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(wo)MAN compiled by

Susan Drinkard

on the street

What do you think of President Trump’s decision to shut down the government?

“Sometimes unpopular decisions must be made for the good of the nation.”

Rob Jediny Military Lives in Hope and Hawaii

“I think it’s terrible and ridiculous. President Trump is a big bully. He has no concept of how this will impact families and people who need particular services.”

Jill Rose Snow shoveler and Cat wrangler Bonners Ferry “It shut down just 1/10 of 1 percent of the proposed budget, and that’s a drop in the bucket as far as I’m concerned.”

Wayne Henderson Retired grocery store manager Sagle

“It stinks, like him. I’m 92 years old, and no president in my lifetime has ever abused his power like he has. Why don’t they get rid of him?”

Yvonne Babayco Retired bookkeeper Sandpoint “I think his real goal is just to shut down the government. Way back he said he wanted to bring the federal government down.

He is in line with the Millennialists who want to be sure the world’s end is on schedule. I’m not sure he’s conscious of that or not; he has been diagnosed by four of the top psychiatrists in the country as a sociopath.”

Herb Barberie Retired design engineer Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

READER

We’re nearing a special date for the Reader. The last week of January marks the fourth year we’ve been back from the dead, which is crazy. How have four years passed? What has happened to my youth? And why the hell is it raining in January?

OK, OK, I’m better.

We have often been the recipients of donations from so many of you (thank you), but this year, we’re turning the tables and giving back. On Thursday, Feb. 7, at Matchwood Brewing Co., the Reader is inviting all of our advertisers, contributors, donors, staff members and anyone else who has contributed to the success of this paper to a special party. From 5-8 p.m. we will have food and drinks for you to enjoy, live music by local band The Wow Wows, tons of raffles, fun giveaways and swag, some syrupy speeches by people who think they’re important and other fun stuff. We haven’t ironed out all the details yet, but we are aiming to give free drink tickets and free food to those who have advertised, donated to, written for or work for the Reader.

What’s that you say? You count yourself as a loyal reader, but don’t fall into one of the above-mentioned categories? Have no fear, everyone is invited. You are all an important piece of the puzzle. You may just have to pay for a drink or two, that’s all.

Stay tuned for more information, but for now, save the date: Feb. 7 from 5-8 p.m. at Matchwood Brewing Co. We want to personally thank each and every one of you for helping us every week. If you are one of the above-mentioned special invitees, keep your eyes peeled for an invitation in your email.

If you don’t receive one, come anyway. We won’t turn anyone away and there are so many of you out there, we’re bound to accidentally forget to send some.

As always, thanks for your support. Stay classy, Sandpoint.

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

-Ben Olson, Publisher

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Andy Feliciotti (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Bill Borders, Lyndsie Kiebert, Tom Eddy Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Emily Erickson, Brenden Bobby, PollyAnna, Tom Eddy, Jean Gerth Anderson.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

Subscription Price: $95 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.

The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.

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

Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About the Cover

This week’s cover photo of the United States Capitol Building was taken by Andy Feliciotti.

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NEWS

Gov. Little delivers first State of the State Address

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Education and health care were standout subjects in newly-sworn Gov. Brad Little’s first State of the State Address Monday afternoon.

Little painted a largely optimistic vision of Idaho’s circumstances, highlighting its economic and population growth over the past several years. But he acknowledged that the state faces significant challenges as it moves forward, particularly when it comes to bolstering its education system.

“We have increased the budget for our schools by 32 percent,” Little said. “This past year, Idaho teachers received one of the nation’s largest year-to-year pay increases. As governor, I will continue our momentum and be an unrelenting advocate for educational excellence in our state.”

Little described education as his number-one priority and promised to establish a children’s cabinet that will advise him on education issues. The cabinet will consist of “traditional education stakeholders, parents and groups across our state dedicated to advocating for children.”

Little said he will continue to implement the state education task force’s funding recommendations and working toward the goal of having 60 percent of Idahoans between ages 25 and 34 hold a college degree or professional certification.

With 60 percent of Idaho voters calling for Medicaid expansion to cover the state’s uninsured population, Little said he would support full implementation.

Notably, as reported by the Idaho Press, Little’s proposed budget doesn’t include funding for work requirements or other restrictions

Cedar St. Bridge sold to new owner

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff The Cedar Street Bridge is under new ownership following its sale to a Florida investor.

Realtor Jeff Bond confirmed this week that he negotiated a sale with the investor, who approached Bond with interest in the property.

According to Bond, the buyer has worked on similar projects in the past, and he sees potential in the historic structure.

“I think he’s got plenty of capital, and what he wants to do is update, renovate and attract new tenants,” Bond said.

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Cedar St. Bridge as viewed from Bridge St. in Sandpoint. Courtesy photo. business community, ranging in its offerings from restaurants to gift shops to boutiques. The bridge was constructed in the 1930s to serve pedestrians and motorists until the 1970s, when it was in danger of becoming a derelict structure. With a little forward thinking, it was transformed in the 1980s into a community gathering place and market, a purpose it continues to serve today. Over the years, it has held many shops, restaurants and retail spaces, including a stint in the 1990s and 2000s as Coldwater Creek’s primary Sandpoint retail outlet.

in its expansion plan. That means the Legislature will likely have to find and justify state funding for any restrictions if it seeks to implement them.

Little broke from his predecessor, C.L. “Butch” Otter, in supporting the repeal of the grocery tax. This state tax on grocery and

food products is criticized by both the right and left as an undue burden on Idaho’s poorest residents.

Finally, in response to Idaho’s dilemma of overflowing prisons, Little proposes adding 220 prisoner beds at the new North Idaho Re-Entry Center and the St. Anthony Facility Expansion, as well

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

interim EMS director Jeff Lindsey.

Former EMS Chief Bob Bussey resigned in early December.

BOCC Deputy Clerk Jessi Webster said the Jan. 18 meeting “is simply an opportunity for the BOCC to hear comments,” and that there should be no discussion between the board and the public or any decisions made. The BOCC will have an attorney present at the meeting, she said.

Commissioner Dan McDonald said the nonprofit option attracted the county’s attention after being “impressed” by Boundary County’s use of a non-profit EMS model. He said that in the board’s quest to find

Gov. Brad Little received applause after his State of the State address on Monday. Photo courtesy YouTube. as 17 new probation and parole positions for the Idaho Department of Correction.

County to hold public meeting on EMS The Bonner County Commissioners will hold a public meeting regarding possible changes to the county’s Emergency Management Services system 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, at the Bonner County Administration Building.

The meeting comes after news that the board is considering shifting the current EMS system from county-operated to a non-profit entity.

The county is considering North Valley EMS, which McDonald said “was created to potentially do business with Bonner County” by

“better ways to do things” within the county, “EMS was a place that needed a much harder look.”

Opponents of the possible transition listed violation of open meeting laws, changes to response time and EMS staffing as well as the lack of a bid process as their main concerns at a Dec. 18 BOCC regular business meeting.

Webster said comments at the Jan. 18 meeting will be limited to three minutes, and comment time cannot be transferred to another attendee, as it’s not a hearing.

The meeting will be held in the first floor conference room at the Administration Building.

Coast Guard seeks comments on rail bridge navigation

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking comment from members of the public regarding navigation of the two proposed BNSF bridges in Sandpoint across Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek.

The Coast Guard’s announcement states that a “draft environmental document” is still in the works, so this request for comment is specifically in regards to the bridges’ proposed structures

and whether the interested public finds the plans safely navigable.

Separate notices will be posted when that environmental document is ready for public review, the Coast Guard said. “(T)his (public notice) is soliciting for comments exclusively related to navigation,” the announcement reads. “The public is highly encouraged to carefully review this notice, attached plans, and diagrams and then provide comments with regard to the proposed bridge’s ability to meet the

reasonable needs of navigation.”

Access maps and plans for the project and read a summary of project impacts at www.navcen. uscg.gov/D13BN under “BNSF Proposal.”

Submit comments by email at D13-PF-D13BRIDGES@uscg. mil, by phone at (206)220-7282 or by mail at Commander (dpw), Thirteenth Coast Guard District, 910 2nd Avenue, Suite 3510, Seattle, Wash. All comments must be received by Jan. 17.

NEWS

Women’s March planners eye landmark third year

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Last year was historic for women across the country, sweeping 54 female candidates to Congress and placing an unprecedented emphasis on women’s issues.

It was also an important year for the Sandpoint Women’s March, which kicked off in 2017 with other Women’s Marches across the country, including the Washington, D.C., march that drew between 500,000 and 1 million attendees. Nationwide, around 4.2 million people marched in protests around the country, making it the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. Turnout was similarly impressive in Sandpoint, bringing 700 people downtown.

The next year was even more successful with an estimated 1,000 people in attendance. Each year carried a specific theme reflecting the tone of the moment, and according to Sandpoint Women’s March planner Rebecca Holland, this year is no different.

“The first year we marched, then we ran, and now this year, our theme is that we insist,” she said.

This year, the Women’s March retains its mission to promote social and economic justice while serving to “celebrate diversity and promote a future of equality, justice and compassion for all.”

Like previous years, the march will begin with a rally, which will be held Saturday, Jan. 19, this year at noon in the Sandpoint Middle School gym, with doors opening at 11 a.m. The rally will include speeches by several speakers, with the keynote speech coming from the 1999 Sandpoint High School valedictorian, Dr. Ryanne Pilgeram. Now an associate professor of anthropology and sociology at the University of Idaho, Pilgeram will discuss the resurgence of hate groups and intolerance and its impact on local communities.

Joining Pilgeram in the speaker lineup is Rebecca Cleveland-Schroeder, a health care advocate and former candidate

for office based in Coeur d’Alene, who will discuss the ballot success of Medicaid expansion and what the future holds for Idaho health care. Cedar Post editor and SHS senior Corinne Capodagli will also discuss women’s rights and progress as seen by her generation.

