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PEOPLE compiled by
Lyndsie Kiebert
watching
SOCIAL DISTANCE EDITION: “What comfort food do you crave most often?” “Without a doubt, it’s gotta be fettuccine alfredo.” Lindsey Boyster Anderson Youth leader Hope
DEAR READERS,
I can’t state enough how much respect I have for our health care professionals, who use science not politics to guide their actions. I believe in science. Science doesn’t have a body politic to persuade. Science doesn’t have “alternative facts” or “spin.” Science has no political lean. It uses research and data to present facts. Sometimes those known facts are not received by certain people because they deter from an already entrenched point of view. This does not mean that science (and facts) should be abandoned as “fake” or as some sort of “hoax.” Quite the contrary. Please, readers, continue sticking to social distancing guidelines until they are lifted. I know it’s frustrating when we see some of our neighbors gathering to protest what they view as a violation of their “liberty.” To those of you who took part in these protests, please think about what your actions say to the rest of the community. Put aside our selfishness for a moment and realize that nobody likes what’s going on right now. We all want to get back to business as usual. Stomping your feet and waving guns and flags around on the Long Bridge does absolutely nothing to bring us closer to that date. -Ben Olson, Publisher
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 (Staff Writer) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover), Bill Borders, Kiersten Patterson.
“Smokies and tater tots.” Alex Carey Custom builder and mechanic Hope
Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie Luke Mayville, Rebecca Schroeder Phil Hough, Brenden Bobby, Emily Levine, Marcia Pilgeram, Hannah Combs, Brielle Dillon, Savannah Morgan, Gabrielle Duebendorfer, Jackie Henrion, Beth Weber, Loris Michael, Jeanette Schandelmeier, Marilyn Haight, Marjolein Groot Nibbelink. Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com
“Any kind of soup! I love cooking, and soup can be anything you want it to be, any time of year!” Hanna Rench Registered nurse Sagle
“Pizza! Pizza is life.” Kyrik White (and Sanji) Medical laboratory scientist Ponderay
“Bacon! In all forms.” Robynne Hoffman Owner of Scotchman’s Coffee Roastery Clark Fork
Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 300 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers. Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com
Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook. About the Cover
This week’s cover photo was taken by Ben Olson on Lake Pend Oreille during a particularly calm and beautiful canoe outing. April 23, 2020 /
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NEWS
Festival gun suit continues
Combined spending for county and city tops $100K
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County’s lawsuit against the city of Sandpoint regarding The Festival at Sandpoint’s weapons policy is tentatively set to see a courtroom in late May, marking the latest development in a case that has gained national attention and underscored on a local level the polarizing nature of arguments surrounding gun rights and public spaces. Legal counsel for both sides have been preparing discovery to present at the next hearing, when Kootenai County District Court Judge Lansing L. Haynes will also hear the city’s motion for summary judgement. The case hasn’t had a hearing since Feb. 25, when Haynes denied the county’s request to stay the suit until it was determined whether the Idaho Legislature would address how firearms preemption law and lease law interact. Lawyer Amy Clemmons, representing the county on behalf of Davillier Law Group, told the Sandpoint Reader that “scheduling with the court on civil matters remains uncertain due to the coronavirus.” She did confirm, however, that the parties are planning the next hearing for Tuesday, May 26 at 1:30 p.m. at the Bonner County Courthouse — provided that the Idaho stay-at-home order has been lifted. According to a records request response the Reader received April 17, the sum cost to the county so far in the case is $71,893. Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bauer said that total is made up of attorney fees — paid to Davillier Law Group — and possibly fees paid to an expert helping with the case. The Reader did not receive a cost breakdown of the total before press time. Meanwhile, attorney fees 4 /
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paid to Coeur d’Alene-based Lake City Law Group, representing the city, topped $31,434 as of the invoice payable May 1, obtained by the Reader in a public records request. That brings the combined city-county total to $103,327 spent on the case. While COVID-19 has already affected court proceedings, it remains to be seen how pandemic-related economic hardships will affect municipal governments — a subject that the city of Sandpoint has begun addressing in its weekly City Council meetings, now held via video conference each Wednesday beginning at 5:30 p.m. Bonner County Commissioner Dan McDonald told the Reader that the board has undertaken “some preliminary discussion with respect to the economic impacts of the reaction to the virus,” and that while it is still too early to predict effects on funding from the state, it is on
the board’s “radar.” He said the county tends to underestimate the sales tax revenues that come in from the state each year, so the “actual may not be a big hit for us on its face.” County officials are scheduling a conference call with the state in the coming weeks to discuss projections. McDonald said the county has no plans to suspend the case against the city on account of finances. He said there is “money budgeted to continue forward [with the suit] for this fiscal year, and can carry that over into next fiscal year if necessary.” McDonald said any COVID-related impacts on revenue will be realized in the next fiscal year, and “will be figured into our budgeting process.” “I don’t know if it’s possible to put [the case] on hold after the judge’s recent decision [to deny the stay], or if there is any wisdom to stretching this out any
further than we need to. We need to have an answer to the interpretation of the law,” McDonald said, adding in a later email to the Reader, “we originally wanted to get this wrapped up quickly and get a judge’s decision so as to not further impede The Festival operations or planning. We still have a law that two parties are contending to have two different interpretations of. That is why we went for the declarative action, to finally get a formal legal opinion that would have
A man stands in line at the Festival at Sandpoint in August 2019 while wearing a pistol. Photo by Racheal Baker. the force of case law.” When asked whether the county is as committed to the suit as it was a couple of months ago, McDonald said: “Yes, we are committed. Just because we are dealing with the pandemic doesn’t mean everything comes to a halt.” Additional reporting by Zach Hagadone.
City gearing up for phased reopening of some government functions, poised for further guidance from Gov. Little By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Sandpoint city leaders addressed plans for reopening some government functions to the public at the April 22 meeting of the City Council, with City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton stating that city offices — other than private offices and facilities — are scheduled to open Friday, May 1, one day after Governor Brad Little’s statewide stayat-home order is set expire on Thursday, April 30. The second floor of City Hall will remain closed, while visitors to the main floor, as well as city workers, will be ordered to wear personal protective equipment in the building. Meanwhile, the city is awaiting further guidance from the governor’s office on whether, and when, large-scale public gath-
erings will be allowed based on public health risk assessments related to COVID-19. Little is scheduled to deliver a statement on the economic impacts wrought by the coronavirus on Idaho at 11 a.m. (Mountain Time), Thursday, April 23. He will then speak with mayors and city administrators from around the state at 2 p.m., after which municipalities will share further guidance with citizens and their business communities in the coming week. For Sandpoint, Stapleton said at the council meeting that revenues from local sales are trending “fairly close to prior years” through the end of March. While revenue from the local option tax is down 10% from 2019, grocery sales are up by 50%. A fuller update on the city’s 2020 revenue forecast is expected at the Wednesday, April 29 council
meeting. Looking to the next few months, Stapleton confirmed to the Reader that most recreation programs sponsored by the city have been canceled for the spring and summer, “as we are not able to conduct them and maintain social distancing guidelines.” “We are participating in a conference call with Governor Little Thursday afternoon [April 23] and we anticipate receiving further guidance on what a phased reopening looks like in Idaho, considering the recommendations issued by the president last week and scientific data,” Stapelton wrote in an email. “That will help us work with special event organizers moving forward.” She added that organizers of regularly scheduled spring and summer special events have contacted the city to give notice on whether they are rescheduling
or canceling. “We have been working closely with the Farmer’s Market on significant changes this year, which will be announced next Wednesday [April 29] during the City Council meeting,” she wrote. “We anticipate we will have a more detailed update on all special events next week once we’ve had the opportunity to be briefed on the governor’s new guidelines, which will go into effect May 1.” Should social distancing guidelines be lifted in the near future, Stapleton told council members that Sandpint may experience “a really busy late August early September,” as deferred events kick into action following the current period of widespread closures. Check back for updates at sandpointreader.com and on our Facebook page, facebook.com/ sandpointreader.
NEWS Reader, Sandpoint Online to host virtual candidate forum
Forum will feature District 1 candidates in contested races
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
With the May 19 primary election looming, the Sandpoint Reader and Sandpoint Online have joined forces to host a virtual candidates forum on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. The forum will be conducted via the teleconferencing software Zoom. In the District 1, Seat B representative race, incumbent Sage Dixon and challenger Gary Suppiger have both confirmed they will participate in the forum. Also participating are Bonner County Commissioner District 1 candidates, including incumbent Steve Bradshaw and challenger Butch Horton. All candidates will give a short opening statement, then field questions from those in “attendance” via the virtual forum. Questions intended for can-
didates can be sent to inbox@ sandpoint.org. The Idaho secretary of state announced in March that the May 19 primary election would be voted on only through absentee ballots by mail. Voters are encouraged to request ballots early, which can be obtained by logging onto IdahoVotes.gov. Ballot-by-mail requests must be received by 8 p.m. on May 19 and must be received by the Bonner County Election Department by June 2. Election results are expected on June 2, due to voting taking place by mail. The Bonner County Election Department is available to answer any questions by calling 208-255-3631. Instructions on how to participate will be published on April 27 on SandpointOnline.com, as well as the Sandpoint Online and Reader Facebook pages.
Boaters beware bendway weirs in CF Delta By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is warning boaters on Lake Pend Oreille to be aware of new bendway weirs in the Clark Fork Delta. Bendway weirs are similar to rock jetties, and installed this spring on the north side of Derr Island for bank stabilization as part of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Clark Fork Delta Island Building Project. The new structures extend from the shoreline about 100-200 feet into the river channel. Corps officials report that the bendway weirs will likely be submerged and difficult to spot once
Museum launches pandemic ‘porchraits’ initiative Photos of Sandpoint families in lockdown will be part of COVID-19 history archive
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
The Bonner County History Museum is joining forces with local photographer Kiersten Patterson to launch “Sandpoint Porchraits” — an initiative to photograph Sandpoint families on their porches and then include those images in the museum’s COVID-19 archive. Patterson said museum volunteer Carlie Johanson reached out to her after seeing the photographer’s #SandpointSpeaksHope project, which highlights local businesses as they navigate the pandemic. Together, Patterson and the museum are creating the “porchrait” project, which will turn the spotlight to families as they follow the statewide stay-athome order. “It was something we both thought would be inspirational for generations to see in an exhibit years from now,” Patterson said. Families who apply for a photo
the lake level reaches 2,053-2,054 feet above sea level. As of April 21, the lake crested 2,054 feet.
Photo by Kiersten Patterson. photo session, visit bonnercountyhistory.org, hover over “At Home with BCHS,” and select “Sandpoint Porchraits.” Those with questions can email education@bonnercountyhistory.org.
Court denies appeal in smelter land sale case By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
A close-up of a bendway weir at the Clark Fork Delta. Photo courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
session must be located within a mile of Sandpoint and be available noon-6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, when Patterson will make the rounds and take photos while following social distancing guidelines. Patterson said the photographed “families” need not be traditional — it can also be an individual with their pet, roommates or simply a person on their own. A digital copy of the image will then be given to the subject(s), as well as filed into the museum’s official COVID-19 collection — made up of photos, writings and oral histories chronicling North Idahoans’ experiences during the pandemic. Each photo session costs $30 and half of the proceeds will benefit the Bonner County Historical Society. To learn more and sign up for a
The Division III Court of Appeals in Washington state released an opinion April 21 affirming the legality of the sale of land from the Public Utility District in Pend Oreille County to PacWest Silicon, despite allegations from local anti-smelter organizations that the PUD violated code in doing so. Citizens Against the Newport Silicon Smelter and Responsible Growth*NE Washington filed the lawsuit against the PUD, Pend Oreille County and PacWest’s parent company HiTest Sand, Inc. After the Spokane Superior Court upheld the land sale, CANSS and RG*NEW filed an appeal on July 24,
2019. The anti-smelter groups received the unpublished opinion from the court of appeals on April 21, which also ruled in favor of the PUD. “We disagree with the opinion in large part because, essentially, what the court of appeals said is that a public utility district can — after the fact, after a property has been purchased or sold — come up with an excuse for why those actions occurred,” lawyer Rick Eichstaedt, who represents the anti-smelter groups, told the Sandpoint Reader. “Not only are we upset in regards to this specific property, but we think it sets a dangerous precedent.” Eichstaedt said he and his clients will convene soon and consider what to do next, including
asking the Idaho State Supreme Court to review the case. “This is a loss, but I think, frankly, the community has been winning,” Eichstaedt said, making note of the Pend Oreille county commissioners’ denial of a rezone that would have opened PacWest’s property to industrial use, as well as the company’s difficulties in securing an environmental impact statement. “[The lawsuit regarding the land sale] is an important battle, but this won’t decide whether or not the smelter is built,” he said. PacWest CEO Jayson Tymko has been on record saying that the smelter project is “on hold.”
