Reader_July20-2023

The week in random review

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

get a move on

“So it is — the life we receive is not short, but we make it so, nor do we have any lack of it, but are wasteful of it.”

— Seneca (4 B.C.E.-65 C.E.), Roman Stoic philosopher, senator and writer, from the essay On the Shortness of Life.

‘barbiecore’

Everything old is new again at some point (witness the recent deadpan headlines that “giant kites” could be used to “pull” oceangoing vessels across the waves), and such is the case with fashion. According to a report from TIME magazine, “Barbiecore” is the top trend of the day and has been since summer 2022, teeing off from the upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie as the titular doll in the much-hyped film from Greta Gerwig. Citing the Lyst 2022 “Year in Fashion” report, TIME noted that Robbie’s Barbie look spurred a 416% increase in online searches for pink clothing. Meanwhile, other taste-makers have been writing think-pieces for weeks on the fact that members of “Gen Z” — those born between 1996 and 2010 — are going crazy this year for the styles of the late-’90s and early-2000s, including low-rise jeans, maxi skirts, choker necklaces and Ugg boots, causing Millennials and Gen-Xers everywhere to feel far older than their years.

high style

This is not really my story to tell, but I have to share something hilarious that my 11-year-old son has gotten into this past week. We like to hit the thrift stores and garage sales, particularly looking for interesting hats. The big find the other day was a Russian-made fur hat (a.k.a. “ushanka”) that appears to date from the 1980s and made from some poor, long-gone Soviet fox. My son pretty much refuses to take it off now, including to a Sunday afternoon lunch at Pearl’s on the Lake in Hope. Seeing him sitting there in the 90-degree heat sporting a ushanka and a T-shirt while munching on a chicken salad sandwich made my month. I tell you what, that kid knows how to make a statement.

word nerdery

I was trying the other day to find a word for something so beautiful that it’s heartbreaking, and after much searching through digital and analog sources, the only term that kept turning up was “pulchritudinous.” I don’t know about you, but if someone told me they were feeling “pulchritudinous” I’d assume they were in a state of gastrointestinal distress or suffering a particularly nasty skin condition. Turns out it’s descendant from the Latin adjective pulcher, meaning “beautiful,” and the verb “pulchrify” is a synonym for beautify. Call me crazy, but the latter sounds awful close to “putrify.” In my book, those are some of the least pulchritudinous words in the dictionary.

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About the Cover

This week’s cover features a high altitude mountain goat friend, photographed by Jack Green.

By Reader Staff

The city of Sandpoint began updating its Comprehensive Plan in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put the effort on hold until 2022. Now, after a three-year process, the final steps for adoption of the updated Comp Plan are underway.

In a notice issued July 11, the city announced the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission will host a public hearing at its regular meeting Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall (1123 Lake St.).

According to the notice, on the agenda will be con-

sideration of the plan and its corresponding land use map, including 12 chapters and five appendices that incorporate 17 components, ranging from property rights, population and school facilities to transportation, recreation, community design and housing.

The draft plan and appendices are available for review online, including downloadable files, at bit.ly/3OaBXxH or at City Hall.

In-person seating is available on a first-come, firstserved basis. The overflow area outside chambers will accommodate additional participation, with live meeting video and audio provided. For

public hearing and comment periods, those who may not be able to be seated within chambers will be allowed entrance to the room and given the opportunity to present from the podium during the time of their presentation. Written testimony of more than two pages must be delivered to City Hall or emailed to cityclerk@sandpointidaho. gov before 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 27. Any person needing special accommodation to participate in the meeting should contact City Clerk Melissa Ward seven days prior to the meeting at 208-263-3310

City Hall to host public hearing on draft Comp Plan update Utilities Commission seeking testimony on electric and natural gas rate increases

By Reader Staff

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission will host customer hearings in late July to take testimony on applications from Avista to increase rates for natural gas and electric service throughout the North Idaho region.

Avista is asking for approval to increase base rates for natural gas customers and electric customers in 2023 and 2024. Under the terms of a proposed settlement involving parties in the case, natural gas customers would see an increase of approximately 2.7% beginning Sept. 1, 2023, and an additional increase of 0.01% beginning Sept. 1, 2024.

Electric service customers would see an increase of 8% beginning Sept. 1, 2023, and an additional increase of 1.4%

beginning Sept. 1, 2024.

The commission may approve the proposed settlement, deny it or modify it.

Customer hearings will be held in Sandpoint, Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston. Those attending the hearings in person will have the opportunity to submit testimony for the record. The hearings may be listened to by calling in, but testimony will not be accepted over the phone.

The Sandpoint hearing will take place Wednesday, July 26 at 11 a.m. at the Sandpoint Community Hall (204 South First Ave.). It will conclude at 2 p.m. or after all customer testimony has been received, whichever comes first. Those interested in listening to the hearing can call 1-415655-0001 and enter meeting number 2631 407 0012 when prompted.

Written comments on the proposed settlement are being accepted until July 26. Comments are required to be filed using the commission’s website or by email unless computer access is not available.

To comment using the website, visit puc.idaho.gov. Click on the “Case Comment Form” link on the upper left side of the page. If commenting on the proposed natural gas rate increase, use case number AVU-G-23-01. If commenting on the proposed electric rate increase, use case number AVU-E-23-01.

Emailed comments should be directed to the PUC secretary and Avista: secretary@ puc.idaho.gov, david.meyer@ avistacorp.com, pat.ehrbar@ avistacorp.com and avistadockets@avistacorp.com.

To mail comments, address them to: Commission Sec-

retary, Idaho Public Utilities Commission, P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0074; Public Utilities Commission, 11331 W. Chinden Blvd. Building 8, Suite 201-A, Boise, ID 83714; David J. Meyer, Esq., Avista Corporation, P.O. Box 3727, 1411 E. Mission Ave., Spokane, WA 99220-3727; and Patrick D. Ehrbar, Avista

Utilities, P.O. Box 3727, 1411 E. Mission Ave., Spokane, WA 99220-3727

Additional information on Avista’s applications is available at puc.idaho.gov/case/ Details/6971 or puc.idaho. gov/case/Details/6970.

A woman examines a future land use map at Sandpoint City Hall. Courtesy photo.

The Avista building in Spokane. Courtesy photo.

Parts of Idaho facing elevated wildfire risk through September

Idaho Department of Lands identifies 78% of fires so far in 2023 are human caused

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun

Due to drought conditions in North Idaho and warmer than normal temperatures across the state, most of North Idaho and southwest Idaho is at elevated risk for wildfire through September.

That was the assessment Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller delivered to Gov. Brad Little and the other members of the Idaho Board of Land Commissioners on Tuesday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise.

Thanks to a cool, wet spring, most of Idaho experienced a slower start to the fire season without a lot of significant fires or acres burned.

But despite the cool, wet start to the year, state officials have been urging caution for weeks, saying that much of North Idaho experienced less snowpack and a rapid melt off that led to prolonged drying and drought conditions.

“The late spring put North Idaho on a rapid drying trend with above-average temperatures and below normal [precipitation],” Miller told the land board July 18. “As you’ll recall, many places in North Idaho saw below-normal snowpack this winter.”

“Conditions have been better in the southern part of the state, with cooler- and wetter-than average conditions. However the long-term weather forecast

LOCAL FIRE INFO

Bee Top Fire

Located about five miles up Lightning Creek Road on Bee Top Mountain, the lightning-caused Bee Top Fire is currently listed at 45 acres and 88% contained as of the last report July 18. The North-

indicates a warmer-than-normal fire season,” Miller added.

Idaho’s wildfire season (so far): 7,200 acres burned

So far in 2023, the majority of fires the Idaho Department of Lands tracked in its protection areas were caused by people. Through July 13, 91 of the 117 fires that the department’s staff had tracked were caused by humans, versus 26 fires that were caused by lightning. Human-caused fires amounted to 78% of all fires the department’s staff has tracked this year.

“We have more people living and working and recreating on endowment lands, and we are now seeing more unwanted human-caused starts. …Certainly conditions are such that ignitions are quite likely in a lot of places around the state,” Miller said during the July 18 meeting.

Through July 13, almost 7,200 acres have burned in Idaho this year, including 5,905 acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management land and another 316 acres of U.S. Forest Service land.

In Idaho the responsibility for wildfires can vary depending on where the fire is located and what type of land it is on.

The Idaho Department of Lands provides fire protection on more than 6 million acres of land, including state land, private forests, endowment forest lands and

ern Rockies Incident Management Team 9 transferred command back to the Sandpoint Ranger District the same day. The fire has been put on “patrol status,” meaning crews will check on the fire periodically throughout the day, but no more line construction is needed at this time.

Consalus Fire

Located 10 miles west of Coolin, the lightning-caused Consalus

offset lands, Idaho Department of Lands Fire Bureau Chief Josh Harvey told the Idaho Capital Sun June 30. Meanwhile the federal government manages about 34.5 million acres of land, about twothirds of Idaho’s landmass.

With Idaho experiencing a slower start to the fire season, the Idaho Department of Lands was able to help its counterparts in Canada fight wildfires that have burned more than 27

Fire has burned 461 acres and is listed as 10% contained as of July 19. A total of 337 personnel are working the fire.

