Reader_April11_2019

Arts, entertainment, bluster and some news

April 11, 2019

I fDD I

Vol. 16 Issue 15

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(wo)MAN compiled by

Susan Drinkard

on the street

Do you think Sandpoint has a housing crisis?

“Yes, definitely. Folks come in to the Senior Center looking for housing, and two months later they are back, still looking for housing.”

Ellen Weissman Executive director of the Sandpoint Senior Citizen’s Center Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

I was driving back from a hike north of town on Highway 95 and was astounded at the amount of litter I saw in the ditches. I’m going to look into adopting a section of highway so we can give back a little bit. I encourage you to look into this with the Idaho Transportation Department. When I finalize the details, we’ll have a beer and pizza party for all those who want to help us clean our section of the road. Most of all, please remember that when you toss trash out the window, someone has to pick it up. Same with campsites, city sidewalks, country roads. Litter doesn’t just disappear.

One aspect of traveling third world countries I’ve noticed is that many don’t have the same idea about littering that we do. In Vietnam, I was appalled to see someone dumping bags of trash out of a moving bus for about a mile straight. In Mexico, I’ve hitchhiked across stretches of desert where there was more plastic than sand.

Let’s do our part and keep Idaho beautiful. Pick up a piece of litter every day and encourage your friends to, also. OK, diatribe over. Have a great week.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

“Yes. I’ve lived here three years and I am college educated, but I’ve been homeless for six years.

I think it’s because of fundamental bigotry and discrimination.

I’m 60, and I am eligible for free heat if I live with a family. The hardest part is finding cover because the rain gets in everywhere, and also, my boots were stolen.”

Frank Faucett R.N. Sandpoint

“I would say buy a house as quickly as you can, because they will only be getting more expensive. Also, I have been a landlord, and there is a shortage of decent renters.”

Nathan Petersen Entrepreneur Sandpoint

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com

Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Nick Gier, Sen. Jim Risch, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Pierre Bordenave, Brenden Bobby, Mike Wagoner, Cate Huisman, Jodi Rawson, Marcia Pilgeram.

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

Subscription Price: $15 per year

OPEN 11:30 am

GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

Angela Cochran Insurance advisor Alliant Insurance Services Sandpoint

“They are getting very expensive. If housing is unaffordable, that is a criterion for crisis.”

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

Contributing Artists: Lisa Troutner (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, US Navy, Bill Borders, Jim Terr, Jodi Rawson, The Ocean Agency.

Robert Pierre McVoy Sandpoint

“We must address societal issues in conjunction with economic (ones). In the past, people coupled up or lived with a roommate. Now many single parents are trying to raise their children on one income, and that’s not sustainable.”

READER

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

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

212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint

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

About the Cover

This week’s cover photo is by Lisa Troutner. Read about her upcoming show on page 24.

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NEWS

Little vetoes initiative bill, Dixon brings it back in four parts

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Idaho’s ballot initiative bill saga reached what appeared to be a climax Friday, when Gov. Brad Little vetoed two bills that would heighten requirements for citizens looking to get an initiative on the state’s ballot: SB 1159 and HB 296.

The current ballot initiative process requires signatures from 6% of voters in 18 of 35 districts within 18 months. SB 1159 brought those numbers to 10% from 32 districts in six months. Trailer bill HB 296 altered the requirements to signatures from 10% of voters from 24 districts in nine months, and would have replaced SB 1159 if both bills had become law.

As of last Wednesday, just two days before the governor’s veto, his office had amassed nearly 5,000 phone calls and emails about the controversial bills — 99% of them urging him to veto. While proponents of heightened ballot initiative requirements see it as a way

to promote the voices of rural Idahoans, others see the bills as retaliation for the successful Medicaid expansion initiative that garnered more than 60% of the vote in November.

In his veto letter, Little wrote, “I question the constitutional sufficiency of the bills and the unintended consequences of their passage.”

But the veto did not mean the end for attempting to place tougher requirements on initiatives. Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, introduced four new bills Monday that, when combined, mirrored SB 1159 and HB 296.

“This is an effort to have both (the House and Senate) and, hopefully, the governor choose what is distasteful and, hopefully, tasteful to them,” Dixon told the House State Affairs Committee, according to the Idaho Press.

Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, expressed her distaste for the new bills Monday night, tweeting, “A turd sandwich cut into quarters is still a turd sandwich.”

The House passed just one of the four new bills Wednesday afternoon: HB 303, which would “add a single subject rule, fiscal note and funding source to ballot initiatives,” according to a live tweet from Post Register reporter Nathan Brown.

Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, told Idaho Reports Wednesday afternoon that the Senate would not be hearing HB 303

before the end of the session, meaning the ballot initiative issue is dead for the year.

Bonner County man Phil Hough said he saw Little speak at the Idaho Forest Group’s contractor’s conference in Worley Wednesday and was able to “thank him in person for his veto of the anti voter initiative bill.” Little told Hough he personally manned his office’s phones last Thursday — the

Rep. Sage Dixon speaks at a Town Hall event in Sandpoint earlier this year. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert.

day before the veto — answering calls for over an hour.

“He talked with real people with real concerns,” Hough wrote in a post on Facebook. “Thank him for his veto, and for being a real person with real concerns too.”

Bill establishing Medicaid restrictions signed into law

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Despite concerns about potential court challenges, Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill placing additional restrictions on Idaho’s expanded Medicaid access.

The bill mandates that Idahoans seeking to benefit from Medicaid satisfy additional requirements. These include a substance abuse assessment, work or education enrollment requirements, restrictions on family planning services from anyone other than a primary care doctor and more.

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and training opportunities to build financial stability,” wrote Little in his signing letter. “We must encourage self-sufficiency among those receiving public assistance.”

The bill comes on the heels of a court decision blocking Kansas and Arkansas from implementing or continuing similar work requirements.

In late March, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the requirements were “arbitrary and capricious because it did not address ... how the project would implicate the ‘core’ objective of Medicaid: the provision of medical coverage to the needy.”

In his signing letter, Little

expressed reservations about the new law’s court vulnerability.

“I have concerns regarding the work and training reporting requirements in this bill,” he wrote. “Similar requirements have resulted in costly lawsuits and were recently struck down in federal courts.”

While the law is welcome news for conservatives aiming to discourage a dependency on public assistance, it’s a disappointment for Medicaid expansion supporters who called for unaltered implementation.

Saying that the additional requirements will place an unnecessary burden on Idahoans and result in additional costs

to the state, Reclaim Idaho Executive Director Rebecca Schroeder called the law a step backward after Medicaid expansion passed last year with 61-percent approval.

“Every Idahoan who voted to bring Medicaid Expansion to our state should be proud of what they did. Our legislature should not be,” she said in a statement. “Furthermore, we are profoundly disappointed that Governor Little decided to sign this harmful and expensive legislation. Taxpayers are now on the hook for a multi-million dollar bureaucracy that could deny healthcare coverage to thousands of Idahoans. This legislation is nowhere near the ‘Idaho Way’

the governor promised.”

With the legislature and governor’s office set on Idaho’s approach to Medicaid expansion, the ball is now in the court of state departments to work out a deal with the federal government.

“The negotiations with the federal government will be challenging, but I have confidence in my directors of the Department of Health and Welfare and the Department of Insurance and their ability to work with our federal partners and pursue the waiver required to implement this approach,” Little wrote in his signing letter.

NEWS

The road to decision

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff It’s no secret that Bonner County officials dread choosing which of the county’s 679 roads get hard-surfaced and which do not.

Road and Bridge Director Steve Klatt said volume of traffic “is truly the measuring stick” for determining which roads are ultimately paved or given bituminous surface treatment (BST), and cost of continuous maintenance is another important factor.

A recently introduced and amended aspect of the Bonner County Roads Manual also plays into how and when projects get done: Locally Funded Improvements (LFI).

LFI projects use citizen funding to purchase materials, and in turn, the county provides the equipment and manpower. Bonner County Road and Bridge Engineer Matt Mulder said the concept was included in Version II of the roads

manual, adopted Decem December 2017, and required participating citizens fund 100% of material costs.

After an amendment approved by the BOCC March 12 of this year, LFIs are now funded on a sliding scale. Projects under $50,000 must have all materials funded, $50,000-$100,000 projects require 90% funding, $100,000-$150,000 need 80%, and so on.

Mulder said the goal was to “establish a standard playbook to refer to so that if Bonner County wished to enter into a partnership of this sort, the procedures were well documented and the process established from beginning to end to make sure the project was successful, and ensure that everyone involved on both sides knew what the partnership would accomplish, and what its long-term limitations were.” He said the board can deny an LFI request if it is “not consistent with our current priorities for improvements.”

Bonner County amends locally-funded road improvement guidelines, another element in a ‘nebulous’ project prioritization process

The BOCC approved an LFI March 26, agreeing to apply BST to 2.4 miles of Wooded Acres Drive in Sagle since members of the neighborhood — known formally as Wooded Acres Improvements LLC — are providing $100,000 to cover about 63% of material costs, according to Mulder.

Jerry Clemons, former Bonner County commissioner and assessor, raised concerns at the March 26 meeting, alleging the LFI system allowed people with “higher resources” to have their roads improved before those with “limited resources.”

Clemons told the Reader he’s opposed the LFI concept since his time as a commissioner from 2001 to 2004.

“If somebody has waited, and they’re on a list to get their road fixed, and all of a sudden some folks that are wealthier jump to the front of the line — I never did think that was right,” Clemons said.

Commissioner Jeff Connolly said the idea that the LFI system favors wealthier neighborhoods isn’t something that came to mind while

drafting the roads manual amendments with Mulder and Klatt.

“I don’t want to say it does,” Connolly said. “For me, that was never meant to be the case. This is a partnership between the county and people who want to get something done. Does it inadvertently favor? Hopefully not, because still our goal is to look at traffic count and maintenance and what that amounts to.”

Connolly said the Wooded Acres Drive BST project likely wouldn’t have happened for four or five more years without the citizen funding.

“It’s on the list, but it’s down the list, but this does push it towards the top,” he said.

That “list” is more of a concept than a concrete sheet of paper, according to Klatt, who said Bonner County doesn’t subscribe to the idea of a set project timeline.

“We really can’t point out, ‘We are going to do these roads in this time frame,’” he said, adding that creating such a structured priority system wouldn’t be realistic when it comes to budgeting. He said the “vast majority” of his depart-

ment’s budget goes to “maintaining what we have.”

Klatt characterized the county’s project prioritization process as “nebulous,” but said LFI projects are a great way to mitigate the long-term costs of road maintenance despite concerns he said he understands.

“The department endorses the concept, and I also personally understand and empathize with people’s resentment,” he said. “It is a conundrum. Whenever the county makes a decision that is going to improve one road — and that usually means if it’s improving one road another road is being postponed — there is the proprietary resentment of the people whose road did not get chosen.”

In the end, the BOCC argues the LFI system is a wise financial measure that will ultimately save Bonner County money over time.

“If we can leverage the county’s money in any way to reduce the amount of overall and continuous maintenance, then that’s a good investment for the county,” Connolly said. “I just truly believe it.”

DONATIONS FIGHT APRIL SHOWERS AT SANDPOINT LIBRARY Navy barge capsizes in Bayview

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

A series of bricks installed at the Sandpoint library Friday honor community donations that made the new library bus shelter possible. Pictured left to right: David Sims and Clif Warren of SPOT Bus and Jini Bowers, who placed a donation for Fine Carpentry in honor of Ted Bowers. Photo by Cameron Rasmusson

A barge used in submarine testing at the U.S. Naval Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview capsized in February, Navy officials confirmed last week.

Navy Times reported April 5 that the barge, used “as part of a mission to develop and test submarine models and the technology that helps make boats silent and sneaky,” capsized Feb. 11. Lake Pend Oreille is an ideal location for acoustic research due to its depth and low activity.

Investigators are currently looking into what caused the damage.

Navy Times reports that officials suspect a build-up of ice might have become too much for the structure, according to Navy spokesperson Roxie Thomsen Merritt.

The U.S. Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview. Photo courtesy US Navy.