Following the speeches comes the centerpiece of the day: the march. It will follow a 1.5-mile route from the gym and through Sandpoint. Always a lively event,

the march’s long line of participants usually carry signs or instruments to create a cheerful atmosphere.

While at the rally, attendees can check out action tables staffed by members of various community groups. Organizers ask that marchers wear soft-soled shoes to protect the gym floor and encourage them to bring along signs or rhythm instruments to liven up the afternoon. Since the nearest

comparable march is in Spokane, all North Idaho residents from Coeur d’Alene to Bonners Ferry and beyond are welcome, as are both men and women.

“Of course, we welcome our like-minded brothers to join us,” said Holland. “We all need to broaden our awareness and advocate for progressive policies that will make our democracy work for all our citizens.”

More than anything, however,

The inaugural North Idaho Women’s March took off from the Panida Theater and wound around the Sandpoint City Beach. Photo by Ben Olson.

Holland encourages participants to bring positive, cheerful attitudes as planners and speakers detail how the 2018 “year of the woman” can become something even greater in 2019.

“Bring rhythm instruments, because we’re going to make some noise,” Holland said.

Boat Society wins accolades

Commercial kitchen to open in Ponderay

By Reader Staff

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

The Inland Empire Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society was recently awarded “#1 Chapter of the Year” at its annual international show in Michigan.

This marks the first time a chapter that has won the coveted award west of the Mississippi, which includes the Lake Tahoe Chapter with its 750 members.

The award is given to the chapter that has been outstanding in their development activities, member participation and overall community support.

This year’s show will take place over the weekend of July

For culinary artisans, the loss of the Bonner Business Center industrial kitchen in 2014 was a serious blow to their livelihoods.

More than four years later, they have a new option when Kitchen Ponderay opens on Jan. 15.

The kitchen opens almost exactly a year after it was announced

by Paul Kusche and the Bonner County Economic Development Corporation. The 1,540-squarefoot kitchen will occupy the space in Bonner Mall previously used by the Hideaway Lounge. Local contractors Pend Oreille Mechanical, Sandpoint Electric, Will’s Plumbing, Reader Concrete and

12-13 with a boating day scheduled for July 14 on Lake Pend Oreille. The theme will be “Over the Top.” The Sandpoint Antique and Classic Boat Show remains the only professionally-judged show in the Northwest which, as a result, draws some pretty special boats and owners to the area. This year, for the first time, the public is invited to the awards presentation by the judges, who will talk about the selection criteria and the process which is unique to the Sandpoint show.

Lauca Construction constructed the kitchen.

Developed through a partnership between Bonner County commissioners, the city of Ponderay and Pandhandle Area Council and funded through six grants (including $30,000 from Northwest Business Development Association), the kitchen will be managed as a branch of Kitchen Spokane. It’s the perfect space for culinary entrepreneurs who lack the capital to invest in their own equipment, and it will also be used for charitable food programs.

Those interested in using the kitchen should email admin@ commercialKitchens.site, call 509868-7710 or visit www.CommercialKitchens.site.

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COMMUNITY

Community garden plots First baby of 2019 born at BGH available for 2019 season

By Reader Staff

By Reader Staff Bouquets: • It was with sadness that I read about the passing of Tamie Martinsen.

Martinsen’s smiling face was always a joy to see at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market. We bought our starts from her every year and gratefully received her advice for when to plant, where to place and any other random questions that inevitably came up. I also interviewed Martinsen a couple times for her work with Bonner Homeless Transitions, where she was a tireless advocate for victims of abuse. Martinsen was one of those people that made Sandpoint what it is, and for that reason she gets this week’s bouquet. She will be missed. You can read an obituary for her on page 16 in this week’s issue.

Barbs • I’m disheartened that our president has allowed this government shutdown to persist, leaving 800,000 federal workers to either work without pay or go on furlough because he wants funding for this wall on the southern border. It’s essentially a staring match, with American workers in the crosshairs. This is not how the political process is supposed to work.

Also, the bald falsehoods that are being told by Trump and his sycophants are not helpful. This week, the Trump administration announced that “nearly 4,000” known terrorists have been apprehended on the southern border. This is nowhere near true. The real number, according to NBC News, is actually six.

Not 4,000. Six people have been apprehended on the southern border whose names were on a terrorism watch list.

The 4,000 figure points to those apprehended trying to enter the U.S. via airports, not the southern border. In fact, more people on the watch list were apprehended trying to cross the northern border of the U.S. than the southern border. Six times more (41 people). Does that mean we need to start building a wall between us and Canada?

One other important factor to discuss is the incessant need for Trump to blame this shutdown on Democrats. In early December, Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: “I am proud to shut down the government for border security ... I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it.” Flash forward to today and, surprise surprise, he is blaming it on Schumer, Pelosi, the Democratic Party, the 2020 election and any other phantom he can conjure up. Enough of this nonsense!

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Attention garden enthusiasts: It’s never too early to begin planning for the growing season.

The City of Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Department has 15 community garden plots open to the public for the upcoming season. Five plots are 7’x7’ and 10 plots are 4’x8’.

A map depicting available plots is available to view on the Parks and Recreation online

facilities catalog To reserve one of the available plots, interested parties will need to visit Parks and Recreation in person at 1123 Lake St. in Sandpoint.

Plot fees are $20 for 4’x8’ and $25 for 7’x7’ and are not refundable. The gardening season is roughly mid-May through mid-October, depending on the season. The garden is located within the Old Ninth Grade Center Park at Highway 2 and Boyer Ave. in Sandpoint.

Animal tracking field classes offered

By Reader Staff Wildlife researcher and professional tracker Brian Baxter will be instructing animal and bird tracking classes in our area this winter.

The first class will take place Saturday, Jan. 19, at Northern Idaho College in Sandpoint.

Contact www.workforcetraining. nic or call (208) 769-3333 for information.

Another class will be Saturday, Jan. 26, in Libby, Mont.

Contact www.scotchmanpeaks. org or Call (406) 291-2154 for information.

Finally, the third class will take place Saturday, Feb. 2 in Hope. Contact www.scotchmanpeaks.org or Call (406) 291-2154 for more info and to register.

Baxter will be joined by Wildlife Photographer Don Jones, who recently had an article entitled “Wily Weasels” published in the 2018-2019 winter issue of Sandpoint Magazine.

READER GOES DOWN UNDER

“So we’re on this big trip to New Zealand and dang, we forgot to bring a copy of the Reader! “No worries” as they like to say in these parts. We simply downloaded the latest issue on the iPad. Here we are on a hike in Abel Tasman National Park just outside Nelson on the South Island. Happy New Year. - Bill & Gloria Stuble”

Bonner General Health (BGH) announced the first baby born of 2019.

Karson J. Grimm was born on Jan. 1, 2019 at 7:24 a.m. to Malissa Manchester and Kevin J. Grimm.

Karson weighed 7lbs, 12 oz. and was 19 inches long at birth.

The Bonner General Health Foundation presented the new

parents with a gift basket for having the first baby of the year.

VA outreach in Priest River

By Reader Staff A representative from the Bonner County Veterans Service Office will be in Priest River Tuesday, Jan. 22, to answer questions about current veterans’ benefits, assist with ongoing claims and take new claims for benefits for eligible veterans and

their dependents.

Bonner County Service Officer Bryan Hult will be at the VFW Post #2909, 113 Larch St. Priest River, from 8:30 a.m.

- 2 p.m. Appointments must be scheduled by calling Lyndsie Halcro at (208) 255-5291.

Is Ralph Nader right?

Diverse Congress? So what.

Dear Editor, Before the holiday season, the Reader published my letter asking for help from the community for the Sandpoint Area Senior Center.

I want to thank all the people who responded to help the seniors. We received many donations - large and small.

We find that we are still in need so would like to remind your readers not to forget the seniors when they close out their donations for the year. Donations may be sent to Sandpoint Area Senior Center, 820 Main, Sandpoint 83864.

Additionally, we would like to thank the Community Assistance League for providing gifts for the home bound seniors through the Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels program. They were delighted with the gifts. CAL has done this for a number of years and it is appreciated by the Senior Center and the recipients so much.

Sincerely,

Dear Editor, I recently listened to a PBS segment where it was noted the 116th Congress would be the most racially diverse ever, and have the greatest number of female members ever.

So what? Will racial diversity and more females suddenly make Senators and Representatives accountable, altruistic, and honest?

Of course it will. Congressmen go to Washington for three reasons: power, money, and reelection. Nothing else. Certainly not concern for the country or the proletariat.

Trump haters, you might do well to step back, take a breath, and place the lion’s share of the blame for real and manufactured problems at the foot of the useless 535 members of Congress where I feel it belongs.

By the way, Trump haters, he is your duly elected president. Grow up, children.

God bless America, and God bless our military.

Loris J. Michael, Board Member Sandpoint Area Senior Center

Steve Brixen Sandpoint

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Millennial-preneurs

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

At this very moment I am toeing a dangerous edge, nearing that ridiculous place that’s the home of the Millennial cliche. After starting my morning transitioning between Downward Facing Dog and Warrior II, I’ve settled into my favorite chair at the local coffee shop with my laptop and cellphone within fingers’ reach.

I’m sipping an ethicallysourced, single-origin black coffee, roasted in the little room behind the register by people I know by name. I’m eating a sugar-free, oil-free, gluten-free, vegan blueberry oatmeal bar, and washing it all down from sips out of my reusable, BPA-less water jug (that happens to be bearing a sticker that reads, “Don’t Be a Prick,” above a little green cactus with a mustache.)

But even more than what I’m consuming, even more than what I’m wearing (a Pendleton sweater-jacket, purchased from a thrift shop), is what I’m doing. The most Millennial thing about me today is that I’m filing invoices in my excel profits tracker for the business I started myself.

That’s right.

I’m a Millennial-preneur.

