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PEOPLE compiled by

Susan Drinkard

watching

“Do you think housing costs in Bonner County have become too expensive for local people to afford? How do singles and young couples make it financially?”

“Two jobs. I have a fulltime job and a part-time job just to get by.”

Bree Young Caregiver, med tech, and boat rentals Sunnyside

“I do think they are prohibitively expensive for a person with an average income to rent, let alone buy. Hopefully (young singles and couples) can make it by working a lot and renting from someone they can trust.”

Nick Nizzoli Eichardt’s Pub Sandpoint “Oh, yes! I think a lot of people are living with roommates.

I know a couple who were able to buy some land, but building materials are so expensive now, the land just sits there. Myself, I live with my parents.”

Emmalea Seeking employment Sagle “Yes, and it’s hard to find a job. People want to hire teens part-time because they can pay them minimum wage and don’t have to pay for benefits. I foresaw 20 years ago there would be high-class, low-class and no middle-class except for the military.”

Brad Burley Retail, construction Kootenai

“Without a doubt they are too expensive for locals. Singles and young couples are sharing spaces and pooling their money if they want to survive here.”

Charlotte Wright Business owner Sandpoint

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, USFS, Bill Borders, Justine Murray.

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Luke Mayville, Emily Erickson, David Kosiba, Mike Wagoner, Sandy Compton.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $135 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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About the Cover

This week’s cover photo is all about summer camp! This comes from one of our stock sites.

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NEWS

Despite protests by mask opponents, library board holds to face-covering policy Library director: ‘It shouldn’t be a political issue; it’s a health issue’

By Zach Hagaone Reader Staff

Board members of the East Bonner County Library District faced a restive crowd at their April 12 meeting, as dozens of opponents of the library’s mask policy gathered to press for lifting the requirement that face coverings be worn in the building.

The mask policy was not an action item on the board’s agenda, and members ultimately agreed to hold off on any further discussion of the issue until its May meeting — at the earliest.

“My sense is that we are not in a position tonight to make any changes to our mask policy,” said Board Chairperson Amy Flint. “I need more information before I can make an informed decision on the mask policy.”

Yet several speakers expressed their views, including Rob Hooper, who claimed that as a public entity, the library district lacks “the technical basis to make the call to say, ‘Hey, we want to carry this [policy] on.”

Another speaker, who gave his name as Jon Anon, said that while he had once been proud of it, “now I’m ashamed of this library.”

He went on to refer to a “political partisan influx” that has turned the library into “the inverted reverse” of its purpose — claiming that the continuation of the mask policy is tantamount to “burning the books as well as people’s freedom of speech and freedom to breathe.” He later referred to the novel coronavirus as a “Chinese bioweapon.”

Other speakers emphasized claims that face coverings do more harm to health than good — “The science is there,” said one man identified as Robert R., an opinion echoed by another speaker who gave his name as Russ and who argued mask-wearing “should be totally 4 /

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voluntary.”

Tempers flared among some.

“You’re taking my health in your hands and you have no idea what a mask is doing to my lungs,” said one speaker identified on the sign-up sheet as GIP. “Why are you taking control of a situation you have no authority in? It’s bullshit,” he added, his voice rising, “and besides, I don’t give a shit about it. You guys are so scared, you’re all driven by fear.”

The board heard from several more speakers, including Jalon Peters and Kathy Rose, both of whom are running for seats on the library board in the May 18 election.

Peters claimed that the mask policy is unconstitutional, as well as opposed to liberty, science and ethics.

“It’s impossible to have collective liberties without personal liberties first,” he said, going on to claim that while not enumerated in the library’s official mission, it is the role of the institution to “promote morality and love country” — both of which are “being attacked in our culture.”

Rose followed, stating simply, “This mask policy needs to be terminated tonight and you can do that. That’s it.”

In a follow-up interview April 14 with the Reader, Library Director Ann Nichols said, “I’m just amazed that this has even been an issue. I would have hoped that people would have helped each other rather than being selfish and self-centered, but other people have other opinions.

“It shouldn’t be a political issue; it’s a health issue, and that’s how the library views it,” she added.

During their April 12 meeting, board members keyed in on the idea of health safety — not only for patrons but staff members.

“The pandemic is not over, there are increasing cases, there’s variants and I think the staff should be allowed to be fully vaccinated — if that’s their choice — before we can be fully open,” Flint said.

Nichols said library staff’s experience with mask opposition, which has featured several protests since summer 2020 — including at least one with direct connections to the People’s Rights organization fronted by headline-grabbing southern Idaho-based anti-government activist Ammon Bundy — has been universally unnerving.

“It’s just been so distressful,” she said. “The worst part has been people coming in who don’t approve of masks and really taking it out on the staff.”

According to Nichols, beyond the several organized protests, library employees have been subjected to routine name-calling and verbal abuse — sometimes to the point that they are reluctant to come to work.

“I just wish people would be

A Bonner County Sheriff’s deputy speaks with anti-mask protestors that had gathered outside the Sandpoint branch of the library in summer 2020. Photo by Ben Olson.

nicer,” she said. “We don’t claim to be [medical experts] and so we’re listening to the experts. …

“Nobody likes to wear the mask,” she added.

Other board members noted various petitions, emails and other messages received in recent days expressing opinions both for and against the mask policy.

Referring to a petition signed by more than 300 individuals opposed to the policy, Boardmember Joan Terrell said, “We do know that we have many, many citizens, library patrons, who want a change.”

At the same time, Nichols, said, the library has received “hundreds and hundreds” of other messages expressing support and appreciation for the policy requiring face-coverings — “It’s a vocal minority [that opposes the policy]. … I’ve been getting emails from actual library users and they are very supportive.”

She, as well as the board, noted that despite the mask rule and

other pandemic challenges, the library has managed to continue its offerings throughout with curbside and online services, neither of which necessitate face coverings.

While the board declined to make any decision regarding the mask policy — though at several points being interrupted with the angry chant of “take a vote” and one man shouting “stop being tyrants” — members did agree that the 72-hour quarantine on returned materials should end, based on current research showing surface contact isn’t as big a concern as it once was related to COVID-19 transmission.

Meanwhile, Nichols said, “The mask mandate to me is very similar to, ‘Wear shirts and shoes for service, or don’t smoke in the building’ … But they’re calling it a constitutional thing that they don’t support. They think it’s unconstitutional but it isn’t. Libraries can set their policies when it comes to health.”

NEWS

Idaho aiming for 80% vaccinated against COVID-19

Johnson & Johnson doses paused amid blood clot concerns

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Idaho health officials announced April 13 that they are setting an ambitious goal: 80% of Idahoans vaccinated against the novel coronavirus by September 2021.

“We want to push ourselves, we want to push Idahoans, to get that vaccine,” Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator of the Idaho Division of Public Health, told the Idaho Capital Sun. Current data from the state’s coronavirus reporting website (coronavirus.idaho.gov) shows that 39.2% of Idaho’s population has received at least one dose, with 27.1% of those 16 and older fully vaccinated. Those numbers, according to state health officials, come out to 548,748 Idahoans as of April 14, with 13,132 of those residing in Bonner County.

The 80% goal is nothing short of optimistic. The Idaho Capital Sun reports that 74% of Idahoans 65 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and with the state only recently opening appointments for anyone older than 16, there is

ground still to cover.

However, Idaho vaccinated about 45% of residents against the flu last year. Closer to home, a 2018 PLOS Medicine study reported that Bonner County ranks second in the nation for vaccine exemptions for Kindergarten-age children.

Another setback in the quest for herd immunity came April 13, as federal officials urged a “pause in use” of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after six cases of a rare, severe blood clot appeared in people who received doses.

“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CDC officials stated in a media release. “People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.”

At the time of the announce-

ment, almost 7 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had already been administered around the U.S. — about 30,000 of those in Idaho and 4,425 in the Panhandle Health District. All six cases of the rare clotting happened in women between the ages of 18 and 48, none of them in Idaho. Of the six, one died. “[O]ut of an abundance of caution we are pausing any administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” PHD Health Services Administrator Don Duffy announced April 13. “More needs to be known about these rare blood clots and how health care providers can effectively treat them before we consider resuming.

“Similar to how vaccine providers keep epi pens on hand due to the rare risk of anaphylaxis from the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine among people with certain medical conditions, we need to know how we can protect our patients from an adverse reaction,” he added.

Those in North Idaho with questions about COVID-19 can call PHD’s hotline Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at 877-415-5225.

Hoodoo Valley rezone decision postponed

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Members of the Bonner County Board of Commissioners opened a public hearing April 14 with an announcement: They wouldn’t be making a decision on the application for rezone on a 160-acre parcel in the Hoodoo Valley — a file that has drawn vocal opposition from neighbors who believe changing the property from agricultural/forestry to a rural residential designation will pave the way for a dense housing development.

“We just received new information from the applicant that changed the application a bit,” said Board Chair Dan McDonald during the opening of the meeting.

“To properly handle due process and make sure you guys all get to see that for a couple of weeks in advance, we are going to push back that hearing.”

McDonald said the commissioners will now take up the file on Wednesday, April 28.

The board heard from planning staff regarding the proposed zone change in March, after the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the application in February. At

the time, county commissioners recommended that the file — which includes an amendment to Bonner County revised code and subsequent zone change — remain under review.

“This will allow you folks to get access to the information so that if you want to come in and make an argument based on that, it will give you time to do so,” McDonald said, noting that the changes would be published on the county’s website.

He prompted those attending the hearing solely to hear the board’s decision on the Hoodoo Valley property — owned by Hayden-based Daum Construction — to leave if they’d like before the commissioners took up other business.

Several meeting attendees expressed their frustration at having driven to the Bonner County Administration Building only to find out the file wouldn’t be addressed. McDonald reiterated that the county was following Idaho law by giving citizens a chance to review information before it is considered part of the proposed zone change.

“We want to get this thing put to rest as well,” he said.

Fee adjustments announced Priest River, Beach precincts for Idaho State Parks see polling place changes 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. has increased to $20;

By Reader Staff

By Reader Staff Bonner County commissioners approved two polling place changes at their April 13 meeting, adding to a handful of such relocations ahead of the May election.

According to Elections Manager Clorrisa Koster, the East Priest River and West Priest River precincts are moving to the Priest River Event Center, located at 5399 US-2 in Priest River, following prior permission to co-locate the two precincts.

Commissioners also approved the movement of Beach Precinct voters to the First Lutheran Church, located at

526 Olive Ave. in Sandpoint, at least through the end of the year due to renovation projects being undertaken by the city of Sandpoint.

Previously, election officials had also obtained approval to co-locate the Lakeview and Clark Fork precincts at the Clark Fork—Hope Area Senior Center, located at 1001 Cedar Street in Clark Fork.

Those with questions about changes to their precinct’s polling place, or about the May 18 election in general, can contact the Bonner County Elections Office at 208-255-3631 or email elections@bonnercountyid.gov.