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NEWS
Heather Scott’s ‘Holocaust,’ ‘Little Hitler’ comments draw international attention By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff If Blanchard Republican Rep. Heather Scott was hungry for headlines, she now has a cornucopia on which to dine. The world has taken notice of her recent remarks comparing Governor Brad Little to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and his COVID-19 stay-at-home order to the policies that led to and enabled the Holocaust — which, from 1941-1945 resulted in the genocide of 6 million Jews and a possible 4 million additional victims ranging from Romani people to homosexuals, Catholic dissenters, pro-democracy activitsts and members of the Communist Party. As Scott said in an interview April 16 with Houston-based podcaster Jess Fields, the governor’s stay-at-home order and closure of “nonessential” businesses is “no different than Nazi Germany, where you had government telling people, ‘You are an essential worker or a nonessential worker,’ and the nonessential workers got put on a train. That’s crazy.” She went on to claim that the governor has no authority to make such an order, though the Idaho attorney general’s office has affirmed his power to do so. She also said some Idaho residents are referring to the governor as “Little Hitler.” Regarding the state capital of Boise, she said, “they just don’t think like us down there.” Asked what she would do if she were governor, Scott said, “Fellow citizens of Idaho, OK, we are in a free society and we have a scary sickness coming and little is known about it and the media is turning it into a hyper — I mean, they’re freaking out about it. It’s hard to get the facts and I am very concerned about every one of you in Idaho and I am going to request that people social distance. I am going to request that if you can work from home, you work from home. … It is up to you for your personal health.” Referring to what she regards as political pressure and fear mongering, she said Little “is buying right into it.” “I’m concerned that we’re overreacting,” she said after comparing the coronavirus to the flu. “I would never tell people to stop working or close their businesses.” Scott went on to characterize COVID-19 as “not an emergency.” “I would pick my emergencies carefully, and not jump on the bandwagon of an agenda. This is more of an agenda than an emergency … this is over-hyped,” she 6 /
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said. “There are real emergencies, I just — I honestly am not believing this is one of them. … I believe what they have done is extreme action of government.” He remarks spurred headlines Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard. from NBC News to the U.K. Daily Mail and The Times of Israel, the latter which wrote, “Across the US, elected officials suspicious of big government and outraged with orders to close churches, gun stores and other businesses deemed nonessential insist that the public health response is being used as an excuse to trample constitutional rights.” Quoted by the Spokane-based Spokesman-Review, Temple Beth Shalom Rabbi Tamar Malino said, “Mass murder and genocide is not the same thing as deciding which businesses should essentially stay open and which should stay closed.” Meanwhile, the New York Daily News pointed out that Scott has drawn her parallel between the Holocaust and coronavirus social distancing guidelines more than once, including in a radio interview with a group in Utah that claims to “expose those conspiring to take away your freedom and educate citizens on the principles of liberty.” While noting her comments had spurred “outrage,” the New York Post wrote that Scott remains unapologetic about her comments, accusing the media — specifically the Spokesman-Review — of perpetrating a “hit piece” against her over her remarks. Scott did not respond to multiple requests for comment by the Reader. Amid continued furor over Scott’s opposition to the stay-at-home order, which state and municipal leaders have suggested may be lifted as early as May 1 — the Bonner County Democratic Party launched an online campaign to “Send Heather Packin’” in the November election. “Heather Scott has proven time and time again that she is not fit to serve in the Idaho Legislature,” the party wrote on its actblue. com campaign site. “We’re working day and night to beat her in Idaho’s 1st Legislative District. Scott is running unopposed in the May 19 Republican primary and faces Democrat Gail Bolin in the general election.
Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact, which COVID-19 has illustrated so well. A recent sampling, with Earth Day and climate change, in mind: Crops are being grown under solar panels at an agriculture lab at University of Arizona, with some plants tripling their production. A study from University of Oregon found 90% greater production of grass grown under the panels. Where it’s ultra hot, the panels benefit because plants cool them, allowing panels to operate more efficiently. Meanwhile, soils under the panels retain up to 15% more moisture, Mother Jones has reported. Human degradation of tropical forests indicates that by 2035 they’re likely to be sources of carbon emissions rather than carbon sinks, according to a study from Leeds University in the U.K. The water beneath Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is warmer than researchers expected, The WEEK reports. If nearby glaciers can’t hold back ice, and the area collapses due to melt, sea levels could rise 10 feet. Monarch butterfly update: According to the Endangered Species Coalition, in 2019 Eastern Monarch butterfly populations were up 144% while Western Monarch populations fell 86%. The ESC has a program for planting native milkweed, which is critical for the butterflies’ survival. Other challenges faced by the insect include weather conditions and loss of habitat. Transportation in 2017 accounted for 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., Smithsonian magazine reports. In 1973, vehicles averaged 13.4 miles per gallon. Today’s average is around 31 mpg, but miles driven between 1970 and 2018 rose 177%, leading to more climate-warming emissions. With the car emissions rollback initiated by the Trump administration, annually there will be a trillion more tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, according to Human Rights Watch. Already air pollution causes more than 200,000 premature deaths each year in the U.S. Barley crops for water-challenged farms: Barley uses one acre foot of water per year, as opposed to two acre feet used by corn and four acre feet used by alfalfa, according to Nature Conservancy. Uses for barley include livestock hay and malt for brewing beer. In southwest Arizona groundwater levels have fallen 100 feet or more since the 1980s, according to a report in High Country News. Adding to the region’s water crisis
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
is the 2014 purchase of farmland by a Saudi Arabian food company. The 10,000 acres owned by the corporation grow water-thirsty alfalfa, which is shipped to Saudi Arabia for dairy cows. The Saudi government has banned in-country alfalfa production since it has severely depleted the nation’s groundwater reserves. A decade ago, Donald Trump signed a full-page New York Times ad urging ambitious climate action. Since then he’s said climate change is a hoax, but seems to be back-tracking. As reported in Mother Jones, 60% do not approve of his climate denial stance. Air pollution reduces average life expectancy by three years, according to a new study published in the journal Cardiovascular Research. Cut fossil fuel emissions to zero, and a year could be gained back. If all “controllable” air pollution were cut, there would be a 20-month gain in life expectancy. Having one less child reduces annual carbon emissions by 60 metric tons, according to a study from Lund University in Sweden and the University of British Columbia. The youthful Birthstrikers movement argues that its members refuse to have children until the climate crisis ends. Their opposition says more people boost the economy, so people should be encouraged to have babies. Blast from the past: Two decades before the devastating Dust Bowl, popular nature writer Gene Stratton-Porter penned a response to Henry D. Thoreau’s tree statement, “Thank heaven they cannot cut down the clouds.” Yes, they can, Stratton-Porter pointed out. When forests that preserve and distill moisture are cut; when fields replace forests, taking the shelter of trees from creeks and rivers until they evaporate; and when swamps are drained, all those acts prevent vapor from rising. And if it doesn’t rise, it cannot fall. Man is changing the forces of nature, she said, and is indeed “cutting down the clouds.” And another blast: In 1969 Wisconsin Democratic U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson — who also served as his state’s governor — launched a movement for teach-ins about the environment. That led to the first Earth Day in 1970, which spurred participation in schools and communities. It attracted millions. The collective concern about the planet quickly led to establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act — all signed into law by Republican President Richard Nixon.
OPINION
Misery loves company
Why I didn’t attend the ‘Disobey Idaho’ protest
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff I would have attended the “Disobey Idaho” protest, which saw Idahoans by the hundreds — maybe more than a thousand — gather April 17 in Boise and Sandpoint to engage in a coordinated act of civil disobedience against Gov. Brad Little’s coronavirus stay-at-home order. Instead, I stayed home to teach my kids. It was the middle of a school day, after all. I would have attended the Disobey Idaho protest, but I was also too busy poking at my garden, even though there’s still snow on Baldy. I would have attended the Disobey Idaho protest, but I decided it was a better use of my time to run a bore snake through my new 20 gauge, which I bought to go turkey hunting this spring — an outdoor activity that, despite what the fever-minded meme lords of the local Facebookosphere say, is still not only legal but encouraged. I would have attended the Disobey Idaho protest but, after I was done cleaning my shotgun, figured I’d rather enjoy the sunshine in my backyard with a book and a beer. Most of all, I would have attended the Disobey Idaho protest, but I like to think of myself as an educated, rational person who, if he felt his liberties being stripped away by a tyrannical government, would know it and take the appropriate steps. When totalitarianism comes to America, I promise you that Brad Little will not be its agent. I’ve interacted with the man a few times in my 20 or so years as a journalist both here and in Boise, and I can assure you that the thought of regulating so much more than his own heartbeat is enough to set that gentleman rancher’s heart to racing in dismay. While I’m willing to give the Long Bridge brigade the benefit of the doubt and assume those comrades were gathered out of concern for my freedoms, I’d like to disabuse them of their self-appointed responsibility. I’m capable of looking after my own liberty, thanks all the same. Alas, I did not feel any more oppressed than usual on that Friday afternoon, so I did as has been advised by every reputable public health authority on Earth — not to mention the governor of my state and the president of the United States,
neither of whom rank too high in my estimation in the best of times — and hunkered down to do my part in lessening exposure to COVID-19, thereby forestalling the transmission of any more cases of the virus and giving my local health care community the strategic advantage in treating those who may — and in all likelihood will — fall ill and face far graver consequences than me. The sacrifice of self-isolation and social distancing appeared to be accomplishing its intended effect in the past week, holding more or less steady between 1,423 and 1,458 cases in Idaho between April 10 and April 12. The state in general and Bonner County in particular remains for the most part a low-intensity area for COVID-19, though since April 17 — and as of April 22 — 147 cases of the coronavirus were added to the Idaho total. Meanwhile, Bonner County remains at four lab-confirmed cases. Two of those, Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton reported April 22, are “recovered.” “We don’t have community spread like what we’re seeing in surrounding communities like Kootenai County,” she said. Rather than evidence of the virus being a “hoax” or overblown by “the media,” I submit that our relative lack of cases in Bonner County is because of the solidarity of citizens who are willing to suffer the psychological and economic hardships required by the moment to ensure the common good. By my reading of history, that’s about as brave and in keeping with the “American spirit” as you can get. Sure, the Gadsden Flag so loved by chest-thumping patriots, and of course in attendance at the April 17 demonstration, screams out “Don’t Tread on Me,” but there’s another image in our history, which has also been repurposed into a flag, that speaks better to the so-called “Founders’” true aspirations for the United States of America: “Join, or Die,” a political cartoon attributed to Benjamin Franklin and often associated with his quote on the necessity for colonial unity, “We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” In other words, we’re all in this together and we forget that at our peril. I did not attend the Disobey Idaho protest, but I did watch it via live