“The weather conditions on Lake Pend Oreille were generally severe leading up to the event, with very cold temperatures and large amounts of accumulated snow and ice on the (barge),” she said in an email to the Navy Times.

The incident is filed under “Class A,” meaning it’s a complete loss or entails $2 million or more in damages. Merritt said crew members were sent to salvage the barge so it wouldn’t damage underwater facilities, and officials haven’t yet decided whether to restore it.

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NEWS

Festival at Sandpoint announces 2019 lineup Bouquets: • A big Bouquet for Gov. Brad

Little for issuing a veto last week for SB1159, the “voter initiative” bill. If passed, this bill would have been an embarrassment for our great state. Also, Bouquets to Rep. Heather Scott, Rep. Priscilla Giddings, Sen. Jim Woodward, and Sen. Carl Crabtree for representing North Idaho by opposing this damaging bill.

Barbs • Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay,

gets a Barb again this week. Gov. Little vetoed the “voter initiative” bill last week after over 6,000 people contacted the governor’s office, 99.3% of which were opposed to toughening up signature requirements for initiatives to reach the state ballot. But Rep. Dixon apparently didn’t get the message. Instead he introduced four new bills, breaking the original one into separate parts to try a hail Mary for something — anything — to pass. Three of those bills will probably be held in committee until the legislative session ends, but one, the least controversial one seeking financial disclosures and limiting initiatives to a single issue, has passed the House as of press time Wednesday night.

Shame on Rep. Dixon for trying to circumvent the veto override process. Shame on him for insulting Idaho voters’ intelligence. Shame on him for disregarding the overwhelming public opposition that has come in statewide. And shame on him for trying to stifle public participation in our state government when we need it most. It’s “we the people,” not “they the people.”

Remember this at election time, readers: Rep. Dixon was the only lawmaker from North Idaho who supported this effort.

I will give credit where it’s due, though: Rep. Dixon agreed to speak with me Wednesday afternoon for a story we will run next week exploring some of the reasons why he chose to sponsor this bill. Check back in the April 18 issue for the story.

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By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

It’s going to be another blockbuster year at the Festival at Sandpoint.

In a new approach to its much-anticipated lineup reveal, Festival at Sandpoint officials trickled out the booked acts for this year’s two-week music extravaganza. With all the acts finally announced, locals and visitors alike can begin planning their Festival weekends.

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats open the Festival Thursday, Aug. 1, with their “special brand of folk, Americana and vintage rhythm and blues.”

Four-piece indie pop band Lucius, based out of Los Angeles, opens the show.

Next up is YouTube sensation Walk Off The Earth on Friday, Aug. 2. Described as “one part folk-pop, one part sketch group, and one part quirky musical experimenters,” Walk Off The Earth will be supported by local favorites the Shook Twins.

Saturday, Aug. 3, brings Rock and Roll and Songwriting Hall of Fame legend Jackson Browne.

With songs like “These Days”, “The Pretender”, “Running on

Empty”, “Lawyers in Love”, “Doctor My Eyes”, “Take It Easy”, “For a Rocker” and “Somebody’s Baby” under his belt, the audience is sure to hear some favorites.

Lake Street Dive returns to the Festival Thursday, Aug. 8. The band says its music sounds like “the Beatles and Motown had a party together.” Boston-based indie folk band Darlingside is along for the ride to open the show.

Another Festival veteran, The Avett Brothers, is back Friday, Aug. 9, after an acclaimed first performance. Drawing from multiple influences, the band creates a new sound that makes for an unforgettable show. Che Apalache opens with their Latingrass, a mix of South American music and bluegrass.

Grammy-award winning Kool and the Gang rounds out Saturday, Aug. 10, with a funk-rock dance show. Leroy Bell and His Only Friends open the show.

As always, catch the Family Concert Sunday, Aug. 4, and the Grand Finale with the Spokane Symphony and Sybarite5 Sunday, Aug. 11.

City branch Art scholarship pickup scheduled auction date set for Sandpoint

By Reader Staff

By Reader Staff The city of Sandpoint has scheduled the regular brand pickup dates for April 15-19.

All branches must be piled lengthwise in the street along the curb by April 14. Please do not place any branches on lawns or they will not be picked up. No leaves and no bagged leaves, please.

City of Sandpoint workers will not come back through a second time, so make sure all branches are piled on the street by April 14.

Contact the city of Sandpoint with any questions: (208) 263-3158.

Support a budding young artist by participating in Artworks Gallery’s fourth annual “Share the Love” silent auction and reception.

Bidding on original art pieces donated by member artists opens at the Artworks Gallery, 242 N. First Ave., at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 28. Bidding closes Saturday, May 4 in conjunction with a reception celebration from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

All proceeds will be awarded as a scholarship to a local area graduating senior planning on a post secondary program in the arts.

For more information call (208) 263-2642.

Receive a poem for ‘Poem in Your Pocket’ day

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

The Academy of American Poets officially launched “Poem in Your Pocket Day” in 2002 by the office of the New York mayor as part of the city’s National Poetry Month Celebration. The premise of this day is to honor poetry by selecting a poem and carrying it with you, sharing it with others at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, street corners and anywhere else poetry can be read.

The Sandpoint Friends of the Library have celebrated Poem in Your Pocket day since 2015.

Last year, Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad proclaimed Sanpdoint a participating city in Poem in Your Pocket day.

This year, the Friends of the

Library are honoring the day on Thursday, April 18. Circle the date on your calendar!

The Friends of the Library will be out and about ail day sharing and giving poems away.

Poems are being delivered to all the assisted living homes, local coffee shops and restaurants, as well as participating downtown merchants.

The Friends of the Library have outlined some ideas for sharing poems: add a poem to your email footer, send a poem to a friend, post lines from your favorite poem on your social media feeds, memorize a poem, post a poem in your break room at work, write a poem, listen to a favorite song. If all else fails, recite a nursery rhyme!

Sign up to receive a Poem a Day at poets.org.

READER GOES TO GLACIER NAT’L PARK

Sandpoint’s Marjolein Groot Nibbelink crossed avalanche-prone slopes to the Apgar lookout over Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park in March.

Of course, she brought a Reader along. The view looks amazing, Marjolein.

Utara Brewing Co. makes beer to honor downtown fire

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Sandpoint’s Utara Brewing Co. is collaborating with fellow Idaho brewer Slate Creek Brewing Co. to offer a shared IPA using donated materials and efforts from Slate Creek, Proximity Malt, Westwood and Utara Brewing companies. The resulting brew is a 6.3% IPA with a light, hay-like malt coupled with

crisp, traditional hops.

Proceeds from the sale of this beer are being designated for assignment to out-of-work employees impacted by the Bridge St. fire, according to Utara’s Dave Kosiba.

“Thank you to all the contributors to this project,” said Kosiba. “It’s amazing to be part of such a supportive community.”

Find out more at www.utaraidaho.com.

OPINION

Being ‘woke’: Black Buddhists in America

By Nick Gier Reader Columnist

Every year at this time I write a column about Buddhism. The Buddha’s birthday is celebrated on different days depending on the country. In Japan it is always on April 8, and due to variations in the lunar calendar, this year it is May 12 in South Korea and May 19 in the rest of Asia.

A friend of mine once quipped that Americans “roll their own” Buddhism, and that certainly applies to my Buddhist practice. It is a version of early Buddhism with some personal twists, but today I will focus on Black Buddhists in America.

Smoking the “sacred weed,” the Rastafarians are the only spiritual group that literally roll their own, but if you study the world religions carefully, every religion has been established and developed by charismatic individuals “rolling their own.”

Christianity as we know it today was essentially the creation of one man: the Apostle Paul, who did not know Jesus or the Gospels.

One man’s interpretation of the Bible stands behind Lutheranism, and the same applies to Calvinism.

Zen Buddhists trace their sect back to a fascinating character by the name of Bodhidharma.

Some academics have criticized Black Buddhists for taking too many liberties with the Buddhist tradition. Some obviously have gone too far. One group was convinced that India’s untouchables were black Africans who migrated to India, and that the original Buddhists were these people.

In 1925 Marita Bonner believed that the Buddha was a woman, but he was slow to accept women into the monastic community. Ananda, his closest disciple, was finally able to overcome resistance from other monks as well as the Master himself. Even when accepted, Buddhist nuns were generally subject to twice as many monastic rules.

Black Buddhists celebrate the Buddha as a person of color, but this is not quite accurate. Indeed, Buddhist art always portrays the Buddha as light-skinned. In some depictions of the Buddha’s En-

lightenment, Mara, the Buddhist equivalent of Satan, is portrayed as dark-skinned, just as all Hindu demons are.

The light-skinned Aryans who migrated to India 3,500 years ago did condemned the indigenous people as “black and filthy,” but they, unlike white Afrikaners in South Africa, did intermarry with them. The result over the centuries was that caste distinctions were enforced along occupational, not racial, lines. This means that Black Buddhists can’t claim, strictly speaking, that the Buddha spoke out about racial oppression.

Complicating the American scene is the fact that the largest number of American Buddhists are members of Soka Gakkai International, whose membership was originally Japanese American, but now they have become a very diverse community with 30 percent black members.

Rock star Tina Turner is a SGI Buddhist, and she and other black members number more than all the other Black Buddhists combined. These Buddhists also

see the Buddha as social reformer, and they are committed social and peace activists.

Some critics object to Black Buddhists use of the slang word “woke” as an equivalent to Buddhist enlightenment. The word is not just ungrammatical black speech, but it is defined at dictionary.com as “actively aware of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights.”

Black Buddhists believe that the Buddha was a “brother,” because he was a social reformer who rejected the Hindu caste system and believed in human equality. He also preached that no one required a priest to attain salvation, telling his disciples, as he passed into Nirvana: “I have given you the Dharma (rules of life), and now you should all work out your own salvation.”

In other words, “roll your own.”

Later Buddhists deify the Buddha and believe that he bestows grace, but here we see the thorough-going humanism of early Buddhism. Embracing this view, Black Buddhist Kyodo Williams

states that “you don’t have to born into a special class or race. Everything you need to have a better life, you have right now.” Without divine aid, I should add.

Black Buddhists object to the fact that most American Buddhists have been privileged white people who have not realized the full socio-economic implications of the Buddha’s teaching. They reject the necessity of attending expensive retreats led by leaders who have special ties to Asia.

They also believe that these white Buddhists placed too much emphasis on reading texts and learning Pali and Sanskrit, the two major languages of Buddhism.

Kyodo Williams claims that illiterate wise men and women can know and preach the Dharma.

All religious people “roll their own,” and we have a lot to learn from many of them.

Nick Gier of Moscow taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. Email him at ngier006@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY

Intro to woodworking class offered

By Reader Staff Love gorgeous, high-end handmade kitchen accessories? Want to experience the joy of a pro-grade woodshop? If your answer is yes, then this is the perfect class for you! In a fun one-session class you’ll design and build your own hardwood cutting board set. Learn how we use the jointer, planer and table saw to surface and prep raw lumber. Design your own boards with as much simplicity or complexity as you like. Lastly, enjoy the art of finishing your boards

hands-on with planers, sanders and other tools. This class gives you a truly pro-grade experience and you leave with your own cutting board set.

The class fee is $71 ($2 City Discount) per session, and includes a selection of hardwood for an approximately 18- by 12-inch cutting board. Each session will be held at MakerPoint Studios, C106-14 1424 N. Boyer Ave.) on Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m.

Register for the upcoming April 23 session by April 21.

Call (208) 263-3613 for info.

Did you know...?

Three out of four people who responded to our media survey said they regularly read the Reader. That’s more than any other publication in town. Yeehaw!

Unassuming superheroes wanted for Museum

By Reader Staff The Bonner County History Museum is excited to announce its newest volunteering opportunity: the Superhero Squad. Want to join a team of inspired thinkers? Have time, talent, ideas, expertise or connections to share? Are you a change maker?

An idea generator? Consider applying to be a part of the Museum’s Superhero Squad. This group of volunteers will meet monthly to discuss, and implement, creative ideas for helping the museum fulfill its mission of History Creating Community.

If you are interested, you

can find an application on the Museum’s website: www.bonwww.bon nercountyhistory.org under the Support / Volunteer tab.