An unmanned aerial system flew an infrared flight over the fire July 18 and recorded areas on the east side of the fire casting much less heat.

Fire personnel have constructed a fire line around the perimeter of the entire blaze, but containment will not increase until the

million acres there, Miller said. The Idaho Department of Lands sent a handcrew to Canada a couple of times this year, Miller said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a handcrew as a team of 18 to 20 wildland firefighters.

Miller told land board members there are now more than 600 out-of-control fires in Canada.

Back home in Idaho, the Idaho Department of Lands hired a full

interior of the fire has cooled and is unlikely to throw sparks over the line in the wind.

Standing dead trees continue to be one of the most significant hazards firefighters face. Sawyers are mitigating these trees and crews stay out of them as much as possible. Helicopters have conducted water drops and firefighters have continued night operations on the fire.

staff of 170 seasonal firefighters this year, but the state struggled retaining veteran firefighters and is facing a shortage in experienced leadership personnel, the Sun previously reported.

This story was produced by Boise-based nonprofit news outlet the Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of the States Newsroom nationwide reporting project. For more information, visit idahocapitalsun.com.

With forecasts calling for hot and dry weather through the end of the week and into the weekend, officials urge caution when recreating in the woods. For the safety of aerial resources and firefighters on the ground, do not fly unmanned aircraft, or drones, within the vicinity of wildfires. “If you fly, we can’t,” fire officials stated.

Flathead Interagency Hotshot Crew members in action.

Photo by Shawn Borgan, Flathead IHC superintendent

Forest Service issues draft decision on over-snow vehicles in N. Idaho ranger districts

By Reader Staff

Officials with the Idaho Panhandle National Forests have issued a final environmental assessment, a finding of “no significant impact” and draft decision for the Kaniksu OSV Use Designation Project, which opens certain areas to “over-snow vehicles” such as snowmobiles in the Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry and Priest Lake Ranger districts.

The project proposes a system of over-snow vehicle routes and riding areas — along with seasons of use for motor vehicles that travel over snow on tracks or skis — on an area encompassing more than 1 million acres of National Forest System lands, which offer “some of the most sought-after over-snow vehicle recreational opportunities in Idaho,” according to IPNF.

Planning for the project began with gathering public input in August 2022 and proceeded with a draft environmental assessment public comment period in March and April 2023, bringing together a group facilitated by the National Forest Foundation and representatives from various interested parties, tribes, and government agencies.

Planning is undertaken in accordance with the 2005 federal Travel Management Rule, which requires all national forests and grasslands to develop a system of roads, trails and areas for motorized travel. The rule was later expanded to include snowmobiles and other “over-snow vehicles.” The Forest Service finalized a national policy for the management of snowmobiles in 2015.

The Travel Management Rule requires the Forest Service to designate over-snow vehicle routes to minimize:

Bits ’n’ Pieces

From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling:

Bank of America has been fined $150 million for customer abuses, such as double-charging for overdraft fees and secretly opening card accounts in customers’ names, The New York Times reported.

• damage to soil, watershed, vegetation, and other forest resources;

• harassment of wildlife and disruption of wildlife habitats;

• conflicts between motor vehicle use and existing or proposed recreational uses of National Forest System land or neighboring federal lands;

• conflicts among different classes of motorized vehicle uses.

Once finalized, the Kaniksu Project will designate trails and areas within the project area that are closed or open to over-snow vehicles both year-round and seasonally, with those designations displayed on an oversnow vehicle use map.

A 45-day objection period is open through Monday, Aug. 28, in which those who previously submitted written comments may file an objection to the draft decision.

The Forest Service will accept objections from those who submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project during the scoping comment period or the draft environmental assessment public comment period. Input gathered during the objection period will be used to inform the final decision and the future of over-snow vehicle use in the Kaniksu area.

“We want to thank everyone who submitted comments when we initially shared the project with the public, and again when we shared the draft environmental assessment this spring,” stated Sandpoint District Ranger Jessie Berner. “The Forest Service has reviewed those comments and used them to improve the project and issue a draft decision under the National Environmental Policy Act.”

For more information, visit fs.usda. gov/project/?project=53091.

Farmers Insurance has pulled coverage out of Florida, according to CBS, with an impact on close to 100,000 customers. Due to large payouts for storms, other Florida insurers have gone out of business. Warmer air and water has made hurricanes stronger, resulting in more property damage. Extreme flooding in the East, and extraordinary heat in the Southwest are being experienced. As well, ocean temps off South Florida’s Coast have been close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using existing street lamps London has devised an eye-pleasing way to install charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. There are now 1,300 such installations, Optimist Daily reported.

After 53 years behind bars for a notorious double murder orchestrated by Charles Manson, Leslie Van Houten was recently released to transitional housing. She admitted to, at age 19, holding down victims and stabbing them. She has since said she was mentally ill, saying that was linked to LSD use, and she totally believed at the time that Manson was “Jesus Christ.”

Using existing income repayment plans for borrowers with student loans, CNN said President Joe Biden announced that 804,000 borrowers will have their debt wiped away, a total of $39 billion.

Fox News is being sued by Ray Epps for defamation and upending his life when Fox claimed he was an undercover FBI agent, and in that capacity incited a riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, various media reported. Epps blames Fox’s deliberate election misinformation for his actions at the Capitol.

Lawyers for ex-President Donald Trump have asked that his trial regarding illegally retaining classified documents be postponed indefinitely, The New York Times reported.

Based on interviews with people close to Trump and a review of his campaign policy proposals, The New York Times recently wrote that there is a broad goal of increasing Trump’s power; if he is presi-

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

dent again, to have authority over every part of the federal government. Many sources equated that to dictatorship.

Red states are benefiting the most from “Bidenomics,” The New Republic reported. Commerce Department figures show they had the fastest personal income growth January through March.

The “must-pass” Defense Authorization Act passed the House 210-219 and was loaded with restrictions on rights, making it a “dead” deal when it reaches the Senate. The Green New Deal has a goal of clean, 100% renewable energy within the next 10 years. Critics say it’s too expensive; proponents say critics are not factoring in the costs of climate inaction, such as property destruction and health costs from weather extremes, rising sea levels and wildfires.

Blast from the past: 160 years ago this month, New York City experienced the “most destructive” riot in U.S. history, according to various sources. The party then labeled as Democrats — but known today as Republicans — rebelled against the incoming Republican administration of Abraham Lincoln and its opposition to South Carolina’s plans to secede from the United States. New York Democrats aligned with enslavement, while the city’s mayor said his community should also secede — apparently due to its economic engagement with the South’s cotton trade.

Democrats’ rage was further ignited when drafting of soldiers to fight for the Union began. After the city’s first draft lottery, pro-slavery Democrats attacked federal draft officers with rocks and clubs, while property of prominent New York Republicans was burned — as was the Orphan Asylum for Colored Children.

The tally after three days was 119 confirmed deaths (but possibly 1,200), and up to $5 million in property damages. Union soldiers came from the battlefields to put down the Democrats’ riot. Days later, the first Black regiments — freed to fight due to the Emancipation Proclamation — suffered 42% casualties in a brutal battle with Confederates.

Historian Heather Cox Richardson: “The contrast between white mobs railing against the government and murdering their Black neighbors while Black soldiers fought and died to defend the U.S. was stark. No fair-minded person could miss it.”

Bouquets: GUEST SUBMISSION:

• “Andrea Marcoccio is a brilliant community leader. She tirelessly orchestrated and hosted another safe and amazing Sandpoint Pride. Happy third anniversary!”

— By Jodi Rawson

Barbs:

• After a weekend camping on the lake, I realize how many people around here need a few etiquette lessons when it comes to sharing space with others outdoors. Here are a few tips to avoid being “that guy,” out there in the wild:

— When someone has a tent and camping supplies on a beach next to an empty mooring ball, that means they’re camping there and probably took the boat for a short cruise. It doesn’t mean the ball is suddenly available and that you should take it. This actually happens, and it’s incredibly annoying when you return to your campsite.

— Don’t walk into someone else’s campsite and don’t beach your boat right next to another’s camp. I don’t care if you’re picking huckleberries, taking a shortcut to the river or just taking the dogs for a walk. Most people go camping to avoid having to be bothered by other people. If we wanted to suffer small talk, we’d have chosen to hang out at the bar, not a primitive campsite in the hills or beside our lake.

— Do you really need to blast your stereo at top volume for everyone else to suffer? I’ve also noticed the worse the music, the louder it’s usually played.

— Pack it in, pack it out. I don’t care how stinky little Timmy’s diaper is or how much you despise that old couch, leaving it behind for the next camper is the equivalent of skiing in jeans.

TL;DR: Don’t be a jerk and let people recreate in peace.

Dear editor,

Branden Durst’s new board clerk, Brandy Paradee, started working on Thursday, July 6. He personally appointed her to the position, unbeknownst to the school board, because he stated he “needs someone in there that will do what he says.” Someone who has openly been against our schools, shaming parents and spreading false information in a district she doesn’t even live in.

Her contract was approved on a temporary 30-day basis. She is also not to be given access to employee files, personal information or other sensitive documents until she passes a background check.

Fast forward to today, Thursday, July 13, one week later. Our district office employees were notified that they are no longer employed by the district. Key cards are deactivated and they are terminated.