stream — courtesy of Sandi Nicholson, of the Facebook group Educated Debauchery, which has in recent weeks provided some excellent local news coverage — and what I saw was far less than a heroic gathering of stalwart patriots than a tantrum thrown by bored, angry, frightened people who would have cut down George Washington’s dad’s cherry tree for firewood. Theirs is “freedom from” whatever bothers them — from ginned up notions of “gun grabbers” to core-dwelling reptilian world bankers pursuing their fell plans via mandatory mind-control chips — supported by “freedom to” bludgeon everyone else with their hysterical threat du jour. Don’t get me wrong, no one can be faulted for being bored, angry or frightened these days — everyone feels all three of those emotions toward the situation in which we find ourselves. I don’t have the words for how bored, angry and frightened I am right now — especially the latter two, when I think about those people who have so little regard for the health and safety of the wider community and so much regard for their own overheated notions of personal liberty, which, in their minds, is no more or less than license not to care about, or even conceive of, anyone but themselves. As one protester said at the April 17 gathering, referring to the governor as “chicken Little”: “Open the damn state and stop killing people with ventilators and get over yourself.” Yes. Please do that. Get over yourself. My favorite quote from the event, however, came from a representative of an anti-vaccination group, who said with a straight face that, “this wouldn’t have happened if people didn’t buy into the germ theory of disease.” After a long pause to let that sink
in, during which my mind boggled at the amount of spurious internet sites one would need to visit to reject out of hand centuries of hardfought scientific advances to settle on a view of disease last popular during the era of the Black Plague, I’d like to nominate this as among the stupidest things ever said in the parking lot of the Long Bridge Grill — no doubt the single stupidest thing said there in the daylight hours, and a glorious affirmation of the First Amendment’s grant of liberty to be as wrong as possible without a fused cerebral cortex. On the whole, what made my head spin fastest was the notion that this gathering represented an act of courage. According to several of the speakers, these were people who refuse to live in fear — whether from a virus (which if it’s really no worse than the flu would require no courage to risk contracting) or the oppressive state (which if it were really so oppressive would have met such a demonstration with police power and, what’s more, not allowed the congregants to come armed, which I have no doubt at least some of them were). These fearless people defied a virus they either don’t believe in or think is tantamount to a bad case of the sniffles in the face of a government — including a county sheriff — that wouldn’t care to lift a finger against them. Meanwhile, this brave act drew its impetus from a terrified consensus that the stay-at-home order will push us all into the abyss of poverty (though, let’s be real, in Idaho most of us were already there, thanks to our rock-bottom wages). Fair enough, but you can’t have a rally based in fear — real, imagined or misinformed — and call it an act of courage. Everyone wants life to return to some semblance of what it was before the coronavirus. Everyone
Protesters on the Long Bridge Sunday, April 19. Photo by Ben Olson. is hurting, everyone is scared. Everyone is mindful of the restrictions that hamper our daily comings and goings. No one likes them. But self-important brats with too much time on their hands and a wicked case of Dunning-Kruger syndrome, indulging themselves in a piece of Friday afternoon political theater orchestrated by lobby groups in Boise, ain’t no fife and drum corps in echo of the Spirit of ’76. Once more, the true act of bravery in this global situation is trust. Trust in the public health experts, in the leaders we elected and, most important, in each other to look past our immediate struggles in order to contribute to a larger goal of community wellbeing. In the end, this demonstration was the kind of disobeying that children engage in when they don’t want to clean their room and pitch such a fit that their parents sigh and walk away to let them kick and scream it out by themselves. The big difference, of course, is that no one runs the risk of dying as a result of a child’s refusal to tidy their bedroom. If community spread of COVID-19 emerges in Bonner County following this rally — and let’s hope as hard as we can that it doesn’t — whether it stemmed from Disobey Idaho or not, the demonstration will have been wrongheaded as well as an act of profound, dangerous selfishness: either broadening the spread of the virus or exposing others to it without need. Zach Hagadone is editor-in-chief of the Sandpoint Reader, a second-generation Bonner County native and holds a Master’s degree in early American history from Washington State University. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Sandpoint Reader. April 23, 2020 /
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On goose issue: The children are watching…
Bouquets: • Hey you. Yeah, you! The one who helps your neighbors, volunteers for worthy causes, wears a mask in a grocery store, trusts in the guidance of scientists and health professionals: I appreciate you. You know who else appreciates you? The thousands of vulnerable people in this county who are also doing their part right now. Keep it up and don’t listen to the noise. • When social distancing guidelines were first put in place more than a month ago, I feared the worst for this newspaper. Five issues later, we are still hanging in there, thanks mostly to the overwhelming number of donations that our readers have sent us. Thank you for that. But also, thank you to the advertisers who are still able to run ads with us and other publications right now. It’s a bitter irony: When people are reading the news most (and it’s true — our pickup rates are just the same as ever and our online views are sometimes three or four times more than usual), we face the biggest existential challenge we’ve ever faced. Please consider supporting our advertisers to thank them. Barbs: • I don’t really know how to fully articulate the disdain I feel for this crop of “coronavirus truthers” that has popped up the past couple weeks. While the rest of us are trying to deal with this unprecedented health crisis, these people are holding rallies and calling for people to “disobey,” thanks to propaganda spread by the Idaho Freedom Foundation and others. This is what happens when elected officials like Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler and District 1A Rep. Heather Scott encourage people to deny or question the decisions made by our health professionals to ensure the safety of our communities. This game of “who’s not conservative enough” has got to stop in North Idaho. We all live together in this community, and we all need to find a balance. Gathering en masse during a stay-at-home order to protest is not accomplishing anything but making the protesters look like petulant little children. Grow up. 8 /
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Dear editor, I appreciated Jane Fritz’ article “We can coexist peacefully” (Opinion, April 9, 2020). I hope that our city leaders read this article and heed its plea. Geese are a part of the ecosystem of our beloved lake and contribute to it in a more beneficial way than all the watercraft that we allow on our lake. As any gardener and farmer knows, a bit of animal manure on one’s shoes is easily scraped off. Why is it so important to protect the residents of Sandpoint and the tourists that come to enjoy our beautiful city from this mild nuisance? I ask the leaders of Sandpoint to consider what message we are giving to our children: get rid of any nuisance — even kill it — rather than find a way to coexist peacefully. Unfortunately, this message could expand to how we treat each other as humans. Our mayor had asked the City Council for money to train the city leaders about tolerance and diversity — a request I wholeheartedly approve. However, I want to remind him that tolerance needs to be practiced in all aspects of what we do — even with the geese, who are not an invasive species, but a natural part of the life of our lake. The children are watching. Please do not kill the geese or separate parents from their offspring. Sincerely, Julie McCallan Sandpoint
Vote Butch Horton for nonpartisan decision making… Dear editor, I suppose Sheriff Wheeler and Representative Scott think the use of eminent domain as defined by the Fifth Amendment (government can purchase property where the greater public good exceeds individual rights) is unconstitutional as well. It’s about time we started electing local government officials that utilize nonpartisan decision making. They need to start representing all the people they serve instead of some limited number of like-minded folks. A good start on this would be to vote and elect Butch Horton for county commissioner District 1 Bonner County.
Bob Boeh Sagle
Dixon deserves your vote... Dear editor, In times of crisis, a calm and steady hand is essential. Since the onset of the health cri-
sis we all find ourselves in, Sage Dixon has displayed much needed leadership. From continuous social media updates on how we can assist our small businesses and support our religious institutions, to championing our civil rights at a time when so many around us are exploiting the current crisis as an opportunity to infringe upon them, Rep. Dixon has remained grounded in his principles of freedom. But that’s not an anomaly. Rather, it’s a continuation of the leadership he’s already shown during his time as District 1-B representative, where he’s worked tirelessly on behalf of his constituents and defended our liberties even when his position wasn’t the popular one. On issues like education, the health of our business community, land use and standing against increased taxation, Rep. Dixon promises to continue that strong leadership just as he has during this time of crisis. While I’m unable to vote for Sage Dixon myself, I can tell you that he’s a man of integrity and will never waver in his bedrock conservative principles. For these reasons and more, I urge those of you in Rep. Dixon’s district to cast your May 19 primary election vote for him.
Jodi Giddings Sagle
Done with Dixon, going with Gary… Dear editor Years ago I learned about the Boston Tea Party and, “No taxation without representation,” The protest was not about paying no taxes. It was about no representation. I live and shop in Boundary County but send sales tax and income tax monies to southern Idaho. There the legislators decide what to do with my money. This session several bills took aim at local government. The almighty state moved to curtail local elections and spending. That’s wrong! If anyone is going to influence local government, it will be me and the rest of the voters. I don’t like paying taxes but it’s a trade-off for having working infrastructure and first responders. When my tax dollars are spent locally I can see the results and I have easy access to the elected officials who are responsible for spending those dollars. I don’t have easy access to the Idaho Statehouse but do email my District 1 representative. I have yet to get a response from Representative Sage Dixon. Once elected, he seems to go off and do his own thing. I’m not happy with his votes that favor a more centralized government based in Boise, and I’m certainly not happy that he does not take the time to communicate to constituents.
On May 19 I will cast my absentee ballot for Gary Suppiger for District 1 representative Position B. I met Mr. Suppiger and was impressed by his strong support of local decision making. I’m done with Dixon and I’m going with Gary. Mary Ollie Moyie Springs
Dixon’s opponent suppresses freedom... Dear editor, Local (liberal) candidate Gary Suppiger shows his disregard for honesty when he said, “State Rep. Heather Scott and Sage Dixon in District 1 and Tom Remington in District 3 must believe that the coronavirus epidemic is not a North Idaho problem.” “... not a North Idaho problem”? He clearly doesn’t have a clue about the people he’s referring to. I have been following the narrative from all of these folks and they’re all taking COVID-19 seriously, while also keeping it in proper perspective when held up against the U.S. & Idaho Constitutions. All recommend that each of us practice prudent safety measures without trampling on our rights and freedoms. Gary is a known liberal who is running as a Republican because he’s not above deceiving people to get what he wants. He supports taking away your rights and liberty and would like to use the boot of the state to control you rather than support commonly accepted personal health/safety measures. If you can’t self-quarantine, wash your hands, stop touching your face, respect others, then Gary is your candidate because he will make you do all those things involuntarily. If you’re able to practice safety, you like freedom, you want to protect others from illness, then you don’t need the heavy hand of Gary’s big government dreams dictating what you can and cannot do. Vote for Sage Dixon; he has an excellent track record of protecting your freedom. Thomas Leo Cocolalla
Editor’s note: Rep. Heather Scott has repeatedly cast doubt on the severity of COVID-19, referring to it in a newsletter as a “hoax” and characterizing public health and safety measures by the state of Idaho to the policies of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust perpetrated by it. It is a demonstrable falsehood that Scott is “taking COVID-19 seriously” while “keeping it in proper perspective.” What’s more, she referred to Gov. Brad Little as “Little Hitler” (triggering Godwin’s Law that anyone who trots out a “Hitler” reference in a situation that is obviously non-analogous
be totally ignored) and by participating in the recent “Disobey Idaho” protest, she flaunted social distancing guidelines and openly defied the governor’s stay-at-home order – calling it “nonsense” – which the Idaho attorney general’s office has affirmed is well within his constitutional powers.