Idaho state parks will see an increase in several fees for the coming season. Alongside traditional campsite fees, the parks will also be implementing the following changes, which were announced April 13: • The Motor Vehicle Entrance Fee has increased from $5 to $7 per motorized vehicle that enters or is operated in the park; • There is now an additional $8 charge for each motor vehicle beyond the first two motor vehicles associated with a campsite; • The Overnight Use Fee associated with use of any non-camping lands for the parking of motor vehicles or trailers not associated with a campsite between the hours of

• The surcharge for failure to pay the required fees has increased from $10 to $20.

Officials emphasized that fee changes will affect all Idaho parks, including the following located in the northern region: Priest Lake State Park, Round Lake State Park, Farragut State Park, Coeur d’Alene Parkway, Coeur d’Alene’s Old Mission State Park, Heyburn State Park, Dworshak State Park, Hells Gate State Park and Winchester Lake State Park.

The parks get a large portion of out-ofstate guests, and visitors should be aware of the increased entrance fees. Idaho residents can buy the $10 Parks Passport for unlimited entry.

For more information on camping and fees, visit parksandrecreation.idaho.gov.

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NEWS BoCo prosecutor condemns parole of brothers who killed USFS officer in 1989

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Following a decision April 9 by the Idaho Commission of Parole and Pardons to release James and Joseph Pratt after serving 32 years of their respective life sentences, Bonner County Prosecuting Attorney Louis Marshall issued a blistering statement that, “we cannot and will not claim this day is a day where justice prevailed, because it did not.”

The Pratt brothers had been sentenced to life imprisonment on first-degree murder charges following the January 1989 killing of U.S. Forest Service Officer Brent “Jake” Jacobson in the Smith Creek area west of Dover.

“For those who are new to our area or are too young, this was one of the most heinous crimes that ever happened here in Bonner County or for that matter in the state of Idaho,” Marshall stated.

Jacobson’s death was the culmination of a series of crimes committed by the Pratts, which began on the night of Jan. 11, 1989 when the brothers — wearing black face masks and clothing — broke into a home in Sagle. There they tied up some of the occupants, which included children, with electrical and duct tape while forcing others at gunpoint to gather up the residents’ money.

According to reports, the brothers were only able to come up with $12. However, sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene of the robbery while the Pratts were still inside the home. At that point, according to court records, Joseph Pratt shot twice but did not kill one of the occupants. The brothers then escaped from the house, taking another occupant hostage.

Attempting to elude law enforcement, the Pratts released their captive and drove off at high speed — exchanging gunfire with a deputy as they fled.

The Pratts managed to drive to the wooded area around Smith Creek, where they made off through the snow on foot, seemingly escaping arrest.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officers, including Jacobson, who had volunteered to assist, searched the area. Jacobson and Sheriff’s Deputy Steven Barbieri ultimately located the Pratts — finding them asleep under a tree. A gun fight erupted when the officers ordered the brothers to surrender, during which Jacobson was killed by a shotgun blast from James Pratt.

The Pratts again fled, later surrendering when they were tracked to an area farmhouse.

Both brothers were convicted in June 1989 of first-degree murder and numerous other felonies, including attempted murder 6 /

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U.S. Forest Service Officer Brent “Jake” Jacobson was killed in 1989 by James and Joseph Pratt. Photo courtesy USFS. and more than a dozen counts of assault, battery, kidnapping, robbery and burglary.

The state sentenced James Pratt to death and Joseph Pratt to life in person, but that changed in July 1993 when the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the death penalty for James Pratt was excessive, citing a lack of prior violent crime in his record. The brothers were both then to serve out life sentences at the Idaho State Correctional Institution in southern Idaho.

At the time, the Jacobson family was outraged, with his wife stating, “It was like getting kicked in the stomach,” according to an Associated Press report. Likewise, Jacobson’s brother said of the court, “I’m just ashamed of them.”

With the parole of James Pratt, now 61, and Joseph Pratt, 59, Marshall echoed the disappointment expressed by the Jacobson family following the Supreme Court ruling almost 28 years ago, which he described as arising from “a technicality in the law after the trial had long concluded.”

“When you kill a police officer in the line of duty, there should never be an option of parole,” Marshall stated.

Jacobson’s memory has been kept alive in several ways: with a posthumous Idaho Medal of Honor in 2011, on a 2013 memorial to fallen law enforcement officers at the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office and with the naming of “Jake’s Mountain” in the Clark Fork area.

“To the family of Jake and the other victims of these killers I and all of Bonner County law enforcement say God bless you,” Marshall stated. “When you are going by the Sheriff’s Office take the time and stop at the memorial. When you are hiking on ‘Jake’s Mountain’ outside Clark Fork, take time to remember this hero who walked amongst us and died keeping us safe.”

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact.

A recent sampling: Following recent mass shootings, President Joe Biden announced executive orders for increasing regulation of so-called “ghost guns,” which lack serial numbers and can be assembled at home, as well as devices like stabilizing arm braces; new restrictions on pistol modification; annual ATF reports on illegal firearm trafficking (after a 20-year absence); investment in community violence intervention programs; and guidance for states to implement extreme risk laws, Vox reported.

When campaigning, Biden’s platform included assault weapons bans and a gun buy-back program. An analysis of online gun sales by nonprofit “gun violence prevention” organization Everytown for Gun Safety showed 10% of individuals who purchased guns could not pass a background check.

March measurements from Mauna Loa’s observatory showed atmospheric CO2 levels exceeding 417 parts per million. Pre-industrial levels were in the 278 ppm range, according to carbonbrief.org.

According to a new study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, 55 of the largest U.S. corporations paid nothing in federal income taxes on more than $40 billion in profits for 2020, Americans for Tax Fairness reported. If those corporations had paid the current 21% rate, they would have paid $8.5 billion into federal coffers, instead of getting $3.5 billion in rebates. Biden has proposed a tax reform plan to fix the rigging: a tax rate of 28% and a minimum tax rate of 15% to disallow tax dodging. Also of note: Today’s CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 320-to-1, a contrast to 21-to-1 in 1965, according to the Economic Policy Institute. What’s more, the corporate tax rate was 35% before the Trump administration initiated tax cuts in 2017.

From the “let them eat cake” file: After making it a criminal act to provide food and water to voters waiting in line, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on Newsmax, “They can order a pizza. They can order Grubhub or UberEats, right?” Critics argue Georgia’s law is a form of Jim Crowstyle poll tax. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, 500,000 voters did not cast their ballots in 2016 due to long lines and polling place management errors.

Meanwhile, large corporations are objecting to the Georgia law, and last

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

weekend hosted an online meeting to discuss opposing more than 350 other voter suppression bills in other states.

Examination of court records of QAnon followers arrested for actions taken at the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6 showed 68% saying they’d received a mental health diagnosis, ranging from PTSD to paranoid schizophrenia. The national average of Americans with a mental health diagnosis is 19%, according to Sofia Moskalensko, research fellow in social psychology, writing in The Conversation.

Biden moved his deadline of making all adults eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations up from May 1 to April 19, USNews.com reported. His initial April vaccination goal was reached in March.

Biden cautions that new COVID-19 variants are spreading quickly, and cases and hospitalizations are again rising. The COVID-19 mutations are more dangerous, but “the vaccines work on all of them,” Biden stated.

Congressional Republicans are arguing that “infrastructure” is too broadly defined in Biden’s American Jobs Plan, and the plan should not include programs beyond transportation, such as for power lines, internet cable and jobs training — despite having supported advances in those arenas in the past. The New York Times reported, “the economy has changed, and so has the definition of infrastructure.” The paper noted that a third of the workforce in the 1950s was employed by manufacturers, but that has fallen to 8.5% — indicating a changing economy.

Proponents of the Jobs Plan are saying that in this century whatever helps people access work and lead better lives counts as infrastructure — including fixing dangerous water systems, advancing the use of electric vehicles and expanding help for disabled and elderly Americans. Opponents say those are examples of overreach.

Blast from the past: In 2005 the Bush administration tried to privatize Social Security, despite resistance from some Republican lawmakers. Democrats were in a minority, but promised they would save the program. The trick in the Dems’ hat was the filibuster: It would take 60 senators to break a filibuster and force a vote on privatizing Social Security. The filibuster worked: There were not enough votes to kill Social Security, and dismantling one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signature New Deal projects did not move forward at that time.

NEWS

Here We Have Idaho

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Only twice before has the Idaho Legislature been in session as long as it has in 2021. In 2003, lawmakers sat for a record 118 days, mostly on account of debate over raising the tax on cigarettes.

In 2009, the body met for 117 days, in large part because of fallout over the 2008 recession. As of April 14, the 2021 legislative session had lasted for 94 days, albeit with an unprecedented twoweek mid-session recess due to an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Statehouse in Boise.

Add to that the ersatz session convened in June 2020 — when 15 Republican lawmakers, with Blanchard Republican Rep. Heather Scott among their leaders — gathered unofficially in the House Chambers to express their displeasure with Gov. Brad Little’s by-then lapsed stay-at-home order. Also add to that the official “extraordinary session” convened in Boise in August 2020 to officially address COVID-19 in the state — during which right-wing activists perpetrated a minor incursion against the Statehouse that resulted in two separate arrests of celebrity extreme conservative agitator Ammon Bundy by Idaho State Police.

Altogether, Idaho lawmakers have seen more action over the past 12 months as has been precedent for the otherwise “part-time” Legislature, which sits for an average of 90 days each year, according to Boise-based KTVB-TV. Yet, according to capital watchers, we have at least another 10 or so days before legislators adjourn sine die. Key budgets such as education “and countless bills” remained to be addressed, reported KTVB, meaning, “Gem State lawmakers have a chance at making the 2021 session the longest in state history.”

Now in extra innings, the Idaho Legislature is picking up and putting down bills in seemingly scattershot style, as Capitol reporters — both in the building and trying to follow remotely — scramble to keep up with quickstep schedule changes and forays into fringe legislative sideroads,

such as the right-field proposal to merge parts of eastern Oregon and non-coastal northern California into something called “Greater Idaho.”

Here’s a brief — by no means complete — roundup: The initiatives bill Much ink has and will be spilled on Senate Bill 1110, which would put substantial barriers before citizen initiatives like the one in 2018 that resulted in Medicaid expansion. Both the House and Senate passed the legislation, which would require 6% of registered voters in every one of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts to sign on before an initiative could be certified for statewide voting. The current requirement — which opponents of SB 1110 say is strict enough — demands signatures from 6% of all Idaho voters as well as 6% of voters in 18 districts.

Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, voted against the bill, telling the Reader in March that, “moving from 50% of districts to 100% of legislative districts is a bit of a leap.”

Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, whose similar legislation in 2019 met with a veto from Little, told the Reader in March that, “I do believe S1110 will result in better representation for rural counties in the initiative process.”

The bill now sits with Little, who may either sign it into law or issue a veto. In the meantime, as of presstime, more than 17,400 Idahoans had signed a petition calling on Little to veto SB 1110 — an effort fronted by grassroots nonprofit organization Reclaim Idaho, which led the successful Medicaid expansion initiative effort. What’s more, in a canny political move, Reclaim Idaho has filed the Idaho Initiatives Rights Act of 2022 with the office of the Idaho secretary of state — itself an citizens’ initiative to protect citizens’ initiatives.