Simply fill out the form and return it either in person, by mail, or email to: Bonner County History Museum, 611 S. Ella Ave., Sandpoint, ID 83864 Email: bchs@frontier. com The museum is always seeking more opportunities to become involved with the community and share our collective history, from updating permanent exhibits and conducting tours and community presentations to revamping educational programs and designing new special events.

NAMI Far North plans general meeting

By Reader Staff The Sandpoint Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness – NAMI Far North – is holding their general meeting Wednesday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m. at the Bonner General Health classroom.

In this month’s meeting, NAMI will feature an informative presentation by Ginna Maus, LCSW, who has been in private practice for 20 years. Maus utilizes mindful ways of dealing with anxiety, trauma, depression, grief and adjusting to life events. After the general meeting, participants will break into support groups.

NAMI Far North meetings are open to all. If you are living with a mental illness, or are a family member or friend of someone with mental illness, this meeting is for you.

Learn more about NAMI Far North at www.namifarnorth.org.

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Reading Recommendations... Creating Facts From Fiction...

Dear Editor, For reading I recommend “The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors” (internet download) which documents the crucifixion and resurrection of fifteen “persons” hundreds of years before Jesus.

According to this book, the first crucified savior was Chrishna (aka Krishna) around 1200 BCE. When one reads the ancient Indian texts about Chrishna, the similarity with Jesus of the NT is uncanny. Also, much of the Old Testament comes from much older sources. Various themes, plot elements, and characters in the Epic of Gilgamesh are found in the OT. A couple years ago the RLW column recommended “The Tree of Life” as being the most spiritual movie the writer had seen. The most spiritual film I have seen, John Boorman’s “Excalibur”, is one of the greatest repositories of arcane or esoteric spiritual knowledge put on film.

When I first saw the film “Excalibur” I was seriously involved with the teachings of Gurdjieff and the study of spiritual symbolism and sacred geometry. In the film “Excalibur,” there are two wonderful illustrations of its esoteric content involving Perceval.

1) Perceval is hanging by his neck in a tree where several dead knights are also hanging. The spur of a Knight above him is rubbing against Perceval’s rope.

Nearing death, Perceval has an out of body experience and finds himself, in full armor, before the Grail Castle with its drawbridge lowering. There is a blinding light from within. Once lowered, Perceval crosses the drawbridge which then begins to close behind him. The Grail Cup, suspended in space, comes toward him. A voice asks: “What is the secret of the Grail? Who does it serve?” Perceval panics and climbs up and over the closing bridge and crashes to the ground just as his body does from the tree.

2) Perceval is attacked by an angry mob of peasants and knocked into a deep pool of water. (Water is symbolic of wisdom and the feminine (Sophia). Sophia represents the soul of man and its spiritual guide.) As he sinks, Perceval begins removing his armor. (Armor represents the outer world that prevents one from connecting to the higher self.) Near death, Perceval again has an out of body experience and finds himself before the Grail Castle, this time naked and without the buffer/filter of the outer world. It is then that Perceval learns the secret of the Grail and who it serves. He has pierced the veil.

Lee Santa Sandpoint

Happy Retirement, Darlene...

Dear Editor, Saying goodbye to Darlene Edwards who retired after 29 years of dedicated service to the city of Sandpoint as administrative assistant for the Public Works and Building Department, as well as Planning and Zoning.

Good luck on your new adventure to Arizona.

Evie Leucht Sandpoint 8 / R / April 11, 2019

Dear Editor, “…only a very small fraction of published studies actually involved research into how much of recent warming has been due to human activities.

Instead, the papers simply assume human causation.”

This statement at the beginning of Chapter 5 of Prof. Roy Spencer’s “Global Warming Skepticism for Busy People” begins an expose of a current variation of how to lie with statistics as being used in the 97% of scientists’ drumbeat. In fact, a 2015 study of UNIPCC papers found that “the papers surveyed (many of which were not even climate-science studies) merely had to acknowledge, or even simply not dispute, that a consensus exists in order to be counted as ‘endorsing’ the consensus. Those that explicitly endorsed the consensus as stated above amounted to less than 1%, not 97%.”

Further criticisms of the 97% , from 2016 and 2017, can be found in Chapter 5. The alarmist claims of increasing storminess and increasing storm intensity is refuted in Chapter 14 with studies and charts on heat, drought, rainfall, hurricanes and tornadoes for periods as far back as the mid-1880s. It underscores that it has been worse than now.

Prof Spencer establishes how most climate “models” exclude natural effects on our climate and emphasize assumed human effects. The result is an exaggeration of every data series. How accurate have those “models” been? Grossly inaccurate. Would proposed changes based on faulty data produce positive results? Garbage in = garbage out.

Chapter 8 begins: “Since pre-industrial times, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 has increased from an estimated … 0.0275% to 0.041% …today.”

It continues with the “indoor air we breathe is three times the CO2 content of outdoor air.” Does that mean get outside more often? Prof Spencer posits that most plants thrive on much higher levels of CO2, “…we should consider the possibility that we are helping nature…”

The misleading use of statistics without providing the appropriate scale or context, while belittling the doubts of trained geologists and meteorologists, is intellectual dishonesty.

Jeremy Conlin Sandpoint

An “Unrighteous Agreement”...

Dear Editor, The Pend Oreille Hospital District Board of Trustee’s, aided by county and state prosecutorial nonfeasance, signed onto an “agreement” that replaces decades of unlawful funding. “The District’s funding of Bonner Hospital…, fails to comply with Idaho’s applicable constitutional and statutory provisions,” reads an Idaho Attorney General’s Office letter to POHD. On 10/23/18 the super-majority (6-of-7) POHD BoT, including Trustee Burgstahler, defiantly voted to unlawfully transfer thousands of dollars to BGH. The super-majority never discussed,

debated or once questioned 87 pages of material conditions of the “agreement” at public meetings. The “agreement,” drafted primarily by the Bonner General Hospital attorney, continues $1.2M (2%) of annual subsidy funding of BGH’s $55M of expenses!

On 2/13/19, POHD minutes reflect that the unscrupulous super-majority voted, in fiduciary violation, 6-1 for the monopoly “agreement,” as they simultaneously avoided discussion of a Motion to fund an eligible (I.C.39-1318) “public” medical clinic within the POHD (Panhandle Health).

The flawed (lip-stick-on-the-pig) “agreement” illustrates that a conflicted POHD BoT remains a subservient tool, blissfully loyal to BGH. The “Agreement” identifies: POHD subordination to BGH, subsidy conditions and alleged violations of Idaho code occurring at least six times each! The 3/26/19 POHD Board meeting identified the supermajority’s newest funding impropriety desire!

Conceding to the Attorney General‘s legal gymnastics that tax dollars can subsidize a private entity (corporate welfare), why was Kanisku Health, providing similar clinical services, never considered for public funding under this POHD crony-capitalism “agreement” process? Why is the POHD not bound to “bid-process” requirements for purchases, leases and contracts like county and school taxing districts?

Answer: Overlapping boards have been a POHD objective for decades! On 2/26/19, in a split vote to eliminate over-lapping boards, the state Health and Welfare Committee became the latest accessory, as the House Committee Chairman’s epic fair handedness denied supporting testimony while only allowing oppositional testimony: chairman of the BGH Board (the $1.2M beneficiary) and two Idaho registered lobbyists.

The epitome of conflicted interest within the POHD BoT is Burgstahler, who opposed a 12/18/18 “board member conflict” bylaw change, stating, “that would knock me off the board as I get patient referrals” (from BGH). A second Burgstahler income from BGH raises further financial conflicts-of-interest questions as Burgstahler extends subsidy funding to BGH. Deceit under the guise of benevolence is troubling and a long-standing POHD practice.

Voting for the non-incumbent, Spencer Hutchings, on 5/21/19, is a step toward an ethical, independent transparent and trustworthy POHD. Daniel Rose, POHD Trustee Samuels

A ‘Wake-Up Call’...

Dear Editor, Having just visited a state that “flipped” six Congressional seats from GOP to Democrats in last November’s election — the primary issue being health care —- it was encouraging to see that Medicaid expansion passed in Idaho’s legislature and that Gov. Little vetoed attempts to weaken our ballot initiative process.

House Republicans weakened the Medicaid bill by removing able-bodied people who don’t meet work requirements despite the 61% of Idaho registered voters who approved the initiative without that limitation. (Idaho will have to get a waiver from the federal government to implement the work requirement.)

But the Medicaid expansion will provide access to preventative health care services for an estimated 91,000 low-income residents, with the federal government covering 90% of the estimated $400 million cost.

Governor Little’s veto of bills that would have made it dramatically more difficult to get an initiative or referendum on the ballot came because he questioned the bills’ “constitutional sufficiency and the unintended consequences of their passage.”

Opponents of the bills said it would make ballot initiatives nearly impossible and eliminate a way for voters to take direct action. Gov. Little made the right decision, according to Democratic Sen. Grant Burgoyne, because the ballot initiatives can keep lawmakers in check.

“Initiatives are the wake-up call that you have to get every once in awhile from the people, “ he said, “and for Little to vindicate that is a good thing.”

Jim Ramsey Sandpoint

Rep. Dixon Attempting to Run Around Idaho Voters...

Dear Editor, Three days after Gov. Brad Little vetoed controversial legislation to make it much harder to qualify a voter initiative for the Idaho ballot, Rep Sage Dixon reintroduced the same proposal, split into four separate bills. This is another attempt by Rep. Dixon to take away voters rights to the initiative process and another example of his arrogance in thinking that he knows better than those who he represents.

The house committee voted to send one of the four bills to the full House without a hearing or any public testimony.

Whenever the public has been allowed to testify, it has been overwhelmingly against Dixon’s bills. The other three bills have been sent back to the committee for possible public hearings. Dixon’s bills were written with the aid of lobbyists who know that it’s easier to control and influence 70 legislators than all of the voters in Idaho.

Rep. Dixon the sponsor of all four new bills and the House sponsor of the two vetoed ones said, “What we’re doing here is taking what was SB 1159 and HB 296 and breaking it up into four separate pieces.”

The Governor’s Office received more than 6,100 telephone calls and emails from voters who were against Dixon’s bill with only 53 people in favor of it. An attempt to pass this again by dividing it into four separate bills does not make any of it better.

Rep. Dixon is not representing his constituents.

Sincerely, Connie Burkhart Hope

One Bad Apple...

Dear Editor, “Manipulative” is the word that best describes Rep. Sage Dixon’s actions on Monday 4/8 at the House State Affairs Committee. Dixon introduced 4 bills he said “were the same” as #1159 the anti-initiative bill just vetoed by Gov. Little. That’s 1 bad apple cut into 4 rotten pieces.

Same questions with no answers: Why are stricter requirements attached to citizen-sponsored proposals than lawmaker-sponsored proposals? How can cutting time for collecting signatures by half (9 mo instead of 18 mo) be helpful for rural citizens? What limits do they put on themselves? Obviously none, if they can reintroduce a beaten horse!

Big question is “WHY?” is this so important to Dixon and Boise lobbyists.

Just follow the money to find answers.

Research ALEC, a corporate-funded organization that drafts models of state-level legislation. Its reported that Dixon attended as Idaho’s chair and our Secy of State has recorded campaign donations to Dixon from numerous ALEC’s corporate sponsors, like Anheuser-Busch. Bottom-line, Big Corporations do not want WE the People proposing any legislation and Dixon is willing to be their messenger.

To save OUR CITIZEN RIGHT to sponsor a ballot initiative, contact your State Senator Jim Woodward at 208-332-1349 for his NO vote on these 4 pieces of #1159.

By the way, Dixon’s 11th hour overtime in Boise is costing taxpayers extra $35,000 per day.

Rebecca Holland Sandpoint

Climate change doubters invited to presentation

By Reader Staff The Sandpoint Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby is inviting anyone who is on the fence about climate change to attend a special presentation next week.

“Doubting Climate Change?

Sorting Climate Facts from Fiction” will take place Tuesday, April 16 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Sandpoint Library. All are invited to attend, but especially those who doubt the facts about climate change.