Scott and Wheeler aren’t pro-life… Dear editor, The words coined by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence should be familiar to all: “… that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Jefferson enumerated this phrase; life is superior to liberty, liberty is superior to happiness. For without life, one cannot have liberty and without liberty, one cannot pursue happiness. However, Representative Heather Scott and Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, in their condemnation of the temporary and life-saving COVID-19 restrictions, would have you believe that liberty is superior to life itself. So if you think Scott and Wheeler are pro-life, think again. They only use the pro-life mantra to pursue their libertarian and greedy self interest. Being pro-life is a seamless garment and is more than just being anti-abortion. Sadly, no reasonable Republican is challenging them in the upcoming elections. Sincerely, Daniel Haley Bonner County
Heroes and villains… Dear editor, There have been many heroes in this pandemic, and I would like to thank them. Tom Chasse and Schweitzer Mountain Resort could have had financially the best spring in the resort’s history but chose to close down to protect Sandpoint and Bonner County. My nephew is a nurse and he left the safety of Idaho to work in New York City. Local businesses like Percussionire, Quest, Tamarack and I’m sure many others have put profit aside to save lives. These people as well as the first responders and hospital workers are true examples of a culture of life and love that makes our area great. Thank you! Then there are the anti-heroes: toilet paper hoarders, the partiers in Florida, legislators that still fight against all Idahoans having access to health care. But the biggest proponents of a culture of death is Heather Scott and Daryl Wheeler, who put their liberty above their neighbor’s lives. Not only do they dismiss the seriousness of this pandemic by
< see LETTERS, page 9 >
PERSPECTIVES
Open up health care for working Idahoans By Luke Mayville and Rebecca Schroeder Reader Contributors More than a century ago, close to 700,000 Americans died from the “Spanish flu” which swept across the world with lightning speed. In the end, the disease infected more than one-third of the Earth’s population, resulting in 20 million to 50 million deaths. Of course, this all happened before the advent of Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP or any other program that delivers quality health care to millions of Americans. We can use the word “quality” today because America’s public health care system is truly a marvel compared to 1918. The problem is, too few Americans — and Idahoans — have access to it. That has to change, and quickly. As of this writing, more than 1,400 Idahoans are infected with COVID-19. As a result of government action, Idahoans are being ordered to stay home. While < LETTERS, con’t from page 9 > demanding their right to gather in unsafe groups. Heather Scott broke the law, maybe not the first time, by organizing a mass protest on the Long Bridge, knowing that Sheriff Wheeler only enforces the laws he decides are constitutional. Strong words, that maybe I would moderate if they fought for my rights as well. Like the right of a 37-year-old private nonprofit to put on a music festival with their own safety rules to protect their patrons and artists Let us all be heroes, not villains. Let us all care more about our neighbor’s life than that person in the mirror. Sincerely, Mary Haley Sandpoint
Rebecca Schroeder, left, and Luke Mayville. Courtesy photos. this can dramatically curtail the number of people who contract the virus, it’s not good for business. This is a necessary yet painful measure intended to keep us safe, even if it leads to financial stress on tens of thousands of Idaho families. A big contributor to that financial stress is health care. On average, Idahoans pay a large portion of their income on medical costs, whether it’s insurance, deductibles,
co-pays or a combination of all three. As you read this, thousands of Idahoans are in jeopardy of losing health care coverage as they lose their jobs. For those with families, this is a nightmare scenario. Thankfully, there is something you can do about it. Around 70,000 more Idahoans have health care coverage today thanks to Medicaid expansion —
people in nursing homes or the right to life of people with the oft noted “underlying health conditions,” such as diabetes, heart disease or compromised immune systems? Why do your rights outweigh the rights of my mother or my friend’s daughter to live safely in this community during the COVID-19 pandemic? Social distancing works and saves lives! Let’s demonstrate pro-life ideals and protect the living by continuing to follow sound medical advice. Support Governor Brad Little’s efforts to balance the needs of our economy and the health of our communities. STAY HOME! Even if it becomes clear we need to stay home longer.
closing of non-essential stores, postponing elective surgeries, etc., has been done in order to keep the population of Idaho as safe as possible, until a vaccine can be created or the pandemic is eradicated. It has not been done to create martial law or to cause the citizens of Idaho to lose their basic rights as guaranteed under the Constitution. The Holocaust, Ms. Scott, murdered millions and millions of people, including 6 million Jews. Do you see the governor having people murdered? Or do you see our state leader doing his best to keep Idaho from becoming another New York, Italy or Spain, or wherever thousands have died? You are an insult to common sense, and can take your conspiracies, insulting and ignorant and hurtful comments and keep them to yourself. You will never be my representative. Did you really ever study history while you were in college? Your convoluted presentation of what you call “facts”, is a lie.
Krista Eberle Sandpoint
Something to think about… Scott’s Nazi comparison an insult to common sense… Dear editor, Stay-at-home protestors: something for you to think about. Do you consider yourself pro-life when it comes to abortion? Is your reasoning that a fetus’s right to life outweighs the rights of the prospective mother? Now think about this: Apparently you believe you have a right to go where you want (perhaps church) and do what you want (perhaps play basketball or shop at a mall). What about the right to life of
Dear editor, Heather Scott’s quote, in her video on Channel 4 television on April 17, stating that Gov. Brad Little is acting like the Nazis during the Holocaust is just plain WRONG! The governor is doing his best in support of his constituents during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect as many Idahoans as possible from becoming ill or dying of this virus. Recommending social distancing, wearing of nose and mouth masks,
Michael Harmelin Vietnam veteran Sandpoint
Scott lacks historical knowledge…
Dear editor, I read an article where Rep. Heather Scott compared Gov. Brad
the Reclaim Idaho-sponsored ballot measure that passed with 61% of the vote in 2018. Enrollment in Medicaid is a year-round thing, which will help thousands more Idahoans dealing with sickness, job loss or both going forward. Your vote not only gave tens of thousands of Idahoans health care access — it may be saving lives as we speak. There are two actions you can take to help your family, friends and neighbors in this once-in-a-generation crisis: spread the word about Medicaid Expansion and urge Idaho Governor Brad Little to open Idaho’s health care exchange. First, there are thousands of Idahoans who qualify for expanded Medicaid but don’t know it. This could, literally, be life-saving care. Send friends and family to reclaimidaho.org to find out if they qualify and learn about how they can help others get enrolled in the program. It’s easy. Second, it’s time Gov. Lit-
tle opened Idaho’s health care exchanges so people can sign up outside the enrollment period. While there are exceptions to the enrollment period based on sudden job loss, navigating the qualification standards can be complex and tedious. Little should eliminate all of that. Visit reclaimidaho.org/exchanges to sign the online petition calling on the governor to do the right thing and open up the exchanges to thousands of Idahoans who are losing their jobs. COVID-19 does not care where you live, what your political affiliation is or how you make your living. No one in Idaho should have to live through this pandemic without health care. Please go to reclaimidaho.org and make a life-saving decision today.
Little to Hitler, and the stay-at-home order to that of the Jewish Holocaust. Really? People who may have been inconvenienced for a month or two or lost their jobs because of a stay-inplace order? She compares this to the extermination of Jews and others! Her total ignorance is characteristic of her constituents for voting her into a position of trust. It appears she and those who follow her lack of any real knowledge of history. I would ask her to fly to New York City and stand next to the refrigerated semi-trucks as the bodies are loaded and ask those loading the bodies if COVID-19 is a hoax and if they think the corpses had their constitutional rights violated!
were nevertheless used relentlessly to project near-apocalyptic numbers of infections, hospitalizations and deaths, which, in turn, were used to deprive us of certain constitutional rights and to justify an unprecedented economic shutdown. The symptoms of coronavirus are typically similar to those of a cold or flu, and the U.S. experiences flu seasons far worse than what we’ve seen from coronavirus, based on CDC and other statistical sources from just the last 10 years, in terms of infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Yet there were no major headlines in the media, and nobody ever suggested shutting down the country or a state because of it. In both of your stay-home orders you fail to explain why this particular flu season requires subjecting us to draconian, unconstitutional and economically devastating measures. You pat yourself on the back for the “incredible amount of leadership to make the hard decisions to get over this.” Real leadership would have been to drop the cookie-cutter approach in favor of a county-by-county one. And, by the way, there is still that constitutional issue you have studiously ignored.
Tony Delewese Retired Bonner County educator
An open letter to Gov. Little... Dear Sir, On April 15 you issued a blanket extension of the stay-home order. We were dismayed that you did not consider a more thoughtful approach for our state, in which a third of counties still have fewer than five infections. We complied with the initial 21-day stay-home order because of dire predictions from “experts” and elected officials who relied on data-driven “models.” The models have not come close to being realistic but
Luke Mayville and Rebecca Shroeder are co-founder and executive director, respectively, of grassroots political action group Reclaim Idaho.
Sharon Banning Clark Fork
Publisher’s note: for real facts about coronavirus, visit CDC.gov. April 23, 2020 /
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Mad about Science:
Brought to you by:
colors and pigments By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist There’s lots of gloom and doom that comes with isolation, all furthered by dumb-dumbs doing dumb things to get attention on social media. Rather than looking into scary stuff that can happen to our bodies, I wanted to take a look at a subject that is universally loved: colors and what makes them. Color happens when a surface reflects certain wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation in what we call the visible spectrum. This is the extremely narrow band of radiation that humans can see wedged between ultraviolet radiation with a shorter wavelength than the visible spectrum, and infrared radiation with a longer wavelength. Certain chemical compounds are capable of reflecting specific wavelengths of light while absorbing others. Most of us have asked the question:”Why is the sky blue?” It’s the same reason that lots of water also appears blue. Oxygen in great quantities tends to absorb longer wavelengths of light such as red and yellow and then reflects that blue hue back to our eyes. Something interesting happens when that same light has to pass through even more particles. As the sun begins to fall over the horizon, its light is being projected horizontally, rather than vertically, through the atmosphere. As the sun’s light passes through more air, more light is absorbed, leading to less blue and more violet. Clever humans have used 10 /
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similar chemical reactions to create colors for as long as we’ve known how to illustrate our thoughts on cave walls. We’ve done this using pigments, or powdered substances that reflect very specific wavelengths of light. Pigments can come from a number of places such as metals, plants and insects, or synthetic chemical reactions. Pigments are mixed with some other soluble material to create dyes and paint, so that the pigment will stick to surfaces. Many shades of red can be made by using oxidized iron, better known to gearheads as rust. Oxidized iron reflects lower wavelengths of light to give a reddish-brown color. It’s why the surface of iron-rich Mars is red. A very unique shade of red pigment doesn’t come from iron at all, but the cochineal scale, an insect from South America. Its body is rich with carminic acid, which is mixed with calcium and salts to produce a rich carmine dye. This dye is most often used in red food coloring and lipstick. Remember that the next time you smear dead bugs on your face for date night. One of the most historically significant pigments is Tyrian Purple, a color reserved for royalty. It is extracted from a mollusk called the spiny dye-murex — more specifically, the mucus of the murex mollusk. Native to the Mediterranean Sea, the spiny dye-murex was intensely bred by dyers of the ancient world to provide dyes for textiles for emperors such as Justinian I and Julius Caesar. The mollusk would produce mucus when feeding, mating or being disturbed by
predators (often referred to as “milking the snail”), but the pigment could also be obtained by crushing the shells and soaking them in a solution for several hours, days or weeks. This latter method, though easier than the others, required an labor-intensive effort for an insignificant amount of dye. Not all colors are ancient, some are shockingly new. As recently as 2014, the color Vantablack was developed. The vanta in the name is an acronym for “vertically aligned nanotube array,” where the nanotubes are made from carbon, the same substance that gives coal its dark appearance. Vantablack absorbs just about all light that touches it, reflecting only 0.035%, which is imperceptible to the human eye. To give you an idea of how dark this stuff is, developers painted the middle of a crinkled up pile of aluminum foil with vantablack, and it just looks like a hole in space and time in the middle of cooking foil — the same thing that happens whenever I try to bake a potato. Some of the colors most important to our artistic history are also the most dangerous. Lead white is exactly what it sounds like: white lead paint. It is a brilliant and striking white that has been used by the ancient Egyptians as well as the famous painters of the Renaissance. It was surely an expensive paint to make, as it was very well known for being an extremely toxic substance, and few people would be willing to live a short, miserable life without proper compensation. Artisans created lead-white
by putting lead carbonate into a specially crafted clay pot mixed with vinegar. Over the course of about two weeks the lead would rust, which said artisan would then scrape off and put into a new pot with more vinegar. They would repeat this process until they created their desired white before grinding it into a pigment to be sold. Lead-white No. 2 is still in production today, though several synthetic and
less-toxic alternatives now exist. The next time you’re browsing a digital tour of an art museum or studying art for school, stop and think about what must have gone into crafting that painting. Not only was there a creative vision and a painter, but hundreds of crafters, traders and chemists contributed to bring that painting to life. Art is magical. Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner n? We can help!
