what became of clothing reported stolen from a car in Priest River two months ago. Several weeks ago, two brothers were “fooling around” as small boys will, exploring around the old gravel pit near Chuck’s Slough. In a brush thicket they came upon a suitcase of man’s clothing. There were three suits on hangers in the car as well.

BACK OF THE BOOK On artistic types in the wilderness

By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist

Each year, a backpacking trip into a nearby wilderness is undertaken by certain artistic types (ATs), most often plein air painters. ATs follow “guide” Bearly-Seen Svensson (not his real name, for legal reasons) into the wild, stopping often to art their hearts out as Bearly catches up on his rest and decides which obscure and difficult route leads to the next artful spot. This year, the group trundled up a “trail” (haha) into a place unnamed for fear it will be trampled by unguided ATs seeking plein air possibilities and then Search and Rescue folk seeking said ATs.

During several trips of late, one recidivist AT (yes, they do come back) has been assertively pointing out things Bearly-Seen forgot to mention in “planning” (haha, again). Beating uphill through mountain maple or slip-sliding down an 80% slope sprouting false huckleberry and devil’s club, this AT might blurt out, “This wasn’t in the brochure!” As if there is one.

Bearly, occupied at times like these with tight-roping an alder bole or some other feat of wilderness travel, doesn’t respond. But he thinks, If there was a truthful brochure, no one would come on these soirees. Then, he looks at the string of ATs behind him and thinks, Except these maniacs. Hmmm. There might be others like them.

So, Bearly has designed a brochure for his appropriately-named Pain-Aire Adventure Company. The front page features a hiker who is barely seen thrashing about in an extra-dense patch of alder (which is how Bearly got his moniker — that, and smelling like a bear after Day 1). The type proclaims “PainAire Adventure Company: Taking you places you never thought you’d want to go,” plus the company motto: “It could be worse.®”

Veteran Pain-Aire clients assume it will be.

The brochure continues:

“On your Pain-Aire Adventure, your guide will see that you get your daily recommended dose of alder, eye gnats, sweat, biting flies,

STR8TS Solution

nettles, mosquitos, huckleberries (there are some benefits), sweat, devil’s club, fresh spring water (another benefit), cliffs, disappearing elk trails, sweat, disturbingly large piles of bear poop and fear — lots of good, healthy, old-fashioned fear.

“Pain-Aire Adventure Company is ready to take you for a frolic in the wilds of North-Central Western Montaho. Our no-money back guarantee is unique to the industry, as is our 22-page liability disclaimer you will sign after handing over a paltry $5,000 — just $1,250 a day (plus legal fees) — for four days in places like Mortification Meadows, Upper Hell, Chunion Flats, Lower Hell, Goat Wallow Lake, Middle Hell, The Cliff and other spectacularly under-visited spots. (The Cliff needs no other name.)

“You will have the opportunity to carry way too much food in a certified bear-proof canister that weighs three pounds empty and is impossible to open without breaking a nail. Add water (when it can be found), tent, sleeping bag, stove, whiskey (don’t show it to the guide unless you want to share), camera, cook gear, toilet paper, trowel (to go with the toilet paper), spare clothing you likely won’t put on, rain gear you surely will, first-aid kit, bear spray, sunscreen and GPS (just in case the guide takes a wrong turn — again). Add to that assorted items you thought you couldn’t live without but will find that you can and wish you had left behind (like that extra can of Spam.)”

On the third page of the brochure, just above a block of very, very, very fine print (sixpoint), again denying all liability, is a glossary of Pain-Aire terms and definitions, allowing guests to understand what’s really going on:

•It’s just over that next rise: We’re about half way there. Maybe.

•Let’s just pop over to that next peak: Do you have a headlamp with you?

•There’s our camp spot, right over there: It’s less than four hours away. Maybe.

•I’m pretty sure this is where I think we are (guide pointing at a map): We might get there today, might not.

Sudoku Solution

•This alder patch won’t take much time: We won’t get there today, and maybe not tomorrow.

•We don’t need no stinkin’ trails: That’s good, because there are none.

On the back page, below a lovely picture of a beautiful couple standing in a flower-laden hillside meadow looking at a fantastic view (a total marketing ploy), is a list of questions for potential Pain-Aire clients:

• Are you a maniac artistic type?

•Need a place to try out new swear words? Or learn some?

•Tired of knowing exactly where you are?

•Does your art benefit by suffering and struggle?

• Are you working out fears of bears, bushes, heights, being lost, bumps in the night outside your tent or pooping in the woods?

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, visit pain.aire.adventures.omg or call 1-800-TAG-ALDR and reserve space in next year’s Pain-Aire Adventure.

Sandy Compton reminds you that any resemblance to real ATs and “guides” (haha) is purely coincidental. Check out his new book, 34 Poems, at local bookstores and amazon.com.

Solution on page 22

Laughing Matter

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1.Not rural

6.Give a speech

11.Innocent

12.Regret

15.Acrimonious

16.Natural environments

17.Play a role

18.A skin disease

20.Transgression

21.Buffoon

23.Grinder

24.A ridge of sand

25.Got bigger

26.Arid

27.Pig meat

28.Prefix meaning “Within”

29.Consumes

30.Fables

31.Deficiency

34.Life sustaining bodily fluid

Solution on page 22

51.Sri Lanka export

52.Enlightening

54.Log houses

56.Nerve junction

57.Mimicking

58.Avarice

59.Evade Word Week of the

[adjective]

1. serving to alter, improve, or rectify; corrective.

“The senator proposed an amendatory bill to tweak the existing legislation.”

Corrections: Nothing from last week, except for a crossword formatting error that snuck past the guard shack. But we know that cruciverbalists are smart people and assume they figured it out. —BO

36.Sweet potato

37.Dugout shelter

41.Wheelchair access

42.River to the North Sea

43.Marsh plant

44.Glazier’s unit

45.Train track

46.Rescue

47.Finish

48.Rein

DOWN

1.Mythical animal

2.Shook up

3.Morsel

4.Assert

5.Adopted son of Claudius

6.Soothsayer

7.Insurrectionist

8.Dogfish

9.Youngster

10.Expunction

13.Smells

14.Anagram of “ Seen”

15.Insignia

16.Coiffing

19.Besmirch

22.Couple

24.Currency units

26.Not barefoot

27.Buddy

30.Domestic

32.Jump

33.Legend

34.Strong drink

35.Staircase platform

38.Drubbing

39.Tit for tat

40.Notions

42.Deservedly acquired

44.P P P

45.Lift

48.Hoopla

49.Cigarfish

50.Toadfish

53.Distant

55.Offer