Dr. Gabrielle Duebendorfer, a naturopathic physician, is interested in building bridges to move towards viable solutions for the stewardship of our planet. She is a naturopathic physician and cofounder of the Sandpoint Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and Living Room Conversation Group.

Call (208) 265-2665 for info.

OPINION

Responding to ‘Highest Level of Environmental Review’ opinion

By Pierre Bordenave Reader Contributor I rarely comment on, much less respond to, opinion pieces in the newspapers.

However, the opinion written by Shannon Williamson in last weeks Reader regarding the proposed BNSF Railway Bridges in, and south of, Sandpoint presented too many misrepresentations, as well as overt and implied insults, to remain unaddressed. Given that many of these incorrect statements are encouraged to be cut and pasted into opposition letters, I felt it necessary bring some balance to this conversation. For full transparency and disclosure, I have been directly involved in the submittal of the project applications in 2018. However, for this response to the opinion, I represent just myself as a long-term local resident, and I am not representing either BNSF or Jacobs Engineering.

First, I find little veracity to the new stance by the Waterkeeper that, “We are not for or against the project.” This transparent attempt to appear as a supposed neutral third party is belied by the very clear statements of opposition already in the record.

The actual neutral parties are the four federal and six state and local agencies that are reviewing the whole sum of applications, documents and detailed studies that are produced in relation to the project.

Second, the tortuous logic to present a case against a second bridge convolutes several differing and self-negating statements that in the end just make no sense. For example, to state that BNSF if hiding something because they wouldn’t spend over 100 million dollars if they did not know the future, borders on the absurd, and is NOT a statement borne out by the record. Rail traffic, car and truck traffic, human population and demands for goods and services have increased every decade since the original bridge was built over a hundred years ago. Not recognizing that is burying your head in the sand.

The project has clearly and repeatedly defined its need due to that continued increase in transportation demand. To turn the point around, does anyone think that a private company would spend over $100 million before a proven need exists?

Would you buy a minivan because you might have triplets in the future? This is not a case

of “build it and (hopefully) they will come.”

The case is already made that, “it is needed because they have already shown up,” as is evidenced by the number of trains that sit at sidings waiting their turn to cross the bridge. The same number of trains cross the bridge, but they just idle and wait due to the lack of existing bridge crossing capacity.

And finally, there is the implication that a full environmental assessment is somehow deficient compared to an Environmental Impact Statement. This is a false premise and comparison, which should be understood by someone who identifies to be somewhat an expert in the National Environmental Policy Act. Making the “sky-is-falling” claim that one versus the other is inadequate, essentially because it has one less letter in its acronym, is presented in breathless hyperbolic terms and is misleading at the very least. Anyone that fully educates themselves on this process and evaluates all of the studies and analysis that have been, and are continuing to be, completed through the review process, can clearly see that the full potential direct, indirect and associated impacts of the project are addressed in a NEPA compliant EA, which includes many other documents, extensive public input and agency coordination that are part of that EA. Defining an EIS as the “highest level of environmental review” while implying the EA is just a cursory review is a purposeful misrepresentation of the facts. The project does not require federal or state tax money; it is on BNSF right of way along an existing rail transportation route that predates Idaho statehood; and it does not require private

property acquisition, nor people or infrastructure displacement. An EIS is not the normal process for evaluating a project under those conditions, regardless of the vociferous banging of drums, clanging of bells and calls to arms.

Related to that, I feel it necessary to address the implication of a conspiracy to misrepresent the information upon which permits for the project are being reviewed.

It is a complete misrepresentation that BNSF and its consultants are getting to write their own ticket for this project. For one thing, it is normal for agencies to place the burden of proof and cost of data development on the applicant seeking permits.

Certainly, one would not want or expect the taxpayers to foot that bill.

The more galling implication is that the people who are working to perform the studies collect the data and produce the documents somehow cannot be trusted to do that merely because they are being paid to do their job. The studies are produced by highly-qualified, long-term, certified and licensed professionals and are developed so the agencies have the information to make sound and correct decisions. No decision is made by the applicant or its consultants.

Data are data and the facts are the facts regardless of one’s stance regarding the project. There are no alternative facts or data upon which independent agencies make their decisions.

To imply that all the biologists, environmental professionals and engineers would jeopardize their entire future, their licenses and certifications and destroy their

legacy reputation for a single project by creating false information is both patently absurd and shameful. If that is what is being implied, then the same logic could easily be applied regarding the data collected by the Waterkeeper. Since there are clearly defined stands in opposition to various actions and projects, the question could be asked: would the people involved with the Waterkeeper misrepresent data or analysis to further a point and jeopardize its reputation forever?

Of course not!

I have lived and worked in Sandpoint for over 35 years. I did not successfully negotiate those 35 years by “selling out” for a short-term gain, and I welcome anyone to inquire about my reputation with any agency, anyone who knows me, and even those with whom I have tangled in the past will admit I deal in the facts, not in innuendo.

Many of the people involved in developing the application, data, analysis and studies are local professionals and people who have lived here for decades, have children and grandchildren here, and are equally as concerned about the quality of life and protection of our health and safety as you.

So please stop the dismissal of, and implication, that your friends and neighbors are mere pawns. It is an insult to our collective intelligence as a community and a disservice to those who read your articles.

Pierre Bordenave has lived in North Idaho since 1983.

Laughing Matter

By Bill Borders

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

combine harvesters

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist We live in a rural town, so most of us are used to seeing a big ol’ combine just crawling through a field. I’ve had a few friends that lived in cities their whole lives, were well-educated and came from families with a lot of money get one look at a combine and ask me, “What’s that big green army tank doing?”

Combine harvesters are pretty incredible machines. Before them, a farmer had to go out into the field by himself or with seasonal hands to manually collect his crop. Before that, it was done using slaves. I’d like to think combine harvesters helped make life better for everyone.

You must wonder how running over your crops harvests them. That’s done with a header, or a specially designed harvesting tool that’s fitted onto the front of the combine.

These headers are different depending on the crop you want to harvest. A basic header for wheat grains is equipped with a cutting blade that cuts the wheat, which is then fed into the combine and onto a set of conveyors. Inside the harvester, there is a rotating tool called a thresher or a threshing drum that removes the grains from the stem with centrifugal force. The grains are separated, going into a grain elevator that pulls them up the machine and deposits them in the grain tank. The straw and stems are filtered through the combine harvester through a series of conveyor belts, run through a 10 /

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device that chops it up and then spits it out the back.

This process varies from model to model and crop to crop, but that’s the gist of it.

With all of the straw that’s spit out the back of the harvester, farmers are left with a couple of options. They can till it back into the soil which can add nutrients to the next crop being grown, or they can drive over it using a tractor pulling a baler, a specially-designed machine that creates straw bales which are then deposited on the field to be collected later. These bales are later either sold to ranchers or other buyers to be used as animal food and bedding or kept for the farmer’s own animals.

So how does the grain get from the combine to your bowl of cereal?

Once the grain tank is full or the harvest is complete, the harvester has a special pipe called an unloader that extends out and over a grain trailer pulled by a tractor. An elevator inside the unloader pulls the grain up and pushes it out and into the trailer. Once the trailer is full or the grain tank is empty, the farmer then transports the grains to be sold.

After that, a whole bunch of stuff that we’ve been doing for thousands of years happens to create flour by the ton, which eventually gets turned into your cereal. We’ll talk about that another day.

There is a combine for just about every harvesting job. Harvesting cotton has a particularly nasty history. It is very delicate work to harvest cotton, work that required a

human touch. However, paying several hundred people to pick cotton per farm cut too deeply into profits for plantation owners, which began the great human tragedy of American slavery. While the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law in 1863, America was still in the middle of the Civil War at this time, and slavery continued in the south. Despite the fact that the Civil War ended, and slavery was legally abolished in the re-United States on April 9, 1865, word traveled slowly in 1865 and laws were difficult to enforce on rural slave owners that continued using African-American slaves for months until at least June 19, 1865, celebrated to this day as Juneteenth, or Freedom Day. While that’s not about combine harvesting, it’s an important piece of American history that everyone should know about. Especially right now.

In the 1920s, a combine harvester was developed to pick cotton and help prevent another atrocity like human slavery from ever happening in agriculture ever again. There are two different types of headers for cotton harvesters.

One strips most of the plant away, then separates the light lint fibers from the heavy plant matter and pushes them in two different directions. The other uses rapidly-spinning barbs that grab the lint and fling it into the machine, where it is sucked up an elevator into a baler built into the back of the harvester. Once enough lint has been collected and compacted, the harvester poops out a big

white bale of cotton weighing about 21,000 pounds.

Yep, there’s a harvester for everything you can grow in a field. Potatoes? No problem.

Sugar beets? Oh yeah. Corn?

Come on. Sugar cane, oats, rye, barley, hops, canola, soy, rice.

If it ends up in your cereal, it probably passed through a

combine harvester at one point.

Well, except for the milk.

I don’t think you want your cow to pass through a harvester at any point.

Until they make a hamburger harvester, we’re just going to have to process those the old fashioned way.

Random Corner

By BO

ing?

Don’t know much about Farm

We can help!

• Farming began around 10,000 B.C. during the First Agricultural Revolution, when nomadic tribes began to farm. this is when the eight so-called “founder crops” of agriculture appeared: 1) emmer wheat, 2) einkorn wheat, 3) hulled barley, 4) peas, 5) lentils, 6) bitter vetch, 7) chickpeas, and 8) flax.

• The Industrial Revolution led to faster and more efficient farming technology, which helped usher in the Second Agricultural Revolution from 1700 to 1900 in developed countries. Many less-developed countries are still experiencing the Second Agricultural Revolution.

• The Third Agricultural Revolution, or the Green Revolution, corresponds in the late 20th century with the exponential population growth occurring around the world. It includes biotechnology, genetic engineering, chemical fertilizers,\ and mass production of agricultural goods.

• Figs were one of the first cultivated fruit crops around 6,000 B.C. • Americans spend 10% of their income on food, which is the lowest of any country.

• The earliest plow, called an ard, was probably made from sharpened tree branches. The plow has been cited as one of the most important inventions in the advancement of society.

• In the early 1900s, Mary Isabel Fraser visited China and brought back seeds to New Zealand. She grew the first crop of kiwi in 1910. Today, New Zealand produces a third of the world’s supply of kiwi.

• Farmers often plant tall, dense trees on the edges of fruit farms.

These trees provide a windbreak, which helps prevent soil erosion.

• Raising beef cattle is the single largest segment of American agriculture. The United States produces more beef than any other country.

About 34 million cows are slaughtered in the U.S. each year.

• There are around 2.2 million farms in the United States.

OPINION

70 years on, NATO is a strategic partnership worth celebrating

By U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-ID) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) April 4 marks the 70th anniversary of the world’s most successful political-military alliance – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. On the heels of the Soviet blockade of Berlin and the West’s airlift, NATO’s initial 12 members founded the alliance to confront the Soviet Union’s emerging challenges to peace and prosperity. That foe was defeated, but NATO remains necessary to maintain a peaceful world order. It has defended the United States in Afghanistan after the attacks of Sept. 11, helped to end genocides in the Balkans, combated the scourge of piracy in the Red Sea and maintained a period of unprecedented peace among the major European powers.

NATO membership has proven not only to be a military success but a political and economic one. NATO’s security umbrella helped create and maintain the conditions in which the European Coal and Steel Community could be born and grow into the European Union. In the 1990s and 2000s, countries newly freed from the Soviet yoke turned to NATO for military protection; their membership in NATO has guaranteed their stability, safeguarded their nascent democracies and thus fostered an environment favorable for investment and economic growth.

To be eligible for accession to NATO in 1999, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic had to demonstrate their progress towards implementing market-based economies; all three are now key investment targets for U.S. and NATO allies, creating jobs both at home and abroad.

In return, the United States has benefited enormously from the peace and stability that NATO’s strength has created in Europe and North America. Nations like Canada, the United Kingdom and France are among the biggest investors in the United States, creating jobs for Americans. The NATO alliance has also allowed the United States to build and maintain a forward deployed military presence in Europe: troops going to Iraq transit through Ireland; soldiers injured in Afghanistan are evacuated to Germany; and anti-terrorist operations in Africa are supported from U.S. bases in Italy. We have been

able to confront ISIS and Al-Qaeda, only with the help of our NATO allies, who host 28 U.S. operating bases throughout Europe, and have contributed hundreds of thousands of troops to U.S.-led missions in Afghanistan since 2002.