People have a habit of classifying Millennials as lazy job-shifters, simply too unmotivated and too entitled to hold a steady job. They contend we’d rather stay in our

Emily Erickson.

parents’ basements and spend our money on frivolous things like “alternative” milk lattes, instead of investing in our futures.

But, if you are one of these people doubting the work-ethic of the Millennial, I encourage you to look a little closer.

Many of us may be forgoing the conventional 9-5, but not just to sit idly and complain about rising prices of avocados and long-term rental options.

Millennials are simply changing the way our society defines a “career.”

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than 25 percent of Millennials are self-employed, with 30 percent of entrepreneurs in the United States being between the ages of 20 and 34, already more than doubling the number of startups of their Baby Boomer counterparts.

But more interesting than the number of Millennial-preneurs, are the motivations behind entering the workforce on their own terms.

A study by Bentley Uni-

versity found that 84 percent of Millennials valued making a positive impact on the world over professional recognition, with 64 percent contending that they’d rather make $40,000 a year at a job they love than $100,000 at a job they found uninspiring.

Sandpoint is filled with these Millennial-preneurs, each with their own motivation for taking their income and their livelihood into their own hands. You’ve undoubtedly seen their work in town, consumed their products and witnessed them in action, whether you’ve realized it or not.

Specifically, if you’ve ever cruised around the corner of first street, you’ve likely spotted the little coffee shop tucked underneath charming hanging lights and below the hand-painted sign reading, “Understory Coffee and Tea.” Millennial owners Johnelle Fifer and Evan Metz of Understory explain their motivation behind pursuing self-employment. “[We] see entrepreneurship as freedom. We have the liberty to be as creative as we would like, and that brings a lot of joy into our lives. Lastly, owning and running our business has given us the opportunity to learn about setting and achieving goals.”

Then, there was the local volunteer firefighter that ran 100 miles in full gear to raise awareness for cancer prevention. Remember that? That was a campaign by Plant Positive Projects, a Millennial-owned nonprofit. Co-founder Katie

Adams describes why she chose to forgo the 9-5, saying, “I wanted to live my passions while making my vision come to life. If I was going to spend energy on someone’s dreams, I wanted them to be my own.”

Finally, you’ve surely seen the photographs shared by local businesses like La Chic Boutique, 7B Boardshop, and Matchwood Brewing Company. Many of these beautiful shots are from Millennial freelance photographer Racheal Baker of Racheal Baker Photography.

Racheal describes her process of discovering freelancing, “(Regarding work), there were way too many avenues I wanted to explore, so I just started doing what I liked to do and wanted to do. From there,

it all chaotically fell into place.

Now, instead of having to choose one thing to do for the rest of my life, I can love doing a million things instead.”

So now, I’ll raise my micro-brew filled pint in the air, maybe take a picture for my Instagram story of my sushi before I eat it, and say “cheers,” to my fellow Millennial-preneurs, doing their best at paving their own way.

“Namaste.”

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

Retroactive

By BO

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

the great pacific garbage patch

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

This week’s topic is courtesy of Lyndsie Kiebert. Thanks, Lyndsie! Sorry it took me so long to write about it.

Humans generate an unfathomable amount of garbage.

Most of this garbage is plastic, which can be difficult to recycle and adheres to one simple rule: always follow the path of least resistance. This begins at a human level, when the path of least resistance is to discard plastic trash wherever is most convenient, which is usually the ground or the water. Wherever it lands, the path of least resistance is generally downward, or following the currents of water, which always leads to the ocean. Once in the ocean, the path of least resistance is a fluid, changing thing based on ocean currents, wind, or marine life. Whatever that path may be, it begins to coalesce en masse in the ocean.

The thing about plastic is it’s immortal, and when we see it break down it’s not degrading into usable elements (such as a tuna sandwich breaking down into components that bacteria, animals or algae can use), it’s just breaking into smaller and smaller pieces until we can’t see it anymore. This doesn’t mean it’s harmless, and in fact the opposite seems to be true. We believe microplastics, bits of plastic broken down to a microscopic scale, are one of the largest contributors to marine life dying off, as well as a major source of human carcinogens.

Our bodies aren’t designed to digest plastic, so when it ends up in our drinking water and starts mingling with our cells, bad things inevitably happen.

It’s an easy problem to ignore because we can’t see it, and we 8 /

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can’t reliably track it. However, just because we can’t, doesn’t mean it’s not there. We can’t see black holes, but we know they’re there. We’ve observed the effect of black holes on nearby stars.

We’re observing the effect of microplastics on our environment, and ourselves, therefore we know they exist.

In fact, when you talk about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, you think of islands of plastic waste congealed together smothering tuna and sea turtles, but that’s only a tiny fraction of what this thing actually is. Due to much of this garbage patch being microplastics that are constantly moving because of ocean currents, it’s incredibly difficult to nail down a precise size of this thing. What we do know, is it’s at least the size of Texas, but research is showing it’s probably closer to being the size of Russia.

That’s literally an entire country made of garbage just swirling around the ocean. We can’t even begin to imagine how much damage this is doing to our planet, but we’re starting to get a glimpse.

How much seafood do you eat? If you’re like me, you enjoy the occasional can of tuna.

Scientists have been recording a growing amount of microplastics in canned tuna in the past few years. How did it get there? The tuna filtered it in through their gills, they ate it when they ate other fish, they lived in it their entire lives while it was absorbed by their cells and ended up in their meat, which was harvested and then digested by us.

I’m pretty sure you’ll lose a lot of weight on the new Carcinogen Ultra-X 900 Day Challenge Diet, but it’s hard to rock a bikini bod when you’re stuck in an unflattering hospital gown.

This is just the tip of the plastic iceberg. Paired with warming waters, we’re seeing fish we need

to sustain our growing population dying off or migrating by the millions. Washington State is struggling with harvesting Salmon because of this right now.

It’s not all doom and gloom.

There is promising research going on now for plastic collectors. “The Ocean Cleanup” is a project proposed by Boyan Slat in 2012 that would have collection platforms set up in key locations along ocean currents, allowing the currents to push mass amounts of plastics (including microplastics) to them, where ships could come in and collect a hull full of trash and ship it back to the mainland for recycling and processing at profit. It was such a good idea that its first collection site began its maiden voyage in 2018. I know that sounds like a long time, but when it comes to anything involving environmental science and cleaning our environment, that’s like breaking the freaking sound barrier.

You know what they say, though. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Though most of the plastic comes from China, Indonesia and Thailand (By no coincidence, these are places the U.S. ships refuse plastic to for recycling and industry), there are things we can do here in the states to help keep our trash from ending up in our shrimp scampi.

Recycle! If recycling isn’t offered in your area, get with your neighbors, sign some petitions, make enough noise to get recycling in your area. Companies whine about losing money with recycling, but I whine about dying of cancer.

Make conscious choices at the register. Do you buy plastic utensils because they’re cheaper than silverware? I guarantee you spend more on plastic utensils per year than you would on permanent metal utensils and detergent

to clean them per decade. If you’re in a pinch for a barbecue or picnic, an extra 15 cents or a dollar for compostable utensils are not unreasonable to pay. If all else fails, I’ll eat like a caveman.

I have no shame!

Use reusable or cloth bags.

Reusable plastic bags are better than the single-use bags that end up forming a giant plastic ball in our cupboards. Cloth are even better. If you get some from a company that really cares about their product you can get some

Yikes. beefy hemp fiber or burlap that can fit a ton of groceries and be passed down to your kids.

Change starts with the consumer. We can’t blame corporations for misbehaving when we enable misbehavior. The better we act and the more noise we make about behaving well, the more likely we are to leave a world worth sharing behind for our children and their kids.

See you next week.

Random Corner tanic?

Don’t know much about the ti

We can help!

• The Titanic is the only ocean liner to ever be sunk by an iceberg. After hitting the iceberg, it took the Titanic two hours and 40 minutes to sink.

• The Titanic could have been saved if it wasn’t for a 30-second delay in giving the order to change course after spotting the iceberg.

• The Titanic’s chief baker “fortified” himself with alcohol and thus survived the freezing water for two hours until he was rescued.

• The budget for the Movie “Titanic” was higher than the Titanic itself.

• Only 333 bodies of the Titanic’s victims were recovered, one in five of the over 1,500 victims.

• Not a single engineer, out of the 30, made it off the Titanic: they stayed and kept the power on so others could escape.

• Kate Winslet, who starred in the movie “Titanic,” hated the song “My Heart Will Go On”, and said it makes her feel “like throwing up.”

• After the Titanic sank, the families of the band members were billed By White Star Line for the cost of the uniforms worn as the band members died.

• A man who survived the sinking of a ship in 1871 was finally able to overcome his fears and decided to sail again in 1912: he died in the sinking of the Titanic.

• Titanic II is a modern-day ocean liner that is billed as a near-exact replica of the original Titanic. It was slated to set sail in Nov. 2018, but delays have pushed the inaugural voyage back to 2022.

HUMOR OPEN 11:30 am

GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

Memories...

They’re powerful stuff

By PollyAnna Reader Columnist My mother has reached that stage of middle life where she is no longer content being the keeper of her children’s things.

Redistribution is the logical conclusion to the years she spent collecting and preserving all remnants of the adorable, harmless little creatures we were pre-teenhood. As we slowly moved out of the house and scattered across the planet, all the books and nicknacks we’d accumulated became the holders of so many memories. And memories are damn hard to willingly throw away. But this current version of Mom is brave, and practical and tired of the clutter.

“And, goodness knows you don’t want to wait till I’m gone to sort all this stuff out,” she reminds us each time one of us receives a delivery of “Your Things,” often with the original Sharpie labels still scrawled across the tattered, beaten boxes.

It turns out that there’s quite a range in our preserved memorabilia — from Christmas nutcrackers; to a champion matchbox derby car shaped like a carrot; to a handbuilt dollhouse full of dishware and curtains; to books by Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl and the other British authors we read growing up.