Do you think we’re stupid? Mr. Durst and Ms. Paradee are now the only people at the district office and we’re supposed to trust them? Just a coincidence that this happens at the same time the forensic audit is approved? I don’t think so.

They are not there in good faith. I think we should all expect that documents and information soon will be “found” that likely implicate wrongdoing by the women that worked in the district office. This might be a whistleblower.

Tiffiny Simpkins

PRLHS graduate 2007 and concerned parent Priest River

‘The triumvirate’…

Dear editor,

The Triumvirate of Rutledge, Reinbold and Brown have secured the majority vote of the West Bonner County School Board in order to turn the school district completely around from its current condition and bring it back to prosperity, all so that the students can have the best education possible, correct?

Unfortunately, as many of us realize, this just isn’t true. Nothing that the Triumvirate — headed by Board Chair Keith Rutledge — has done remotely augers toward the success of the district, nor its students.

For example, instead of hiring the best-qualified and experienced candidate for superintendent, they hired a decidedly unqualified candidate with no classroom experience. In fact, he has been in lots of positions, but not one that would qualify him for his current role as superintendent. That

would be Branden Durst.

Not to be outdone by the Triumvirate’s poor decision making, Durst, in turn, is looking for the best and brightest not by hiring from a qualified pool of certified teachers, but is accepting applications for those who “have completed at least two years of college.”

The above was possible by the Triumvirate’s declaration of emergency. There was no reason for one. Furthermore, Durst’s salary of over $100,000 a year is now being taken out of the general fund, instead being reimbursed by the state of Idaho. How will this shortfall be covered? Simple: The board just offered the current teachers the lowest wages of any district within 100 miles in recent negotiations.

The decisions being made by the Triumvirate, and now Durst, aren’t by accident. They are a deliberate, calculated effort to dismantle the district piece by piece.

Be sure to vote Aug. 29, because the Triumvirate, Durst and their IFF backers are counting on your complacency.

Don’t be complacent. Vote.

Glenn R. Hines Priest River

Dear editor,

I have become privy to our superintendent and chair discussing the poor educational outcomes of students in our district. They are reporting there is only a 60% reading competency rate and math is below the state average (which is 50%). The chair does have a point, that these scores are dismal. What the chair also failed to mention was that in the end-of-year board meeting, the superintendent report stated that much of our district outranked the average ISAT scores in Idaho.

Additionally, our board chair is also failing to take into consideration the demographics of our area. Many of the families and children in this area live in poverty. According to censusreporter.org for West Bonner County School District, the average income per capita is around $29,673 dollars, leaving 10% of kids below the poverty line. This may not seem like many children, but let’s factor in the large population with two working parents, drug and alcohol dependency issues, and the large population of children with special services.

Let’s get real: When kids are wondering if or when they are going to eat their next meal, test scores

are not going to matter. When a brain is focused on surviving, it does not learn.

We need to talk about the things not being spoken. This is not just an educational issue in our district. It is a demographic issue that is not being considered.

We cannot blame test scores on teachers — some of this stuff comes from home. It comes from inherent struggles either in living environments or physiological difficulties some of these kids are simply born with.

Our kids and teachers are more than test scores. We are more than numbers on a census. If we are going to make judgments, we must factor in all aspects.

Nikelle Collins, LMSW Priest River

Dear editor,

Not since World War II has this community been this united. It took the attack on Pearl Harbor to unite us then. The attack on our public school system has united us now.

By now, we are all aware of the turmoil caused by three WBCSD board members. They hired a superintendent that is not qualified for the job. Community members and others worked hard to pass the levy; they did not. Their arguments for their actions are not based on facts. Simply put, it’s B.S.

The war will be won or lost at the ballot box. Of the eligible voters in the district, 5,498 did not bother to vote during the levy election.

We needed only 106 more votes to carry the levy. Any effort by these three WBCSD board members to support the levy probably would have made the difference.

We need you, the reluctant voter. We need to end the turmoil.

So you have plenty of time. Get registered to vote — it is not that difficult. Then, get out and vote on Aug. 29 for Zones 2 and 4, which are the zones that are recalling their board members. There is a lot at stake here. Get out and vote and let’s “get it done.”

Steve Booth Nordman

Dear editor,

Since U.S. 2 is a federal highway, repairs to it are probably not the responsibility of local government, but the present routing of the exit from U.S. 95 to enter Sandpoint via U.S. 2 (Fifth Avenue) is quite treacherous. Coming off U.S. 95, a driver has absolutely no view of the traffic coming off Idaho 200 into U.S. 2. One just has to try to see if there is no traffic on 200 and drive blind into U.S. 2. Certainly a less treacherous entry during this period of repair, which may be several weeks, could have been designed.

While Sandpoint drivers are not the most cautious of my experience, they are certainly not helped by those who design signaling at intersections.

Donald L. Kass Sandpoint

‘Do you think we’re stupid?’…

‘We need to end the turmoil’…

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Therapy generation

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

I started therapy about a month ago, which was my first time seeing a mental health professional since I sat plopped between my parents on a green couch below fluorescent lights for family counseling at age 9. In the 23 years that have passed since those sessions, I’ve certainly believed in the merits of therapy (even entertaining it as a career after graduating with degrees in sociology and psychology), but never made the jump to prioritize it for myself.

I could simultaneously champion others for caring for their mental health, know for certain I had things I needed to process for which a therapist could be incredibly helpful and, also, not book an appointment.

But after the stressors in my life started to resemble a car pileup — and I was recognizing its shrapnel in the most precious of places (my relationships with my family, friends, partner and work), I knew I needed the help of a professional to restore balance to my health and wellbeing.

I, like 35% of my Millennial peers, got a therapist.

True to form in our role as a “bridge between generations,” Millennials mark a shift from previous generations who considered therapy a last resort to solving their problems, and the following generation, which is the most open about its engagement with mental health services.

The American Psychological Association reports that 37% of Gen-Zers claim to have received help from a mental health professional (up 2% from

the above-mentioned 35% of Millennials), compared to 26% of Gen-Xers, 22% of Boomers and 15% of older adults.

This uptick in mental health care among younger generations is reflective of an increase in cultural acceptance and destigmatization of mental illness and therapy.

My peers and I casually start conversations with, “My therapist says,” viewing therapy as just another aspect of a well-rounded self-care regimen — as routine as going to the gym and eating well. This is coupled with an increased propensity for sharing personal mental health struggles and increased awareness of mental health concepts (I’ll take that “My therapist says,” and raise you a, “I was triggered by”).

This openness seems to have stemmed from Millennials being the first generation raised with conversations around mental illness — both in the media and in our homes. We learned about conditions like anxiety, depression, and mood and eating disorders in school, and absorbed the early stages of cultural acceptance like NAMI’s 1996 “Campaign to End Discrimination”

(its first official public awareness campaign), which advocated for mental illnesses to be discussed and treated as the legitimate medical conditions they are.

This is supported by a 2015 study by American University, affirming that, “Millennials are more likely to talk about mental health than their parents or grandparents.”

Generationally, as more people speak out, the stigma surrounding mental illness continues to lessen.

Acceptance of engaging in therapy holds within my own circles, too, with one woman responding to a prompt I shared on Instagram observing, “Most people in my generation [30s] feel very comfortable with therapy. My parent’s generation, on the other hand, feels much more like they need to be really broken to seek a therapist.”

When I posed another question to my peers, wondering what brought them to therapy in the first place, their reasons for signing up varied. Some started seeing someone as a way to process a specific event or trauma, while others sought support for managing everyday stressors and anxiety. Others still sought help with navigating complicated relationships, addressing familial strain or healing generational trauma.

One woman shared, “I sought it out after years of dealing with a traumatic incident that affected me and my relationships. I have a number of friends who do therapy regularly, just because.”

So far for me, therapy is helping reframe my experiences, allowing me to safely explore my reactions to my environment, and my role in contributing positively and negatively to my own reality.

It is illuminating threads and throughlines from my past to my present, making me more confident as I charge into my future.

While I can’t officially claim the title of the “Therapy Generation,” for me and my fellow Millennials (a title some publications assert), I’m proud of playing a small part in paving the way for increased awareness and acceptance for generations to come.

So as far as I’m concerned, we can officially ditch the “Av-

ocado Toast” and “Will Never Buy a House” tropes with which we’ve been stuck, opting instead for the new and improved, “We Know, We’re Working on It.”

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

Emily Erickson.

Science: Mad about

plastic explosives

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

There are many ways to end up on an FBI watch list — and to satiate your curiosity, dear reader, I may have utilized one.

Plastic explosives have been a fixation in entertainment media for decades. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen a SWAT operator on TV slap a charge on a door and take cover before a massive explosion rips the aforementioned door off its hinges. Video games have also exploited a love for all things explosive by introducing C4 bricks to titles like Call of Duty, or GoldenEye 007 for those of us who feel like broadcasting our advanced age.

Are these things real? How do they work? Are they good for anything other than destruction and entertainment? Plastic explosives are indeed real, and their uses span from the mundane to the lethal and totally unexpected.

The first iteration of plastic explosive was a gelatin-based creation called Gelignite, a compound developed by Swedish chemist, Alfred Nobel. Yes, that Nobel — the one with a Peace Prize named after him.