Reclaim Idaho organizers have stated that they only plan to initiate a campaign should Little sign SB 1110 into law — which could happen at any time. (For more on Reclaim Idaho’s stance on SB 1110, see Page 8).

What’s happening at the Legislature this week

Opposition to the bill has come from other quarters, too, including a consortium of former Idaho attorneys general, a former-chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and a number of lawyers in various parts of the state. Calling itself the “Committee to Protect and Preserve the Idaho Constitution,” the group stated its mission in March: “Legislators have shown an alarming disrespect for our State Constitution this session and it is incumbent upon members of the legal profession to call them to account.”

Education funding The surest harbinger of another week or more of the Legislature is movement (or lack thereof) on the Education Budget — actually a collection of budgets that amount to some of the biggest to be addressed by the Legislature, which by the state constitution must be settled before adjournment.

House members — including Dixon and Scott — voted down a $1.1 billion appropriation for teacher pay April 13, citing concerns that “critical race theory” would be taught to elementary students.

The vote was a 34-34 tie, though per House rules tie votes result in failure of the measure.

If approved, House Bill 354 would have in part funded teacher salaries on the so-called “career ladder,” which by law provides for yearly increases based on experience and credentials. Those bumps were foregone in the past session, meaning Idaho educators would go another year without their legally guaranteed wage hikes.

According to the Idaho Press, Scott was among those who spearheaded the opposition.

Concern among some lawmakers that students would somehow be required to learn “critical race theory” has been stoked by what Idaho Press Capitol Correspondent Betsy Z. Russell referred to as, “false claims promoted by the Idaho Freedom Foundation that a federal early-learning grant would require Idaho to partner with a national group promoting those theories.”

Russell quoted Scott: “We need to protect our teachers from being

forced to teach this garbage of social justice including critical race theory. ... There’s a lot of ideology coming to our schools.”

Lacking that component of the budget, the session is likely to continue even to the end of the month, as members of the powerful Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee return to the legislation to draft another version.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin — who has made consistent headlines for her hardright stance on a range of issues, including naysaying Gov. Little’s coronavirus mitigation efforts — said on April 9 that she plans to put together a task force targeting instances of critical race theory and leftist ideologies including Marxism in public schools.

Idaho Ed News quoted McGeachin, who is widely speculated to challenge Little in the next election, stating, “We must find where these insidious theories and philosophies are lurking and excise them from our education system. Idahoans are increasingly frustrated by the apparent lack of awareness and leadership coming from the state on these issues.”

An attempt to appropriate $4,000 for McGeachin’s task force failed in JFAC by a wide margin.

Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra issued a statement April 14 assuring Idahoans that the state’s teachers “share our Idaho values because they are our friends and neighbors.

“We also recognize that cancel culture and political agendas have no place in our schools. I support the Legislature’s efforts to put

in law what is already a standing practice in our schools,” she added.

Finally, Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, sponsored a bill April 14 that passed 12-3 on a party-line vote through the House Education Committee that would legally protect students at higher education institutions for expressing views “that may also be counter to those that the professor or even the majority of the classroom [hold].” If a school violates the law, Ehardt’s bill would open the way for the court to award damages of $5,000 to the student, payable by the educational institution.

Ehardt described the bill — HB 364 — as an attempt to protect free speech.

AG funding A Republican effort to “defund” the state attorney general’s office has died in committee. The push to punish the AG reached a fever pitch during the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath, as Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden refused to join more than a dozen fellow state attorneys general in opposing the election loss of former-President Donald Trump.

A majority of Idaho senators rejected two bills that previously passed the House, seeking to limit certain powers of the office, which under Wasden has routinely counseled the Legislature against unconstitutional bills that later were overturned in the courts, costing the state $3 million in legal fees since 1995, according to the Associated Press.

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Thank you Owen Bolson...

Bouquets: • A Bouquet to Schweitzer for putting their best foot forward this year. It was a great season overall, and I’m very pleased with how CEO Tom Chasse handled the COVID-19 protocols to ensure the mountain stayed open to provide us all with a little dose of normalcy in this past year that has been anything but. Here’s wishing all Schweitzer staff members a bit of rest and relaxation after the season. Looking forward to seeing you all this summer.

Barbs • The Idaho Legislature has yet again earned a Barb this week for their latest shenanigans. This time, the House defeated the public school budget for teachers after a tie vote because... reasons.

The opposition to the budget was spearheaded by the usual suspects; Republican Reps. Ron Nate, Priscilla Giddings, Wendy Horman and Heather Scott, who collectively believe that “critical race theory” shouldn’t be taught in Idaho schools. The defeat of the bill guarantees at least another week of work in the Legislature, with the possibility of extending the legislative session — all on the taxpayer dime, of course.

Rep. Scott said, “We need to protect our teachers from being forced to teach this garbage of social justice including critical race theory. ... There’s a lot of ideology coming to our schools.”

What’s really at issue here is that Idaho’s lawmakers don’t believe racism exists – not in Idaho or anywhere else, for that matter.

They are hijacking the budget to ensure Idaho’s public schools only teach curriculum they personally approve of. What’s next?

Will it be forbidden to teach our children about slavery? Will it become illegal to label the Jan. 6 insurrection as such?

When you put blinders on education, you end up with kids learning a manufactured truth.

That’s not OK with me.

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Dear editor, Thank you for your article a bile whack [Back of the Book; “Space aliens invade North Idaho to escape ‘galactic tyranny’; April 1, 2021]. Maybe the aliens you saw came from spouter ace.

But, I think they are grome hown; maybe from Conner Bounty.

They are bust jullies who are trowing a thantrum.

However, they have threatened our cair fity of Pointsand. We also need to repair our druised Bemocracy due to the Rump Tera.

Oh, and also, I thank you and your colleagues for protecting and promoting our rights to a pree fress.

Dil Pheutchman Pointsand

Hemingway documentary review was spot on…

Dear editor, I just finished reading the movie review of the PBS documentary three-part movie on Ernest Hemingway written by Zach Hagadone [Stage and Screen; “Hem-meh-way”; April 1, 2021] and I must say I am almost shocked. I am a former reporter for several newspapers and one year in Chicago as a reporter for United Press International.

But, I cannot remember the last time (or even ever) when I agreed with Every Single Paragraph that a reviewer wrote about a movie. It is as though Mr. [Hagadone] read my mind. I wouldn’t have changed a word if I could have written a review as well as he did.

I am sure he has read Carlos Baker’s book, Ernest Hemingway: The Authorized Biography, as has any serious student of the author.

But, as he stated, in so many words in the review, “enough already.”

It is a pleasure to enjoy good reporting and reviewing. Thank you.

James Richard Johnson Clark Fork

Editor’s note: Thank you, James. I have read Baker’s book, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in the topic.

KNPS presents ‘City Nature Challenge 2021’

By Reader Staff

Bonner County residents are invited to journey into their backyards, walk their neighborhoods or otherwise get outside and, using their cell phone cameras, document the biodiversity all around them.

The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society program, “City Nature Challenge 2021: Bonner County,” will kick off with a 10 a.m. presentation Saturday, April 24, during which the organization will introduce the “BioBlitz” event and take questions from participants.

Organizers describe the City Nature Challenge as “a friendly collaboration aimed at documenting global biodiversity while fostering a greater awareness and appreciation for nature.”

To take part, participants must first download the free iNaturalist app on their device and set up an iNaturalist account. Then, from Friday, April 30 through Monday, May 3, take photos of wild plants or animals anywhere they encounter them in Bonner County. Those photos are to be uploaded to iNaturalist, where other participants will identify and record the results.

The project began in 2016 as a competition between Natural History Museum of Los Ange-

les and the California Academy of Sciences. The next year, 17 cities joined in, and participation has steadily — and dramatically grown — ever since.

Both Bonner County and Boise are taking part this spring, marking the first time an Idaho community has participated in the City Nature Challenge, which in 2021 will draw participants from 359 cities around the world.

Each community defines its own boundaries and project areas, and most in the past have been located in metropolitan areas. However, as more people have become involved, the projects have expanded into rural areas — though keeping the umbrella name “City” challenge.

While documenting biodiversity is the main goal, the project also offers prizes for making the most observations, identifying the most species or having the most participants.

Of particular note, the local individual who makes the most unique species observations will be awarded a “CNCBC Champ 2021” Sasquatch trophy. Meanwhile, there is a mini-competition between Bonner County; Boise; and Red Lodge, Mont., to see which community can bring out the most observers per capita. The

winner will be awarded the inaugural Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy.

The April 24 presentation, co-sponsored by Sandpoint Parks and Recreation, will feature George Gehrig and Preston Andrews, of KNPS, and streamed live on Zoom — though recorded for later viewing on the KNPS YouTube Channel.

Gehrig is a member of the Pend Oreille Chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalists, and is an IDAH2O master watershed steward. He retired after a career in academic medicine, and now volunteers and advocates for environmental nonprofits. His primary interests are biodiversity and watershed health at the landscape level.

Andrews is program coordinator and member of the board of KNPS. He is an emeritus professor of horticulture from Washington State University, where he focused on the environmental physiology of woody plants. His primary scientific interests now are the ecological physiology of plants in their native habitats and utilizing community science to conserve biodiversity.

To register for this program, go to: bit.ly/3e0NbkW. For more information, visit nativeplantsociety.org or facebook. com/NativePlantSociety.

Help clean up the shoreline to celebrate Earth Day

By Reader Staff Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper and the city of Sandpoint will host the annual Shoreline Clean Up in celebration of Earth Day on Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

The free event is family friendly and open to everyone in the community.

LPOW staff will be at the City Beach pavilion the morning of April 24 to hand out bags, gloves, coffee provided by Evans Brothers Coffee and snacks to keep participants fueled up. Volunteer crews will focus on cleaning up the shoreline around City Beach and the Sand Creek corridor.

Those taking part in the event are encouraged to bring their own reusable gloves, such as leather work gloves or gardening gloves, to reduce waste.

“This is a great opportunity to get together with friends, family, neighbors, coworkers and fellow community members to take care of our shared natural resources and clean up our amazing lake,” stated LPOW Associate Director

Carolyn Knaack. “Before the lake rises to summer levels, we’re able to pick up trash below the high water line that falls off boats, roadways and bridges.”

As the lake steadily rises toward summer pool, LPOW stressed the importance of picking up trash before it is submerged and affects underwater habitats for plant and animal species, as well as areas where residents and visitors alike enjoy swimming, fishing and boating.

In the long-term, this trash can break down into microscopic pieces and become ingested by aquatic organisms, making them sick or killing them, the organization stated, causing “a ripple effect” to harm those higher on the food chain, such as predatory fish, birds and large mammals.

Finally, trash in local waterways also threatens the source of drinking water for many surrounding communities, including Kootenai, Ponderay, Sandpoint, Sunnyside, Oden Bay, Sourdough Point and the Island View Trailer

Resort near Beyond Hope, all of which rely on Lake Pend Oreille.