The 2010s shouldn’t have been so kind to our eclectic collections. My parents moved three times in three years, across thousands of miles and an ocean. So, you’d think that by this point, only the really valuable stuff was kept. But, as we receive our redistributed items, some of them are a bit more odd than I remembered. Did I really need to keep that stuffed animal I made from a white knee sock in first grade?

Who in my family purchased the photo book of “101 Ways to Use a Cat?” This summer, my parents opted to spend their vacation helping my sister Fran and her husband drive a moving van from Illinois to Pennsylvania, and of course, my mom brought along a box of “Your Things” for repatriation with my sister.

One night, as the four of them were unpacking into the new apartment, Fran took a seat and opened the box up. Some books, some pottery, a curious little basket with a lid...

“Oh!” Fran exclaimed, grabbing at the little basket. She flipped the lid off the basket, reached inside and popped a small object straight into her mouth.

My mom stared at her in mild confusion bordering on horror.

“It’s my sucking rock!” Fran said happily, rolling something clunkily around past her teeth so she could get the words out.

“Your what???”

“My sucking rock!”

Fran had been an avid thumbsucker until she started going to school. But, once she was told she was “too old” for keeping her thumb in her mouth, she executed a careful and desperate plan. She secretly chose a rock from off the ground somewhere, stashed it stealthily in her pre-chosen little container and kept it by her bedstand.

Each night, when she had been tucked in under the mosquito netting and left alone, she would pop the pebble into her mouth. And then, fall asleep with it in there.

Mom was horrified.

“Didn’t you realize, you could have fallen asleep and choked on that?” she said. “Or chipped a tooth?”

My 20-something sister smiled happily, nodding, with the rock tucked

in her cheek — “of course I knew I ‘couldn’t’ have it. Why do you think I hid it so carefully?”

It’s still a mystery to all of us why the family biologist would think the proper first reaction was to pop that rock back in her mouth immediately without washing it first. But, you know, memories... they’re powerful stuff.

Pollyanna lives, loves and writes from Sandpoint, where local thrift stores are trying to cope with a sudden, unexpected surge in anonymous donations of British-authored children’s books.

Laughing Matter

The Psounbality with Per FRESH FOOD LIVE MUSIC THE BEST NW BREWS

212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint

208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994

By Bill Borders

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PERSPECTIVES

Knot too shabby A guide to my favorite knots

By Ben Olson Reader Staff In this week’s knot-tying article, we’ll cover four more useful knots: the sheet bend, the figure-eight knot, the overhand knot and half hitch.

Sheet Bend Let’s say you have two ropes of different diameter and you need to attach them. Most knots will see the smaller diameter rope coming undone, but not with the sheet bend. Also called a weaver’s hitch because of its historical use in textile mills, the sheet bend is also fine for joining ropes of equal thicknesses.

The “Ashley Book of Knots,” arguably the most important encyclopedia of knots in publication, lists the sheet bend on the first page, which shows how important this knot is.

How to tie: 1. Make a bight (or a loop) in the thicker of the two lines and pass the thinner rope through the bight.

2. Wrap the thinner rope around the bight and tuck it under itself.

3. Hold the thicker line and pull the thin rope to tighten.

4. You’ve tied yourself a sheet bend.

Figure-eight (on a bight) knot There are many knots you can tie that form a loop in the middle of a line.

I learned the figure-eight on a bight knot after loading loose gear on top of my truck’s roof. The roof rack was great to attach diagonal lines, but I needed a midline across from a point between the rack.

The only way to do it was to create a loop in the middle of a line.

This versatile knot is useful in mountain climbing as it’s quick and easy to tie, and can be tied to help connect a rope to a carabiner. The knot can be made anywhere on a rope, from the middle to the ends. It’s strong and non-slipping, but 10 /

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can sometimes jam under a load, making it tough to untie (a non-jamming alternative is the alpine butterfly knot, but it’s tougher to tie).

How to tie: 1. Make a loop with a bight of rope anywhere you’d like the loop.

2. Pass the end “around the tree” and through the loop.

3. Pull both ends to tighten.

4. You’ve tied yourself a figure-eight on a bight knot.

Overhand knot According to the “Ashley Book of Knots,” the overhand knot is the simplest of the single strand stopper knots. It’s the easiest knot you’ll tie in this series, and often the first knot we learn as children when we graduate from velcro shoes to laces. While it’s a secure knot, it can jam badly, making it difficult to untie.

How to tie: 1. Form a loop by passing the end over the standing part.

2. Tuck the end inside the loop and pull it out completely.

3. You’ve tied yourself an overhand knot.

Half hitch The half hitch is basically an overhand knot with the working end brought over and under the standing part. It’s a fairly insecure knot, but it is useful because it forms the basis for a lot of reliable knots.

Its main use is to quickly tie off a line that can be released quickly. When seeking a more secure half hitch, you can tie two of them.

How to tie: 1. Wrap the rope around the support.

2. Pass the end through the loop and tighten.

3. You’ve tied yourself a half hitch.

Read the final piece in this series next week to learn how to tie a trucker’s hitch, a fisherman’s bend and the taut-line hitch.

Part 2

FEATURE

and NE d l o s w N W O D SHUT How the 1995-96 shutdown could compare to today’s crisis

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Photo by Andy Feliciotti.

With no end in sight to the government shutdown constricting Washington, D.C., it may well go on record as the longest in U.S. history.

That leaves government employees in a bind as they figure out how to get by without a paycheck. While it’s likely this shutdown will follow past government standoffs in restoring federal employee backpay, workers are on their own figuring out how to pay for rent or mortgages, groceries or other living essentials in the meantime. The Office of Personnel Management went so far as to advise 800,000 furloughed government employees to offer labor or otherwise barter the cost of their rent.

Reporting on the shutdown’s effects, both on individual lives and government projects or contracts, is difficult because most furloughed employees are not authorized to speak about it. But a past shutdown of comparable length, the 21-day 1995-96 standoff between President Bill Clinton and a Newt Gingrich-led Congress over entitlement cuts, may provide insight. Like President Donald Trump’s battle with Congress over funding for border security and

his long-promised wall, the Clinton shutdown unfolded over several weeks through December and January.

It’s a shutdown that Dick Kramer, a retired Sandpoint District Forest Service biologist and ranger, lived through in the course of his long career. It was an aggravating-enough experience that he’s surprised Congress hasn’t developed a better system for dealing with funding crises, he said.

A Missoula, Mont.-based biologist in 1994 and 1995, Kramer said the initial reaction from some of his colleagues was almost jovial. After all, it was an unexpected vacation at the government’s expense. That good-natured view of the situation soured as the days without a paycheck piled up.

“As it dragged on, everyone starting worrying about, ‘Well, am I going to get a paycheck?’” Kramer said.

Some employees had enough money saved away to weather the shutdown crisis without incident. But others, particularly younger workers, lived paycheck to paycheck and faced a real challenge with no income for nearly a month. Some looked into receiving un-

employment benefits for the shutdown duration, while others sought work in the Christmas retail rush at stores like Walmart.

Kramer recalled a particularly irritating moment when a government representative arrived to discuss how to handle the furlough. At one point, he advised the workers to “enjoy yourself.

Go skiing. Get a little winter time.”

Many in the office were annoyed by the glib tone when they knew it would be difficult to meet their basic necessities, never mind take a ski vacation.

Just as frustrating was the restlessness and lack of purpose resulting from be a lack of work. While a few days off here and there might be welcome, Kramer said that ultimately, most government employees want to be productive and do good work for the public. It wasn’t simply a matter of their agencies withholding a paycheck; Kramer said supervisors took active steps to ensure workers didn’t do government business during the furlough.

“It’s kind of a waste of civil dollars to have employees sit around and not do anything,” he said, later adding, “At

the end of 21 days everyone was saying, ‘It’s time to go back to work. This is silly.’”

The shutdown was more wasteful than the initial cost of paying government employees to do nothing, Kramer said. There was also the disruption to ongoing projects. It took time to get back up to speed after 21 unproductive days, and some work was stymied by time-sensitive factors.

“This is the time when we’re putting contracts out to bid,” Kramer said.

“There’s a danger that you might not be able to do something that you planned to do in the summer because you can’t get it out to bid.”

The sense that they were being used as pawns in a partisan game was a final insult added to injury for Kramer and his colleagues. It’s a partisanship that infects what should be neutral work, Kramer said, and it’s only become worse in recent years.

“The thing that angers me most is half the things you read about or hear about are not true,” he said.

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Trivia Takeover Live 6-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Family friendly interactive trivia

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Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 5-8pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Check out Sandpoint’s newest brewery with a great selection of jazz

Thursday Nig 6-8pm @ Mick Blues with a t Plus, food by S

Live Music w/ Samuel Richardson Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA Live Music 6-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bistro Wine Bar 5-8pm @ Pe This is Harold’s IGA’s first show Live Music w/ Benny Baker Live Music at Matchwood! Indie rock origi- 6pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante 9pm @ 219 nals and lots of fun covers Great new 4 Live Music w/ Mike & Shanna Thompson Live Music w/ Gre3ne Trio and alt-elect 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall A fun Sandpoint duo Feat. Ron Greene, Justyn Priest and Brian Bur

Live Music w/ Oak St. Connection 6pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

s a t u r d a y

t u e s d a y

Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

f

Live Music w/ John Firshi 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority A talented Sandpoint guitarist

Live Music w/ the Groove Black 9pm @ 219 Lounge Eclectic mix of reggae, blues, funk and jazz, with mix of originals Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am

Live Music w/ Little Wolf & Brenden Kelty 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Double bands tonight! Brenden Kelty has a soulful sound drawn from gritty travel and Little Wolf (Josh Hedlund and Justin Landis) features some of the best songwriting this side of heaven.

Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 4-6:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Pat for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen Triva Night 7pm @ MickDuff’s Show off that big, beautiful brain of yours Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Ali Maverick Thomas Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry Thursday Night Solo Series w/ Brian Jacobs 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Plus, food by Sandpoint Curry

Live 6-8pm

Mug 6-8pm Free

Piano Sunday w 2-4pm @ Pend Enjoy wine and tening to local p

Karaoke 8-close @ Tervan Best song selection in Sandpoint

Li 2p An we

“Caribou Rainforest: From Heartbreak to 7pm @ Little Panida Theater Idaho Conservation League and Mountainee aims to illuminate the critically threatened wo The evening will include a multimedia presen David Moskowitz - an expert wildlife tracke and Brad Smith, ICL’s North Idaho director. C Magic Wednesday 6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s Enjoy close-up magic shows by Star Alexander right at your table

The Big 6-8pm @ Dr. Steve scientist, tions abo

Open Mic Night 6-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Sponsored by the Sandpoint Literary Collective. Listen to local poets, storytellers and talents while sipping wine with a breads and spreads plate. Free to attend

B 6 H a s

ful

January 10 - 17, 2019

rsday Night Solo Series w/ Kevin Dorin m @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall s with a twist from this local performer. food by Sandpoint Curry

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

Reader recommended

POAC presents: “Living Voices’ Our Revolution” 7pm @ Heartwood Center The story of one of many common citizens who fought to bring the words “All men are created equal” to life - words with even greater meaning to an African-American soldier in 1776. The live performance plus video presentation tells of an African-American soldier in 1776. supported by a video presentation of historic documents and events

ve Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Sandpoint Contra Dance ve Music w/ the Wow Wows 7-10:30pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall m @ 219 Lounge eat new 4-piece band playing experimental rock Community dancing for all ages, feat. live music and lively callers. $5 donation suggested. Wear comfy shoes! d alt-electronic shoegaze. Worth a listen. all Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin Brian Burke 8-10pm @ The Back Door Bar

Native Heritage Film Series Double Feature 12:30 & 3pm @ Sandpoint Library “Of One Heart” introduces the Nimiipuu’s rich heritage whose stories are preserved and interpreted at 38 sites comprising the Mugs and Music w/ Crooked Fingers Nez Perce National Historical Park in Idaho, Montana, Wash6-8pm @ Laughing Dog Taproom ington and Oregon. “Ohiyesa: The Soul of an Indian” is a deepFree music with Crooked Fingers ly personal family film that follows Kate Beane, an urban Dakota scholar, and her family as they trace the remarkable life of their celebrated relative, Ohiyesa. Free and open to the public

Live Music w/ Larry Mooney ty 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bistro Wine Bar

a nd is) de

Sunday w/ Peter Lucht @ Pend d’Oreille Winery wine and spreads while listo local pianist Peter Lucht

int

Second Saturday Artist Reception 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Featuring local artist Mary Berryhill and a TBA musical guest

Karaoke 8-close @ Tervan Saturday nights alright for singing

Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant An hour of conversation and stories. This week’s topic: “Does God Play Favorites?”

tbreak to Hope”

ountaineers Books host this event that atened world of the mountain caribou. dia presentation, and a panel featuring life tracker, photographer, and author, director. Call 208-265-9565 for tickets The Big Carbon Fix 6-8pm @ SHS Auditorium Dr. Steven Gahn, a world-renowned climate scientist, will address common misconceptions about climate change. Free admission

y Colellers ith a end

Open Mic Night w/ Kevin Dorin 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall A positive environment to share your passion. All levels of performers welcome

Jan. 18-20 Banff Mountain Film Festival @ Panida Theater

Jan. 18 Yonder Mountain Art for Human Rights String Band @ 5:30pm @ SHS Library Th e Hive The opening of a student art

show held at SHS in collaboration with the Bonner County Bike Movie Night Human Rights Task Force and 6pm @ Greasy Fingers Bikes n Repair Pend Oreille Arts Council.

Held Wednesday nights in Jan. Free and fun! Bring your own chair and snacks/beverages if you wish

Jan. 19 North Idaho Womrn’s March @ Sandpoint Middle School

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COMMUNITY

Get them started right with Little Dribblers Basketball program

By Reader Staff The Little Dribblers Basketball Program is offered to first and second graders who want to learn the basics of basketball, with a heavy emphasis on dribbling and handling.

The clinic-style program will take place at Kootenai Elementary School Wednesdays, Feb. 13, 20, 27 and March 6, 13, 20 from 2:30-4 p.m. (first grade) or 4-5:30 p.m. (second grade).

A Sandpoint youth sport jersey is required. Jerseys are $14 each and can be paid for online and picked up at the Parks and Recreation office.

The fee to participate is $23, with a $5 discount for city of Sandpoint residents).

Salsa classes!

By Reader Staff

Salsa is an energetic and fun Latin dance that does not require you to have a regular partner. In fact, it’s common to dance with people you have never met before.

For those aged 12 to adult, salsa classes will be offered from Feb. to April at the Sandpoint Community Hall from 6-7 p.m.

The fee will be $63/month and a minimum of four participants is needed for each monthly session.

Pre-register online at www.sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation or call (208) 263-3613 for more info.

Those interested must pre-register by Jan. 22 at www.sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation or at the office at 1123 Lake St.

Learn boater safety

By Reader Staff

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a course covering navigation, charting, mechanics, rules of the road and other customs of seamanship. Certificates are presented upon completion of the course exam. Most insurance companies offer a discount to policy holders who hold this certificate.

Classes will run Feb. 18, 20, 25, 27 and March 4, 6 11 and 13 from 7-9:30 p.m. at the USFS Conference Room, 1602 Ontario St. Cost is $35 and deadline to register is Feb. 14.

For more info, contact (208) 255-1125.

ANGELS PRESENT GRANT TO MUSEUM Main Street, Bonners Ferry

267-2622

Olivia Luther, right, accepts a Community Grant check for $250 from the Angels Over Sandpoint for the Bonner County Historical Museum’s Halloween Party. The Angels award Community Grants twice a year to educational and nonprofit organizations in Bonner County.

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COMMUNITY

Learn about native plants for free

By Reader Staff Sandpoint Parks and Recreation and the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society (KNPS) are offering free monthly presentations at Sandpoint Community Hall.

The presentations covering a variety of natural resource related topics ranging from wildflower identification, to forest tree management, to mushroom gathering and much more.

Presentations take place from 9:4511:30 a.m. the fourth Saturday of the month (September through June except December). No need to pre-register.

The presentation on Saturday, Jan. 26, features Steve Anderson’s presentation: “Nevada: More than a Sagebrush Ocean.”

The basin and range province provides for unique habitats for plant and animal

species. Isolated mountain ranges stand in dark contrast to the surrounding deserts and contain many plant that are similar to the northwest. The presentation will concentrate on northeast Nevada and discuss plants, animals and some land management issues.

Steve Anderson graduated from U of I with a BA in wildlife fisheries resources and worked for the US Forest Service for more than 30 years. He has also spent time in Kenya working for the Peace Corps.

For more information about KNPS programs visit their website at: www. nativeplantsociety.org, or visit Sandpoint Parks and Recreation at 1123 Lake St., and online at www.sandpointidaho.gov/ parksrecreation.

Thursday Night Solo Series w/

KEVIN DORIN

6-8pm

GRE3NE TRIO

w/ Ron Greene, Justyn Priest and Brian Burke 6:30-9:30pm

LITTLE WOLF & BRENDAN KELTY

6:30-9:30pm

Fine Jewellers & Goldsmiths •Custom Jewelry •Repairs

Contra Dance this weekend

By Reader Staff

The Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with Emily Faulkner and Lost Horse Press to bring contra dancing, a community dance for all ages in the New England tradition, featuring live music with great local and regional bands and lively callers. Contras, circles and occasionally squares or long ways sets are taught, called and danced in a friendly atmosphere.

Meet at Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 S. First Ave from 7-10:30 p.m., every

second Friday of the month. Beginners and singles welcome; contra dance tradition holds that anyone can ask anyone to dance.

New dancers are warmly encouraged to arrive in time for the beginning (we always start with the basics). If you can walk quickly, count to eight, and know right from left you can contra dance.

Light, comfortable clothing is suggested. Bring clean, soft-soled shoes and a water bottle. Finger food snacks at the break are much appreciated. A $5 donation at the door is suggested.

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OBITUARY

Remembering Tamie Jo Martinsen, 57

By Reader Staff On Dec. 27, 2018, Sandpoint lost a valued member of its community, Tamie Jo Martinsen. She passed away peacefully at the Schneidmiller Hospice House in Coeur d’Alene at the age of 57. She was cared for by skilled and compassionate staff in her final days while surrounded by family and friends.

Tamie was born on her father’s birthday, March 5, 1961, in Helena, Mont. She graduated from Helena Capital High School in 1979. She then attended the University of Montana in Missoula where she studied Spanish. It was in Missoula that she met the love of her life, Larry. The couple married on Jan. 8, 1988. They moved to Sandpoint where they would raise their three boys, Cassidy, Josha and Seager.

Together, Tamie and Larry sold produce at the Sandpoint Farmers Market where she was a devoted board member and vendor for over 25 years.

Early on they sold organic produce grown on their farm, Sacred Earth Farm. She also sold handmade baskets, needle felted woolly people, flower and vegetable starts, stunning fresh cut flowers and garlic. She selflessly poured her motherly love and logic into helping the market grow strong, retaining its core values.

Tamie put up a ferocious fight against cancer, referring to it as the “Cancer Dragon.”