Gelignite, much like dynamite — which Nobel also invented — is a mixture of chemicals soaked in highly explosive nitroglycerine and saltpeter. Unlike dynamite, Gelignite could be molded into different shapes and attached to things before detonation. If this seems like a completely unnecessary development, you’d be surprised. Gelignite was able to be molded to fit into shapes where a stick of dynamite couldn’t reach, such as a crack in the rock wall of a mine or under the foundation of a building that needed to be

demolished in a relatively controlled manner.

Invented in 1875, military leaders were quick to recognize the potential uses of Gelignite in warfare.

By World War II, plastic explosives were a relatively common tool on the battlefield. Sappers — designated soldiers and engineers with a knack for destroying enemy fortifications — used a substance called Nobel 808, to bring down German walls, vehicles and bunkers. The British were big fans of Nobel 808, and used it extensively throughout the war. Apparently, it smelled like almonds.

The most recognizable form of plastic explosive is C4, as it is most frequently referred to in television, movies and video games. Its history began in World War II, as the British developed a high-explosive substance called RDX. RDX was often mixed with other explosive compounds such as trinitrotoluene, better known as TNT, with the intention of leveling everything Germany had to throw at the Allies.

Chemists applied RDX to a number of other compounds, including a highly toxic variant known as C3. Eventually, C4 was produced as a highly explosive compound that was safe and stable to store with the consistency of modeling clay.

Similar to Gelignite, this allowed the Allies to stuff the explosive into cracks and crevices where a stick of dynamite could not fit or might be noticed by the enemy.

The stability of C4 is one of the reasons it’s so appealing to militaries. Storing an immense amount of gunpowder or TNT is extremely unsafe — a rogue electrical discharge, heat or a clumsy handler could spell an

explosive doom for anyone in the area. C4 can be thrown, dropped, set on fire and even shot with a gun without detonating.

That’s because C4 can only be detonated by a shockwave. This shockwave is triggered by a blast cap or a trigger rigged up to the explosive, which is usually controlled by radio. When this small shockwave happens, the chemical structure rapidly decomposes into nitrogen, water, carbon oxide and various gasses that release an immense amount of energy in the form of an explosion.

All that said, plastic explosives aren’t all doom and gloom. Though their primary function is to destroy things, they actually serve a tremendous purpose in destroying other things that could hurt people. C4 is extensively used by the U.S. military to dispose of unsafe ordnance, such as compromised artillery shells, legacy landmines recovered from warzones and other tools of destruction that may present a danger to human life.

Additionally, plastic explosives are often used to safely demolish buildings in a controlled manner, when traditional explosives are too dangerous to use.

Imagine a poorly built, multi-story parking garage that may collapse on a crowded city block at any moment. Teams of architects, engineers and demolition specialists can identify key structures within this garage and rig them with explosive charges.

These charges are measured to yield a precise amount of force at a precise angle to make the structure implode so it won’t hurt anyone. A similar function can be done if you are exceptionally skilled at Jenga, though I hope you aren’t playing Jenga with C4.

Another really interesting

application of plastic explosives is called shock hardening. Certain types of manufactured steel can be blasted by plastic explosives in a precise measurement. The shockwave disrupts the atomic structure of the steel, which reduces its plasticity but makes it far more rigid. This is used for things like steel rails for trains that need to be extra tough, but don’t need to flex very much.

A similar principle is seen

• John Steinbeck’s 107-page novella Of Mice and Men follows the four-day adventure of George and Lennie, two brothers who start work on a ranch in Depression era-Soledad, Calif. The book has been read by countless high school English students and is a beloved American classic.

• Steinbeck’s dog Toby chewed up and destroyed a sizable portion of his first draft, but the writer was able to complete his draft despite the setback.

• Steinbeck grew up in Salinas Valley, Calif., where Of Mice and Men was set (as well as many of his other novels). Steinbeck knew intimate details of the ranch world due to spending summers working at neighboring ranches, seeing firsthand the experiences of the many migrant workers in his community.

• The author originally titled his book Something That Happened — the idea being to divert blame from any of the characters for the tragic events of the story, but Steinbeck

on certain models of military tanks, which utilize something called reactive armor. Essentially, plastic explosives are wedged between steel plates on the exterior of the tank. When an incoming shell strikes the tank, the shockwave triggers the plastic explosives to detonate and shock harden the armor, providing some split-second defense to the operators inside.

Stay curious, 7B.

was inspired by Robert Burns’ poem, “To a Mouse,” in which the poet tells of his remorse for inadvertently destroying a mouse’s home while plowing his fields. Steinbeck ultimately changed the title to Of Mice and Men.

• Of Mice and Men was an instant success, selling more than 117,000 copies before its official publication, and many more after.

• The American Library Association listed Of Mice and Men as the third most challenged book in 2003. The book has been challenged over the years due to explicit language and controversial themes like killing, racism, sexism, euthanasia and violence. Today, it remains one of the most assigned pieces of literature in secondary schools.

• In 1937, Steinbeck told The New York Times that Lennie’s character was based on a real person, who was at the time in a California insane asylum. The real-life Lennie killed a foreman at the ranch, though, not a woman.

Where will the children play?

By K.L. Huntley Reader Contributor

Everything, absolutely everything eventually evolves. This includes people, wildlife languages and cultures. That is the way it is and the way it will continue to evolve long after we have gone. We change, our bodies change and cities and towns change along with the weather patterns. Nothing stays stagnant. We do, however, have some limited control over some of these transitions. We can plan for the future, for ourselves and others.

What type of community do we sincerely want to have? One that serves a few or serves many? One with parks and open spaces or one that mimics a metropolitan area overlooking a lake?

As I look about I can’t help but think of the lyrics to a Cat Stevens song, “Where Will the Children Play?”

You see the average working family in Sandpoint is quite limited to where their children can play. We are evolving from a family-oriented area to one catering to the more affluent. If you want to take your kids swimming at the Lighthouse YMCA, which states they give everyone a safe place to learn, grow and thrive, it will cost a family of two adults a fee of $110 per month or $1,320 per annum. That eliminates the word “everyone.”

True, they were more than courteous to me; and, likewise, it is true they have to keep the lights on and hire people to maintain the place and chemicals for the pool. But that fee is prohibitive for this grandmother.

My alternative is to seek public areas, like a swim at City Beach in Sandpoint or one of the many beaches down the lake. Of course, we are also limited to roughly two months out of the year for swimming. However, there is that alternative.

We live in a great ski area — but, again, it is a “for high-profit business” and a season pass is

somewhere between $850 to $1,349, not to count equipment or lessons.

Again, a ‘no-go’ for working parents with a couple of kids and definitely not grandparents on fixed incomes.

So, as Cat Stevens asked, “Where do the children play?”

Travers Park is a favorite destination of many. Last time we went there we loaded up the bicycles and headed down Pine Street.

I bet the kids a nickel each that there would be other kids there. One of them wanted to raise me a dime, but that was a no-go.

What a visual delight Travers Park currently is, filled with life from infants to grandparents. Generally, you can find the token little princess in her long gown, blue jeans underneath and tennis shoes on her feet; boys sharing football card collections; mothers nursing and daddies swinging a variety of kids.

A young man one day had “Smile” written across the front of his sweatshirt and I thought, “How could anyone not smile?”

Normally, some youngster falls and there are screams and tears, but most days the only sound at Travers is that of squeals of laughter and play filling the air and some young person yelling, “Look at me.”

There is a garden of humanity freely growing at the park side by side with the grass and the trees.

This is where the children play, parents relax and teenagers meet.

What a magnificent place and time: human life totally enjoying itself with the simple help of bicycles, slides and a game of chase. All for free.

As I sat down and the grandchildren ran off with abandon, I couldn’t help but notice two young mothers chatting about healthy food, their budgets and exchanging ideas. Bonds were forming. At another table, was a mom reading a book while sharing trail mix with her young son perched next to her.

Around the trees proposed for removal is a great dirt bike run, bumpy but not dangerous, where a little adrenaline can be felt as a young adventurer peddles up and over the ruts. Future mountain bikers in training.

Will the halcyon scene at the park, children playing and parents laughing become a picture of the past? I certainly hope not. Travers Park is a feast for the eyes and balm for the heart. It is the personification of an idyllic Disney movie. A movie that you don’t want to end.

But somewhere someone for reasons unknown decided it should all end. I can’t help wondering who profits? An amended building housing an indoor tennis court is proposed for the few who play the game. The trees where the children currently play

will be cut down, the equipment and grass removed, and an artificial climbing tree installed.

For what? An indoor tennis and pickleball facility? This proposal is a bellwether clattering and clanging a warning that our community is evolving toward the rich and affluent and

definitely away from the middleand working-class families. A community catering to the few and turning its back on the many. And where will the children play?

Rudy, 2, plays on the slide at the Travers Park playground on a sunny Wednesday morning. Photo by Ben Olson.

Museum to host deaccession auction

Community can buy historic relics no longer appropriate for the museum’s collection

Sandpoint arts organizations receive grants from

Idaho

Commission on the Arts

By Reader Staff

Five Sandpoint organizations were among the recipients of grants from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, which announced its Fiscal Year 2024 awards on July 13, totaling $726,000 to 85 recipients in 26 communities throughout the state.