“Picking up trash instead of stepping over it or leaving it for someone else to ‘take care of’ is one of the easiest ways that you can make a difference in your community,” Knaack stated. “By doing this small action, you’re not only doing your part to care for our environment, but you’re also encouraging others to do the same. ...

“By protecting our environment from pollution and litter, we are preserving the integrity of these amazing natural resources for future generations to enjoy,” she added.

“Although it can be overwhelming to think about the variety of issues facing our environment, it’s important to remember that doing something — no matter how small or insignificant it may seem — is better than doing nothing at all.”

For more info on this year’s Shoreline Clean Up, visit lpow.org/ shoreline-clean-up, find Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper’s event on Facebook or call 208-597-7188.

OPINION

The truth about citizen initiatives

By Luke Mayville Special to the Reader

In military terms, a “smoke screen” is a cloud of smoke used to hide the movement of military units such as infantry or tanks.

In politics, a smoke screen is a phony argument used by politicians to hide their true intentions.

Any day now, Gov. Brad Little will decide whether to veto Senate Bill 1110, a bill that would make it much, much harder to qualify citizen initiatives for the ballot.

The true intention of SB 1110 is to prevent citizen initiatives like the 1994 term-limits initiative or the 2018 Medicaid expansion initiative from ever happening again. The sponsors of the bill want citizen initiatives to be virtually impossible.

But rather than admit their true intentions, the supporters of this bill have thrown up a smoke screen: Their intention, they claim, is to prevent urban voters from imposing policies on rural voters.

Anyone who knows the history of our initiative process will see

through their deception.

In the past 25 years, there have been three waves of attack on the initiative process by Idaho politicians. Each wave came after voters enacted laws that were broadly popular in rural and urban communities alike:

• In 1994, voters enacted term limits with nearly 60% of the vote. The Legislature reacted in 1997 by making it virtually impossible to qualify initiatives for the ballot. A new law required that campaigns collect signatures not just from 6% of voters statewide, but also from 6% of voters in each of 22 Idaho counties.

• In 2001, a federal court found the 22-county rule unconstitutional and struck it down. But in 2013, following the successful “Luna Laws” referendum campaign that won in a massive landslide, the Legislature once again attacked the initiative process and established the rule that signatures must be collected from 6% of voters in each of 18 different districts. The

“Luna Laws” referendum campaign was broadly popular in rural and urban communities alike. Yet, even back then, legislators used the “urban vs. rural” smoke screen to justify the 18-district rule.

• In 2019, after Medicaid expansion won a majority of the vote in 35 of 44 counties — including dozens of Idaho’s most rural counties — politicians once again deployed the “urban vs. rural” smoke screen in an attempt to dramatically restrict the initiative process. Senate Bill 1159 passed in both the House and the Senate in the face of overwhelming public opposition. Fortunately, the bill was vetoed by Gov. Little.

• In 2021, the Legislature is back again with a bill that would give Idaho the most restrictive initiative rules in the nation: signatures must be collected from 6% of registered voters in all 35 state legislative districts. Of the 26 states with ballot initiatives, no other state imposes an all-districts requirement.

Our history is clear: The “urban vs. rural” argument is phony.

There is not a single historical case of urban voters using the initiative process to impose their will on the rest of the state.

Whether it was term limits, the “Luna Laws” or Medicaid expansion, rural voters and urban voters came together and expressed their will. In each case, politicians sought to silence the voters simply because they didn’t like what the voters had to say.

Last month, when Idaho senators debated SB 1110 on the Senate floor, there was a refreshing moment of honesty. Republican Sen. Kevin Cook, of Idaho Falls, spoke of the proposed restrictions: “Is this harder to get an initiative on the ballot? I would say yes. Is that a good thing? I would say yes.”

In this statement, Sen. Cook revealed how out-of-touch he is with the vast majority of Idahoans — 80% of whom believe the initiative process is already hard enough. But at least he told the truth about his intentions. The goal

of Senate Bill 1110 has nothing to do with the urban/rural divide.

As Sen. Cook revealed, the bill is simply an attempt to make it much, much harder for citizens to exercise their initiative rights.

In the final days of this debate, as Gov. Little deliberates about whether to veto SB 1110, the politicians and special-interest groups who support this bill should tell the truth about their intentions and stop using rural voters as a smoke screen.

Luke Mayville is the co-founder of Reclaim Idaho, the organization that launched the successful 2018 campaign to expand Medicaid in Idaho. A graduate of Sandpoint High School, he holds degrees from the University of Oregon and Yale University, and writes and lectures on political philosophy, inequality and the political ideas of Founding-era Americans. He currently serves as an instructor in the Honors College at Boise State University.

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

fencing

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The sword is one of our most basic — and important — technologies. It started when someone in the misty, forgotten past picked up a stick and thought it might come in handy for whacking animals — in some cases to kill for food or fend off attack — or whacking other humans, for all the typical reasons.

Functionally, that stick extended the reach of the user’s arm for striking and replaced his or her relatively fragile yet vital appendage with something sturdier yet more expendable than flesh and blood. With the discovery and subsequent advancement of metal working, the humble stick transformed from wood to bronze, then iron, then steel — each step along the way adding layers of complexity in the fashioning and composition of the metallic elements, the tempering of the substance for ever-increasing durability and honing of the edge for improved sharpness.

Yet, through it all, the essentials of the sword have remained the same, and among the ancient traditions carried down to the present day has been the training and practice of using swords.

Enter: fencing.

According to the Academy of Fencing Masters, the earliest known depiction of fencers in action comes from a temple wall carving near Luxor, Egypt, and dates from the time of King Ramses III. It features two men, armed with recognizable swords, engaged in competition while two others stand back, apparently cheering them on.

Fencing as a sport, as much as a practical preparation for warfare, has been traced to ancient times everywhere from Turkey to Korea, but reached a particularly high 10 /

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level of athleticism in Greece and Rome, where fencing became a staple of health clubs, with members engaged in the activity as a way to stay fit. Sword fighting, rather than fencing, of course, eventually featured in the Roman blood sports of the Circus.

Naturally, not everyone who picks up a sword is intent on slaying their opponent, so the types of swords used for fencing needed to be different than the heavier, sharper forms used for fighting. Fencing schools cropped up in Europe during the 12th century, intended to further the skills of swordplay from brute force to incorporate mental as well as physical agility. Thus the sword forms changed to what we recognize today as the epee, foil and sabre.

Virtually unchanged for centuries, these forms value speed and light weight over sharp edges and the heft required to rend bone and muscle.

All three types of fencing sword are constructed from the same essential components: the grip, guard and blade. Likewise, the blades of all modern fencing swords are made from low-carbon steel, making them light and flexible. The bend in the blade is intended to limit the potential for injury when an opponent is struck, as the sport is one more of physics and muscle control (especially in the legs) than brute power. That said, fencing features a wide array of safety gear, including padded clothing, gloves and the iconic wire-mesh face covering.

The epee is regarded as the first dueling sword form. It features a large bell-shaped metal guard and long, relatively heavy and stiff blade that has been flattened on one side to create a triangular shape. In epee fighting, hits are only scored with the point of the sword and valid on any part of the body. Thus, the epee is a thrusting

weapon, and the point on modern epees used in competition is often fixed with a spring loaded button, which sends and electric impulse down a wire in the blade to a socket, into which are plugged cords attached to a small electronic receiver that registers the hits.

Watch fencing in the Olympics — of which the sport has been a part since the first modern games in 1896 — and you’ll see the hits recorded as the depressed sensor at the tip causes a light to blink on the scoring “box.” Most epees feature a pistol grip, though some have the “French grip,” which is a straight, long handle capped by a pommel.

The foil is of similar length, though its guard is smaller and flatter, and the blade is rectangular in shape. The blade is lighter and more flexible than the epee, though also functions as a thrusting weapon. As with the epee, hits in a foil bout are recorded using the point — often covered with a rubberized button — but valid only against the front or back of the torso. In competition, the foil is often also electronically connected. The French grip is more common with foils than epees, contributing to their lighter weight.

Finally, the sabre is the shortest and lightest of the three, designed for extremely fast thrusting and slashing. Unlike the other fencing forms, hits in sabre fencing are recorded against the head, arms, hand and torso. The guard of a sabre is half rounded — think of a pirate cutlass and you’ll have the idea — to protect the sword hand. The blade of a sabre is constructed in a much closer style to a combat sword than either the epee or foil, commonly described as V-shaped at the base with a blunt cutting edge that tapers to a flattened rectangular shape toward the tip, which is folded over. This compara-

tively sharper shape contributes to greater aerodynamics, thus it moves faster through the air.

Unlike with the pure thrusting style of the epee or foil, which requires fencers to adjust their stance accordingly to accommodate both a quick forward motion (or lunge) and rapid retreat — holding their blades lower toward their center of gravity — sabre fencing puts much greater emphasis on attack. Sabre fencers (called a sabreur if male or sabreuse if

female) stand en garde with their body positioned more forward and sword tip pointing up.

Though seemingly simplistic, the practice of swordplay as expressed in fencing is among the most complex and elegant athletic displays — at its finest, an example of the complete melding of the human mind and body with a foundational human technology.

Stay curious, and en garde, 7B.

Random Corner rs?

Don’t know much about mirro • The first form of a mirror was invented in ancient times. It was actually a small pool of water filled in a dark-colored container.

• After the water-mirror was created and implemented into everyday use, people started making polished volcanic glass and stone mirrors around 6,000 BCE in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). Polished stone mirrors were discovered in Central and South America that dated from 2000 BCE onward. Mirrors of polished copper have been found in Mesopotamia dating from around 4000 BCE and in ancient Egypt from 3000 BCE. Mirrors made of bronze have been found in China dating from Around 2000 BCE. • The belief that breaking a mirror will bring seven years of bad luck originates from Roman times, based on the belief that by breaking an old mirror you also broke your soul. The superstition persists to this day.

• Mirrors can reflect sound waves. They are known as acoustic mirrors and were used during WWII

We can help!

in Britain for detecting enemy movements.

• Modern mirrors did not come into being until the late Middle Ages, and even then their manufacture was difficult and expensive.

One problem involved the fact that sand used for glassmaking contained too many impurities to produce adequate clarity. Also, the shock caused by the heat of adding molten metal for backing almost always broke the glass.

• It was during the Renaissance when the Florentines developed a process for making low-temperature lead backing. The enhanced clarity helped artists create linear perspectives with mirrors giving the illusion of depth of field.

• The modern mirror is made by spraying a thin layer of silver or aluminum onto the back of a sheet of glass. The process was invented

by Justus Von Leibig in 1835. Most mirrors are made today by heating aluminum in a vacuum, which then bonds to the cooler glass.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Branded

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

Outside of writing this column, I work with businesses to help establish or rework their outward-facing presence. These collaborations usually center on crafting a new website, reimagining their marketing strategies, and identifying or developing their brand’s identity.

Although it often gets a disingenuous rap, branding can be a helpful tool for businesses to communicate who they are and what they care about. There is psychology and metaphor wrapped inside color and font choices, and voice and tone can help signal the kind of audiences with whom the business prefers to engage.