Don’t know much about the su • The sun accounts for about 99.86% of the total mass of the solar system. • The sun formed about 4.6 billion years ago from the collapse of part of a giant molecular cloud that consisted mostly of hydrogen and helium. • The beautiful symmetry of a total solar eclipse happens because — by pure chance — the sun is 400 times larger than the moon but is also 400 times farther from Earth, making the two bodies appear the exact same size in the sky. • The theory that the sun is the center around which the planets orbit was first proposed by the ancient Greek thinker Aristarchus of Samos in the third century BCE. • The sun does not have a definite boundary and, in its outer parts, its density decreases exponentially with increasing distance from its center. • Every second, the sun sends to Earth 10 times more neutrinos
than the number of people on the planet. • The sun is thought to have completed about 20 orbits during its lifetime and just 1/1250th of an orbit since the origin of humans. • A third of all Russians believe the sun revolves around Earth. • Every day, plants convert sunlight into energy equivalent to six times the entire power consumption of human civilization. • To our eyes, in space, the sun would appear white, not yellow. • If the sun were the size of a beach ball in space, then Jupiter would be the size of a golf ball and the Earth would be as small as a pea. • It took 359 years for the Catholic Church to admit that Galileo Galilei was right when he proposed that the Earth moves around the sun. The year the Church recanted its demand that Galileo recant: 1992.
ENVIRONMENT
Earth Day at 50 By Phil Hough Reader Contributor A new, or novel, virus has paused our normal activities with other people. Group events and gatherings are on hold for now. Stay-at-home work feels unusual and awkward for many of those who are lucky to have jobs. Those who are on home-stays caused by a stalled economy feel further withdrawn and isolated. All of us have had to distance ourselves from friends. Our relationships have shifted to online or double-arm length. No one is used to this new routine. Yet, our relationship to Mother Earth is much the same as always. The normal cycle of spring continues. Snow is melting off the mountains, the first wild flowers have appeared. Gardens are being planted. The osprey have returned to Lake Pend Oreille. Our population is sparse In North Idaho and northwest Montana. Public lands are abundant. Many people are getting out and enjoying the warming days. Days are getting longer. After work, we can leave our houses and Zoom meetings behind and go for a walk. On April 22, Earth Day turns 50. As we are all focused on the COVID-19 crisis, it seems like this day has snuck up
on us. Missing are advertisements for fairs and festivals. Facebook events are about home concerts, not public rallies. It feels odd not to be gathering with others in large celebrations. Sure there will be a lot of online content to honor this special day. Some will no doubt be moving and inspire people to act. But, for the first time in more than a decade, I won’t be down on the banks of Sand Creek collecting garbage and debris with others. There is still so much for us to do — and so much that we can do. The first Earth Day that I remember was in the early 1970s. The original call to action was a very individual one. My dad
and I went out in our canoe on the Sudbury river in Framingham, Mass. We hauled out four large garbage bags of trash. We sat eight feet apart in the canoe, with trash bags between us. The whole morning we were out we saw no one else. We have some nice spring days ahead. Take a hike, or a walk, or a bike ride. Be safe — follow travel and social distancing guidelines. Make sure you check to see what is open. Maybe take a trash bag and clean up a special trail or area. As you do this, others are cleaning up their corner, too. I’ll probably be down along Sand Creek. Join me on the opposite bank. For a “COVID Challenge” post a picture of your clean-up on Instagram or Facebook. Not to shame others, but to inspire
them to do something. To find their own way to give back to Mother Earth. If we all do this separately then together our actions will have a larger impact. Let’s be connected in this way.
Phil Hough is a hiker, paddler, picker-upper of trash and work-at-home wilderness advocate.
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HISTORY
Wildlife: Friend or faux pas? A brief history of Bonner County’s unique pets
By Hannah Combs Special to the Reader Courtesy of the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum
Since the last of the snow melted, I have been scattering small piles of birdseed around the lawn, trying to lure songbirds to a newly established birdfeeder. Every now and then, a quartet of mule deer stroll through and nibble bits of corn from the piles of seed. So sweet and fuzzy, I thought. I felt like Snow White, a friend of all the forest creatures. Then I planted a beautiful tulip, its blossoms a delicate purple that stood out as a beacon of spring. The next morning, it was chomped to the ground, bulbs scattered haphazardly, a tender treat for the mangy, dastardly creatures that dared to step foot in my garden. Sound the alarm, I cried. Dispatch the sentries. The villains will surely be back to wreak havoc again. Throughout our history, we have had a tendency to dramatize animals, whether by reading fiendish motivations into hungry deer or putting costumes on our dogs. If you think that our obsession with humanizing and befriending animals is a new phenomenon born of technology-aided boredom, think again. In the early days of Bonner County, our ancestors maintained quite the menagerie of wild animals.
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Frank Clements was known far and wide for his two pet deer, Babe and Buster. They were a regular sight around Sandpoint, pulling a custom-made buggy. Clements entered the dynamic pair into exhibitions around the Northwest, and as Bonner County Historical Society historian Dan Evans says, “Boy, could this guy tell stories.” Buster and Babe allegedly could read, walk a tightrope and enjoyed listening to ragtime music. Clements once told a newspaper that he refused an offer from a circus manager of $50,000 for Babe and Buster, “the equivalent of $1.3 million today,” said Evans. In 1915, Clements set out with Buster and Babe on a world-record expedition from San Francisco to New York. It appears that they made it at least as far as Chicago, where Frank eventually settled and began training reindeer. Equal to Clements as a master of drama — both in her cinematic work and real life — Nell Shipman kept several pet bears at Lionhead Lodge at the north end of Priest Lake, which she used in some of her film projects. The most famous bear-keeper of all, however, was Ms. Mary Matilda (Timblin) Hunt, who owned the Great Northern Hotel in Sandpoint. One August day in 1910, when a Sandpoint Interurban
Railway street car stopped and sat unattended on the tracks, one of Hunt’s pet bears broke out of its enclosure, climbed aboard the street car and ate more than six pounds of butter destined for local deliveries. When motorman Dick Turpin returned from an errand, he “was thunderstruck at the audacity of the bruin, but lost no time in hastening to the car and assisting the bear out one of the side doors,” according to the local paper. Local wild animal adventures may have become smaller in scale over the years, but they still abounded. In 1984, as a prank retirement gift, Idaho Fish and Game transplanted 28 eastern fox squirrels from Boise to former IFG commissioner Pete Thompson’s home in the Selle Valley. Seven years later, the non-native species had spread far and wide, thanks to few natural predators. Though Thompson defended the squirrels, saying “I can’t see they do any damage,” opinions differed, particularly among people whose gardens were munched on by the rodents. Today, the “town squirrels” have traveled at least as far as Sagle, though no one knows how they hitched a ride across the Long Bridge. As entertaining as these stories may be, it is our responsibility to enjoy them as relics of the past and not add to the canon of questionable
Top: A young girl riding a custom buggy pulled by “Babe and Buster.” Bottom: An unidentified man posing outside a cabin with his pet bear. Photos courtesy Bonner County Historical Society and Museum.
wildlife interactions. We have established healthier boundaries with wild animals in recent years, thanks to ever-evolving research about animals’ natural habits and habitats. We know how quickly non-native species introduction can disrupt an ecosystem. We’ve learned that we shouldn’t harness deer to our golf carts and fat bikes. As black bears come out of hibernation, we’ll keep our garbage cans inside, so they forage for carrion instead of carry-out. We’ll remember that the neighborhood moose is a powerful and unpredictable creature and — for that matter — so are a lot of our dogs, even the ones wearing costumes.
I’ll stop channeling Snow White, in the hopes that the muleys will head back to high ground for the summer, instead of plaguing me with their tulip-devouring mischief, or as they might say, natural habits. Research courtesy of the Bonner County History Museum, local historian Dan Evans, Bev Kee, the Seattle Times and Idaho Fish and Game.
FEATURE
The year that never was
Part 2
Sandpoint High School seniors share what it’s like to have their graduation year sidelined by the coronavirus
Editor’s note: We reached out to a few graduating seniors at Sandpoint High School to ask how the coronavirus has affected their final year of secondary education. We asked each student how their lives have been altered by the closure of schools for the rest of their senior year, what they were most looking forward to this year, if there are any positives that have come out of this situation and how students were reacting to distance learning. Special thanks to SHS social studies teacher Conor Baranski for putting us in touch with some of his students.
Savannah Morgan
Brielle Dillon Obviously, the coronavirus has impacted us all in some pretty substantial ways. Personally, almost every major part of my life of a high-school student has been shut down. Because of the school’s soft closure, I no longer have a school building to go to and I don’t see any of my classmates or teachers. As annoying and frustrating as physically going to school can sometimes be, I’ve realized that my life feels pretty empty without it. I’ve been volunteering at the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint this school year and it’s completely shut down now. Because I also work in the food industry, which has been heavily impacted by the stay-at-home order, I don’t really have a job right now, either. The combination of the two orders has pretty successfully put life as I’ve known it on hold. I’m a graduating senior this year and there was a lot I was looking forward to that I don’t get to participate in because of the school closure. There are all these senior year rituals that you dream about getting to do as you’re growing up and all of the sudden I don’t get to do them. It feels surreal. As melodramatic as it sounds, I think there’s a reflective period that you go through at the end of your senior year as you say goodbye to your childhood and get ready for life after high school, and it almost feels like that opportunity has been taken away. Every social aspect of high school has been cut short and there’s a definite sense of loss. The end of senior year is about celebrating your accomplishments. There’s this sense of class unity just in the fact that we did it. We made it through high school together. We don’t get to celebrate that anymore and that feels like
Brielle Dillon. the biggest loss for me. Despite this loss, there is still an upside to the fact that I literally never have to “go” to school. I didn’t expect how much free time I would have while still technically doing school, but having that flexibility in my schedule has given me the opportunity to try new things. I have the chance to pause, reflect and grow without worrying about other obligations. Distance learning itself is pretty easy, considering the fact that a public school has been forced online. All of the teachers have been really understanding with any learning curves we’ve had, but I think a lot of us students are having a hard time remembering to put as much effort into school as we usually do. It’s hard to concentrate on something that doesn’t feel very tangible anymore. A lot of senior-level classes use a discussion based learning style that has definitely been hindered, but we’re able to learn at our own pace for the most part, which is really helpful. I think school feels a little less stressful for all of us, which is a really nice change.
As you already know, Sandpoint High School has closed its doors during this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are definitely mixed emotions throughout the school. For some, it may feel like an extra-long spring break, while others feel that they are missing out on some of the most memorable years of their lives. Of course, every grade in the school is feeling the effects of this “soft closure,” but none more so than that of the class of 2020. I have attended Sandpoint High School for my entire high-school career, I have been a cheerleader, in student council, National Honors Society and an officer of HOSA Future Health Professionals. I am probably more involved in school than the average SHS student, so it would not come as a surprise to most that I am disappointed with not being able to attend school and school functions per usual. This year, I am the senior class president and have worked alongside other Senior Class Representatives Kendall Mitton, James Griffin and Holly Kassa, to plan senior oriented events, such as senior sunrise/sunset, declaration day and prom. Along with this, our class will be missing out on events such as mock DUI, graduation and Grad Night. These events are not planned by the senior class, but parents, administration and the junior class representatives. Furthermore, many seniors in our class will be missing out on spring sports and club/extracurricular activities that have been canceled. Adapting to distance learning has been a challenge, as it is very different from what we are used to. Luckily, our school has platforms, such as Zoom, Google applications and Schoology, which have made it easier to stay in contact with our teachers and complete assignments. What has been a challenge for me is staying focused and keeping motivated, because many of the
events and activities I have been looking forward to may very likely be canceled. A class that has been especially difficult has been my Certified Nursing Assistant class because we have missed out on clinical hours at Bonner General Hospital and have been unable to practice skills that we need to pass our upcoming CNA test; though, I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to shadow doctors, nurses and CNAs at Bonner General Hospital prior to the outbreak. Their level of kindness and compassion gives me great reassurance at this time. As easy as it would be to focus on all of the uncertainties at this time — whether my fellow classmates will have their senior night, if we will get to dance at prom, if we will get to wear our graduation gowns or watch the sun set on our senior year together — we can instead use this time to reflect on the memories that we did make. Battle for the Paddle, Friday night football games, homecoming weeks, school dances and more.