In this funding cycle, the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint received $7,622 under an Arts Education Grant, which supports teaching and learning opportunities for pre-K through grade 12, and provides funding for “activities that unite effective practices in education and the arts, and involve schools, artists and community organizations,” according to the commission.

them directly. Arts are good business and we thank Gov. Little and the Idaho Legislature for recognizing the value of Idaho’s artistic traditions.”

The Idaho Commission on the Arts is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts in Idaho. The commission promotes education, access and community investment in the arts, while its staff develops and administers the programs and services of the agency, assists grant applicants and provides technical assistance.

See the complete list of 2024 annual grants at the Arts Idaho website: arts.idaho.gov/press/2024-annual-grants.

By Reader Staff

The Bonner County Historical Society will put a range of items from its collection up for auction Saturday, July 22, in a process known as “deaccession,” meaning the official removal of listed items from a library, museum or art gallery’s holdings.

“Deaccessioning is a healthy part of collections management procedure that helps museums prioritize the objects that best tell

our stories,” museum officials stated in a news release.

Objects in the Bonner County History Museum’s collection should have relevance to Bonner County history, have documented provenance and be in good condition. However, according to the museum, “an object may be removed from the collection through the deaccession process because it does not fit the scope of the collection or meet these criteria.”

The auction comes after two years of evaluation following the museum’s Collections Management Policies and Procedures manual. Staff members have curated a detailed auction catalog, which is available at bonnercountyhistory.org.

Bids will be taken on auction day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1807 Culvers Drive, Unit 1 in Sandpoint. All funds raised from the auction go into a restricted fund for collections care.

Items on the auction block range from antique furniture and tools to clothing, books and other historical ephemera, all priced to sell.

Founded in 1972, the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum is a private, nonprofit organization whose membership is open to all. The museum operates thanks to community support, membership dues, retail sales, donations and grants from private foundations.

Located at 611 S. Ella Ave., the museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Thursday until 7 p.m.) and on the first Saturday each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $1 for kids aged 6-18 years, free members and kids under 6, and free on the first Saturday of the month.

For more information, call 208-2632344, follow Bonner County Historical Society and Museum on Facebook and Instagram, or visit bonnercountyhistory.org.

The Pend Oreille Arts Council received $4,769 in an Entry Track Grant, while Public Programs in the Arts Grants went to Creations for Sandpoint ($5,132); the Festival at Sandpoint ($11,123); the Music Conservatory ($4,523); and the Panida Theater ($5,098).

Entry Track grants and Public Programs in the Arts grants are intended to “provide stable, ongoing support for the arts programs delivered by Idaho’s professional arts organizations,” the commission stated. What’s more, funds going to those programs bolster the state “culturally and economically, while providing Idahoans with the invaluable experiences of performances, gallery exhibits, special events and workshops in all artistic disciplines.”

To win the grants, applicants were tasked with demonstrating “exceptional artistic merit, clearly defined management and the public value of their work.”

Organizations receiving grants will match their awards with locally generated funds.

In announcing the grants, Idaho Commission on the Arts Chair Steve Allred stated, “Arts organizations are catalysts for economic prosperity in Idaho cities and towns. Arts production in Idaho accounts for $2.1 billion and 2.3% of our state economy, and supports 20,257 jobs — 4,063 of

One of the many historic items to be auctioned off Saturday, July 22.

Courtesy photo.

Dover turns 100

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Sandpoint may be the seat of Bonner County, and therefore capture the lion’s share of attention, but its little sister city Dover is every bit as compelling in its history and far more vibrant than its small population might suggest.

According to the 2022 U.S. Census, Dover ranked as the sixth fastest-growing community in the state, growing 9.2% with 84 new residents and raising the population to a total of 1,000. That’s a far cry from its origins, however, which the city is celebrating Saturday, July 22-Sunday, July 23 in honor of Dover’s 100th anniversary.

All are welcome to the free, family friendly festivities, which kick off July 22 with a boat parade from 10 a.m. to noon from Laclede to Dover. Following that, from noon to 1 p.m., will be a walk from the Dover City Hall to the historic Dover church, then from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. a community barbeque on Washington Street (in front of the church), including live music.

Magician Star Alexander will also be on hand to provide entertainment from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., with a silent auction at 4 p.m. Organizers said the auction will include items such as a Schweitzer gift basket, handmade quilts, a restored bicycle, goods from the Riley Creek Blueberry Farm in Laclede, dinner gift certificates, flower arrangements and more.

The Klondyke Cafe and Tavern in Laclede is catering the event, which concludes with Sunday service at the Dover church at 9 a.m. on July 23, followed by a continental breakfast.

“They’ve been very good to us,” said Joe Gibbs, of the Dover Historical Society, referring to the Klondyke.

Gibbs highlighted the significance of Dover’s centennial, noting the rapid changes that have occurred in the town in recent decades, notably since the development of the Dover Bay community began in 2005, which has boosted the population both year-round and seasonally, as well as raised the profile of the town in state and national media.

“Dover has changed a lot, mainly because of Dover Bay taking over all the old mill part. That’s a very high-end neighborhood and ‘Old Dover’ is what it is. We call it ‘Historic Dover,’” he said.

“Our hope through this is that we can kind of mend some fences. I think there’s some hard feelings among some of the older folks in Dover feeling that things didn’t work out the way they envisioned they would and I think there’s some hard feelings on the other end, too,” Gibbs added. “We’re trying to unite Dover with this, and I’m encouraged that we have a lot of folks from Dover Bay

Sandpoint’s little sister city celebrates with a boat parade, BBQ, silent auction and more

that have volunteered to help out, directing traffic and working the kitchen.”

Despite its small size, Dover’s history has never been settled.

As Gibbs mentioned, Dover started out as a mill community, but it wasn’t called “Dover” at first — rather, it was named Welty in 1906, after the president of the Dover Lumber Company. In 1909, timber operator A.C. White purchased the Laclede Lumber Company and the next year Welty became “Dover.”

Those seemingly unrelated occurrences came together in a big way starting in 1922, when White’s lumber mill burned in August that year, prompting him to purchase the Dover mill, which had been idle.

Then began one of the most unique occurrences in Bonner County history, when White decided to relocate 12 miles up the Pend Oreille River but not by road or rail, but barge.

A total of 55 buildings were loaded onto the watercraft and floated from Laclede to Dover. Of the 50 original homes barged from Laclede, about 30 remain, though having undergone significant upgrades.

As the Pend d’Oreille Review stated in its Sept. 15, 1922 edition, “One of the interesting features connected with the occupation and rehabilitation of the Dover plant by the A.C. White Lumber Company will be the removal of much of the village of Laclede to the village of Dover. The White company owns some 50 houses at Laclede, some of them new cottages erected this and last season. The best of these residences, it is planned, will be brought to Dover up the river by barge.”

According to Dover centennial organizers, “Anything that could be salvaged was loaded on 150-ton barges and tugboats maneuvered the mill upriver. Employee housing would be an issue, so about 50

homes, with furnishings still inside, were similarly floated to their new home sites. This all began in the fall of 1922 until the river froze; the move was completed in the spring of 1923 and — with the new mill already being built — Dover was reborn.”

Among the buildings transported by water was the Dover church, which had previously served as White’s summer cottage. In order to move the building, it had to be divided into three pieces and reassembled, in which form it remains today.

It’s around the church that Dover marks its birthday, the Baptist congregation being organized in February 1923 after its waterborne journey and reassembly.

The Pend d’Oreille Review in October 1924 wrote, “The Baptist church there, under the leadership of Rev. A.F. White, was only organized last February, but with the assistance of the A.C. White Lumber Company and public spirited citizens, a fine bungalow church building was acquired, which is the pride of Dover.”

The town had its ebbs and flows, however, with a major setback in 1928 when the Dover mill burned down and its main benefactor — A.C. White — died. It wasn’t until 1931 when a buyer came in the form of Beecher Hitchcock and Associates, which purchased everything from the sawmill and factory to the whole townsite of Dover. In addition, the Review reported, the company bought “thousands of acres of cut-over land and several million feet of timber, chiefly in Boundary County. The valuation of the property was estimated at well over half a million dollars.”

Dover became the 199th city in Idaho on July 16, 1988, with the appointment by Bonner County commissioners of citizens Peggy Burge, Loretta Boyle, Maggie Becker and Craig Hofmeister to the City Council and Bill O’Donnell, Jr. as mayor.

Disaster struck again in 1992 with another catastrophic fire at the Dover mill, forever shuttering lumber operations at the site. However, that opened the way for riverfront development, which culminated with the Dover Bay development in 2005, which today features hundreds of high-end homes, a marina, restaurant and other amenities including a new City Hall and public park.

The development spurred opposition before, during and after its planning and building phases, and today remains a distinct entity from “Historic Dover.” The divisions between the development and more established residents even featured as the case study for the 2021 book Pushed Out: Contested Development and Rural Gentrification in the U.S. West by University of Idaho sociologist Ryanne Pilgeram, who spent her teenage years in Dover and graduated as valedictorian of Sandpoint High School in 1999.

Yet, despite a long and tumultuous past, event planners stated, “The celebration has been created and organized by a small group of proud Dover volunteers, many of whom descend from those whose homes and livelihoods were barged upriver. They will be available throughout the day to tell their families’ stories and share the grit and perseverance that is the heart of Dover.”