At the start of every new collaboration, I schedule a meeting to learn about the client’s origin story, their guiding principles and goals for the future. I work to figure out who they are trying to talk to and decipher the best way to reach that audience through their branding choices.

Without fail I explain, “A website or a rebrand is a tool to get you from where you are to where you want to be.” Also, “Every choice you make should be in alignment with your foundational mission and values.”

I say these phrases because moving a business forward is possible through thoughtful choices, but when there is a disconnect between those choices and the values it built its business around, it runs the risk of alienating its existing audiences (imagine a vegan food truck trying to grow its business by selling products, but then testing

Emily Erickson. those products on animals. Their pursuit of growth would alienate their current client base).

Before I start to sound like my own personal marketing pitch, I’m talking about this because these ideas of marketing and branding recently made a big splash in our little town, exploding with something as seemingly benign as a new logo design.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort on April 7 released the spoils of its rebrand on social media. A black-and-gray graphic backsplash featured its new logo: a luminescent green, swooping “S.” The “S” was designed to be situated next to the simplified name “Schweitzer,” in plain, easy-to-read text.

In a statement about the rebrand, mountain officials addressed the question, “Why Change?,” with the answer, “When we examined our logo, which is intended to visually communicate Schweitzer’s unique identity, we realized it wasn’t adequately reflecting who we are today, nor symbolizing the future we aspire to create.”

They explained the symbolism and thoughtfulness

packed into the three symmetrical strokes of the “S” — their allusion to the original 1960s black-letter typeface through an intentional 45-degree axis, and the retro ski outfits and multi-season recreation that inspired the new color scheme.

Despite the thoughtfulness and upbeat delivery of its “new look,” Schweitzer’s rebrand met with an incredible amount of attention and backlash. Schweitzer’s posts received more than 1,500 comments and shares, with people comparing it to the Seattle Kraken logo, saying it reminded them of a financial institution, expressing disappointment that didn’t represent skiing or mountain biking, and generally proclaiming that the whole concept behind it panders to rich out-of-town weekend warriors and uppity transplants.

Reading both Schweitzer’s rebrand statements and more community comments than I’d like to admit, I couldn’t help but view the whole situation from the lens of a fellow brander.

The Schweitzer team undeniably did its rebrand due diligence, using the mountain’s past as inspiration for paving a new future. They contemplated what their business means to the community and tried to capture the spirit and experience of Schweitzer inside colors, text and shapes.

I also know that the point of a rebrand is to get from where you are to where you want to be.

By changing their logo and their brand, Schweitzer’s managers were orienting themselves to the mountain of tomorrow.

For a business built on the values of accessibility, on being the low-key winter playground for the salt-of-the-earth locals

and a constant in the swirling world of change, that pursuit of connecting to the audience of tomorrow — no matter how thoughtful — will inevitably incite feelings of disconnect.

By trying to expand its reach, Schweitzer inherently risks alienating the section of its base that exclusively wants to keep the mountain for themselves.

As for the community, I’m not convinced they really care about the logo as much as their

comments, likes and shares indicate. I think tucked behind the, “Dumb logo… unless you are selling energy drinks to guys named Kyle,” and the, “I love Schweitzer but not the new logo.

It’s too Seattle and not enough mountain,” is really a commentary on a changing town — and a community of people afraid of getting left behind in the change.

Retroactive

By BO

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PERSPECTIVES

The problem with ‘cancel culture’

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Conservative media outlets have been obsessed in recent months with talking about their latest buzzword for the ruin of America: cancel culture.

The outrage machine revved up another few notches last week when Major League Baseball officials announced their organization will move the All-Star game from Atlanta, Ga. to Colorado after Georgia passed legislation critics have labeled as destructive to voting rights.

The truth about so-called cancel culture is not that a “woke mob” is forcing “radical” change on the American people. Cancel culture is a nefarious term that is simply a byproduct of the free market at work — a free market, by the way, that for decades Republican lawmakers have fallen over themselves defending. American consumers are the ones who ultimately decide where they want to spend their money. If a product uses environmentally damaging packaging, a consumer can choose to support a competitor’s more eco-friendly product instead. If a customer has a sub-standard experience at a local business, they might choose not to patronize that establishment

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anymore. If a consumer is unhappy about the political statements shared by a CEO of a corporation, they can choose to take their business elsewhere. That is the essence of the free market.

Recently I walked into a business and noticed an employee wearing a Confederate battle flag emblem. This is a symbol of racism, and I chose to take my business elsewhere. I won’t support a business run by someone who is either proud of treason and racism or ignorant that this flag is a symbol of both. That is my choice as a consumer, just as it’s MLB’s choice, or Coca-Cola’s choice to express dismay over a voting law that inordinately targets people of color, making it more difficult to vote. One provision of the new law even outlaws providing food or water to people waiting in voting lines. Remember before the 2020 election that people were standing in line as long as 11 hours to cast their ballots.

What’s not discussed on these same conservative news outlets is that the biggest proponent of cancel culture is none other than former-President Donald Trump. Both before he took office, during and after he left, Trump has advocated loudly to his millions of followers for boycotts of dozens of businesses.

An incomplete list of these businesses includes; Apple, Macy’s, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, NASCAR, Oreo, Scotland, Mexico, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, JPMorgan Chase, ViacomCBS, Citigroup, Cisco, Goodyear Tires, Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, UPS, Merck, Amazon, Geico and so many others.

The reasons for boycotting run the gamut from petty to downright childish. One of the most ridiculous is when he called to boycott Glenfiddich Scotch whisky after the company awarded its annual Top Scot to a man named Michael Forbes, who was a staunch critic of Trump’s golf course in Scotland.

Trump released a statement after the MLB decision to move the All-Star game where he said in order to fight “woke cancel culture,” it was necessary to... boycott companies he didn’t agree with.

The hypocrisy went even further when the former president was photographed at Mar-a-Lago with a

bottle of Diet Coke unsuccessfully hidden behind a phone. It is reported that Trump drinks upward of 12 Diet Cokes a day.

What does all this mean? Outrage is a commodity. When channeling outrage to his supporters, the former president is able to promote the divisive rhetoric that defined his presidency, but the truth is he is not willing to take his own advice and switch to Diet Pepsi.

The problem with “cancel culture” is the perspective through which it is practiced. In our free market economy, it is everyone’s right to choose where to spend their money. Cancel culture is simply not real — at least not in the way people believe it is. It has been turned into a catch-all term for when people in power face consequences for their actions.

Because of the prevalence of social media, people who have not traditionally been able to express their dismay with racist, sexist and bigoted behavior — i.e. people of color and marginalized commu-

nities — have been able to share with a wider audience their choice not to support a person or a company that crossed a line. Instead of looking at what caused a company to end a relationship, the “cancel culture” warriors delegitimize the criticism by focusing only on the backlash, not the problem that caused it. And the outrage machine keeps chugging along.

Calling those who profess a desire not to support a company for questionable practices or statements is not the work of a “woke mob,” but a savvy consumer who chooses to spend their money with a company that aligns with their values.

Finally, let us not forget the actual mob that was egged on by then-President Trump to storm the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to cancel an entire election because its favored candidate did not win.

Rife with hypocrisy, the term “cancel culture” itself is the thing that really needs to be canceled.

FOOD & DRINK

A pint half full

Despite a challenging year, Utara joins local craft brewers in looking ahead with optimism

By David Kosiba Reader Contributor

The craft beer industry has been rocked over the past 12 months by the obvious pandemic, changes in social behaviors, and a redefinition of how people enjoy craft products and support local businesses. Now more than ever it is time for customers to rally behind their local breweries and the products that they collectively produce as a community.

At Utara, we wholeheartedly support the craft beer revolution and believe that it is our job as independent brewers to take market share from macro-corporate breweries that want consumers to pick their favorite beer like they’d pick a professional sport team. Your favorite beer should be the one in your hand. We proudly fly the flag of Craft and are dedicated to serving our community and its visitors the freshest and most innovative products available.

As head brewer at Utara, I also proudly serve as president of the Inland Northwest Craft Brewers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching and growing Inland Northwest breweries, the beer culture, and local communities through outreach and education. We’ve developed a great app available for download from the Google Play or App Store by searching for “Inland NW Ale Trail.”

With Washington and Idaho breweries slowly returning to whatever normal is, we’re looking forward to rolling out a large ad campaign promoting the area’s great breweries.

Under the Utara roof, we’re excited about spring and summer, to say the least. We have our full food and beer menu dialed in and are having a lot of fun offering specialty one-off products. Most recently, we’ve tapped our last keg of Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale (6.5% ABV, 21 IBU). Our Tangerine Pale Ale (5.5% ABV, 37 IBU) was so popular last year, that we’re trying to keep it on tap year-round. We started to can our flagship Maiden Rock IPA (6.7% ABV, 61 IBU) going into fall last year and have four-packs of 16 oz. cans available at the

A pint by the outdoor fire at Utara Brewing Co. Courtesy photo. brewery and Winter Ridge.

Utara offers 10 taps of mostly core beers and a full menu offering Indian-inspired cuisine. We have plans for a summer filled with established and new products alike, and are finishing up a batch of Long Beach Light Lager (5.25% ABV, 8 IBU), which should be ready to tap next week.

This year, all Long Beach Light Lager will feature the addition of a natural enzyme that reduces gluten content to under 20 parts per million. By no means will this make it gluten free, but for those out there with gluten sensitivities, this might be a good alternative without sacrificing flavor. Also, we’ve been refining our hard

seltzer recipes (5% ABV) which will be offered in both grapefruit and huckleberry flavors and should be on tap by the end of April. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure that gluten contaminants are not present in this product, but do not claim that this is gluten free as it is produced in a brewery.

Additional summer favorites will include a fruity gosé (a mild sour beer, think lemonade on a hot summer day), citrusy pale ales and IPAs, and the occasional hot pepper beer.

On the food side of things, we’re ready to offer smoked salmon masala loxs throughout the summer as well as cold deli items such as Indian spiced

potato salad and vindaloo cole slaw.

Last summer, we offered house-made Berry Pops to our customers only to find that we couldn’t keep them in stock. To help augment our food offerings for this summer, we’re in the beginning talks with other food vendors to see how we can work together to keep supplies available throughout what promises to be a very busy summer.

Indoors at Utara, we’ve spaced out our tables and are thrilled to roll up our two garage doors for plenty of fresh air as weather permits. We’re also investing heavily into our outdoor spaces, which includes doubling our outdoor seating capacity along Pine Street as well as our “beer garden” around the back of the building.

Additional enhancements we hope to include are building a 32-foot pergola to hold lighting, shade sails and hops, additional planter boxes and a continuation of live fires on Saturday nights.

Coming out of winter after the past 12 months of hardships leaves the entire industry more optimistic than ever. That includes all 100-plus breweries in our area, the four local breweries and all of their patrons. Get out there and enjoy great locally made products.