As nations with authoritarian ideologies and imperial tendencies increasingly look to secure power and influence on the world stage, the original commitment by all NATO allies to “safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilisation of (its) peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law” remains the glue that binds the Alliance together. But these values cannot be defended by passion and rhetoric alone. NATO must continue to adapt to new challenges and maintain readiness across the alliance.

All NATO allies must put their words into actions and ensure that they meet the 2 percent pledge. Luckily, NATO nations understand the growing threats facing the transatlantic community. Like Congress, they have stepped up to meet these challenges. Allies have halted defense spending cuts and increased investments in NATO by $41 billion. This increase is expected to reach $100 billion in 2020. In addition, critical new NATO commands are forming in Germany and the United States, and capabilities to counter hybrid threats and terrorism are rapidly developing.

Later this year, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote to ratify the accession of NATO’s 30th member, North Macedonia, an addition intended to occur in 2008, when Croatia and Albania joined.

A recent courageous political agreement between North Macedonia and Greece

Left: Sen. Jim Risch. Right: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

over the former’s official name has finally cleared the way for NATO to complete this unfinished business. We look forward to welcoming North Macedonia into NATO and to growing our community of democracies.

Some critics say NATO is past its prime and may even be a drain on U.S. national security, but this could not be further from the truth. The reality is that NATO remains critical to defending U.S. interests around the world. Certainly, NATO faces internal challenges, like generating sizable forces quickly or having the logistical support necessary to move rapidly, and policy disagreements among members. By remaining focused on strengthening the Alliance, however, Europe and North America can best prepare NATO against long-term threats like those emanating from China, the Kremlin and terrorist organizations.

It is against this backdrop that the United States must reaffirm its commitment to NATO and the deep transatlantic alliance that it produced. But our allies must also remember that the relationship is a two-way street, one that demands robust financial investment and a political will to defend the values the Alliance was founded on 70 years ago.

Sen. Jim Risch is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a U.S. Senator from Idaho. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is ranking member of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation. This column originally ran in The Hill on April 3.

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HUMOR

My secret obsession: ironing clothes

By Mike Turnlund Reader Contributor

This is a weird article to write, because who really cares? I mean, of all the things to be obsessed about. Maybe it’s further evidence of a sheltered life.

I don’t know why I like to iron clothes.

I do enjoy donning immediately a freshly ironed shirt — nice and hot on a cold winter morning! But the most likely reason for my obsession is that I detest wrinkles, and as my wardrobe is nothing but cottons and cotton blends, ironing becomes part of my daily routine. Even on my days off. Even my work clothes.

There’s something about taking a pair of jeans or a cotton shirt and steaming away those awful twists and folds in the fabric.

Puckered pockets, curled collars, and waves of creases disappear with a few sweeps of hot metal and the strategic blast of hot steam. It’s glorious!

I wasn’t always this way, and I didn’t go on my anti-wrinkle crusade until I was an adult. I can’t blame my mother. She was a practical person, and having a large brood of children, she outfitted us in only polyesters.

I don’t remember mom ironing anything.

Did we even have an iron? I can’t recall.

I do remember Mrs. Kolb, our next-door neighbor in the Minneapolis suburb where I was raised. She actually ironed all day long, or at least seemed to. People would bring her baskets of freshly-washed clothes, and then she’d iron them up. She had two ironing boards standing in her front room.

And she always seemed to be ironing. To this day I associate the sound of a hot iron steaming with that lady. She seemed to enjoy it; I never heard her complain. And I know she didn’t do it for the money, as her husband operated a successful fabrication shop. They had the newest car on the block and a very nice home. Maybe she was like me, out to rid the world of wrinkled clothes, although her reach was far greater than my own.

But not for a lack of trying. I, too, iron clothes for other people. I iron for my wife and

WEIRD NEWS

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

DOCTORS FIND TINY BEES LIVING UNDER WOMAN’S EYELIDS A woman from Taiwan visited the hospital after she’d been suffering from a swollen eye. Doctors found four minuscule bees living under her eyelid.

The hospital spokesman said he noticed what looked like “insect legs” under the woman’s left eyelid and used a microscope to discover she had sweat bees, also known as halictidae, living next to her eye.

The woman believes the insects blew into her eye while visiting a relative’s grave. Sweat bees are known to nest near graves and fallen trees.

Doctors said she suffered from bacterial skin infection and severe corneal erosion. The insects were removed and the woman was treated and is expected to make a full recovery. Doctors said the insects were still alive and apparently survived by feeding on the woman’s tears. even, on occasion, for my daughter-in-law. I used to iron all of my children’s clothes, too, as needed. I even ironed for fellow students at the college dorm. But now I pretty much just fly solo, hot iron in hand.

My wife used to tease me about my obsession. Not anymore. Now she just takes advantage of the situation and hands me an outfit with nary a word. Sometimes she’ll just put on whatever, wrinkles and all, and not care a wit! Or she’ll rock my world with a “wrinkles are my friend” or other such comment. But mostly she is sensitive to my

obsession and lets me straighten out her world, or at least her wrinkles.

I know, I know, I could moderate this madness by wearing clothes that, by design, are wrinkle free. But I don’t. The only items I wear made out of polyester are my suspenders. And, yes, on occasion I iron them too. But only if needed.

There could be worse things to be obsessed about. Like TV soap operas or painting with acrylics. But I like my obsession. It costs nothing, helps people out, and makes the world a better place. Sort of.

DEPUTIES FIND ‘BURGLAR’ WAS A ROBOTIC VACUUM CLEANER When Washington County, Ore., sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of a burglar locked in a resident’s bathroom, they found an unusual perp: a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner.

Deputies responded with a K9 unit when a woman called to report that a burglar had locked themselves in her bathroom. The woman said she could see their shadow moving under the door.

When deputies forced their way into the bathroom with guns draw, they found the vacuum cleaner.

“As we entered the home we could hear ‘rustling’ in the bathroom,” said Deputy Rogers. “We made several announcements and the ‘rustling’ became more frequent. We breached the bathroom door and encountered a very thorough vacuuming job being done by a Roomba Robotic Vacuum cleaner.”

No charges were filed against the rogue vacuum.

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Scott Pemberton Band Live Music 8pm @ The Hive 8pm @ Eich Deep jazz, NW rock/grunge, Duo from S Live Music w/ Big Phatty & the Inhalers blues roots and west coast funk and absolute 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ John Firshi ‘Annie’ Come out for an evening of blues and fun 5:30-7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority 2pm & 7 Live Music w/ Down South Band Come watch John spin his magic Matinee 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Live Music w/ Davis Reed Live Music w/ Brian Classic and Southern rock, Texas 8-11pm @ Tervan Tavern 8-10pm @ The Back blues and country rock / Americana Rock with the Tervan tonight Lisa Troutner Artist Recept Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes Karaoke 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Win 4-6:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing 8pm-cl @ Tervan Tavern Check out Lisa Troutner’s Gar Sandpoint Chess Club Piano Sunday w/ Annie Welle our cover) and live music by J 9am @ Evans Brothers 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

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Wild Horse Press Presents Open-Mic Night Grateful Dead Jam Night 6-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 5:30-7:30pm @ Idaho Pour A Arrive early for a glass of wine and a bite to eat.

Join Scott Taylor for a jam n Tell a story, read a poem, recite a verse or sit back tunes, plus some Phish and o and listen to stories from the literary community Dollar Beers!

Open Mic Night 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub 9pm @ A&P’s Bar and Grill Live Music w/ Gre3ne Trio Live Music w/ Lost Ox DJ Brainfu 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge 9pm @ The Join Ron, Justyn and Brian!

Portland-based band playing progres- Inland NW Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz sive rock, country Americana and funk er blending 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery undergroun Live Music w/ Crooked Teeth Live Music w/ John Hastings and Friends Live Mus 6-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority 8-10pm @ Powerhouse trio of acoustic rockers Sandpoint duo. Good times Mugs and Music w/ Jake Robin 6-8pm @ Laughing Dog Brewery

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Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant An hour of conversation and stories. This week’s topic: “How to Spot a Liar.”

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 Carl Rey

Djembe class 5:45-7:30pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint Join Ali Maverick Thomas for this djembe class

Magic Wednesday 6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s Enjoy close-up magic shows by Star Alexander right at your table

Sorting Clim 5-7pm @ Sa If you are on change, com Free and ope

Beer Hall Karaoke 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Hosted by Kevin Dorin. Sing your favorite songs at the Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Bob Missed the Bus 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall John Hastings and Sandy Compton. Food by Sandpoint Curry SummerFest Reveal Party 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Find out this year’s lineup at SummerFest!

SHS G 5-8pm With S tap. Li and D and co

Neighborhood Storytelling 6-7pm @ Matchwood Brewin The second storytelling even to your friends and neighbo stories they’ve been workin Matchwood’s Storyteller’s W

ful

April 11 - 18, 2019

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

m Night Thursday Night Solo Series aho Pour Authority or a jam night of Dead w/ Kevin Dorin 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall hish and others Come hear Kevin Dorin’s unique take on the blues Pub

J Brainfunk at the Hive pm @ The Hive nland NW DJ and music producblending sounds of glitch hop, nderground bass. $5 at the door

Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 8-10pm @ The Back Door

Open Mic Night 6-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Presented by Wild Horse Press. Arrive early for a glass of wine and a bite to eat. Tell a story, read a poem, recite a verse, or sit back and listen to the stories of our literary community. Free and open to all

Clark Fork Bingo 6:30pm @ Clark Fork Senior Ctr. Join the fun, win prizes and enter raffles. $5/card, or 5 for $20. Nachos, beverages and dessert available before games start.

Adult Prom Party 9pm @ A&P’s Bar and Grill

‘Annie’ the Musical (April 12-13) 7pm @ SHS Auditorium Featuring more than 60 local actors, singers and dancers from ages 8 to 18, with all the songs you know and love. Presented by Growing Dreams Productions

Treats on Your Feet Used Bike Garage Sale 1-4pm @ Various Locations 9am-1pm @ Greasy Fingers Greasy Fingers has been work- A fundraiser for Bonner Homeing all winter on used bike in- less Transitions. Purchase a $20 ventory, cleaning and tuning. punch ticket and walk to various Come check out the spoils! Cash locations to receive spring treats: Super 1, Foster’s Crossing, Pie discounts and used parts table Respecting Native Neighbors Hut, Bizarre Bazaar, Evans Bros.

2pm @ Clark Fork Library and Matchwood Brewery A talk about humane animal control Hunger Bowl Fundraiser st Reception & Live Music Home and Garden Show (April 13-14) @ Huckleberry Lanes reille Winery 9am-5:30pm @ Bonner County Fairgrounds tner’s Garden Art (as seen on Admission is free, and there will be more than 40 vendors with creative ideas and music by Justin Lantrip products for your home and yard projects. Food will be available for purchase

ve Music w/ Tone Devil Bros. pm @ Eichardt’s Pub uo from Sandpoint who play, make d absolutely master their own guitars ‘Annie’ the Musical (April 12-13) 2pm & 7pm @ SHS Auditorium Matinee at 2pm, night show at 7pm c w/ Brian Jacobs & Chris Lynch The Back Door

aurant es. This .”

Home and Garden Show (April 13-14) 10am-4pm @ Bonner County Fairgrounds Admission is free, and there will be more than 40 vendors with creative ideas and products for your home and yard projects.

rting Climate Facts from Fiction pm @ Sandpoint Library you are on the fence about climate ange, come to this presentation. e and open to everyone

SHS Grad Night Fundraiser 5-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority l With Sawtooth Brewing beer on ur tap. Live music by Marty Perron and Doug Bond. Raffle prizes and complimentary appetizers

Salsa Night w/ Chika Orton 6-8pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. The third and final night with Chika! Come solo or with a partner.

Salsa class from 6-7 and open dancing from 7-8. Free!