The city of Dover requires all dogs to be leashed and the organizing committee requests that firearms be left at home for the duration of the celebration. Parking within Dover is limited, and shuttles will be available from the Nutlicious parking lot, which is off Highway 2, just east of the Dover entrance.

Above: The Dover Mill in 1924. Inset: One of the homes floated up the river from Laclede to Dover in 1922-’23. Courtesy photos.

To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.

Right: “The cat, finishing up a mayfly I was attempting to photograph on the hose.”

Photograph by Jen Heller.

Far right: “I snapped this photo at Echo Bay on Broughton Island, off Vancouver Island. I immediately thought of Idaho.” Photograph by Cynthia Mason.

Bottom left: “A quiet day on Sand Creek.”

Photograph by Jen Heller.

Bottom right: “The Reader visited Monet’s garden and home in Giverny, France on June 21. Quite a solstice treat.” Photograph by Mary Toland.

Top left: “After reading the news and bluster and seeing what entertainment we were going to miss back home, we did the crossword puzzle, and posed with the Reader before burning it in the evening campfire. This was along the Tatshinini River, in British Columbia (take-out was in Alaska), with Ed Ohlweiler, Pam Hartry, Mike Murray, and the Morgan family (Eric, Heather, Emmett and Travis), all from Sandpoint, along with some friends from Montana/New York. Thanks for being along for the ride!” Photo by

Top right: “This made me smile and laugh! In Super 1, I said, ‘Do something Spider Man does!’ Here you have it! Cute kid.” Photo by Karen

Susan Drumheller.

Hempstead.

Above left: Cyndy Mansur and Rupert Laumann bike touring in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland. Courtesy photo.

Right: “Jasper and I were enjoying our morning at Evans Brothers and he was captivated by the latest Reader. Thanks for another good one!”

Photo by Kelli Burt.

Kaniksu Folk School offers traditional sheepskin tanning workshop

By Reader Staff

The Kaniksu Folk School, a project of the Kaniksu Land Trust, has announced what it described as the group’s “most ambitious class yet.” Over four days, participants will take a fresh sheepskin and transform it into a beautiful and functional piece to decorate their homes and warm cold feet for years to come.

In the words of instructor and master tanner Rain Gorenc, “The traditional method of brain tanning is the art of breathing life back into the skin of an animal whose spirit has passed on. It is intended to create a soft, supple leather that moves and stretches the same way it would when the animal was alive.

“Though the process can take on many forms, the concept was used by many traditional cultures around the world,” he added.

Most sheepskin rugs available in the U.S. market have been tanned with chromium salts, which are toxic to humans. Meanwhile, according to Human Rights Watch, many tanneries producing cheap leather are also guilty of human rights abuses against their workers.

Traditional brain tanning methods are

cleaner and safer, using the matter from an animal’s brain mass in a practice that was mainly employed by Indigenous North American peoples. It is a quick process, relative to many other methods of tanning, only taking a few days and requires little technical effort while producing an especially soft leather end product. What’s more, it does not result in any chemical byproducts.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to learn an ancestral skill and come home with a beautiful, naturally tanned sheepskin rug,” organizers stated.

The four-day class will introduce participants to the art of brain tanning and each person will leave with a finished fur-on sheepskin that, if properly cared for, can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

The class is intended for adults, though children 12 years and older may enroll with a parent or guardian. Participants who wish to work together on one hide may split an enrollment. The fee is $450 for four days: Friday, July 21-Monday, July 24, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. each day

The course will be located at the Sled Hill Barn located at the base of Pine Street Woods (11735 W. Pine St., in Sandpoint).

To sign up, visit bit.ly/sheepskintan, or call Kaniksu Folk School Coordinator Matt Honsinger at 208-610-9648.

Instructor Rain Gorenc hard at work tanning a hide.

Courtesy photo.

Sandpoint Teen Center eyes new location

By Reader Staff

The Sandpoint Teen Center is currently working on moving to a new location slated to open in fall 2023. The center is seeking volunteers and donations to help renovate the building to be ready for opening.

The new location is located at 1323 Michigan St. at the intersection with Division Avenue across from Sandpoint High School.

“We are working hard to renovate the facility to serve our area middle and high school students when school is out of session each weekday afternoon,” the center wrote in a press release. “The need for this facility is tremendous, as Sandpoint lacks any type of facility where teens can congregate after school in an environment where they receive meals, mentorship and movement through activities. Teen mentoring through the relationships our staff and volunteers build with our teens is important because studies say that it takes just one important relationship in a teen’s life to decrease their risk of suicide, addiction and school drop out.”

The Sandpoint Teen Center, which provides a safe and fun environment for Bonner County teens every day after school, announced an opportunity with the new building owner where volunteers provide much-needed renovations in exchange for reduced rent for five years.

The fundraising goal has been set at $100,000 for the necessary renovations in order for the facility to be ready to open in the fall.

“We are also tapping into our amazing network of local builders, electricians, plumbers and painters to help us complete the project,” the center stated.

Those interested in donating or reducing the cost of building materials can emailsandpointteencenter@yahoo. com; call Board President Joan Avery at 208-946-1087; send donations to Sandpoint Teen Center, PO Box 1066, Sandpoint, ID 83864; or visit sandpointeencenter.com.

Library hosting ‘Picture Books in the Garden’

Summer series for kids features readings by local authors

By Reader Staff

The Sandpoint Branch of the East Bonner County Library District is hosting a new summer series called Picture Books in the Garden, in which local authors read to kids from their works.

Led by Youth Services Librarian Suzanne Davis, the program will begin with the readings, then conclude with a tailored activity for the children to get involved.

Picture Books in the Garden is scheduled for each Monday until mid-August, with attendees meeting outside, unless the weather is too hot or smoky, in which case the event will move inside the library.

The program kicked off July 17 with Bill Borders reading from his children’s book, A Horn is Born, followed by the task for kids to invent a character.

Coming up next, Pam Webb will read from her book Someday We Will

on Monday, July 24, with the activity of writing postcards to follow.

Next, Bonnie Shields will read from her book, Barney the Lopsided Mule, Monday, July 31, with kids subsequently learning how to draw a horse.

On Aug. 7, Paul Graves will read from his children’s book, Sox Looks for Home, followed by Matt Lome reading from The Absolute Truth about Woodpeckers, on Monday, Aug. 14, which will conclude with kids exploring painting colors.

Finally, Connie Scherr will read from her book, The Mermaid of Lake Cocolalla, and the kids will finish by learning to paint watercolor pictures.

The program is open to all and free to attend, and there will even be a popsicle or other treat after the activities.

To learn more about Picture Books in the Garden, contact East Bonner County Library District Youth Services Librarian Suzanne Davis at 208-2636930, ext. 1257.

The Sandpoint Teen Center’s new location at 1323 Michigan Street in Sandpoint. Courtesy photo.

COMMUNITY

Sandpoint Summer Music Series: Bon Bon Vivant

6pm @ Farmin Park

A free live music show presented by Mattox Farm Productions

THURSDAY, July 20 FriDAY, July 21

Live Music w/ Headwaters

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Formerly playing as BareGrass, this Americana string band from Sandpoint is full of talent

Live Music w/ Chris Paradis

6-9pm @ BlueRoom

Live Music w/ Bethany Highley

7-9pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Alternative music from the 1980s to today from this Bonners artist

Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA

9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge

Indie rock originals and covers, with some Blird tunes thrown in

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

9am-1pm @ Farmin Park

Produce, crafts, food and more.

Live Music by Courtney & Co.

Sandpoint Chess Club

9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee

Meets every Sunday at 9am

Matsiko Orphan Choir

9-10:30am @ North Summit Church

227 McGhee Road

Matsiko Orphan Choir

4pm @ Little Carnegie Hall

Enjoy the finale of the MCS Summer Academy showcasing their students. Starts at 4pm with a cameo appearance/performance by Matsiko at 6pm

July 20-27, 2023

Live Music w/ John Daffron

6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Doug & Marty

6-9pm @ BlueRoom

Live Music w/ Mike Wagoner and Utah John

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Mike and John play a fun mix of classic rock, blues and country

SATURDAY, July 22

Live Music w/ Molly Starlite

6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Rock and folk

Live Music w/ The Wow Wows

7-9pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Psych rock done right

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Country and classic rock

BoCo Historical Society

Deaccession Auction

8am-2pm @ BC History Museum

See Page 12 for full info

Dover Centennial celebration

Various times @ Dover Celebrate 100 years since the 1922-1923 barging of the town of Laclede up the Pend Oreille River to Dover following the Laclede Mill fire on Aug. 17, 1922. There will be a BBQ, live music, kids’ activities, a magician, silent auction and more. For more information, see Page 13

Dog Day of Summer Faire

1-4pm @ ShakaPaw Pet Market

Free Family Show: Shrek 2

10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas

Game Night

6:30pm @ Tervan Tavern

Lions Club Game Night

6-8pm @ Community Hall

Hosted by Lions Club and Sandpoint Parks and Rec. FREE

Post-war exhibit to open at Sandpoint Organic Ag. Center

Step Back in Time exhibit

10am-3pm @ Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center, 10881 N. Boyer

Step back to the post-war 1950s-1960s to view working clothes and special garments, as well as household appliances from that era

Live Music w/ Mike and Shanna Thompson

6-9pm @ BlueRoom

Open house, food, drinks, raffle and music

SunDAY, July 23

Magic with Star Alexander

5-8pm @ Jalepeño’s

Up close magic shows at the table

Live Music w/ Steve Neff

6-9pm @ BlueRoom

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Dover Centennial celebration

Various times @ Dover

For more information, see Page 13

Outdoor Experience Group Run

6pm @ Outdoor Experience

3-5 miles, all levels welcome

monDAY, July 24 tuesDAY, July 25

Tree Cookie Tuesday • 9am-12pm @ Lakeview Park

Local Cottage Market

10am-6pm @ Farmin Park

Vendors selling artisan wares, leather works, pottery, etc.