If you haven’t been to one of the other breweries in town, stop in and you’ll be sure to find something you like that they are doing. They are all trying very hard to make sure that your experience is great, and they deserve to hear it. Tip your beer-tenders, be positive, support local craft and stay hydrated.

Dave Kosiba is co-owner and head brewer of Utara Brewing Company and Curry House, located at 214 Pine St. in Sandpoint. Get more info at utaraidaho. com or by calling 208-627-5070.

This is the third in a series of articles

by Sandpoint area brewers. Look for the fourth — and final — installment in the April 29 edition of the Sandpoint Reader.

Find past articles at sandpointreader. com.

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By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor

looking forward This last year has sure been a unique time… one of uncertainty and, for some, plain ol’ fashion heartache.

In my particular case — bein’ someone who has spent countless weekends playin’ guitar and singing in clubs and wine rooms... who decided to hang around the bunkhouse until the storm passed — I suddenly experienced a void. The satisfaction and socialization that goes along with performing instantly ended. Being single didn’t help either. But now, along with the magic of spring, folks seem to have a shared feeling that the worst of it is over.

I set up some of my equipment in my cabin… got out the guitar and am lookin’ forward to gettin’ back in the saddle again. I’m also lookin’ forward

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to something else: not drinkin’ so much.

Yup, I avoided the COVID this winter but another type of potential pathogen seeped in under my door. A couple beers too many every day and at times a shot of whiskey for good measure. Funny… all those years of sippin’ on complimentary beverages while I played never caused an infection. I saw the symptoms in a few others… lately I’ve been experiencing them myself.

Time to face the music.

Recently I’ve written myself a prescription. I’ve begun to fake out my body. I’ll drink half a can of beer, then fill it back up with cold water from the fridge. I know… kinda ruins it but it still sorta tastes like beer and I’m getting used to it. I was never very good at

math but now it’s becoming my friend.

After filling the first 12-ounce can back up with six ounces of water I’ll end up takin’ in 18 ounces but only 12 of it is beer. Do this say three times and I’ve had 36 ounces of beer and 18 ounces of water. Total solution in the stomach: 54 ounces. Body is sayin’, “Dude, time to have some dinner.”

I hope to decrease the dosage as the days go on… I’ve already lost a couple pounds… handy thing about water: no sugar or fat.

I won’t lie… some days I don’t “wreck” the brew… but… spring is at hand — hopefully a spring with plenty of water.

OUTDOORS

For Ethan, and for all

Sandpoint’s Justine Murray launches nonprofit, plans thru-hike to raise awareness and money for local mental health resources

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff If you don’t see Justine Murray at La Chic Boutique, her business in downtown Sandpoint, chances are she is probably hiking.

Being in the mountains is a pastime that she often enjoyed with her son, Ethan.

“Now, thinking back, all the times that we did go hike — what that meant to us, being together, and what that offered him,” she said. “He would be in crisis, and be looking to go hiking.”

Ethan struggled with schizophrenia and addiction, and was fatally shot by a Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy near a homeless camp in Spokane Valley on May 4, 2019.

Murray said she always had the idea to go on a thru-hike with the goal of raising awareness and funds for local mental health resources, though wasn’t always sure which major trail she’d choose. Then she read a story about a man who hiked the Idaho Centennial Trail. It was the first time she’d heard of the trek, which measures more than 900 miles and stretches the length of Idaho from the Nevada border to Priest Lake.

“I thought, ‘This is pretty special. I think this is the trail,’” she recalled. “I pretty much just knew.”

That was before Ethan’s death. Now,

Murray is tying the thru-hike into a larger mission: a nonprofit known as the Ethan Murray Fund, which will aim to offer financial support for local people facing mental illness, homelessness and addiction.

“I needed resources for Ethan that weren’t available,” Murray said.

Ultimately, her “big vision” for Sandpoint is the creation of a crisis center. Right now, the nearest is in Coeur d’Alene.

“I really think having a crisis center and a shelter are the two biggest things right now I see that would be really helpful for Sandpoint,” Murray said, noting that homelessness in North Idaho is not as visible as it is in larger cities.

“There is no place to go for them,” she added. “There’s places for families, but for single [people], like Ethan, there wasn’t any place.”

For now, the Ethan Murray Fund plans to offer support in other ways, such as footing transportation bills to get individuals to the Coeur d’Alene crisis center, or assisting with addiction counseling costs. Helping a mother afford medication for her child could be “life-changing,” Murray said.

Exploring local trails has been integral for Murray throughout her grieving process. Not only will the ICT hike spur fond memories of hiking with Ethan, but she hopes it will also help her connect to his experiences.

“It’s not the same, but reflecting on my son and what the day-to-day must have been like for him — for safety and finding a place to sleep, being uncomfortable in all kinds of weather,” she said. “I thought that’s the closest I could feel — it’s still not even close — but to feeling uncomfortable on a day-to-day basis.”

The ICT also presents challenges of navigability. It goes through the largest swath of wilderness in the lower 48 states — the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness — and is known for having hundreds of stream crossings. Murray said that her research leads her to believe that the trail will be anything but straightforward.

“You’ll think you are lost, and right when you think you are lost and you’ve been hiking for miles and bushwhacking, you find the trail again,” she said.

Still, she said she looks forward to the chance to be immersed in Idaho’s most beautiful places for up to two and a half months; she noted that she and her partner, Matt Connery, have agreed not to rush their hike.

“Running a business, it’s been busy and

Left: Ethan Murray and Justine Murray.

Right: A small tin of Ethan’s ashes that Murray carries with her on her hikes. Photos courtesy Justine Murray. it’s been difficult to find a lot of time to go hiking,” she said. “I still do, and I still push it, but I think just getting out there and being in nature — in the solitude and the beauty — is going to be amazing.”

Murray and Connery plan to embark for southern Idaho around June 1. Also coming along will be Ethan’s ashes, which Murray plans to distribute along the journey.

“It feels very healing,” she said, “and it feels like what he would want, and where he would want to be.”

The website for the Ethan Murray Fund launches Friday, April 16 at ethanmurrayfund.org. Friday will also mark the release of the teaser for a short documentary being made about the hike and Murray’s quest to improve mental health resources in Sandpoint. Learn more on the nonprofit’s Instagram: @ethanmurrayfund.

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Cocolalla Bible Camp Ages 9-18 and family July-Aug. Swimming, canoeing, paddle boats, water sports, team sports, fishing, etc.

208-263-3912 clbcamp.org

2021

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

There are a lot of great summer camp options in this region. Here’s our annual guide for parents to find the right choice of camp for their kiddos — updated for 2021.

For nearly 50 years, Cocolalla Bible Camp has been a leading local option for faith-based summer entertainment. The robust summer program includes weeks of activities for campers of various ages. Teen camp for 13-18 years (July 11-16), ages 11-12 years (July 18-22), ages 9-10 years (July 25-29) and ages 7-8 years (Aug. 1-5). All camps are Sunday through Thursday except the teen camp, which is Sunday through Friday.

Over the course of their week-long adventure, campers have access to varied activities, including canoeing, swimming, paddle boats, volleyball, horseback riding, Frisbee golf, and team sports like baseball and basketball. Along with the traditional summer camp experiences comes a focus on scriptural education, with regular chapel sessions and Bible studies rounding out daily activities.

For questions or further details, email info@clbcamp.org.

Schweitzer Summer Adventure Camp Ages 6-10 First week of camp is June 21-25, last week is Aug. 16-20 Hiking, crafts, swimming, village activities.

208-255-3081 ext. 2152 schweitzer.com Camp costs $199 ($189 for Schweitzer passholders) per child, per week, and includes transportation from the bottom of the mountain. Campers get to hike, ride the chairlift, play games in the village, climb the rock wall, sluice to find gemstones, swim daily, use the trampoline jumper and more.

Registration begins online May 1.

Twin Eagles Summer Camps Ages 6-18 Six different camps over six weeks.

208-265-3685 twineagles.org Day camps: June 14-July 16 Ages 6-13 Wilderness Survival Day Camp — Session 1: June 14-18, Session 2: July 5-9 Crafts and Foraging Day Camp: June 21-25 Nature Ninjas Day Camp: July 12-16 Overnight camps: Late July-Aug. Ages 10-13: July 25-30 Ages 13-18: Aug. 2-8 Day and residential. Embodied nature connection mentoring.

Wilderness survival, nature awareness, animal tracking, primitive skills, natural crafts, wild edible and medicinal plants.

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Selkirk Outdoor Leadership and Education (SOLE) Ages 4-17 June-Aug. Outdoor science day camps, outdoor leadership day camps and outdoor leadership backcountry expeditions.

928-351-SOLE (7653) soleexperiences.org info@soleexperiences.org < see CAMP, page 17 > / April 15, 2021

< CAMP, con’t from page 16 > During the summer months, 501c3 experiential education nonprofit Selkirk Outdoor Leadership and Education utilizes local landscapes to help youths unplug and reconnect to develop a sense of belonging and affinity for nature. Summer programs have a thematic design so every “SOLE Experience” is unique session to session, year to year.

All camp sessions are led by credentialed staff and feature low instructor-to-student ratios, ensuring that participants’ needs are met.

Music Conservatory of Sandpoint Camps: 208-265-4444 sandpointconservatory.org Summer Academy 2021 Two session of camps — July 19-30 and Aug. 2-13 Registration now open. Call MCS office to register and for questions.

The Majors Orchestra major: beginner and advanced Session 2: Aug. 2-13, morning major and full day (advanced) Orchestra camp will span two weeks this year, with an advanced and a beginner orchestra. MCS will host Jan Pellent as the guest conductor to lead participants through the second week and an exciting final performance. Sylvia Rannette will serve as director.

Ages 9 and older.

Wizard of Oz: theater major Session 1: Aug. 2-13, afternoon major Campers will join the fun with fellow students in creating the land of Oz, based on the fantastic (non-musical) version of Wizard of Oz by Erik Detrick. Students will be immersed in the whole theatrical production process —

from auditions to set making and more.

Instructors include Keely Gray-Heki with Ali Thomas.

Ages 8-18. No experience needed Musical theater major Session 2: Aug. 2-13, afternoon major For the first time MCS will offer a fantastic musical theater camp, in which students will work together on group numbers from popular Broadway classics. Participants should come prepared to dance, sing and stretch their acting muscles with this fast-paced, energetic camp. Some singing experience required. This offering is more advanced and fast-paced then the regular theater camp. Instructors include Keely Gray-Heki and Matt Goodrich, with Ali Thomas.

Ages 10 and older.

Piano major Session 1: July 19-30, morning major Piano camp is a two-week program designed to build ensemble and composition skills for piano students with at least three years of study. Students will have the opportunity to learn duets, develop their own music and perform in a concert at the end of the camp. Piano camp is led by Melody Puller and Matt Goodrich.

Ages 9 and older.

performer and recorder. Also offered are music games, music exploring, and music improvisation and songwriting.