April 19 ‘Chasing Coral’ @ Panida Theater

April 20 Sandpoint Street Live Music w/ Jeremy James Meyer Scramble @ Liteand Joshua James Jackson house YMCA 8-11pm @ 219 Lounge Folk singers from Oregon and California

April 20 Tre go @ 219 rytelling Open Mic Night Girls Pint Out Lou nge od Brewing Co. 9pm @ A&P’s Bar and Grill 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority lling event. Listen April 21 April is Idaho Beer Month, Dollar Beers! d neighbors share so Vicki will be tasting and 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Easter Sunday en working on at

teller’s Workshop

talking about beer from Idaho.

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COMMUNITY

‘Bound to find a friend’ cool OK, I admit it, I just can’t seem to be able to carry out some of the goals I’ve set for myself.

For instance, nuclear fusion continues to elude me. I just can’t come up with a device that’ll create enough heat and pressure on the hydrogen to initiate the reaction. I’ve been up and down the aisles at Home Depot, and nothing jumps out at me. An over-the-counter cure for cancer? Same thing. I’ve thought I had it a couple times, but no, it just eventually comes back in that damn petri dish.

Well, I’m gonna have to lower my sights. I can’t live with this level of frustration forever. What can I contribute?

What lasting mark can I make?

OK, what about a new word? An expression of some kind? Seems like

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By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor

whenever something comes along that people are impressed with, they may use words to describe it like “beautiful” or “awesome.”

Well, I’m gonna focus on “cool.” It’s often used in a form like “real cool” or “way cool.” I’d like to propose when something is real impressive or “real cool” we use just one word: “freezin’.”

So, say some bikers are standin’ around admiring the air brush painting a guy had done to the gas tank on his Harley. Someone could say, “Man that tank is so cool, it’s freezin’.”

A couple kids in a music store lookin’ at guitars – one says to the other, “Dude, look at that one… it’s frickin’ freezin’.”

I think this phrase would be way cool… I mean, “freezin’.”

Third Thursday Women’s Meetup at Matchwood Brewing aims to spark connections between local ladies

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff About six years ago, Jillian Klaucke joined a group of female physicians in Baltimore who met for dinner once a month. It’s a routine she’s kept in her life through several moves, and one she brought with her when she came back to her hometown of Sandpoint.

“We got to connect and be social and just hear about each other’s practices, but we also got to have fun and not worry about being on call or about kids,” Klaucke said. “So when I came to Sandpoint, I thought ‘I want to do this again.’”

Klaucke said she invited several female friends working within the medical profession to meet, and while it was fun, she realized she knew more women in Sandpoint outside her professional realm that might benefit from a monthly meetup.

“Maybe (there were) people from the physicians’ group who wanted to learn how to mountain bike, or somebody wanted a connection for a babysitter,” Klaucke said. So she launched the Third Thursday Women’s Meetup at Matchwood Brewing Company, where women from all backgrounds are invited to enjoy an evening of informal networking.

“I felt like I knew a lot of really cool women who needed to meet,” Klaucke said.

Malina Lieven, who moved to Sandpoint a year and a half ago, said working from home and caring for her young children has made it difficult to meet people outside of her neighborhood. She said attending the first couple women’s gatherings has been a big help with making connections.

“I think it’s really important as a mom — although non-mothers are more than welcome to come — just to have that connection with other women who are going through similar things,” Lieven said. “(It’s also about) finding someone to mountain bike with, or to ski with.

Members of the Third Thursday Women’s Meetup meet at Matchwood Brewing Co. Courtesy photo.

I’ve already made some connections with other ladies who like to bike.”

Klaucke said the group isn’t opposed to men joining in, but the monthly meetup is more based on the concept of creating bonds between female community members.

“There’s a lot of shared experiences that women have,” Klaucke said. “It’s nice to create a space where we can just connect and debrief and have fun.”

While that space is a brewery, Matchwood also offers non-alcoholic drinks and food, so Klaucke said sober members of the community should know they’re welcome. She also said that while Matchwood is kid-friendly, Third Thursday gatherings are meant to be kid-free if possible.

Klaucke and Lieven agreed that the monthly gatherings are meant to be low-stress, low-commitment and simply an option for finding connections in an informal setting.

“You’re bound to find a friend,” Lieven said.

The next Third Thursday Women’s Meetup is April 18 at 7:45 p.m. at Matchwood Brewing. Those who want to learn more or confirm they’re going to the event can find “Third Thursday Women’s Meet Up” on Facebook (hosted by Malina Lieven), or simply show up.

COMMUNITY

KRFY to host journalism presentation

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff With the modern political era placing increased pressure on journalists, it’s more important than ever to remember why the Fourth Estate matters.

David Barsamian has built a career pondering exactly that question. An alternative radio broadcaster, investigative journalist and media analyst, he is fiercely critical of the massive, corporate-owned mainstream media’s failings. In spite of that, Barsamian sees a more troubling trend over the past several years: the vilification of journalists by powerful political figures, including President Donald Trump.

“I’ve never seen such vitriol heaped upon the media, and I’m a critic of the media,” said Barsamian.

Considering Barsamian’s breadth of experience, that’s saying something.

His weekly radio show, “Alternative

David Barsamian. Photo by Jim Terr.

Radio,” has run for three decades, and he has collaborated with the likes of Noam Chomsky, Eqbal Ahmad, Howard Zinn, Tariq Ali, Richard Wolff, Arundhati Roy and Edward Said. Sandpoint residents have a rare opportunity to learn from Barsamian’s perspective when he speaks at the Sandpoint Library Thursday, April 18,

at 6 p.m. in a talk entitled “Why Journalism Matters.” The event is co-sponsored by KRFY Community Radio, the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force and the Sandpoint Reader.

According to Barsamian, journalism matters more than ever in the internet age, where lies and propaganda spread more quickly and easily than well-vetted facts. The popularity of unscrupulous personalities like Alex Jones and wild conspiracy theories like Pizzagate, which alleged that Hillary Clinton was connected to human trafficking rings run out of D.C.-based restaurants, is evidence enough of that.

While good journalism is an antidote to bad information, the realities of modern media present their own challenges. The consolidation of the mainstream media to a few corporate outlets and a comparatively small array of alternative and public-interest options creates a limited media landscape. Important stories get buried and the public is funneled into a handful of

ideological echo chambers.

“Media is a contested area,” Barsamian said. “Ideology is a contested area, and we need a vibrant media that presents points of view from A to Z, not A to B.” While the mainstream national media is preoccupied with ratings and profit, local media struggles to remain financially viable. More often than not, that results in smaller news rooms, thinner resources and little time for reporters to do the true investigative work that holds powerful people accountable, Barsamian said.

For all the difficulties journalists face, there are still thousands doing good work every day. That’s why journalism matters, and Barsamian hopes that Sandpoint residents will turn out to the library April 18 to learn more.

Journalism is called the Fourth Estate for a reason, he said, and it warrants respect as an institution vital to democracy itself.

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OUTDOORS

Seeking out grizzlies in the Selkirks

By Cate Huisman Reader Contributor

W

hen you head out for one of the many popular hikes north of Sandpoint, chances are you will end up in the Selkirk Mountains Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone, one of six such zones in the lower 48 states. And if you’re headed across the lake to hike the Cabinets, then you’ll be in the Cabinet-Yaak Recovery Zone. Sandpoint’s not quite the epicenter of grizzly recovery in North America, but it’s definitely a major jumping-off point for areas designated as good for North America’s decimated grizzly bear population to make a comeback.

These areas and four other zones in North America provide the best remaining habitat for these wide-ranging animals: They flourish when they have room to roam. (A story in last week’s Reader about Bog Creek Road in northern Boundary County touches on this issue.) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there were 50,000 grizzly bears in the West at the time that Lewis and Clark first traversed it, but that number has shrunk by some 97%. As civilization spread westward, increasing human population shrunk bear habitat.

We live near some of the last that’s left.

While grizzlies have recovered to the extent they are being considered for delisting in the in the Yellowstone and Continental Divide zones east of us, grizzly numbers in the Selkirks and Cabinet-Yaak are only about half way to the USFWS goals for these areas, says Don Gay of Naples, a former USFS wildlife biologist who now works summers collecting grizzly bear DNA in the Selkirks. His work is part of a larger cooperative project that includes the USFWS as well as Idaho Fish and Game, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, and the Kalispel tribe, as well as agencies in Canada.

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was given geographical coordinates to investigate. Later he worked with a habitat quality map to identify places to look for them. But “since then I’ve been more or less doing my own thing,” he says. He’s gotten tips from employees of the Idaho Department of Lands and from corporate foresters whose logging crews have seen or heard of grizzlies.

They don’t conveniently follow trails.

“I prefer easy places to hike, but there are a few spots that are quite spectacular for grizzly bears that there’s just not a trail into them,” he laments.

One clue Don uses is “rub trees,” where bears have scratched their backs and left behind bits of hair. When he identifies a place where grizzlies have been, he might set up a remote wildlife camera along with a “corral,” which in this case is a string of barbed wire that grizzlies will have to cross as they pass through, leaving some hair behind.

The cameras help identify whether the passing grizzly was a female with cubs.

The number of females with this year’s cubs is a key figure for estimating the total population.

Despite his efforts to go where grizzlies go, in all five summers Don has seen only two, both from his vehicle.

He notes that there’s evidence of a good density of bears along the Selkirk crest, although the population falls off west of

By Reader Staff Priest Lake. “There’s a lot of low-density habitat for bears to Without missing a day for nearly ten years, move into,” he says.

Kirk Miller heads out the door no later than 4 So just because you’re hiking a.m. He gathers his camera equipment and emin the Selkirks doesn’t mean barks on a journey to capture photos of the sun as it rises above Lake Pend Oreille. This documenyou’re likely to see a grizzly tation of the rising sun has become something bear. But there are those other bears. “This area is full of black over 4,000 followers look forward to each day.

This is not art alone, but an extensive practice of bears,” says Don. They’re no research.

This is a journey many share with Kirk, more or less dangerous than via his Facebook page. grizzlies, and your chances of And now, in collaboration with Miller, and his seeing one are much greater. You brilliant photography, The Angels Over Sandcan find out more about how point have created a stunning, 18-month calendar, best to share the woods with Sunrises Over Sandpoint. both kinds at bebearaware.org.

Angels Carolyn Sorentino and Marcia

‘Sunrises Over Sandpoint’ calendar benefits Angels

Pilgeram spearheaded the efforts to create the

Cate Huisman lives in Sand- calendar and have worked with Miller the past point and writes frequently for several months, selecting some of their favorite photos, along with some of Miller’s favorites. local publications.

“We’ve had tremendous response,” said Sorentino. “Everyone loves the Angels and Kirk’s

work. It’s a winning combination.”

The calendar was unveiled at a Tap Takeover at Idaho Pour Authority and was met with enthusiastic response. “We can always count on our community to support the Angels,” noted Pilgeram.

“It was evident in the turnout and strong calendar sales.” Pilgeram went on to say individuals are buying multiple calendars as Christmas gifts and a Realtor bought several as client gifts.

Angels President Kate McAlister said, “Great community collaboration is what keep the Angels Over Sandpoint thriving. Creating these partnerships is a win-win for everyone involved. We are honored to be partners with Kirk on this beautiful calendar.”

The calendar will be sold at various Angels fundraisers, on their Facebook page, and is also available at Sharon’s Hallmark, Northwest Handmade and Vanderford’s.

Sunrises Over Sandpoint retails for $23.50 and the profits will be used to continue the Angels’ good works in Bonner County, in the form of aid, scholarships and grants benefiting those in need.

COMMUNITY

Bonner Gospel Mission:

By Jodi Rawson Reader Contributor

The vision of the Bonner Gospel Mission originated with Corky Kalben in 1982.

“In those years I was doing jail ministry because I had been in and out of jail,” said founder Kalben. He speaks of a young man who “gave his heart to the Lord” in jail, but Kalben was sure that after he got out he would be picked up by his buddies and they would “smoke a joint and have a beer down before they got out of the parking lot, so it was laid on my heart to do some kind of work like this.”

Five men were staying in the mission, located in Ponderay, during this interview in sub-freezing early 2019.