Savannah Morgan. I am so thankful to be a part of a community that has given an outpouring of love and support to our class; the teachers that have never given up on us and continue to encourage us, even though we no longer see them face to face; and for our parents and family members who have supported us every step of the way. With this, I am hopeful that this experience will make our class even stronger, and gain a greater perspective. I am proud to be a part of the class of 2020! Thank you for this opportunity to share my perspective with you. I hope that you and your family are well.
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ENVIRONMENT
The Plastic Challenge By Gabrielle Duebendorfer Reader Contributor
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I started writing this article in January on a gorgeous beach. I was inspired by the universal paradox of beauty and ugliness; summer and winter; happiness and sadness — all of it mixed together across time zones and cultures. Yet, beyond it all was something that is untouchable, sacred, spacious: call it home, the divine, God or peace. When I rest in that, I feel connected and inspired. That is, inspired to write about plastic. Traveling in Thailand I have been struck by Thai dedication to reduce plastic usage. One finds water refill stations, metal refill bottles and straws. More and more towns, resorts and restaurants are dedicated to being green. Then you see the reality of regular tourism. Tourists and locals alike buy beverages in plastic bottles, freely discarded behind resorts or restaurants or on beaches. Nearly a million plastic beverage bottles are sold every minute around the world. They make up the bulk of plastic waste worldwide — washing up on beaches, breaking down into micro plastics that are permeating our environment, distributed to remote areas via ocean currents and snow. The tiny pieces of these products are incorporated into the cells of microorganisms, which find their way into the food chain. Meanwhile, leached chemicals have carcinogenic and hormone disrupting impacts. Lest you start getting overwhelmed and shut down, I will explore some ways to reduce our reliance on plastics and therefore the burden on our oceans and bodies. However, in order to take action it is important to understand the enormity of the problem. Awareness gives us the choice and motivation to take action. More than 50% of global plastic waste comes from single-use packaging. According to National Geographic, “18 billion pounds of plastic waste flows into the oceans every year — the equivalent of five grocery bags of plastic trash sitting on every foot of coastline around the world.” Most plastic has been produced in the past 15 years and takes up to 400 / April 23, 2020
years to break down. Only 5% of plastic waste is actually being recycled and 85% ends up in landfills, eventually finding its way into the ocean. Walking the beach in Thailand — a beach that has been cleaned up for tourists’ sake — I still gathered a big garbage bag full of plastic trash. We have to seriously reduce single-use plastic products. While this might seem an impossible task, we can all start with some simple actions: make sure you have cloth shopping bags or traditional baskets ready to use in your car or bicycle; avoid produce and other items wrapped in plastic; invest in cloth or silicon produce bags; and invest in a water filter (such as multi-pure systems) and dispenser for your home or office and carry metal bottles. Even most airports have water refill stations now. You might be inspired to just pick one of these and implement it routinely. Ask companies or restaurants you frequent to use recyclable straws and packaging material. That said, reusing is just as important as reducing. Plastic bags are a very convenient item and I still use them at times. They, as well as containers and cutlery can be washed and reused. Have a set in your car along with a water bottle, coffee mug and shopping bags. Shipping boxes and stuffing can be brought to shipping stores. Inspired by the beauty of marine life as shown in Sir Richard Attenborough’s Blue Planet series, I gave myself the challenge to learn how to dive in Thailand. It was quite a different experience between seeing the undersea world on television and actually swimming among the reefs, moray eels and clown fish. Unfortunately, plastics present a huge problem for the fish and the reefs. It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the dismal news; but, as long as we still have an eye for all the beauty and wonder of this world, we can do our part in preserving it — however small it might be. Dr. Gabrielle Duebendorfer has been working as a licensed naturopathic physician for almost 30 years and is inspired by the beauty and resiliency of our bodies and planet.
LITERATURE
the shores of the interstate
This open Window
It’s not hard to see How it must have been The hills and valleys Are as attractive today As they were then Trucks rush by 80 miles an hour Paying the shacks no more notice Than the crumpled carcasses Of elk and deer
edited by Jim mitsui
They are all skeletons Of foregone beauty Home in a field When a wagon track ran by And there were no fences
apocaplyptic calypso Dirty smoke savages the sun through the air, dryer dry grass skies eliminate, illuminate red yearning for yellow return of sunny sky. Forget your book, a pink stink reflection trapped in our houses the scritch of blowing snow.
Now they lean on time Like shipwrecks From another era Washed up on the shores Of the interstate
The plaintive cat gets a bird in one’s hand purrs softly in the silence of paused singing birds dreaming an animal yarn of hamster holy hooligans. Reckless cats galore on the once and future furniture, rubbing cabin fever on the latest person of interest.
— Marjolein Groot Nibbelink
I erode, rust on my metallic reflection just wishful words of wisdom flared like weeds in the failed consumed garden. A silly sad sop I scramble to salvage the dirty fish broth in which floats a pair of blue suede shoes — Jackie Henrion Jackie Henrion is a graduate of Naropa’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, she resides in Sandpoint. “ I create a collage reminiscent of the Surrealist games which acknowledge chance as a significant element of life. Like the chance we now face dealing with Covid-19. Helps me also to reflect on the similar economic, social and political disruptions which occurred approximately 100 years ago.
— Jeanette Schandelmeier
these hands
pneumonia
were able to type 100 words per minute
I fried myself a breakfast egg. That wore me out. Had to go back to bed.
I’m living on soda water, sleep and all the friendship of poetry
too weighty to stay open. At night the cough jerks
piled beside me on the bed. I judge my recovery’s progress
away the sweet relief of sleep. The lungs, their delicate wings
by how long I can hold open a collected work while lying on my side.
each cough a violent stab hacked up through the pages.
Just the way I want to leave this place, the only traces being new shrubs or trees and healthy soil for someone’s garden.
I could follow them from house to coop, to mailbox and back. Today three inches of cold fluffy snow fell
days straight and feel like I haven’t slept in days, eyelids
I thought this week I’d include a poem by a student that I had in Sun City Grand in Surprise, Ariz., just so you could see what poets in other parts of the country write about. Before she took my Lifelong Learning writing workshop she had never written a poem that didn’t have end-rhyme.
that turns into a puff of flour when trod upon, won’t leave anything more than an indecipherable displacement of snow.
precisely anyone could match them. Yesterday the cold came, froze those perfect prints into grey ice.
You would be repulsed by the spittoon on my nightstand.
— Marilyn Haight
footprints
Three days ago wet snow fell, enough to take detailed prints from my high boots and my low boots — etched so
this place with uncovered coughs all week. I just slept four
pressed between the pages of a heavy book under a tall stack,
She took the truth to her grave, certain that no one would ever know, never imagining that, 70 years later, science would confess her lie. Just for fun I sent in my DNA. Who are these cousins. Why aren’t they Italian, like my father was. Where are my ancestors with surnames ending in vowels. The hospital birth record, imprinted with my footprint, her thumbprint, assigns the wrong name. Now I know why she loathed her only child, was relieved by our estrangement. So close to leaving this world happily, now the chapter I wanted to forget haunts me. The cousins shun me. Their holidays taunt me. Identity ungrounds me. She gets away with it. And I take her truth to my grave.
There, on the edge Of snaking asphalt Are simple, empty cabins Of frontiersmen And early settlers
Vol. 5 No.3 poetry and prose by local writers
Thank you darling, but better not visit. I’ve been inoculating
rosh hashanah
It isn’t easy to forget The history of this country In fact, the I-90 From Missoula to Bozeman Won’t let you
were slender and unmarked, smooth and soft, held babies and helped lift elders to their feet, chopped and stirred, dusted, cleaned, opened jars, lifted heavy objects, changed diapers, shoveled snow Now gnarled, spotted, weak and full of arthritis but still, ugly as they be, can wipe tears from the eyes of a dying friend. — Loris Michael
— Beth Weber Beth is a regular to this column. She has diverse talents, from teaching music, playing the violin, kayaking, scuba diving, ceramics, bird watching, gardening and writing poetry. She recently moved into Sandpoint from Cocolalla.
Loris, a native of Nebraska, has lived in the Sandpoint area for several years. There is hardly anyone more active than she is, in membership and boards of civic-minded organizations. She likes to laugh and it is rare to see her without a smile on her face.
Send poems to: jim3wells@aol.com April 23, 2020 /
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FOOD
The Sandpoint Eater
It’s how I roll
By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist I made it through my isolation birthday, sans friends and fanfare. Next on the calendar of events was Easter. Easter! Over the years, I have watched the others agonize over whether it’s a “his or hers” Thanksgiving or Christmas, yet I have never applied undo pressure for either holiday. “I understand,” I decree decorously, “go ahead and spend (fill in the blank) holiday with (fill in the blank), and I’ll just take Easter.” Ever since I was 8 years old and IGA Foods in East Helena, Mont., was giving away a dyed baby chick with the purchase of a dozen eggs (parents need not be present, so I got two), Easter has been my holiday. I used to go to every single Mass offered on Easter Sunday just to show off my new dress (I didn’t get many). I made elaborate childhood Easter bonnets for all who’d wear them and baked sugary cakes piled high with green-tinted coconut. My love of this holiday has never waned. I once borrowed neighboring bunnies for an elaborate photo shoot (my first-born, Ryanne’s, first Easter), and I continue to bake intricately woven breads and rolls for friends and neighbors. The week before Easter, it hit me like a wheel of parmesan: There would be no sumptuous brunch at Mimi’s. No eggs to dye, no hide nor hunt. No baskets filled with too much candy, cleverly hidden, filled with jelly beans and love. In a moment of isolation desperation, I hatched a plan to fill my week. Falling back on my baking bones, I would make and sell a few of my favorite Easter goods: Irish shortbread, cinnamon rolls and assorted scones. I calculated the food costs and shared the limited menu, pictures 16 /
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and pricing on Facebook with very specific guidelines: order by Wednesday; by PM (Facebook messaging); by the dozen or half dozen only; local orders only; pick up on Saturday and delivery on Sunday; Venmo, Paypal or exact change only; in a plastic bag. I was all set, and I was frankly pretty excited to have a purpose and a plan to fill not only the week but my Easter morning with lots of deliveries. I even thought of breaking out a bonnet or some bunny ears for my Easter morning mission. With mask and mist (homemade Clorox spray), I ventured out Monday morning , for the first time in three weeks to pick up my pre-order at Miller’s Country Store (which included a 50-pound bag of flour) and found a willing friend to pick up a quantity of disposable pans from the discount store. I set up and sanitized my workstations, and the living room was converted into a packaging center. I was especially excited to use some of the more than 500
reams of satin ribbon I bought and have stored in totes for six years, since the Coldwater Creek liquidation sale (that’s not a typo folks, 500). On Tuesday, while the rest of you were watching the Pink Moon rising, I watched five double batches of cinnamon roll dough rising — way too fast. In spite of my elaborate chilling station, and despite the fact that April has been unseasonably cold, it was nearly 50 degrees Fahrenheit that night. I vacillated between staying up and making the first batches of rolls or punching it down once more and finding tired and deflated dough in the morning. I decided to punch it down and call it a night. After all, it was 10 o’clock — nearly three hours past my bedtime. After an hour of tossing and turning, with visions of past critter experiences dancing in my head, I got up and made sure that my elaborate chilling station was also deer-, moose- and racoon-proof. Wednesday morning, I awoke at four o’clock, to perfect dough,
Cinnamon Rolls INGREDIENTS: Dough: • 1/4 ounce package yeast • 1/2 cup warm water (not too warm, you’ll kill the yeast — it should barely feel warm on your fingertip) • 1/2 cup scalded milk • 1/4 cup sugar • 1/3 cup unsalted butter • 1 tsp salt • 1 egg • 3 1/2 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Filling: • 1/2 cup soft butter • 1/2 cup brown sugar • 2 tbs ground cinnamon • 1/4 cup heavy cream • 1/8 teaspoon salt
Glaze: • 4 tbs butter • 2 cups powdered sugar • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 3 tbs hot water
and it was a good thing as I had 15 priority mail orders to be baked, cooled and shipped before 2 p.m. (thanks to the same friend, willing to handle shipping for me). The rest of the week was kind of a blur. I gave up on making any dough the night before and made batch after batch early each morning. As the dough rose, I reorganized my orders first by product and then by the day it was due. Special orders were highlighted by color. How did I end up with orders for Thursday? I soon realized I needed to add an extra pickup day on Friday to meet demand. My oven (that once lost the heating element during a scone-making session for Angels Over Sandpoint) never let me down while powered on for 10 to 14 hours a day. As the baking temperatures varied so much, none of the three offered items could be baked at the same time. Each day started with shortbread, followed by rolls and finished with scones. By the third day, it dawned on me that I was no spring chick, and
baking in isolation means no one can help with prep work. Or dishes. Damn those dishes! Each day, between four and six o’clock, I turned off the oven (with a loving pat), closed and cleaned the “shop,” poured myself a large vodka and poured over my emails, texts and Facebook messages to find my hidden orders. It was just like the proverbial Easter egg hunt. Easter morning, I got up extra early at 3 a.m., made the last batches of dough, baked off the delivery orders, loaded by area and delivered them (nearly) on time. Ryanne, who was on GPS standby, never doubted I could manage the orders but was fearful I couldn’t actually deliver them (reminding me I still can’t find Washington Elementary, even after my third-born, Casey, attended there for five years). With lots of butter, sugar and love (not to mention equal doses of tenacity and Tito’s), I baked more than 500 cinnamon rolls last week. You might want to start with a baker’s dozen.