Morning majors run from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Afternoon majors run from 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Cost for MCS Summer Academy 1 Major: $95 2 Majors: $125 3 Majors: $200 4 Majors: $225 2 Electives are included Sandpoint Waldorf School camps Contact the Sandpoint Waldorf School for more information and registration forms. 208-265-2683 admin@sandpointwaldorf.org Sun, Dirt and Bugs Day Camp Ages 4-6 years July 5-30, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Summer is meant to be spent outdoors. At SWS, camp participants will enjoy summer days of imaginative play under the guidance of early childhood teachers. Activities include nature walks, water play, cooking, gardening, crafts, storytelling, music and more.

Snack is provided. Students bring their own lunch, sun protection and swim wear (so campers can play in the sprinklers). Weekly enrollment available.

Celebrating Cultures around the World Ages 6-12 July 5 – 30, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Each day, camp attendees will focus on a different culture through crafting, gardening, drama, stories and playing games, as well as stories. For lunch, participants will prepare a traditional meal from the culture of the day, with food harvested from the school garden.

Campers will compile their own recipe book. The entire day will be spent outdoors, with time in the afternoon for water play and outings.

Note: We try our best to include all summer camp options with this annual guide, but if your camp wasn’t included in this listing — or if you have updated information — please contact Publisher Ben Olson at ben@sandpointreader. com and we’ll make sure to publish your information in a future edition of the Reader.

Choir major Session 2: Aug. 2-13, morning major Camp attendees will make musical friends while improving their singing skills. Led by Janice Wall and Sarah Caruso Ages 8 and older.

Percussion major Session 1: July 19-30, morning major Learn the elements of tempo, beat and rhythm. Ali Thomas will lead students in practicing precision timing.

Ages 8 and older.

Chimes major Session 1: July 19-30, afternoon major Hand chimes are a beautiful way to make music together. Learn a new instrument this summer. Led by Janice Wall.

Ages 8 and older.

Electives Choose from classes on ukulele, instrument art, games for the whole April 15, 2021 /

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events April 15 - 22, 2021

THURSDAY, april 15

Live Music w/ Benny Baker Incredibly Wild Online Auction (Apr. 14-28) 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall @ scotchmanpeaks.org Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness hosts an online Longshot Trivia auction featuring local art, weekend getaways and more 6-9pm @ The Longshot Connecting With Your Children Through Nature — Kaniksu Folk School 9am-3pm @ Pine Street Woods Kaniksu Land Trust’s new adult nature education initiative. A class for parents and teachers to deepend their own connection to nature and provide them with tools to help connect your kids to nature. Entire day spent outside. $40. 208-263-9471

FriDAY, april 16

Live Music w/ Doug Bond & Marty Perron Live Music w/ Devon Wade 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Acoustic guitar and mandolin duo Friday Night Wine Flight 4-11pm @ The Longshot Flight of 3 wines for $15

SATURDAY, april 17 Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin Live Music w/ Ben Vogel 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Smart pop music that surges with rock energy Live Music w/ Jacob Maxwell Festival at Sandpoint Virtual Auction and Show 7-9pm @ The Longshot 6-7pm @ festivalatsandpoint.com From CDA. Appeared on season A virtual auction benfiting the Festival at Sandpoint, 16 of The Voice featuring musical performances from local artists and Festival updates on 2021. To attend, visit the Festival’s website and follow the instructions

SunDAY, april 18

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am

Piano Sunday w/ Peter Lucht 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Bingo at the Winery 6-7:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

monDAY, april 19

Outdoor Experience Monday Night Group Run – All levels welcome 6pm @ Outdoor Experience Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “They Hijacked My Life!”

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

tuesDAY, april 20 wednesDAY, april 21 ThursDAY, april 22 Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

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COMMUNITY Bonner Community Housing Agency seeks new executive director

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Finding affordable housing in North Idaho has become a quest for many who are moderate-income earners. With homes selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they were just a few years ago, the housing crunch in Sandpoint is an immediate reality.

The Bonner Community Housing Agency announced April 14 that it is seeking a new executive director after news that the current ED, Chris Bassett, plans to step down after 11 years in the position.

Nate Rench, who serves as president of the board, said BCHA is actively seeking applicants to fill Bassett’s shoes.

“It’s a tricky role to fill because, besides being in the nonprofit realm, you kind of have to have a diverse skill set,” Rench told the Reader. “You need to have a background in the lending and mortgage industry, you need to be construction-oriented, you need to know about real estate transactions and banking. It’s a tough job to fill.”

Rench said the BCHA is encouraging anyone interested to apply via the online job portal: idahoworks.gov/ jobs/1407593, where a full job description is available.

The executive director needs to promote the mission of BCHA publicly; run operations, programs and staff; oversee the development of housing projects through HUD and IHFA and work with the board of directors on community outreach and funding.

According to Rench, the BCHA helps to develop local housing for low- to moderate-income earners.

“The idea behind it is to help people like teachers and firefighters,” Rench said. “You don’t have to be a millionaire to live in Sandpoint. You should have the opportunity to own a home or live in Sandpoint without being independently wealthy — which is becoming harder and harder.

… We need to figure out how to make housing available for moderate-earning families.”

Rench said while there are some local entities aiming to create apartment complexes for low-income families, the BCHA is most interested in helping families buy or build their first home.

“We’re not looking at 4,500-square-foot mansions on the water or anything,” Rench said. “We’re looking at nice, affordable homes they can call their own. We have an influx of people moving in that are driving prices high. The cost of construction right now is through the roof.”

In an ideal world, Rench said the BCHA is seeking a charitable donor who is willing to give their land to a good cause.

“Helping local families buy their first home is, I think, the most noble gift you can give,” Rench said. “These are Sandpoint families trying to make ends meet and have a little bit of ownership in this community.”

The BCHA is accepting applications now. For more information contact Nate Rench at NRench@watrust.com or Chris Basset at chris@bonnerhousing.org.

STAGE & SCREEN

My (s)heroes

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Representation matters. That’s why, as a young girl, I sought out strong female characters to emulate.

During the Disney years, it was Mulan. She was awkward and protective of her family. She also grew to be a powerful warrior who saved China, and what’s cooler than that?

By the teenage years, I remember identifying with Kat Stratford — the blunt, smart older sister played by Julia Stiles in the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You. Kat was stubborn, but not immune to young love. I found the whole notion — that an independent woman could also find value in companionship — very comforting.

Even today, in my mid-20s, I tend to appreciate entertainment more if it utilizes female characters that get shit done.

Here are a few of my recent favorites.

Catherine from The Great Elle Fanning is already receiving recognition for her role as Catherine in the new Hulu original comedy The Great, and for good reason. The premise of the show — which dubs itself “an occasionally true story” — lends itself well to a cunning female lead. It takes the wellknown story of Tsarina Catherine “the Great,” who married Tsar Peter the III of Russia in 1745 and then initiated a coup, and jazzes it up with ridiculous antics and off-the-wall characters. The Peter in The Great is an insufferable pig, making Catherine’s brash and impassioned quest for the throne all the more compelling.

Female characters who kick ass

Cristina Yang from Grey’s Anatomy Dr. Yang was a key character in the first 10 seasons of Grey’s, and the show was never the same without her. What makes her so lovable is her arc from selfish aspiring surgeon to the compassionate and accomplished woman she was upon departure. This character development wasn’t smooth or graceful, making it all the more satisfying for real-life women who know the struggle of balancing professional coldness with expected feminine warmth. Yang, played by Sandra Oh, did not apologize for her greatness, but also learned to make friends along the way.

Letty Ortiz from Fast & Furious If you’re looking for a female role model to prove that women are better drivers, look no further than Letty, the matriarch of the Fast & Furious franchise.

Played by Michelle Rodriguez, Letty is the tomboy of most guys’ dreams: She’ll fix the cars she races and kick someone’s ass in hand-to-hand combat, but also slip into a slinky red gown to crash a party in Abu Dhabi. Ortiz is admittedly pretty one-dimensional, but her predictability is part of her appeal. She and main character Dom Toretto “ride or die” — meaning, they will always ride together, until they die together, most likely in an elaborate, high-speed heist. That loyalty is romantic and, quite frankly, badass.

finds herself tangled in the web due to an affair with the U.S. president, but it isn’t anything she can’t handle. There’s a reason there are two female characters from Shonda Rhimes-written shows on this

A still image from The Great featuring Elle Fanning, who plays Catherine. Courtesy photo. list (Pope and Yang). That woman knows how to write a compelling woman.

Olivia Pope from Scandal Kerry Washington redefined female political characters with her role in the ABC show Scandal, which told the story of the allegiances and back-stabbings behind the scenes in D.C. Olivia Pope fixes things for people, and uses those connections to her advantage. She also

Auditions for one-act plays at the Panida

By Jim Healey Reader Contributor Auditions for a series of one-act plays in the Panida Theater will take place Saturday, April 24, beginning at 10 a.m.

The “Art as Theater” one-act plays are a unique concept featuring original plays inspired by the works of local artists Patricia Ragone, Suzanne Jewell, Connie Scherr and Scott Kirby, and will be presented during the June 18, 19 and 20

opening of Pend Oreille Art Council’s Art Walk 2021.

There are 22 roles for actors ranging in age from their teens through 60s. Script sides will be provided for actors, who are required to attend once-a-week rehearsals starting Saturday, May 1, then for extra rehearsals the weeks of June 6 and June 13 for full-cast run-throughs, tech and dress rehearsals.

More information is available at panida.org.

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Local musician to host songwriting competition Cash prizes offered for winning original song submitted

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

It’s been a tough year for live music in general, so local musician Kevin Dorin wants to give a little something back to the community.

Dorin has teamed up with MickDuff’s Brewing Co., Baxters on Cedar and the Sandpoint Reader to offer a songwriting competition with more than $500 in cash prizes offered to the winners.

“The intention behind it is to create a little opportunity for people,” Dorin said.

“There are a lot of people who feel they haven’t had a creative output lately, and usually chaos breeds really good art, so I figured I’d facilitate a little opportunity for musicians.”

The competition is open to any age and any genre of music, so long as it’s an original song. It’s one entry per songwriter, but Dorin said anyone who is collaborating with another writer on a song has the option to submit as many entries as they like.

“The intention is to get people to create more art,” he said.

To submit a song or find out more in-

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formation, visit sandpointsongwritingcompetition.com and follow the prompts. The first-place winner will be chosen by online voting on the website — one vote per email.

For second and third place, Dorin will choose the winners. Second place earns a $100 gift card from Baxter’s and third place will win a MickDuff’s prize pack.

For all winning entries, Dorin will personally record, mix and master each song so the musician or musicians can have a polished single to add to their portfolio.

“I’ve always loved music in general,” Dorin said. “I played a lot of sports growing up and while I appreciate the competition of sports, I much prefer collaboration. Songwriting is a human pursuit that brings in a lot of positive effects. It brings people together and transcends general conversations we have. I think it’s a seed that can grow into a tree that can make the human experience better.”

Each entry will receive a confirmation email from Dorin with extra parameters of the competition. To be considered for the competition, songs must be submitted no later than Wednesday, April 28. Winners will be announced in the Reader.