The mission is a series of three buildings: One is administrative, one holds the communal kitchen’s large table and circle of chairs, and the third is full of bunks and private quarters with a communal bathroom and laundry area.

“Around 1987, we turned in the paperwork (for the mission). The Lord opened up all of the doors. I am kind of an uneducated guy, but the Lord still used me ... It says in the scriptures that God even used a donkey. I am kind of the donkey of this operation,” said Kalben, a Christian comedian as much as a visionary.

At first, the mission was called “New Hope Ministries,” and it was far out of town on a ranch. Since 1990, the BGM has been at its current location (neighboring the LPOSD administrative building).

According to Kalben, the mission works “because of Gayle. She is the brains of everything.” His wife laughed at that and reminded him he is on camera. “We have been married since 1981, and she has been with me since the beginning of this work,” said Kalben.

“Gayle has put up with a lot.”

Steve Shubarth volunteered on the work crew when the Kalbens’ “bluetarp roof” was replaced. “I am getting to be an old man,” said Kalben, explaining that Shubarth now carries the torch as the BGM director since April 2018, but Gayle is still the active secretary.

“How can I help you? What is your problem?” Kalben says he approaches those in need. For Kalben the answer is simple: “Your problem is sin, and your answer is Jesus. Gospel means good news. I have good news — it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are at or what you have done, Jesus Christ died on the cross for everybody’s sin.”

The Sandpoint Christian Center, which was backing Kalben’s vision, said that he needed a board. “The first thing I thought, from being a surfer back in the ‘50s, is board ... surfing! So I had to buy a book to find out what a board of directors was,” said Kalben.

Kalben grew up in San Diego and moved to Sandpoint in 1975.”My whole plan was to grow marijuana, but it didn’t work too good with the deer and the cold weather,” Kalben said with a laugh. “So God got a hold of my heart. I got saved in 1979 on a Greyhound bus.”

Shortly after the mission moved to its new location, Kalben broke down crying alone in his office because he couldn’t pay the bills. Kalben jokes that people might call him “schitzo or something.” But he said seriously, “I heard God speak to me, and he says, ‘Corky, it’s not your mission.’... God has always met our needs.”

Who does the Bonner Gospel Mission serve? “I always figure that there are those traveling through, the homeboys and those getting out of jail.

All three of those ministries are at work here,” said Kalben. Sex offenders and other criminals are received, which is why BGM serves men only.

The facility is orderly and clean, with a faint smell of Simple Green. The three buildings are connected by covered breezeways, and when I was there in the dead of winter, it was cozy and warm (though their pipes did freeze at one point). The old metal military bunks are adorned in brightly colored patchwork quilts, and the private rooms are simple and inviting. Some updates like new carpet are needed, but despite its old patchwork of donated materials, the mission is still actively on a mission.

“I feel like it has been a life-changing thing for me,” says a 31-year-old with a radiant smile. “I used to have a lot of drug and alcohol abuse.” He had been

Serving the community since 1982

staying at the mission for over a month when I met him. “I feel security here for now,” he said. “Here at the mission, if they are actually helping you, they want you to be here. They are helping us with our roots so we can reach the next step.”

A 61-year-old man says the mission helped him a lot, but he was apprehensive when I asked him what the next step was. He had been living at the mission for over two months, and his chores included vacuuming carpets, laundry and collecting phones.

Both of these men agreed that having their phones taken away at night was alright. Shubarth said that in addition to the discipline of not accessing a personal computer at night, it provides the men with opportunity to “fellowship.”

They have Bible studies daily, and they have to attend a “Bible-believing church” on Sundays. Curfew is at 7 p.m. “We want them to become better men ... we give them scripture verses on how to become better men,” said Shubarth.

The Bonner Gospel Mission is funded from local churches and private

Corky Kalben. Photo by Jodi Rawson. donations from individuals. If you want to learn more, check out their website, BonnerGospelMission.org, and subscribe to their newsletter.

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STAGE & SCREEN

‘Chasing Coral’ movie supports student trip

A before and after photo of a coral reef that has recently died. Photo by The Ocean Agency.

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

With the oceans warming and coral reefs suffering under the new environmental conditions, a group of Sandpoint students are prepared to do something about it.

Students of Sandpoint High School teacher John Hastings plan to travel to the Dominican Republic, where they will work hands on to fight the phenomenon of coral bleaching.

An upcoming documentary screening at the Panida Theater, “Chasing Coral,” powerfully illustrates the threat to coral populations and will also raise money to help cover the costs of the students’ trip. The movie screens 7 p.m. Friday, April 19, at the Panida Theater, with donations for entry accepted at the door.

“I have been showing (the movie) in my class, and students are brought to tears,” Hastings said. “It is a powerful and impactful film. And they have always asked, ‘What can be done?’”

A widespread blight on coral reefs around the world, bleaching occurs when coral polyps lose the algae that provides their brilliant color and most of their energy. The coral takes on a ghostly white appearance and usually starves.

The good news is people are taking action to reverse the process of coral bleaching, and that will soon include Sandpoint’s own student population. According to the trip itinerary, students will fly to the Dominican Republic and connect up with a service project. They will then learn about the biology of coral and practice the snorkeling techniques needed to assist in their preservation. Of course, they’ll also have the opportunity to squeeze in some sight-seeing and recreation in between the long days assisting coral

recovery. Not only will the trip be an unforgettable experience, it could also provide the basis for three college credits if students apply for it.

“It is an eight-day trip and three of those will be on the reef learning about different species, collecting data on growth and visiting with in-country experts about the state of the reef,” Hastings said. “We also have one day scheduled to plant mangroves in coastal areas needing reforestation.”

A donation at the “Chasing Coral” screening will go a long way to helping the students on their way, but it’s also a beautifully-shot and compelling documentary about the ecosystems most affected by climate change: the world’s oceans. A film that took three and a half years to make, “Chasing Coral” is edited together from 500 hours of underwater footage collected from more than 30 countries. The documentary covers an effort to record the first-ever time-lapse footage of coral bleaching.

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater

In a Jif

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist One of the first recipes I recall mastering was peanut butter-potato pinwheels. Stirring powdered sugar into leftover mashed potatoes created the base dough, which was rolled thin (more or less), then spread with peanut butter, rolled up and refrigerated for 24 hours (though I could never wait that long to sample). Those pinwheels were a thing of gooey beauty and the pièce de résistance of my youthful culinary efforts, and I’m still grateful to my older sister Pat, who bigheartedly sampled every concoction I proudly placed in front of her. I’m also forever grateful to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (the cereal dude), who invented the U.S. version of peanut butter in 1895.

Peanut butter dates to the Ancient Incas and Aztecs, who roasted, then mashed the peanuts into a nutritious paste. In 1904, C. H. Sumner introduced peanut butter to the public at the St. Louis World’s Fair, where he sold $705 worth of the concoction from his popular concession stand. Since then, peanut butter has become a beloved American staple.

Jif was my childhood favorite, though my mother rarely bought “overpriced” name brands, so it was a treat I’d dip a spoon into whenever I babysat for an affluent family and spied it in their cupboard of abundance.

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every single morning of her life.

She stored the jar upside in her cupboard, before stirring up the unhomogenized mass, after which she’d right the jar and place it in the fridge.

Now, both Jif and Adams are owned by Smuckers, who, along with producing a whole line-up of their own brand, produces 15 different kinds of Jif! My guilty peanut butter pleasure is still the one of my youthful palate – sweet and creamy Jif. I don’t store mine in the cupboard. It’s just too tempting, inches above the silverware drawer and the spoons that glide so easily into this beloved treat. Nope, I store the calorie- and fat-laden staple in the freezer. And, shamefully, I’ll share a dirty little secret: though more difficult to spoon up, frozen peanut butter is the bomb!

If you’re looking for a more natural or organic brand, look no further than your favorite grocery store. At Yokes, you can grind your own, choose from more than ten brands in the Nature’s Corner aisle, or more than 20 brands in the bread aisle. You can buy creamy or chunky, with honey, swirled with jelly, with or without oils or sweeteners, powdered, in individual packets and squeeze tubes or plastic and glass jars.

According to the statistic keepers at the National Peanut Board, peanut butter is consumed in about 90% of U.S. households, where the average child will consume 1,500 PBJs in their youth. It takes about 540 peanuts to produce a 12-ounce jar, and men prefer chunky over creamy (preferred by women and children).

I was never crazy about PBJs, and, not unlike my mother, one of my breakfast favorite foods is toast and peanut butter. My kids and grandkids love it too, and we like the bread lightly toasted — no butter, just lots of peanut butter slathered on top. Another favorite of mine is the vintage Beech-nut sandwich: a clubhouse, spread with peanut butter instead of mayonnaise (along with baby food, back in the ‘20s, Beech-nut manufactured a popular peanut butter).

I love peanut butter in recipes, like satay sauce, a popular dipping sauce that originated in Java and is popular throughout Southeast Asia (and the U.S.), served with grilled meats, skewers and spring rolls. Peanut butter is also a delicious base for soups and is a popular ingredient in West African stews.

Other excuses for me to have peanut butter on hand include making massive batches of peanut butter cookies for the grandkids, who line up to help roll them into balls and flatten with a fork. As a child, I remember my mom cautioning me to make sure the balls were uniform in size. By the time my kids came along and gathered around her table, she really didn’t give a damn about quality control, and now, I try to remember this as well (watching pea-to orange-sized balls land on the cookie sheets).

This is my all-time favorite recipe for peanut butter cookies and you don’t even have to be a kid to roll them out and flatten with a wet fork. Quality control is optional.

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe These cookies are soft and a little crunchy. The sea salt adds a little pop to the sweetness

INGREDIENTS: • 2 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour • ½ tsp baking soda • 1⁄2 tsp baking powder • 1⁄2 tsp salt • 1⁄2 pound soft butter (2 sticks) • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar • 1 cup granulated sugar • 2 tbs pure maple syrup • 1 cup peanut butter, (preferably Jif)!

• 2 large eggs, room temperature • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract • 1 cup salted peanuts, ground in food processor, like bread crumbs • Sugar/sea salt

Makes 3 dozen cookies

DIRECTIONS: Adjust oven rack to low center position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.

In bowl of stand-up mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with electric mixer, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter and maple syrup until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts; stir gently until just incorporated.

With 2 tablespoons dough, roll into large balls, then roll in granulated sugar, and place them 2 inches apart on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Press each dough ball with back of dinner fork dipped in cold water. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt. Bake until cookies are puffed and slightly brown along edges, but not top, 10 to 12 minutes (they will not look fully baked). Cool cookies on cookie sheet, then

transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies will keep, in an airtight contain-

er, up to a week (if they last that long)!

ART

New art collective empowers female artists

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff There’s a little art in everyone, and Aspiring Female Artists of Sandpoint is committed to bringing it out.

The female artist collective is centered around the conviction that no matter who you are and what you do, if you have the passion to create, you are an artist.

According to collective organizer Cherie Coldwell, the group’s fundamental purpose is to empower women to own their status as artists and take pride in their creations.

“We’re just trying to get the word out letting women know … if they want to be able to think of themselves as artists, this is one way to do that, because so many who make art don’t think that,” she said.

Aspiring Female Artists of Sandpoint isn’t just a way for the area’s most creative women to discuss and share their work with one another. It’s also a pathway toward showcasing work to the public.

According to Coldwell, the group intends to coordinate public showings of members’ work. In fact, the first is scheduled to take place May 2 at Pend d’Oreille Winery, which will double as the inaugural event for the artist collective.

It took some serious planning and preparation to get ready for the collective’s first major event. The idea first came about through Coldwell’s discussions with several friends. It was only then she realized how many artistically-inclined women were quietly practicing their craft in the community.

“So many women were just creating art at home without ever showing it to anyone,” she said.

Throughout a series of meetings, the basic idea for Aspiring Female Artists of Sandpoint came together. And along with it came the first wave of members. The group grew to the point where members could plan a gallery of their own, and Pend Oreille Arts Council officials lent their expertise to make that happen.

“POAC helped get everything off the ground,” Coldwell said. “They helped us put together a more professional setting and present ourselves in the best possible way to the community.”