A great family project with delicious results.
DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water, stir in 2 tsp of the sugar and set aside to proof. 3. Scald milk, add butter and sugar and stir. Cool to warm temperature. 4. Once yeast is proofed, add milk mixture, salt and egg to bowl. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle, but a little sticky. Knead dough on lightly floured surface (or in standup mixer with dough hook) for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 5. Mix filling ingredients until well blended and spreadable, set aside. 6. When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread with filling mix,
leaving 1-inch edge. Roll lengthwise and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 or 13 slices. 7. Line baking pan with parchment paper, spread with butter, and place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan. Let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes
or until nicely browned (as soon as they come out of oven, I invert on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan for about 5 minutes, and flip baking pan back over — it helps distribute the sticky goodness!). 8. Mix glaze ingredients. Spread over rolls while they are slightly warm.
STAGE & SCREEN
Gardening for the Apocalypse
By Emily Levine Reader Contributor
With what seems to be the end of the world chomping at our heels and we stand feeling helpless before the diminishing supply in the fridge, many folks in North Idaho are turning their thoughts to gardening. The good news is that with all this time at home on your hands, it’s the perfect opportunity to put those hands to work in your yard. Anyone can grow a garden, even if it’s just a few herbs in pots on your front stoop. If you’re eating the same meal 14 times a week, a little fresh cilantro could save your sanity. If you’ve really never grown a garden before, here are a few secrets to making the most out of whatever space you have. First, don’t use chemicals. You can grow delicious and nutritious food without them, and it simply cannot help your immune system right now to swallow pesticides and fungicides. Most chemicals are used simply to stop all bugs and other lifeforms from existing in your garden. The reality is that your lettuce might have some holes in it, but sharing is caring and those bugs need to eat, too. Plus, if the apocalypse truly hits, you’ll need to know how to grow food with horse poop instead of Miracle Gro. If something is truly destroying your crops, or you just want to learn more, check out the Rodale Institute for solutions and information. Second, some plants are better suited for the End Times than others. Take time to plan your garden to maximize the food that you want coming out of it. There are various reasons that a crop may be higher or lower on the list of crops in an apocalypse garden. Space considerations, production, days to maturity and stor-
age capabilities all come into play when you’re trying to actually feed your family instead of impressing your friends with your culinary expertise. Cauliflower is delicious and can be made into “rice” for folks who don’t eat grains. But did you know that when you plant a single cauliflower plant it takes 75 days and about two square feet to make one head? In that same space, you could sow two or three kale plants, and they will provide for you bunches of tender green food from June until October. Or you could grow the right variety of broccoli, and it will keep producing side shoots forever after you pick the main head. Other crops that might need to be booted off out of the apocalypse garden include sweet corn (takes lots of space and fertility), watermelon (very cold sensitive), butternut squash (very long season and low production compared to other squashes) and jack o’ lanterns (pretty, but not yummy). In place of those, grow potatoes, zucchini, strawberries and a multipurpose squash that’s beautiful and delicious, like kabocha squash. Try to maximize output per square foot, and also consider storage capabilities, canning/fermenting potentials and seed saving opportunities. Most important: Grow what you want to eat. Third, keep planting. A lot of folks plant their gardens on Mother’s Day, walk away and then ask me in August how I could possibly still have head lettuce that hasn’t bolted. Fair question. The answer is called “succession planting,” which means planting new crops to take the place of ones that are spent or have been picked. On our farm, we plant head lettuce, salad mix, spicy greens, arugula, cilantro, dill, radishes, turnips and spinach every week, and carrots, beets, broccoli
and cucumbers every three to four weeks from April through the end of July. You probably don’t need to go to these extremes, but replanting greens and things that bolt every three weeks might help keep you in salad wonderland all through the summer. After the end of July it’s unlikely that most crops will have time to mature. Fourth, buy locally grown plants for those crops you can’t direct seed. There are dozens or hundreds of varieties of every vegetable, and some are better suited for our climate than others. The folks who select the varieties for big box store starts have never grown a tomato in the shadow of the Selkirks or in the Selle Valley frost pocket that gets nailed in August some years (and it’s looking like this year we’re getting hit with all the natural disasters Mama Nature can muster, so get ready for an early frost). The folks at the farmers market and your neighbor lady with her tidy rows know which varieties work up here and when to plant them, so trust them with your starts. Plus it keeps the money local. If my advice works too well and you
end up with an overabundance of produce, the food bank is always happy to take excess produce off your hands. Check the status of the farmers market at sandpointfarmersmarket.com to see if it will be open throughout the pandemic and what sort of preparation you should do to help adjust to new rules and safety regulations. Opening day is scheduled for May 2, but that might change. Also on the market’s page are lists of contact information for many of your favorite farmers (and other vendors who may not be able to be present this year). Many local growers — Red Wheelbarrow Produce included — are opting to add online stores to their marketing options, including a variety of pick-up and drop-off options to keep contact with other humans to a minimum. Check out our website redwheelbarrowproduce.com to shop for plants for your new garden bed and fresh produce to whet your appetite from our new online farm store. Happy growing and stay healthy out there. Emily Levine owns and operates Red Wheelbarrow Produce.
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COMMUNITY
Idaho Gives kicks off April 23 By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
Organizers extend event to help nonprofits amid pandemic
North Idahoans well know the positive effect nonprofits can have on communities. Meanwhile, the negative impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic is also becoming more and more apparent, making charitable organizations more important than ever. The annual statewide fundraising event Idaho Gives aims to give those organizations a boost. Scheduled this year from Thursday, April 23 to Thursday, May 7 and hosted by the Idaho Nonprofit Center, the event offers a convenient opportunity to support nonprofits when people need them most. Many nonprofits throughout Bonner County will be participating in the event, which consolidates organization information online for an easy donation process. Idaho Gives organizers also
offer prizes and rewards to nonprofits that meet certain participation criteria, enhancing the fundraising opportunity. For example, the nonprofit that receives the first donation of the event on April 23 at 12 a.m. (Mountain Time) will win an additional $1,000 from Idaho Gives. Similar prizes — for completing their Idaho Gives profile, receiving a certain amount of donations within a given time frame and more — will be rewarded throughout the event. Typically, nonprofits across the state host Idaho Gives events, giving donors a single place to browse and interact with their chosen causes. Due to social distancing orders still in place, Idaho Gives will take place entirely online in 2020. Idaho Gives organizers are aware of the hindrance required by the COVID-19 pandemic and are extending the event from its traditional weeklong
format to two weeks in hopes that more people will participate. “Now more than ever, the nonprofit sector is in need of support from the state,” said Evin Bask, programs and event manager for the Idaho Nonprofit Center. “We extended the donation time to ensure that every Idahoan is aware and excited to participate in Idaho Gives.” Visit idahogives.org to find local nonprofits participating in this year’s event.
LPOSD updates meal offerings
No longer requires child be present at pickup
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The Lake Pend Oreille School District is now serving more than free lunch as it works to help families feed their children while schools are closed and distance learning is in effect. Weekdays, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., breakfasts and lunches are available at Clark Fork Jr./Sr. High, Southside Elementary, Kootenai Elementary and Farmin-Stidwell Elementary. Dinners are now also available at Kootenai and Farmin-Stidwell. Students do not have to be enrolled at the location where they pick up their meals. All four sites are open to all students in the district. A parent, legal guardian or sibling of a student may pick up meals for multiple children not present. Previously, students had to be present for meals to be distributed. LPOSD is also encouraging families that have seen their incomes decrease due to the pandemic to fill out a new “low income eligibility” application for free and reduced meals. When the regular school term resumes, families’ eligibility will be updated with no meal service delays. Access the form at lposd. org under “Child Nutrition.”
Bonner Co. Museum brings history to families online By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
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As businesses began to close and people started to work from home in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Bonner County History Museum Interim Executive Director Heather Upton knew that she and her team would need to adapt. “Instead of being panicked, we looked at this as an opportunity,” Upton said. “One of the goals at the museum has been to create a stronger digital presence.” After closing the physical museum, Upton and Museum Administrator Hannah Combs turned that opportunity into “At Home with the Bonner County Historical Society” — an online platform full of activities, prompts and resources for aspiring historians of all ages. “Even though our doors are closed, we believe it is imperative more than ever that the museum still continue its mission of ‘history creating community,’” Upton said. With the help of new volunteer Carlie Johanson, the museum has revamped its website to offer resources for families at home, like kids’ activity ideas on the “Young Explorers” and “At Home Historians” blogs; episodes from local author
Jenny Leo’s podcast “North Idaho Nuggets: Pieces of History from the Panhandle”; a link to the Historic Sandpoint Walking Brochure, a self-guided tour that features historic downtown and residential districts; Tuesday Trivia and Throwback Thursday photos on the museum’s Facebook page; and more. Upton said there will soon be a webpage dedicated to capturing “current history” — a place where North Idahoans can download photos, oral histories, journal entries and more documenting their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. Upton said someone has already donated a hand-made mask to the museum’s collection. “I feel so lucky to be a part of such a talented team,” Upton said. “Even though we are faced with obstacles and uncharted territory, everyday we are working hard to preserve history and bring it to our community in a new, exciting way.” To browse “At Home with BCHS” activities and learn how to support the museum during the COVID-19 closure, visit bonnercountyhistory.org. Also follow museum happenings by searching #athomewithBCHS on Instagram or following the museum on Facebook at facebook.com/ bonnercountyhistory.