Matsiko Orphan Choir concert and potluck

5pm @ Talus Rock Retreat Must RSVP to talusrockretreat@gmail.com

Introduce elementary aged kids in your life to the fascinating world of beetles, spiders and ants. Pick up a clue and follow posters along the paved path to solve an insect critter mystery. Nativeplantsociety.org

wednesDAY, July 26

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco live at the Panida • 7:30pm @ Panida Theater

Jeff Tweedy’s band Uncle Tupelo gave birth to the alt-country genre, and he’s won Grammy Awards for his work with Wilco, but this show will feature the legendary songwriter in a rare solo performance, with Le Ren opening. Tickets still available at panida.org

Festival at Sandpoint: Opening Night w/ Brit Floyd

7:30pm @ Memorial Field

The Festival at Sandpoint is back! Brit Floyd will play a fan favorite set of Pink Floyd songs, complete with stunning light show, iconic circular screen, lasers, inflatables and theatrics. Gates open at 6pm. Tickets $49.95 and are available at festivalatsandpoint.com.

Tap Takeover with Pfriem

5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Benny on the Deck

5:30-8pm @ Connie’s Lounge

ThursDAY, July 27

Free Family Show: Kung Fu Panda 2

10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas

Sandpointcinemas.com

Free Family Show: Kung Fu Panda 2

10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas

Sandpointcinemas.com

Live Piano w/ Peter Lucht

5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Live Music w/ John Firshi

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Game Night 6:30pm @ Tervan Tavern

By Reader Staff

The University of Idaho, along with the Pend Oreille Arts Council, is hosting a historical exhibit and reception Saturday, July 22 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the U of I Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center (10881 N. Boyer Road).

The show consists of working clothes and special garments, as well as household appliances and tools from the post-war 1950s and 1960s. The items on display are from the U of I historic collection and the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum. The public is invited to attend the free reception, which includes refreshments.

“Take a walk back in time and think about who in your family was involved and active in this era,” organizers stated in the event announcement, “plus view an incredible quilting exhibit showing the works of the Panhandle Piecemakers Quilt Guild and the Bosom Buddies Quilt Group.”

The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 21. For more information, contact Carol Deaner at carol@deaner.org or 208-290-7652.

Courtesy photo.

MUSIC

Jeff Tweedy to play at Panida Theater

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

In the hybrid world located somewhere between American folk and alt-country, the name Jeff Tweedy reigns supreme.

The frontman for Grammy Award-winning band Wilco, Tweedy is one of contemporary music’s most accomplished songwriters.

The Panida Theater will host a rare solo show Wednesday, July 26 with Tweedy. As of press time, tickets are still available but are expected to sell out.

The result was a sound that was pleasant to listen to, made you think and also contained a dollop of punk rock that helped differentiate it from more mainstream country.

Uncle Tupelo’s 1990 LP No Depression is widely credited as the first alt-country album, paving the way for other artists such as the Cowboy Junkies, The Avett Brothers, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams and more.

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco live at the Panida

Wednesday, July 26; doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m; $83 and up depending on location of seats in the theater (loveseats available for the balcony).

Tweedy’s rise through the music world began with the alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, which played pivotal songs for the genre such as “Sandusky,” and “Moonshiner.” Their sound helped usher in a fresh new direction that took the lyrical depth and harmonic structures of folk and married them to the relatability and upbeat nature of alt-country that notably didn’t include the twangy aggressiveness of modern country.

Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., 208-263-9191, panida.org for tickets. Listen to Tweedy’s music on any streaming service.

When Uncle Tupelo broke up, it underwent a bifurcation: Jay Farrar and a few members formed Son Volt and Tweedy with the rest went on to found Wilco.

Acclaimed by both critics and fans alike, Wilco has added many memorable songs to the genre, including “Jesus, etc.,” “Heavy Metal Drummer” and “California Stars,” to name a few.

In the years since, Tweedy has written and recorded original songs for 12 Wilco albums, winning Grammy Awards for his fifth studio album A Ghost is Born, released in 2004. He has

also released four solo albums, and is the author of two New York Times Best Sellers, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, etc. and How to Write One Song.

Tweedy’s summer tour precedes the release of his third book, World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music, which is slated to publish Nov.

7 via Dutton. World Within a Song is a disarming and heartening mix of memories, music and inspiration built around the 50-plus songs that changed Tweedy’s life.

Opening for Tweedy will be Le Ren, the stage name for Montreal-based artist Lauren Spear, whose thoughtful mix of contemporary folk, rock and country is driven by sparse, eloquent lyrics and a quiet majesty.

Bon Bon Vivant to play free Farmin Park show

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

The Sandpoint Summer Music Series continues Thursday, July 20 with New Orleans-based Bon Bon Vivant, which will bring its self-described “cabaret-meetsindie-meets-dance-music” sound to Farmin Park.

Sandpoint Summer Music Series: Bon Bon Vivant

6 p.m., FREE. Farmin Park, Third Avenue and Main Street in Sandpoint, mattoxfarm.com/ summermusicseries. Listen at bbvband.com.

Though BBV’s HQ is a world away in NOLA, the band has a longstanding love affair with the Pacific Northwest, and is no stranger to Sandpoint, either — so much the better for us.

Local music lovers have been treated to a number of shows from the band this summer, and the Farmin Park concert put on

by Mattox Farms Productions promises to be the perfect seasonal blend of Cajun-inflected rock and jazz.

There will be food vendors on site, with Opa! Greek cuisine and Mandala wood-fired pizza available for purchase. Also, 7B Origin Lemonade and everyone’s favorite Eichardt’s bar will sell beverages for adults and kids alike. The gates will open at 5 p.m.

Catch Tweedy and Le Ren for this special one-night-only show, with tickets varying from $83 for general seating to $96 for better positioning and $149 for the first two center rows next to the stage. There are also loveseats available in the balcony for $176 (which covers both seats).

Wilco frontman will play a rare solo show in Sandpoint

Jeff Tweedy at work on a song.

Photo by Richie Wireman.

MUSIC

Summer Serenade fundraiser to benefit local music scholarships

MCS partners with Cabin View Winery for classical music concert

By Reader Staff

The talented Music Conservatory of Sandpoint faculty will perform a variety of summery classical music Sunday, July 23 at the Little Carnegie Concert Hall in Sandpoint. The concert will feature instrumental solo, vocal and micro ensembles, with all proceeds benefiting music scholarships for the extensive arts access programs offered by MCS.

Partnering with this year’s fundraiser is local newcomer Cabin View Winery. Owner and winemaker Jim Mills will be on hand to share his 20-plus years of experience in the winemaking industry.

Doors will open at 6 p.m., with a no-host wine bar for those wanting to take advantage of all that the evening has to offer, including summer light appetizers and concessions. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Early online purchase is recommended at

sandpointconservatory.org.

Summer Serenade

Sunday, July 23; Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m.; $25 adults, $10 students. Little Carnegie Hall, Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, 110 Main St., 208-2654444. Buy tickets at sandpointconservatory.org.

“This annual event is unique because it demonstrates the bonded relationship between MCS, our teachers and our students,” MCS Board Secretary Charis Uzabel stated in a news release. “We really work hard to come alongside our students to help them succeed, and we understand that nurturing skills

can take years plus a lot of investment from families.”

The music program has been tailored to give a nod to the summer season, with selections from Hammerstein, Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Schumann and more performed by MCS faculty members.

“We aim to keep music accessible for all, and this concert is one way the community can not only experience our talented musicians, but also join with us to support Sandpoint’s youth,” Uzabel added.

Accenting the music selection will be local wines from Cabin View Winery selected by Mills.

Following the performance there will be a chance to mingle with the performers and continue sipping. The firehouse doors will be closed for this 7 p.m. event.

For more information or to donate to student scholarships, visit sandpointconservatory. org, or mail to P.O. Box 907, Sandpoint, ID 83864. Tickets are available online or at the door.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

The Wow Wows, Idaho Pour Authority, July 22 John Firshi, Eichardt’s Pub, July 26

Homegrown North Idaho band

The Wow Wows come front-loaded with a full electric sound that never feels sludgy or bass-reliant. Rather, it exudes a slinky sensibility with its jangly guitar and frequently shoe-gazy rhythms.

The Wows Wows rock, too, especially on tracks like “She’s My Lover,” “Next Surprise” and “Blue Van” from the 2019 album River Dolphin, on which shades of psychedelia mingle with the best

of vintage punk and, dare we say, the merest hint of rockabilly.