Being diagnosed set her on a new path. She joined the Radical Remission community and sought to help others from her own experience by sharing her wisdom and knowl16 /

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Tamie Martinsen. Courtesy photo. edge. She was equally devoted to her work at Bonner Homeless Transitions, where in 2005, she began her career as an advocate for victims of abuse at the Harmony House Domestic Violence Shelter. In 2008, she became the program manager of Blue Haven Homeless Shelter. She worked daily with clients providing case management, transportation, crisis intervention, budgeting, parenting and employment oppor-

tunities. Tamie was always there just to listen when someone needed to vent, and did so with no judgment, but just to advise if requested. As one client recently said, “She was our mother, sister and best friend. I am successful today because of her.” This sentiment applies to the hundreds of families and individuals she served in northern Idaho.

Tamie had the profound ability to tackle any issue in all

aspects of her life, including her cancer. She was a sounding board and pillar of wisdom for everyone who knew her. She always spoke the voice of reason, presenting solutions based in fairness and integrity which benefited all. Love poured out of her heart and soul, residing at the core of her being. Tamie shared in many adventures with friends and family throughout the years and all over the world. In India she was kissed by elephants, in Turkey she was graced by a dancer, in Alaska she slept under the stars while working on fishing boats. The art in Italy deeply moved her. Yet even still, people were always her greatest joy. Her smile and laugh were quick to heal and her love for life and family strong. Knowing Tamie was a great honor. Sharing her love and joy for this life will never be forgotten by those who were closest to her. She was a walking ray of sunshine and lives on in those she touched.

Shine on, Tamie.

Tamie is survived by her husband, Larry Higgins, their three sons: Cass Higgins, Josha Higgins and Seager Higgins,

along with grandchildren Ari Higgins and Sage Higgins. Tamie is also survived by her siblings Lila Garrick, Lyle Martinsen and Gary (Lori) Martinsen, nieces Gayleen Strachan, Heidi Boehm and Amber Martinsen-Blake, nephew Jay Martinsen, and several great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents Clarence and Ethel Martinsen and her brother Glen Martinsen.

In lieu of flowers, help continue her kindness, loyalty and compassion by donating to Bonner Homeless Transitions, 330 South Florence Avenue, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

A Celebration of Life will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Sandpoint on Jan. 12 at 12:30 p.m. with a reception to follow at DiLuna’s at 2 p.m. In the spring a graveside interment will be held in Helena, Mont., with burial at Forestvale Cemetery.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Tamie’s online memorial at www. lakeviewfuneral.com and sign her guest book.

The vision of panelized, realized.

www.mehomes.net (208)264-6700

Dan McMahon, Gen. Contractor dan@mebldg.com

LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

The art of the challenge

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Aurora Brown’s art studio exudes the kind of warmth only a home studio can.

Cats and dogs meander across the hardwood floor as the tea kettle begins to boil. An easel holds Brown’s latest work before a large, sunlit window, and plants adorn the entire space, bringing in a bit of the outside world.

Brown has created this unique workspace in a home and on a road she’s familiar with, having grown up in the same area tucked in the Cabinet Mountains near Sandpoint.

“When I was a kid I used to get excited to go down to the bottom of the driveway, and I’d wait for hours when I went to grab the mail to see if I could see another car,” she said. “There was no paved road — it was this really bad dirt road. I would get so excited to see someone that wasn’t my family.”

While considering her future in high school, Brown said science — specifically biology and zoology — ruled her plans until her senior year in 2013.

She said several visits with scientists in those fields revealed unhappy, unfulfilled people. So she switched gears — to art.

After a year of working to earn money for school, Brown headed west to attend Northwest College of Art and Design in Poulsbo, Wash., where she earned a BFA in Visual Communications with double majors in Illustration and Entertainment Art. Now she’s putting that education to use back home in the form of Nature Trek Studios.

The name of Brown’s business is inspired by one of her greatest passions: being outdoors. She said she loves the challenges that come with scaling mountains and running an art business — two endeavors she sees as very connected.

“My constant struggle is that I’d rather be on the trails ... and I’d rather be fishing, but I have to work,” she said. “I get away with it sometimes, because when it’s nice weather I usually have a sketchbook with me and I’m at the summit eating food and sketching, but I can’t justify that every day.”

But on the days she can justify it, her work benefits. Brown said she often takes reference photos on those treks, bringing them back to create her art. She is currently using photos she took of the salmon run to create a large-scale painting on glass.

Many of her ink drawings — which Brown said she is best known for across social media platforms — are inspired by things she’s seen in nature.

“That’s an excuse for me to go out there and do what I love to do, and then come back and do the other thing I love to do,” Brown said.

Even in college, Brown made sure her connection to nature was satisfied. Having grown up with trails right out her backdoor, it was an adjustment when in Washington she and her fiancée would drive four hours to hike 20+ miles and drive back to the city in a single day.

Still, Brown is sure to incorporate a stroll through the woods with her dogs into every single day. By starting the day with nature, she said she’s

better prepared for a 13-hour day of working on commissions and beating deadlines.

“The dogs are happy, I’m happy, and then I can sit down and I can work in my studio,” she said.

Her work ranges from painting to intricate ink drawing to digital design and beyond, so her studio encompasses mediums for any project. Brown said running a business from home is no easy endeavor, but she’s committed to the challenge.

“I’m lucky because I’ve got a supportive partner,” she said.

“During this transition time, for the first year or two, you’re not going to make much money.

There’s always something you need because you are your own business.”

She said she got to witness the life of a successful, self-employed artist firsthand thanks to an internship she completed in college with Meredith Chernick of Fern Street Pottery. “(Chernick’s) art is functional pottery and it’s gorgeous,” Brown said. “I learned a lot about how to run a small business from home from her.”

Still, Brown has built her operation to work beyond the walls of her North Idaho studio.

Next fall, she’ll be going to visit family in Argentina and taking Nature Trek Studios with her.

“I’m really excited because

Aurora Brown of Nature Trek Studios finds balance on the trails and in the studio

Top: Brown paints on glass in her studio. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert.

Right: A sampling of ink drawings Brown created during the annual Inktober drawing challenge October 2018. Courtesy photo.

that’s something I really want to do — travel and take my business with me, so I set it up that way,” she said. “I want to travel to experience the other color palettes different countries have to offer.”

Whether it’s hiking or being stationary in her studio for several hours at a time, Brown said she suffers daily from chronic pain due to both arthritis and residual effects of a burn accident when she was a child.

“This chronic pain that I have every day is this thing that

really kicks me in the butt and says, ‘Um, excuse me ... hustle it, really get to it because you don’t know how long you’re going to have it.’”

Even though there are tough days for Brown, there’s no doubt that this young artist is tough, too.

“The more tough it is, the more I want to conquer it. That might be why I decided to become an entrepreneur,” Brown said. “And so far, I’m doing pretty good.”

Find Nature Trek Studios on Instagram, Etsy, Behance, Pinterest and Facebook.

Energy Optimization / Footprint Reduction Residential - Commercial - Industrial

Design20FIRST.com

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OUTDOORS

A column all about snow safety

Persistent weak layers

By Tom Eddy Reader Columnist There can be no avalanche without the failure of a weak layer within the snowpack. In an ideal world, all of our snow would fall at the same rate, the same temperature, and the same density.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature provides us with a myriad of scenarios over the course of a winter resulting in a multitiered snowpack. The snow we received Monday arrived with little wind and cold temperatures, offering a light and fluffy post-holiday gift to the locals. It was great skiing, but due to the light density, it could be a weak layer as denser snow falls on top of it. The bonds between

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the crystals potentially won’t be strong enough to withstand the added stress of a heavier slab. That’s the basis of a weak layer.

Persistent Weak Layers are the bane of an avalanche worker’s existence, weak layers that maintain their instability as additional snow buries them. They typically form early in the season when the pack is shallow and more subject to temperature extremes creating a weak layer that can stick around for days, weeks, and even months. This instability is difficult to forecast and that is why we are diligent in tracking weather and changes in the pack throughout the season.

In our intermountain snowpack (we share qualities of both maritime and

continental), the typical PWL occurs as either facets that form around a rain crust or buried surface hoar.

For background, facets are snow crystals that have gone through metamorphosis driven by large temperature gradients and lost their cohesion to other crystals.

Sharp edges prevent facets from bonding and can resemble sugar. Surface hoar is actually the winter version of dew and appears on calm, clear, cold nights.

While beautiful to look at, surface hoar develops as feathers that are extremely fragile yet, due to their nature, very persistent.

Now why do we dislike PWLs? Under the right circumstances, they can be buried intact and remain dormant until the right stress is added to the pack. If surface hoar is insulated by light snow, it can stay in a standing position, creating a void that’s ripe for failure; the tell-tale “whoomph” or feeling of a slope settling are signs that you’re dealing with buried surface hoar. Surface hoar is of special concern as it is renowned for propagating over large distances, triggering slides remotely, and causing large avalanches.

On Dec. 13, 2017, a large, 6-centimeter surface hoar layer was buried intact and vertical by a few inches of light density snow. As more snow was added to the pack, we experienced extreme settlement and “whoomphing,” remotely triggered avalanches and easy initiation of slides from ski cutting and explosive mitigation. The problem was wide spread and spatial variability meant that

An example of surface hoar. Photo by Tom Eddy. although prevalent, it didn’t affect every area the same. Fast forward to Jan. 25, 2018. During mitigation work before the mountain was open, the surface hoar layer woke up with the placement of an explosive charge in Lakeside Chutes.

The ensuing avalanche was over 600 feet wide, ran more than 1200 vertical feet and had a crown depth of 300 centimeters. This avalanche was a great example of the difficulty in predicting PWLs and the havoc that can result.

People can tire of recurring warnings of deep slab instability or persistent slabs, but these low-probability, high-consequence events always need to be in the back of your mind.

Tom Eddy is the Snow Safety Supervisor for Schweitzer Ski Patrol and a member of the Friends of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center board.

STAGE & SCREEN

Bringing history alive:

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

For history buffs, there’s nothing better than watching history come alive. History will indeed spring to life on Friday, Jan. 11, with Living Voices’ production of “Our Revolution” at the Heartwood Center Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. presented by the Pend Oreille Arts Council.