MUSIC

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

Crossing the divide

READ

Sandpoint’s Holly McGarry of Honeysuckle to release new album Great Divide April 23

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

As all music lovers had hoped, the anguish and solitude of 2020 is bearing fruit, as artists emerge from their cocoons with new work aiming to make sense of the past year.

One such artist is Holly McGarry, born in Sandpoint but now of upstate New York-based band Honeysuckle, which is releasing a new album — Great Divide — on Friday, April 23. The progressive folk act will celebrate the album’s release with a show at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — the band’s first in-person, indoors show in over a year.

“It has this hallowed ground sort of feel to it,” she said of Caffe Lena, which was known to host some of the first performances by folk greats like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. “It feels really special to have that be sort of our local folk club now, and emerge after such a strange year with a new record.”

The new record marks a new chapter for Honeysuckle, as original member Ben Burns left the band in November 2019. Though the parting was “amicable,” McGarry said, the transition was nothing short of a challenge.

If that wasn’t challenging enough, she and bandmate Chris Bloniarz had just begun a 2020 tour when the COVID-19 pandemic started, putting live shows on hold. The songwriting and creative process that followed involved heightened collaboration between the duo, and with the help of producer Benny Grotto, Honeysuckle was able to record Great Divide at Mad Oak Studios in Boston, Mass.

“I’ll definitely treasure that very close group that we had, just the two of us and Benny, making this record,” McGarry said.

The pandemic also played a part in shaping some of the

Praise for Irish-British author Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet has come loud and often — and rightly so.

Ostensibly centered on the title character, the real-life son of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, the novel is in fact a luminous, frequently heartbreaking piece of historical fiction with Hamnet’s mother, Anne at its center. With Hamnet’s death of plague at age 11, Anne must navigate a complex marriage and the torture of grief at losing her boy, all while doing so as a strong-willed woman with a profound mind in 16th-century England.

LISTEN

album’s themes. On lead single “Long Distance Run,” Honeysuckle airs some of the pessimism that comes with a career in music, acknowledging the “uphill climb” of pursuing that dream.

“Evergreen” was inspired

by McGarry’s North Idaho childhood. The slow, beautiful song strikes a tone somewhere between melancholy and tranquility. It came out of a period of reflection that McGarry attributes to the lockdown.

“Having this extra time to sit with my own thoughts and reflect, I think I finally was able to process some things that I hadn’t, and maybe didn’t even realize I hadn’t,” she said. “I see the word ‘grief’ and ‘grieving’ thrown around a lot. I think probably everybody has had to reckon with that emotion this year — we’re grieving expectations, we’re grieving the loss of loved ones, we’re grieving the loss of careers. There are so many different things. So, even though it wasn’t a reflection directly on the year, I think that being in that space of grieving various things brought back that

grief that I felt losing different things as a younger person.”

Title track “Great Divide” explores the importance of accepting the darker, struggling parts of oneself to find peace.

McGarry said it became the LP’s namesake for several reasons.

“Even if it isn’t necessarily the meaning of the song, the idea of a ‘great divide’ applied to a lot of things that we were feeling — the divide that happened within our band; the divides that happened in our lives, being separated from the people we love, being separated from the work that we like to do,” she said.

The song features quiet guitar and McGarry’s engaging vocals, along with several elements produced by Bloniarz’s synthesizer, which he acquired in late 2019.

“That’s been a hugely inspiring and exciting new piece of our process,” he said of incorporating the new instrumentation.

The result is an understated but powerful track — and possibly the only Honeysuckle song on record without mandolin.

McGarry said she hopes that Great Divide helps other people

Holly McGarry and Chris Bloniarz from Honeysuckle. Inset: The album art from new release Great Divide. Courtesy photos. process the things they are going through, just as processing her own past helped her to create it.

She said the project helped to keep her “sane” throughout the pandemic.

“It’s also really special for me, having songs like ‘Evergreen’ that people there might feel more deeply,” she said of listeners in North Idaho. “I think that you really get to love that place and the nature around you — there is something intrinsic and special, and I hope that comes through, especially on that song, for people.”

Watch Honeysuckle’s album release show at Caffe Lena by visiting caffeelena.org, clicking “Events’’ and finding the “Honeysuckle Live Stream” slated for April 23 at 5 p.m. PST. The live stream link takes viewers to YouTube, where the show will be free to watch. Learn more about Honeysuckle and listen to the band’s music at honeysuckleband.com.

Sara Jackson-Holman has released five albums since 2010 — the most recent Didn’t Go to the Party in 2016 — yet hasn’t really broken into the mainstream.

True, several of her songs have made their way into the soundtracks of various TV shows, but the classically trained pianist’s work still feels beguilingly indie. A former Portlander now based in L.A., her work can be contemplative or darkly boppy, all carried by her haunting, smoky vocals. I’m a particular fan of Red Ink, Cellophane and her Beethoven homage For Albert.

WATCH

The HBO Max series Made for Love is among the latest entries in the genre of dystopian films and shows about intrusive, insidious technology. In this case, the series — which is certainly a dark, often violent, comedy — follows the attempts of a woman to break away from her tech bro billionaire husband who, unbeknownst to her, has implanted a damn-near omnipotent piece of monitoring technology in her brain. Standouts are star Cristin Milioti and Ray Romano, as her character’s disreputable but lovable dad, who fumbles his way through helping her make good her escape.

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BACK OF THE BOOK

From Northern Idaho News, April1 15, 1908

BRIDGE ACROSS RIVER WILL NOW BE BUILT COMMISSIONERS WILL LET THE CONTRACT At the meeting of the county commissioners yesterday morning the bids for the construction of the bridge across lake Pend d’Oreille were opened by the board. Six different contractors submitted bids, the lowest one being that of Pierson & Donovan, for $20,575.

No action was taken on the matter but the commissioners stated that when the people who have subscribed for the balance of the amount would put up either the money or negotiable paper so as to go to wotk on teh proposition that they would immediately give the other half. No time should be lost in getting busy on the matter and getting the money together as it is a matter of vital importance to the property owners of the city as well as the residents. The matter should be pushed by the Commercial Club as rapidly as possible as it is a big undertaking to get the funds together.

Bids for putting in a ferry across Priest River at that place were opened and it was found that Chas. Jackson had submitted the best big so the contract was let to him at $425.

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/ April 15, 2021

On the letter ‘S’

By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m tired.

In the past 13 months, we’ve suffered a pandemic, contentious elections, not a few moments of momentous internal strife, a few international crises, and bizarre and pervasive conspiracy theories. Then there was winter.

At least winter seems to be over, though it was hard to tell this week. There were two blizzards in three hours at my house on Saturday. I think, though, it was the last hurrah. And, I’m grateful for the few inches of creamy snow it left in certain places at a certain mountain resort nearby. Ferreting out those inches made the last day of the ski season extra special.

I’m avoiding mentioning the name of the resort, as that might further upset folks who are already upset about the recent change of the resort’s trademark. Some are taking it pretty hard; as if the new symbol has somehow changed the mountain itself.

I use “mountain” in the singular, though the resort has grown to include several mountains over the past 58 years. But when we visit, we are “on the mountain,” and it’s still right next door. Still big and beautiful.

Still prone to Pend Oreille Premix on certain days and muddy parking lots this time of year. Still the biggest and best skiing within 100 miles of home, sweet home.

Varied opinions are being expressed about the new logo. From what I under-

STR8TS Solution

stand, some are not very complimentary, verging on vitriolic.

I can’t say for sure, because I’ve not read them. My rule for dealing with undue criticism — from friends or enemies — is, “What you think of me, or something I care about, is none of my business.”

That maxim isn’t Sandy Compton. so easily applied to an enterprise that depends on public support.

Listening to your clientele is a good idea.

But it seems in this case that a mole-hill has become a mountain. And we already have a fine mountain. We don’t need another one, especially one that will be identified eventually as a hill of beans.

The resort’s symbol has changed several times since we were urged to “fish the big hole and ski the big bowl.” If you’ve lived here long enough, the “new” stylized “S” is familiar. A similar “S” arrived in 1963 with Sam Wormington and Chair One and survived through the day they burned down the day lodge in 1989. The new “S” is not quite the same, but it’s close enough to recall the days when Pend Oreille Pete skied the Big Potato, we had just one basin served by a single mile-long double Riblet and Schhhhhhweitzer was a big secret.

Oops. I mentioned the name. Sort of.

This is an interesting study in the proprietary tendencies of humans. It’s good to remember that the complainers are also upholding their claim to a place they love — or at least appreciate — as a sanctuary

from the crazy world below. There were not a few who complained about the new lifts in Colburn Basin two seasons ago, as well.

But they eventually took joy in riding them and skiing all the new terrain afforded by their installation and the glades that came with them. The new symbol is just another step in a direction declared long ago: Schweitzer is becoming an all-season resort.

Winter is not being kicked off the mountain.

And neither are we.

There is a human tendency to lash out at those closest to us when we are tired and hurting. Many of us are mourning the end of the ski season and other, more profound, losses. It’s been a long, strange, exhausting year.

How about we all take some time off and just stay home and rest. Summer’s coming. And beyond that, another winter. You can bet your sweet “S” on that.

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution I wish outer space guys would conquer the Earth and make people their pets, because I’d like to have one of those little beds with my name on it.

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

cupidity

Woorf tdhe Week

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

CROSSWORD

By Bill Borders

/kyoo-PID-i-tee/ [noun] 1. eager or excessive desire, especially to possess something; greed.

“He rushed with ravenous eagerness at every bait which was offered to his cupidity.”

Corrections: We’re fairly certain there are no corrections to list this week. There’s always next edition, though.

ACROSS 1. An alloy of copper and zinc 6. Opulent 11. Odd-numbered page 12. Ecstasy 15. Talented 16. Barrel 17. Card with one symbol 18. Sea cow 20. 56 in Roman numerals 21. A mold for setting concrete 23. Picnic insects 24. Decree 25. Parasitic insect 26. Prank 27. Chime 28. Clairvoyant 29. Uncooked 54. Fair 30. Sad song 56. Wrench (British) 31. Mixed-bloods 57. Gleam 34. Utter impulsively 58. Burdened 36. Lyric poem 59. Gladden 37. Region 41. Mortgage 42. Wads 43. Knows DOWN 44. Gown 45. A magician 1. Catapult 46. Dines 2. Umpire 47. Reverence 3. Emote 48. Wish harm upon 4. Flower stalk (archaic) 5. Fizzy drink 51. G 6. Cave 52. Species of sea birds 7. Angers

Solution on page 22 8. Church alcove 9. Greatest possible 10. Fighting 13. Lay waste 14. Modify 15. Hooks 16. Fashioned by hand 19. A nymph of lakes 22. Permanent canopy 24. Abandon 26. “Darn!”

27. Martini ingredient 30. Accomplishes 32. A large vase 33. More peculiar 34. Detonate

35. Progressive 38. Chemical agent 39. Accord 40. Something of value 42. Military barracks 44. Adult male sheep 45. Donnybrook 48. Curve 49. Border 50. Water source 53. Ribonucleic acid 55. Spy agency

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