Catch the band at Idaho Pour Authority and you’ll say “wow” more than once.

— Zach Hagadone

8 p.m., FREE, 21+. Idaho Pour Authority, 203 Cedar St., 208-5977096, idahopourauthority.com. Listen at thewowwows.bandcamp. com.

There’s something warm and familiar about John Firshi’s music. An accomplished guitar player and soft-spoken soul, Firshi plays an intriguing mix of originals and covers. His fingerpicking is beautiful and unpretentious, with the use of a loop pedal allowing him the space to layer in guitar solos and expressions that give depth to the songs he plays.

Firshi leads the weekly Monday Night Blues Jam at Eichardt’s

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

and plays around town with his band Headwaters, but his solo shows are always a delight — whether you’re just interested in background dinner music or prefer to sit in the front row and watch the magic happen.

— Ben Olson

7 p.m., FREE. Eichardt’s Pub, 212 Cedar St., 208-265-4005, eichardtspub.com.

During one of my customary doom-scrolling sessions, I ran across

The Marginalian, and in that instance I thanked the algorithm. The site is a wide collection of stellar essays by Maria Popova on “art, science, poetry, philosophy and other tendrils of our search for truth, beauty, meaning and creative vitality.” Essentially, it’s an example of why the internet was supposedly invented. Check it out at themarginalian.org.

I already wrote about Mama’s Broke ahead of the band’s July 9 gig at The Heartwood Center, but it bears repeating that this duo from Halifax, Canada is an absolute must-listen. Though often described as “folk music,” what Lisa Maria and Amy Lou Keeler do is something different, stirring up a moody brew of haunting harmonies tinged with the maritime influences of their eastern Canadian roots. It’s little wonder they won Ensemble of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2017. Find out more at mamasbroke.ca.

READ LISTEN WATCH

Consider this advance notice: Season 2 of Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens is set to premiere Saturday, July 28 on Amazon Prime, which gives you enough time to binge Season 1, which arrived on the platform in what feels like another lifetime in 2019. Based on the novel of the same name by Terry Pratchett and Gaiman — and adapted for the small screen by Gaiman — it tells the tale of the End Times and the darkly humorous efforts of Aziraphale the angel and Crowley the demon to stop it. Of course it’s so, so much more than that. See for yourself.

Courtesy photo.

From Pend Oreille Review, July 10, 1911

BURGLAR IS KILLED

Kootenai “got” its burglar shortly after 1 o’clock this morning when T. J. Hunziker, of the Kootenai Hardware company, shot and killed an unknown man who was at work on a window in the rear of the store. The place had been robbed twice within a month and Mr. Hunziker was “laying” for his man. He spent yesterday in Spokane and returned to Kootenai on Northern Pacific train No. 4 about 1 o’clock. He went to his home about two blocks from the store, left his suit-case, inquired if any one was on watch in the store and being told by his wife that no one was there, he silently made his way back to the store, let himself in the front door and went to the back part, stopping to take along with him a 38-Smith & Wesson revolver from behind the counter.

When he arrived at the rear, it was to find a man at work on the window, one of his hands on the panes and pounding with his other in an attempt to break the glass. Hunziker fired two bullets from the revolver and the fellow yelled, turned in his tracks and ran about 150 feet before he fell dead. One of the bullets had struck him within an inch of his heart. The unknown man had on a pair of light corduroy trousers, a black satine hat and a blue serge coat. He had long and very black hair and his features indicated Mexican or Indian blood. Several people had seen the fellow in the company of another man in Kootenai yesterday and some thought they saw him around town recently. There was nothing on the fellow’s person by which to establish any identification of him.

BACK OF THE BOOK

The possessions we cherish

Most of the things we acquire in life tend to weigh us down, but some enrich our lives

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Anyone who has seen the A&E show Hoarders knows what it’s like to see someone literally buried under the weight of their possessions.

If you haven’t seen the show, it profiles people who suffer from a disease that makes it difficult for them to part with even the tiniest possessions. With cameras rolling and tears running down their family members’ faces, the subjects of the show feel helpless when confronted with the mountain of junk and garbage taking over their homes. Often there are only narrow pathways that they use to travel from room to room, navigating past the mountains of ephemera, collectibles, two-liter plastic bottles and stacks of newspapers mounded against every wall.

Then a “junk whisperer” appears and begins to coach the hoarder into stepping out of the house and allowing removal specialists to comb through, filling dumpsters to the brim in the hopes that a fresh, clean start will help them lead fuller lives without all the weight of their stuff.

The show is difficult to watch at times, but ultimately shows the extremes that people will go to protect the often useless possessions that seem to rule our lives. Hoarders is a physical manifestation of the extremes our culture of consumerism has reached.

There’s a reason you see new mini storage units popping up all over Bonner County. It’s happening everywhere. There just isn’t enough room in our homes to contain the bulk of our things, so we have to rent special rooms for the items that are often hidden behind gates and offer amenities like heating and social hang-out zones for those who can’t go too long without looking at their precious possessions.

The consumerist culture of America is out of control. Sociologist Zygmunt

Bauman said a consumerist culture values transience and mobility rather than duration and stability. The “newness” of things is paramount, and the reinvention of oneself is seemingly as easy as clicking on an item online and seeing it arrive in a day or two. We are a “nowist” culture, that values immediate or quickly acquired satisfaction more than the producer culture of yesteryear, in which people’s lives were defined by what they made, what they created through time and effort. When something wears out or malfunctions, we toss it in the bin and order up another.

I have strived to keep my possessions from ruling my life. There was a time in my 20s when I could fit everything I owned in the back of my car, but those days are long gone. Now, I sigh when I notice my grandfather’s antiques stacked against my kitchen wall or the darkroom supplies I can’t bring myself to throw away or the boxes of memorabilia that I simply move from one place to another each time I change living quarters.

It’s only when you lose a genuinely valuable possession — no, I’m not talking about monetary value — that you realize there is a difference between the possessions that enrich our lives and those which only seem to own us.

Last weekend, my partner Cadie accidentally ran over her ukulele with her car tire while camping. This is the same uke she bought from a luthier in Ho Chi Minh City while we were backpacking in Vietnam about seven years ago. Like a child lugging around a ragdoll, Cadie has carried that uke around relentlessly on all of our adventures large and small, pulling it out to play a few songs while we canoe down raging rivers, cross oceans, camp beside lakes and attend backyard barbecues.

It was more than just a trivial possession to her, a thing that could be easily replaced. It was a companion and a friend.

Sudoku Solution STR8TS Solution

We mourned the loss of the uke, but also celebrated the seven years of memories we shared with it by our sides.

The following morning, Cadie and I sat by the river with a remnant of the shattered ukulele. She read a piece she wrote about how important it had been to her, including a comprehensive list of all the fantastic places we’ve traveled with it. Then she tossed the splinter into the river. We watched it take to the current, eddy on a rock or two, then continue out of sight. It had received a sendoff worthy of a cherished friend, not just an inanimate object that could be replaced without thought.

I’ve learned a lot from my partner over the years, but that weekend I learned to honor the objects in our lives that rise above the baubles and tchotchkes that catch our fancy, but only seem to weigh us down in the end. I learned that there are items I own that I wouldn’t care if I ever saw again, which begs the question: Why am I holding onto them in the first place?

Crossword Solution

I’d like to see a James Bond movie where James Bond gets behind financially and maybe has to take out a bill consolidation loan, because even when he’s applying for a loan he’s

still real smart-alecky.

Laughing Matter

Solution on page 22

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1. Ghost

6. Break into pieces

11. Wooden box

12. Oil-rich seed

15. Chocolate chip or gingersnap

16. In an elaborate manner

17. Jump

18. Clump

20. Lair

21. At the peak of 23. Arouse 24. Split 25. Net 26. You (archaic)

27. Disappeared 28. Quarry

tyro /TAHY-roh/ [noun]

1. a beginner in learning anything; novice.

“Despite being a tyro in the kitchen, he managed to whip up an impressive meal for his dinner guests.”

Corrections: Stare long enough at this space, you mihgt find a correction.

29. Female chicken 30. Condescend 31. Deficiency 34. Farewell 36. Superior limb 37. Frosts, as a cake 41. Risque 42. Cease 43. Naked 44. Snake sound 45. Lower jaw part 46. Smile

47. Estimated (abbrev.)

48. Neck artery 51. Stomach muscles, for short 52. Arouse 54. Street fight

56. Furious 57. Ancient Roman magistrate 58. Clothe 59. Genders

Solution on page 22

1. Two-wheeler

2. Suggest

3. Durable wood

4. Ear-related

5. Longitudinal ship beam

6. Foray

7. Mineral excavator

8. Winglike

9. Supersonic transport

10. Listening

13. One more than ten

14. Physics unit

15. Winner

16. Gaudy outward display

19. Doorkeeper

22. Science of matter and energy

24. Churning

26. You (archaic)

27. Gooey stuff

Solution on page 22

30. Moist

32. “Yo!”

33. Not back

34. Come to light

35. Contemptible coward

38. Able to be healed

39. Comestibles

40. Perception

42. Tatters

44. In this location

45. Birthday desserts

48. Enclosure

49. Angers

50. Guy

53. Armed conflict 55. Combine