Living Voices is a “living history” production company that takes important events in history and tells the stories from a unique perspective not normally covered in history books.

“They create a composite character based on historical figures,” said Hannah Combs, POAC’s art administrator. “For this one, they chose to share the experience of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War as told from the perspective of an African-American soldier.”

Combs said she was surprised to find out that there were anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 African-American soldiers that served in the war.

Living Voices’ production of ‘Our Revolution’ offers an African-American perspective of the American Revolutionary War

“Their voices are never heard,” she said.

For “Our Revolution,” Living Voices chose to create a character by the name of Peter Freeman, a free man living outside of Concord, Mass. Freeman’s character is based on an amalgamation of other true characters, one likely as the historical person Peter Salem, a sharecropper who was enlisted into the Continental Army.

“The fact that they portray this character as a free man makes the crux of the story interesting, because a big part of the story is him hearing people speak about what they are fighting for,” said Combs.

Freeman examines the phrase “All men are created equal,” and attempts to figure out if that actually applies to him, or if it’s the hope that after much fighting, someday he will also obtain equal rights.

The format of the evening starts with a 10-minute lecture at the beginning with a video projector to walk the audience through basic facts and events. Half of the show is an actual performance, with an actor in a time period costume playing Peter Freeman.

While Friday night’s performance is open

to the public, Combs said there will be five outreach events for schoolchildren to satisfy the educational component of this program.

There will be presentations as Kootenai and Farmin-Stidwell elementary schools, student shows at the Heartwood Center, Clark Fork Jr./Sr. High School, Forrest Bird Charter School and the Waldorf School. Combs said POAC has also invited home schooled children and the Sandpoint Senior Center. The performances for these students are all free.

“I think the thing I love when we take the show to elementary schools is, for a lot of the kids, this is their first time experiencing a live performance,” said Combs. “It brings this story to life for them, much more than they would get if they just read it out of a text book. These are stories that aren’t often told, and they probably wouldn’t have access to these stories otherwise.”

150 route.

• CHAFE 40: a new class. This route starts and finishes at City Beach and is an extension of the CHAFE 30 route.

• CHAFE 30: starts and finishes at the Sandpoint City Beach.

• Family Fun Ride: a new class. This ride starts at City Beach and goes to Dover Bay via the Sandpoint Dover Community bike path. Family activities and games will be offered at the park near Dover Bay City Hall. The ride returns to City Beach via the bike path.

In the spring of 2018 and consistent with the national reading proficiency results, just half of LPOSD third-graders were proficient readers (as measured by the state ISAT assessment); and last fall, 46 percent of LPOSD kindergartners started school with the literacy skills they need to be successful students (as measured by our state IRI assessment).

CHAFE’s support will assist the community by helping to increase student achievement in literacy; foster students’ love of reading; increase staff training in teaching literacy; provide safe, supportive after-school programs for students; and increase community outreach/targeted literacy events. A portion of CHAFE proceeds also support Rotary community programs.

Riders are encouraged to raise funds for the cause through pledge donations; find more information at CHAFE150.org or through registration materials. The CHAFE

Check out “Our Revolution” at the Heartwood Center on Friday, Jan. 11.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for youth 18 and under. POAC would

A still frame from a YouTube video of a Living Voices presentation. like to thank their sponsors: Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, Idaho Humanities Council, Taylor & Sons Chevrolet, Community Assistance League, Equinox Foundation, Idaho Community Foundation, Innovia Foundation, Ivano’s Ristorante and Sleep’s Cabins.

CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo expands Registration opens Jan. 16 for six Sandpoint bike rides

By Reader Staff

It’s going to be a good year for cycling.

The CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo, recently touted as one of the nation’s top charity bike rides by Bicycling Magazine, is expanding.

Taking place June 15, the 12th annual fundraising event will feature new ride length options so that riders will be able to choose the right fit.

If you’re looking for the ultimate challenge, the signature 150-mile ride remains unchanged and in a class of its own, circumnavigating an entire mountain range, winding through the forests of North Idaho and western Montana while gaining a total elevation of 6,600 feet.

Here’s a look at all the routes for the 2019 event: • CHAFE 150: this is unchanged, starting and finishing at City Beach in Sandpoint.

• CHAFE 100: a new class. Riders eat breakfast in Sandpoint and are bused to Troy, Mont. with their bikes. The CHAFE 100 is a combination of a portion of the CHAFE 150 and CHAFE 40 mile routes.

• CHAFE 80: riders eat breakfast in Sandpoint and are bused to Troy, Mont. The CHAFE 80 is the second half of the CHAFE

The CHAFE 150 ride continues its legacy of support for education in the greater Sandpoint community, contributing more than $260,000 in the past six years.

Previously, funding has helped with autism programs and early childhood readiness.

New this year, CHAFE proceeds will benefit the Lake Pend Oreille School District’s Literacy Initiative and after-school reading programs. Funds will support this initiative by helping fund a literacy curriculum, staff development, and expand after-school programs. This promotes the LPOSD vision of providing high quality instruction and high levels of learning for every child, every day, in every classroom and environment.

Two riders on a previous CHAFE 150 ride over the Hope Bridge. Courtesy photo.

150 Ride Committee is putting together a fantastic assortment of prizes for riders who raise the most funds; stay updated at CHAFE150.org for more details or follow CHAFE 150 on Facebook.

The 2019 CHAFE 150 is presented by Sandpoint Rotary and Timberline Helicopters and is supported by over 80 local businesses and other organizations.

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COMMUNITY

Put action on climate change at the top of your ‘to do’ list is thoroughly explained on the website) out of 30,431 adults in Bonner County:

By Jean Gerth Anderson Reader Contributor Next week, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 50 Sandpoint High School students will be presenting posters focused on solutions to climate change, with $1,000 in prize money at stake. The event is coordinated with a talk to be given at 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium by Dr. Steven Ghan, titled “The Big Carbon Fix.” Dr. Ghan is a climate scientist with world-class credentials; he recently received a lifetime Achievement award from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and was a contributing editor to three reports from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He also just completed hiking 1,500 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. Dr. Ghan will address common misconceptions about climate change and discuss solutions that are acceptable to a wide spectrum of folks. Everyone, especially climate skeptics, are welcome to this free event.

Do I believe in climate change (aka global warming)?

Not really, because “belief” implies having an opinion, or faith,

Dr. Steven Gahn. that something is true. I don’t believe in climate change — I understand that climate change is real. And I understand that now is the time to act to stem its impact.

Even in Bonner County, I am far from alone. According to Yale University (http://climatecommunication.yale.edu, under “visualizations and data” and based on modeling that

• 66 percent “believe global warming is happening” • 58 percent “believe global warming is affecting weather” And while only 50 percent in Bonner County “believe that global warming is caused mostly by human activities,” there is very strong support for policies addressing reduction of carbon emissions, which is all we really need to agree on.

• 84 percent want to fund research into renewable energy sources • 80 percent want to provide tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels • 73 percent want to regulate CO2 as a pollutant

• 62 percent want to require fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax Of course, the difficulty lies in implementing any of those policies. Dr. Ghan promotes a plan put forth by Citizens’ Climate Lobby (https://citizensclimatelobby.org/).

Designed with input from politicians, economists and scientists, CCL promotes bipartisan legislation to impose a fee on carbon as it comes out of the ground and return the collected money to the American people, allocated in equal shares every month. Among the projected outcomes from the fee and dividend plan is a reduction in carbon emissions by 40 percent within 12 years, and the creation of two million clean-energy jobs.

Legislation based on this approach, called the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, was introduced in late 2018 to both the House and Senate, with bipartisan support.

Do you want to do something, or do more, about climate change? Please don’t put it off. Educate yourself about the

current state of the world and the projections for the future (Search in your browser for: IPCC 2018 for the UN report; national climate assessment 2018 for U.S. government report).

Consider supporting CCL and the proposed legislation. Come to listen to the high school students and ask questions of Dr. Ghan. Talk to high school students, and lend them your support and encouragement.

Join the local chapter of CCL at www.cclsandpoint.org. And, of course, write to Rep. Fulcher, Sen. Crapo and Sen. Risch and ask them to support the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (S. 3791 / H.R. 7173). In our time of bitter partisan squabbling, climate change may actually bring us together.

For the sake of our kids, who will be living with the results of our action or inaction for the rest of their lives, just do something.

Now. Jean Gerth Anderson is a founding member of local climate group 350Sandpoint.org.

Writing workshop offered at the Library January is learn to ski and board month at Schweitzer

By Reader Staff

Lost Horse Press and the Sandpoint Literary Collective are pleased to announce the second event in the Sandpoint Winter Creative Writing Series: a fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction workshop and reading featuring Jonathan Johnson.

The event will take place Jan. 25-26 in the Rude Girls Room of the Sandpoint Library. Friday’s workshop will take place from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday’s activities begin at 10 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. when Johnson will read from his recently released poetry collection, “May Is an Island.”

An Open Mic for workshop participants will follow Johnson’s reading.

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By Reader Staff

Jonathan Johnson.

All three events in the Sandpoint Winter Creative Writing Series are free and open to all creative writers. Writers must register for the workshops with Lost Horse Press. For the Jonathan Johnson workshop, please send two poems or not more than

10 pages of prose to losthorsepress@mindspring.com.

For additional information, or to register for Johnson’s workshop, please contact Lost Horse Press at the above email address, or call (208) 255-4410.

The month of January is a great time to learn skiing or snowboarding at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

During the national “Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month” program, first time skiers and riders can take part in packages and incentives to encourage them to take up the sport.

“LSSM is great for those who are curious about learning something new,” said Nikol Hampton, Schweitzer’s Snowsports School Director. “There are several affordable lesson packages to get them out on the mountain.”

If you have never skied or snowboarded, you can get a lesson, a lift ticket and a rental for only $40.