It’s the first event that Coldwell believes could lead to a world of possibilities for local female artists taking their first steps toward displaying their work. Depending on the level of interest from potential members and support from the community, it could even lead to a brick-and-mortar gallery some time in the future.

For now, however, Coldwell and the first Aspiring Female Artists of Sandpoint members are aspiring to create an art market to take place from May to September the first Saturday of every month at MickDuff’s Beer Hall. The idea is to run from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. and attract shoppers already out for the Sandpoint Farmer’s Market.

For female artists interested in joining the collective, there’s still time to poten-

A painting by collective member S.L. Yeager. tially participate in the Pend d’Oreille Winery event. Simply reach out to Coldwell at cherie_coldwell@yahoo.com before April 15.

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ART

Garden Art:

Local grower Lisa Troutner turns a colorful palette of produce into works of art

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

When local farmer Lisa Troutner needs a new color for her palette, she doesn’t squeeze it from a tube of paint – she grows it in the ground.

Troutner moved to North Idaho a couple years ago to establish her Carmel Bella Farm in Selle Valley, where she grows hundreds of different varieties of plants organically. Instead of just eating or selling the produce, Troutner began creating intricate mosaic works of art and putting photos of her creations on Instagram. As a result, she now has a healthy following of almost 45,000 people, all of them eager to see what she comes up with next.

Troutner said the origins of the idea came from her desire to share organic gardening with the world.

“I was trying to think of a creative way to share my organic growing, so I started putting pieces together on my deck,” Troutner said. “It started growing and growing, and it was so much fun.”

Troutner said after creating a few of the pieces, she began thinking of her family and heritage.

“My grandmother on my mom’s side is a stained glass artist, and my grandmother on my dad’s side did mosaic art,” Troutner said. “Also, my father is a stone mason and he would do intricate rock walls, almost like mosaics. It doesn’t seem like (mosaic work) is something that was genetic, but it does seem that we always wanted to see something come together from multiple pieces.”

It was her maternal grandmother who first planted a passion for growing tomatoes in Troutner – a passion that has continued today.

“She grew tomatoes in Croatia and moved here in the 1950s,” Troutner said. “She’d cook for us at the garden. … I have 800 tomato plants in my grow room right now. That’s my specialty crop, that’s my passion.”

Troutner said that heirloom tomatoes are a blast to grow, especially in all the varying shades of color her art demands.

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exotic heirloom produce,” she said.

“It’s very rare for blues to be in nature, but I grow a lot of lavenders and purple basils, trying to find the others to blend all the colors together.”

Troutner’s pieces are all different and all equally striking. One, called “The Sea of Dreams” features abalone, heirloom tomatoes, hibiscus and roses.

Another, called the “Heart’s Journey” is shaped as a heart with a river trickling through it.

“It’s really fun to create,” Troutner said. “It takes a lot of time, but if I don’t like something I’ll take a break and come back when I’m feeling inspired again.”

Troutner will display a couple dozen of her favorite pieces at a special exhibition at the Pend d’Oreille Winery on Saturday, April 13, from 5-8 p.m. There will also be live music by Justin Lantrip at the event. The pieces will remain at the Winery through the month if you can’t make the opening.

For Troutner, sharing her garden art is integral with promoting the healthy lifestyle that comes with growing organic vegetables.

Troutner came to North Idaho because her father owned property on Wrenco for the past 30 years, and her brother lives in Sagle. Troutner’s farm in Carmel Valley in California was

100% organic.

“Everything I do is 100% organic,” she said. “I haven’t gotten my certification yet on this new farm since this is our first growing season, but hopefully that will get going pretty quickly.”

One passion of Troutner is to convince farmers that organic farming is rewarding.

“A lot of people fear that organic farming is more work, but if you really tailor your growing, you make sure to not grow something that the bug in your area is obsessed with,” she said. “There are strategies, but I don’t think it’s that much harder at all. My kids have been

Two of Lisa Troutner’s works of art which will be displayed at the Pend d’Oreille Winery Saturday, April 13 from 5-8 p.m. Photos by Lisa Troutner

raised on organic produce and just knowing that they can pick something out of the ground and eat is one of my greatest passions. My artwork is a way to honor the organic farming and to show people and say, ‘Look at these beautiful vegetables!’”

Check out Troutner’s Garden Art at the Pend d’Oreille Winery on Saturday, April 13 from 5-8 p.m.

MUSIC

A bygone age of music

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Patrice Webb’s new album celebrates her roots in music

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Photo by Lisa Turner Photography.

When Sandpoint musician Patrice Webb was growing up, her father played piano in speakeasies during the Prohibition.

“My grandma used to make moonshine in the bathtub,” Webb said. “During that time, we played everything from show tunes to jazz and acoustic blues.

He also loved more avant garde forms of blues. I used to sing around the piano with him when I was a little girl.”

Webb decided to honor her father’s influence on her own music career by releasing an album covering some of her favorite traditional songs of yesteryear. The album, called “In My Sentimental Dreaming,” contains 11 tracks that will remind you of a simpler time.

The album pays tribute to swing and acoustic blues of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, as well as a nod to early swing.

“This kind of music stayed popular through the years,”

Webb said. “It has its ups and downs, but when there are a lot of problems in society, like how we’re living in difficult times today, listening to these old songs conveys a certain mood. Even if they are sad love songs, they still make you feel good.”

Webb said she was most intrigued by the sound that would come out of a small combo swing band that would be playing in quaint clubs instead of big stages.

“The trios and quartets were real big in the bars and night clubs back then,” she said.

“There’s an honesty there in that whole genre of music that I find really compelling.”

The album was produced by Conrad Nelson, who has done all three of Webb’s recording projects.

“He was inducted to the Western Swing Hall of Fame a few years ago,” Webb said. “He has a talent. Where I look at a

Weekend of fun at the Hive

group of songs and say, ‘Let’s put a mandolin in there,’ he looks at the whole project and asks himself what it sounds like when it’s done.”

Webb was also pleased to include guest musician Joe Craven on the album.

Webb will showcase her new album during a live performance at Di Luna’s in Sandpoint on Friday, April 19. The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and doors open at 6 p.m. for those who would like to include dinner.

Webb will be joined by Tom D’Orazi and Lonny Hawkins to complement the live trio.

“Di Luna’s is absolutely one of the best listening rooms in the Northwest, honest to goodness,” Webb said.

Purchase your copy of “In My Sentimental Dreaming” at Di Luna’s Friday night, or check out Patrice Webb’s website at www.PatriceWebb.com.

Planning your weekend?

The Hive has you covered.

DJ Brainfunk, also known as Derrick Locken, is known for his high-energy performances around the Northwest.

Brainfunk will be spinning his unique blend of styles, which spans the sounds of underground bass music, glitch hop, halftime and drums.

Brainfunk will be at the Hive Friday April 12. Tickets are only $5, and the show begins at 9 p.m.

Portland-based Scott Pemberton Band will hit the Hive Saturday, April 13.

Like his native Portland, Pemberton’s sound is freaky, fun and with just the right amount of weird. Described as “timber rock,” Pemberton blends deep jazz, Northwest rock/grunge, blues roots and west coast funk.

Tickets are available in advance for $15 and $20 at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.

For more information, check out www.LiveFromTheHive.com.

Tonedevil Bros. at Eichardt’s

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The Tonedevil Bros. will be playing at Eichardt’s Pub on Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m.

Featuring brothers Anthony and David Powell from Sandpoint, Tonedevil Bros. showcases the Powells’ musical style, as well as their very own brand of double guitars sold to some of the best guitar players in the area. Plus, it’s a free show, so what do you have to lose?

This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert

READ

Search #idleg on Twitter and watch Idaho’s journalists kick ass and take names. This is the first legislative session I’ve followed so closely, and Twitter is an incredible tool thanks to reporters like Betsy Russell (Idaho Press) and Melissa Davlin (Idaho Reports), who provide up-to-the-moment coverage from the statehouse. It’s important work, and I salute the journalists hustling to make it happen.

LISTEN

A lot of people have written Billie Eilish off as a typical Gen Z icon — cynical, self-absorbed and always saying things like “sick” and “yeet.” To those people, I say listen to her first full-length release “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” which dropped March 29. The 17-yearold pop prodigy is all at once a kid and a deeply talented artist with the voice of a very, very sad angel. My choice tracks are “when the party’s over” and “listen before i go” — both dark, deep and gorgeous.

WATCH

I went through a phase recently where I studied the JFK assassination at length — the conspiracies, the play-byplay of events, the immediate effect the tragedy had on world politics. During my obsessive weeklong research venture, I rented “Jackie,” the 2016 film starring Natalie Portman that chronicles the event from eyes of first lady Jackie Kennedy. I thought it was thematically well done and engaging throughout, and paints Jackie as a cutthroat mother, wife and American icon.

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From Northern Idaho News, April 4, 1939

CLARKSFORK SCHOOL ADDITION COMPLETED The new Clarksfork high school increased in size by its auditorium-gymnasium addition and renewed by further alterations gives the to the Clarksfork community a school of the most modern and improved type. The classroom portion of the building has been enlarged by absorption of what was formerly the assembly room. Auditorium and athletic requirements have resulted in the new north wing of the building, containing the combined gymnasium and auditorium as well as dressing rooms for boys and girls and ample stage and storage space.

The addition is designed to harmonize with the original building, of brick with shingle roof. The public entrance at the east end admits spectators to basketball games or class plays into the rear of the auditorium or end of the basketball court.

Portable bleachers seat the spectators at games, the windows are protected with wire screens and a regulation basketball court determines the size of the floor: 51 feet by 68 feet between the walls, with a 20foot ceiling height. Windows in both side walls light the floor by day and modern electric lighting permits night games.

The former assembly room has been converted into a new classroom, a library and a kitchen. This kitchen is arranged for serving of banquets in the new auditorium.

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Crossword Solution

If your friend is already dead, and being eaten by vultures, I think it’s okay to feed some bits of your friend to one of the vultures, to teach him to do some tricks. But only if you’re serious about adopting the vulture.

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Covered cisterns 6. Chills and fever 10. Temporary living quarters 14. Skirt fold 15. Went under 16. Not under 17. Incapable of being influenced 19. Nil 20. Showy bloom 21. Ill 22. Decree 23. Inhabited 25. Road or bridge fees 26. Smudge 30. Pervert 32. Optimistic 66. Observed 35. Gland secretion 67. Fraud 39. The first event in a series 68. Glacial ridge 40. Grins 41. Slender stem-like structure DOWN 43. Ceding 44. Bivouac 1. Potato 46. Anagram of “Note” 2. Forearm bone /an-thUH-foh-bee-UH / 47. Declares 3. Netting 50. Vagrant [noun] 4. Part of a rachet 53. Chime 1. an abnormal fear of flowers. of the 5. Sedate 54. 2,000 pounds 6. An Old Testament king 55. Wears away “Spring is probably a tough time for an anthophobiac.”

7. Jabber 60. Invigoration Corrections: We listed Piano Sunday at Pend d’Oreille Winery from 4-6:30 p.m. when the correct 8. Open a gate time was actually 3-5 p.m. Sorry about this. The calendar is always the toughest part of the paper 61. Enemy 9. Barely managed each week, so we appreciate your understanding when one of the dozens of listings is incorrect. -BO 63. Against 10. Adhering to customs We also misreported the size of the BNSF grant for downtown beautification after February’s fire. 64. Engage in logrolling The correct figure is $7,500. -CR 65. Vice ___

anthophobia

Word Week

Solution on page 26 11. Utilize 12. Award 13. Backsides 18. Swerve 24. L 25. Conditions 26. Fired a weapon 27. Bishop of Rome 28. Not closed 29. A certain cut of meat 31. A flexible pipe 33. Flowerless plants 34. Relating to urine 36. Hodgepodge 37. A noble gas 38. Feudal worker

42. Terse 43. Consumer Price Index 45. Slogan 47. Religious fathers 48. French sciencefiction writer 49. High society 51. Regulation (abbrev.)

52. Beat back 54. Checks 56. 1 1 1 1 57. Dagger 58. Anagram of “Sees” 59. Sun 62. A high alpine meadow

April 11, 2019 /

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