Schweitzer also offers a “Ski4-Free in 3” lesson program which consists of three days of lessons, rentals and lift tickets for $165. Upon completion of the program, participants receive a Grad Pass that gives them free skiing or snowboarding from mid-March until the season ends.

For more information about Schweitzer’s LSSM beginner packages, call the Ski & Ride Center at (208) 255-3070 or visit www.schweitzer.com.

MUSIC

Yonder Mountain String Band returns to the Hive

By Ben Olson Reader Staff When it comes to that “high, lonesome” sound from Colorado, there are few bands who have a closer following than Yonder Mountain String Band.

The progressive bluegrass band first formed in Nederland, Colorado in the late 1990s and quickly built a loyal following based on their high energy live shows, their accessible studio albums and their fun stage presence.

We caught up with bassist Ben Kaufman and asked him about their upcoming show at the Hive on Jan. 18.

SANDPOINT READER: Thanks for your time. I first saw Yonder Mountain String Band while I was going to school in Fort Collins in 1999 or 2000.

It was at a little club in Denver I forget the name of and there were probably 50 to 60 people in the crowd, dancing like fools.

Great show. Flash forward nearly 20 years later, after entertaining so many people, what helps you keep the magic going?

BEN KAUFMAN: Looking at it in an external way, it’s very easy to have a good time playing music when you’re lucky enough to have great people showing up to see the show. Looking at it from a more internal perspective, having new material to perform (whether that’s an original song or a fun cover) definitely helps keep it interesting.

SR: One thing I’ve always enjoyed about YMSB is that the songs are written by different songwriters, and often different members will lead them. Can you share a bit about what it’s like to create in a shared format like this? Do any of you play particular roles?

BK: It wasn’t really preplanned in any way. It just was the case that we each had a desire to write music and to attempt to express something of our own experience through songs. The further along we get, the more collaboration there is in the songwriting process. There aren’t any specific

This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert

READ

I found “The Terrible: A Storyteller’s Memoir” by Yrsa Daley-Ward on one of the many “best books of the year” lists floating around the internet lately, and promptly sent the Amazon link to my boyfriend requesting the memoir as a Christmas gift.

It was in my mailbox a few days later, and after two more I’d read the whole thing. Daley-Ward is a poet, a wizard with metaphor and an overall interesting human. I thoroughly enjoyed her reflections on childhood, love, race, pain and especially beauty.

LISTEN

roles we fill, but Dave Johnston, our banjoist, is definitely a great resource for help with lyrics. And Adam Aijala, our guitarist, can beatbox pretty well. Although that’s not as useful in a bluegrass band as you might think.

SR: Can you share what influence Colorado as a place has had on your music? Why do you think that particular location has incubated such an amazing variety of bluegrass?

BK: That’s a great question. It seems to me that the Front Range of Colorado has always drawn independent people. That desire for space and personal freedom certainly translates to the music that is created there. There is a strong counter-culture in Colorado and from that you get an audience that is receptive. I think it’s a slight oversimplification to say that “hippies like progressive bluegrass,” but at the same time it’s not too far off the mark.

SR: Allie Kral and Jake Joliff joined YMSB a few years back on the fiddle and mandolin. What kind of influence have they had on your sound?

BK: Well, Jake is one of the most talented mandolinists to pick up the instrument in my opinion.

He’s just on a different level. And

Allie has this X-factor. She is a very naturally dynamic player and personality. Both are incredibly gifted in their own ways, and it’s certainly a pleasure to make music with them.

SR: You have played with some of the greatest pickers that have stood on stage in your careers. Any highlights from experiences with some of your own heroes that you’d like to share?

BK: At the Telluride Bluegrass festival we got Sam Bush to play cowbell on “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” I’m not sure there’s anything else left to accomplish after that.

SR: Your latest studio release, “Love. Ain’t Love” was well-received by fans and critics.

Do you enjoy recording in the studio as much as playing live shows, or are they hard to compare? Anything new you all are working on?

BK: The studio is a totally different experience from the live show. The ways you experiment are different. One happens in real time and the other gives you the opportunity to step out of time and get very focused on small details.

We have three projects we’re focusing on that will likely be EPs. One is new original music, one is recordings of older material that

Yonder Mountain String Band is Dave Johnston, Ben Kaufmann, Adam Aijala, Allie Kral and Jacob Joliff. Courtesy photo. for whatever reason never made it onto a record, and one is punk rock covers with an original song called “You Can’t Shit Your Pants if You’re Wearing A Dress” (not the Celine Dion song).

SR: YMSB spends a lot of time touring, and you’ve got some of the most dedicated fans spread out all over the country.

Care to share a fun moment from the road that they would enjoy?

BK: Somewhere along the way we made up a drink called a Left Turn, which is Tuaca and pineapple juice. We got to drink them with Dale Earnhardt Jr. once.

SR: This will be your fourth show in Sandpoint at the Hive.

What are your thoughts on the venue?

BK: It’s a fantastic place to play music and obviously put together and run by people who care about what they’re doing.

Check out Yonder Mountain String Band at the Hive on Friday, Jan. 18. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available in advance for $25 at Eichardt’s Pub and Pucci’s Pub.

Deeply feminine angst has a special place in my heart, so Liza Anne’s 2018 release “Fine But Dying” was a perfect fit while Ben was off sailing the world, and I was left to figure out exactly how to make the Reader happen every week. To be honest, things went really well in his absence, and I don’t think I was ever “dying,” but this album was certainly a motivator on production nights. My choice tracks are “I Love You, But I Need Another Year” and “Kid Gloves.”

WATCH

I don’t think “I, Tonya” could be better if it tried. The movie follows the life of Tonya Harding, the Olympic figure skater infamous for the Nancy Kerrigan incident, but who also led a life more complex and dark than most realize. Margot Robbie shines as the lead, and the rest of the characters seem meant for their simultaneously quirky but violent parts.

“Quirky but violent? What the hell does that even mean?” you ask. Watch this film and find out. No movie has ever left me so sad but satisfied.

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From Northern Idaho News, Sept. 6, 1927

COL. H.H. ARMSTEAD HERE THIS MONTH Col. Henry H. Armstead, known all over the country as a mining engineer who developed the mine at Talache, will return to Sandpoint in the near future, so he writes friends here.

Although the colonel has been away from this county most of the time for the past few years, he still calls Idaho his home and retains his legal residence here.

Mr. Armstead is at the present time at Chevy Chase, Md., a suburb of Washington. But some time this month he intends to come to Bonner county for the purpose of inspecting Bonner county mining prospects with a view to starting developments, he says. Lakeview, it is understood, is one place that he has in mind. The colonel has always looked forward, ever since he went away, to returning here and undertaking the task of building another camp.

Colonel Armstead first came to this county in 1916 when he acquired the Talache property from O.S. Berg and Volney Williamson of Spokane. Immediately on acquiring the property he vigorously prosecuted the work of development, among the notable accomplishments being the driving of a tunnel 3,600 feet long to cut the vein. Records for speed in tunnel driving were broken in his work.

The Sandpoint chamber of commerce gave Colonel Armstead a testimonial banquet when his tunnel was completed, and in responding to the complimentary references to his work, Mr. Armstead talked of his experiences and his work as a mining engineer 22 /

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This nostalgic farmhouse includes a heated shop with concrete floor. The 3 bedroom 1 bath home has a spacious kitchen, wood stove, and gas furnace. Walk to the Naples store and elementary school. An easy commute to Sandpoint or Bonners Ferry. Motivated sellers.

Priced to sell.

MLS #20182960

$124,500

Carol D. Curtis (208) 290-5947 www.sandpoint.com ccurtis@sandpoint.com

Crossword Solution Jan. 11 @ 8:30pm | Jan. 12 @ 3:30 pm

“BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY”

golden globe winner held over due to popular demand

Jan. 10 @ 7:30PM | JAN. 11 @ 5:30PM JAN. 12 @ 7:30PM | JAN. 13 @ 3:30PM

“BECOMING ASTRID”

Little Theater Little Theater

tuesday, Jan. 15 @ 7PM

caribou rainforest:

From Heartbreak to Hope with David Moskowitz

FriDAY, Jan. 18 @ 6:30 & 7:30PM

Line and Swing Lessons & Dance Jan. 18, 19, 20 @ 6PM

banff mountain film festival world tour Jan. 24 @ 7:30PM | jan. 25 @ 5:30pm jan. 26 @ 11:30am | jan. 27 @ 3:30pm

“green book” COMING SOON

David Raitt, Peter Rivera & the Baja Boogie Band, reader reels “the favourite”

I hope some animal never bores a hole in my head and lays its eggs in my brain, because later you might think you’re having a good idea but it’s just eggs hatching.

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS

Woorf tdhe Week

palladium

/puh-LEY-dee-uhm/

[noun] 1. anything believed to provide protection or safety; safeguard.

“Voting is the palladium of true liberty in America.”

Corrections: In Dec. 27 issue, the Year in Review article stated that IDL was the only entity to approve permits for BNSF’s proposed second rail bridge over Lake Pend Oreille. However, Idaho DEQ has also approved a permit.

Apologies for the misstatement, and thank you to Wild Idaho Rising Tide for pointing out the correction. -LK

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Solution on page 22 11. African virus 12. Anagram of “Store” 13. Stupefy 18. Lyric poem 24. Belief 25. Started 26. Expunge 27. Anagram of “Sire” 28. At one time (archaic) 29. Nationalism 31. Boorish 33. Make fun of 34. Annul 36. Arab chieftain 37. Storage cylinder 38. Pigeon-___

42. Male ruler of an empire 43. Attempt 45. Anagram of “Russet” 47. Delicacy 48. Enlistment 49. Way to go 51. Feline 52. Holdup 54. Arizona river 56. Learning method 57. Rectum 58. Diplomacy 59. Large N American deer (plural) 62. Consumed food

January 10, 2019 /

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