STAGE & SCREEN
Dune might be Hollywood’s most cursed property Will the 2020 adaptation be any good? Signs point to ‘maybe’
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff As Frank Herbert wrote in his iconic sci-fi novel Dune, “God made Arrakis to train the faithful.” Faithful his fans have been, from 1965 to present, praying to the worm-god Shai Hulud for a film adaptation that comes within a thopter’s ride of representing the full complexity of the six-book universe that Frank built. No dice. So far. First, there was the 1984 film starring Kyle MacLachlan in a pre-Twin Peaks role as the “kwisatz haderach” super-being character Paul Atreides, a.k.a. galactic jihadist/emperor Muad’Dib — the only feature yet made of Dune, though focused only on Book 1 of the Dune Chronicles. Former Sandpoint resident and legendary director David Lynch helmed that project, but, as slashfilm.com notes, “The result is one of the famous disasters in Hollywood history, and Lynch was so upset at the behind-the-scenes meddling that he disowned the movie.” (Sorry man, I love it.) Second came the three-part Sci Fi Channel mini-series in 2000,
which along with its 2003 sequel attempted to tackle Books 1-3 of the Chronicles. The only big-name actors in that effort were William Hurt as Paul Atreides’ father, Duke Leto, and James McAvoy as Paul’s son Leto II (who merges himself with a practically immortal sand worm). Regardless of these efforts, valiant and/or doomed as they may have been, none have really captured the sweep and scope of the Dune universe. The drama, which vaults readers (or viewers) into a future-time quasi-feudal galactic empire as it slides into a millenia-spanning existential-spiritual reformation, is simply too big and complicated to submit to Hollywood’s crude instruments. So it is with equal parts excitement and trepidation that I await the forthcoming big-screen Dune adaptation from director Denis Villeneuve. This big-budget attempt is due in theaters in December and stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides (thumbs up); Zendaya as his warrior bride Chani (meh); Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto (big fan, but nope); Josh Brolin as fighting troubadour Gurney Halleck
(convince me); Stellan Skarsgård as villain Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (should have been Duke Leto); Javier Bardem as Fremen tribal leader Stilgar (thumbs up); Dave Bautista of Guardians of the Galaxy fame playing the “Beast” Rabban (everyone’s thumbs up); and Jason “Aquaman” Momoa as Atreides swordmaster/most-important-character-in-the-bigger-story Duncan Idaho (this should have been Oscar Isaac’s role and thumbs down so hard you could use them as seed drills to plant all potatoes in the real-life Idaho).
From perp to priest
a carpenter in a small town, and after telling a lie, becomes the priest of the local parish. Despite the comedy of errors that leads The Panida Theater is continuto Daniel’s position of religious ing its Virtual Viewing Rooms leadership, he might be just what series by screening Corpus Christhe community needs. ti, a Polish drama about an ex-con Corpus Christi has been accidentally turned priest. acclaimed for how it balances The Panida will offer virtupoignant darkness with a sense of al screenings of Corpus Christi Friday, April 24 through Thursday, humor and hope. It earned 11 Polish Academy Awards — including April 30. The film will be accessiBest Film — and was nominated ble from home with a $12 purfor Best International Film at the chase to benefit the theater. 92nd Academy Awards. The film Corpus Christi follows boasts a 98% approval rating on 20-year-old Daniel, who underRotten Tomatoes, and lead actor goes a “spiritual transformation” Bartosz Bielenia has earned rave while living in a for his inyouth detention Corpus Christi (NR) reviews tense and moving center. Though he wants to become a Streaming Friday, April 24-Thurs- performance as priest, his criminal day, April 30; viewing available Daniel. “If Oscars were record makes it anytime for 72 hours after impossible. Daniel payment; $12. Access the film at decided according is sent to work as panida.org/event/corpus-christi. to the speed with
A still shot from the forthcoming Dune film. Courtesy image. For his part, Lynch has already dumped on the whole project. In fact, he’s gone out of his way to say he won’t be watching the 2020 Dune, telling all and sundry that he has “zero interest” in it. Fair enough. I’m afraid it will be a flop, too, but as the sisters of the Bene Gesserit warn us, “Fear is the mind killer.” I look forward to facing my fear and hoping Momoa doesn’t mumble-bumble and grunt-flex his way through the whole damn jihad.
Panida hosts virtual screening of Corpus Christi, the story of a criminal who stumbles into priesthood
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
which voters flipped out when they stared into the eyes of the principal character, Corpus Christi would be an easy winner,” wrote a reviewer in The New Yorker. Next, the Panida will offer screenings of Supa Modo, a foreign language film that tells the story of terminally ill 9-year-old Jo, who dreams of becoming a superhero.
A still frame from Corpus Christi. Courtesy image. To access the Panida’s virtual screenings, go to panida.org and click the “tickets/events” button at the top of the page. Streaming costs $12 and films can be viewed anytime during the 72-hour period following payment. All proceeds benefit the Panida.
While spending an inordinate amount of time at home, I started reading fiction again. As a reporter, I read a lot — other news sources, accounts of current events, research materials, anything and everything that’s nonfiction. But to actually sit down and read a novel? I wish. I turned that wish into a reality over the past month, and curling up with a book has felt like meeting up with an old friend. I know that my vocabulary improves, the imaginative part of my brain thrives and I’m more relaxed in my overall life when I make time to read for fun. In the past few weeks, anyone who wasn’t working didn’t need to make time — the pandemic made that time for them. In a time when helplessness, hopelessness and fear are coupled with free time, we see people gravitating toward some common pastimes: books, films, TV series, puzzles, crafts, board games, making and listening to music. What do all these pastimes have in common? They originate from artistic endeavors. Expressions of creativity are what people lean on in times of crisis — beguiling stories, beautiful imagery, brain teasers and tunes to make them dance. Admittedly, it dawned on me when a friend shared this sentiment on social media: “When this quarantine is over, and people relied so much on books, shows, games and crafts to get them through it, I don’t want to see a single school district cut art electives from its curriculum.” Amen to that. Find solace in a great book, an addicting TV series, a craft tutorial or a new card game — and say a silent thank-you to the artists who brought them to life. April 23, 2020 /
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COMMUNITY
‘Need help, give help’
Nonprofit Come Together North Idaho aims to serve as a one-stop for local needs big and small
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Leo Hunsaker knows what it feels like to both need — and ask for — help. The 25-year-old has in the past faced mental health challenges and for a time those struggles threatened to consume him. “I went from being very proactive to sitting at home all the time,” he said. “I never want anybody to have to go through that.” Despite that feeling of paralysis, Hunsaker held onto a vision of giving back to others. When he returned to Sandpoint in 2016 after some time in Boise, during which he served as vice president of Boise Pride, he recognized the wide array of local nonprofit organizations dedicated to assisting area residents in their various times of need. “However, the issue that I ran into when I needed help was that I’d go to one organization and they’d help me with one thing; I’d go to a second organization and they’d help me with the second thing; I’d
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go to a third organization and they’d help me with a third thing,” he said. What Hunsaker found missing was a one-stop organization that could address needs ranging from household supplies and grocery assistance, to help with rent and utilities, gas and transportation, medical financial assistance and clothing, among others. On March 16 — just as the dramatic changes wrought by the coronavirus were starting to be felt in the community — Hunsaker founded Come Together North Idaho, a 501(c)3 operating under the motto, “need help, give help.” Though not established in response to the coronavirus, CTNI couldn’t have come at a better time. At first organized as a Facebook group, Hunsaker said membership exploded to 2,100 users in its first three weeks, with local people expressing need for everything from toilet paper to diabetic strips. As of April 20, the number of users had risen to nearly 2,200. To
Hunsaker’s happy surprise, the donations started to pile up, too, filling the organization’s storage facility in short order. “That was really the lightbulb moment, when I saw that so many people were willing to give and open up their hearts to strangers in the community,” he said, pointing to one example in which a user donated a functional vacuum that, within a day, was claimed by a single mom who just moved to the area. “No need is too small and no donation goes to waste,” he said. Already, CTNI has served around 500 people in Boundary, Bonner and Kootenai counties, and operates with a board consisting of seven members, including Hunsaker. The organization also recently secured an office space at 120 S. Second Ave, next door to Arlo’s Ristorante. Hunsaker said CTNI is looking to fill positions including representatives for the Coeur d’Alene and Priest River/Laclede areas, an event specialist, volunteer coor-
dinator and board members. In five years, Hunsaker said he’d like to grow CTNI to include offices in Coeur d’Alene, Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint. “For now, we’re running as an emergency service,” he said, which means anyone who has a need that CTNI can fill is welcome to access its services on a case-by-case basis. However, as the organization grows, it will implement income guidelines to determine eligibility — not unlike those used by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare when allocating food assistance. Hunsaker underscored that CTNI is unaffiliated with any state agency, political or religious organizations or groups, and makes it a point to provide service regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. “The community is very diverse here,” he said, noting his experience as a board member, president and, currently, vice president of the local chapter of PFLAG. Hunsaker added that his work with PFLAG and Boise Pride, as well as his experience as Bonner County Rodeo king in 2011, have helped prepare him for connecting with the public and managing a growing nonprofit. “With the Boise Pride Festival, our donation revenue was over $500,000,” he said. “I’ve run pretty big nonprofits before. That’s where I’m hoping this nonprofit will go.” Donations are being accepted at the new office space, 120 S. Second Ave., C4, and organizers ask that donors call ahead to 208-605-7723. The most in-demand items include toilet paper, paper towels, diapers and wipes, as well as milk and eggs. Ultimately, for Hunsaker, his organization’s mission statement, “We aim to help the unfortunates, connect the community and inspire the world,” are more than words — they’re rooted in his personal experience. “I understand what it feels like to ask for help and a lot of the time you beat yourself down, like, ‘I don’t need this,’ and, ‘It’s embarrassing,’” he said. “This is just part of life, we all have our trials. … My thing is, I’m going to take you under my wing and shelter you from the storm.” To learn more, visit the Facebook page CTNI-Come Together North Idaho.
/ April 23, 2020
COMMUNITY
Support Local Gems
Chamber joins effort to support small businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak
By Reader Staff The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce has joined Idaho U.S. Senator Jim Risch and the Idaho Department of Commerce to announce the creation of Support Local Gems, which will serve as an all-day event to support Idaho small businesses whose operations have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Support Local Gems is an opportunity, beginning Friday, April 24, for Idahoans to find ways to support small businesses through low- and no-contact means, to help promote local jobs in their communities. Idahoans are invited to Support Local Gems by patronizing their favorite local shops and restaurants. Idahoans can get involved by shopping at small businesses online, purchasing gift cards for future use or for
loved ones, ordering takeout or delivery from local restaurants, writing a review online, posting on social media about a local business or simply saying thank you. Following the April 24 event, on Monday, April 27, Visit Idaho will extend the one-day Support Local Gems event into a 10-week initiative to continue promoting awareness of the program by sharing resources as well as the stories of Idaho communities, citizens and small businesses on visitidaho.org and across its social media channels. Additional supporters of Support Local Gems include Idaho Governor Brad Little, U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, the Association of Idaho Cities, Idaho Association of Counties, Idaho Chamber Alliance, Idaho Retailers Association, Idaho Lodging and
POAC creates at-home art bags for local students By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff In an effort to continue bringing art to local children while schools are closed, the Pend Oreille Arts Council is adapting its Kaleidoscope art teaching program to meet kids where they are: at home. To serve this need, POAC is putting together more than 800 free “Kaleidoscope-at-Home” bags for students in Bonner County. The bags, which are tentatively slated to be ready for pickup at area schools on Monday, May 4, include all of the materials and instructions needed for a self-portrait drawing lesson. “Our mission is to bring quality, hands-on art experiences to local elementary school students who might not otherwise have this opportunity, and we take
this mission very seriously,” said POAC Executive Director Tone Lund. “We have been raising funds and collecting donations from individuals cleaning out their art supplies to help cover the cost of this program.” POAC Arts Coordinator Claire Christy has spearheaded the project. Lund said Christy, a past Kaleidoscope student herself, has worked to ensure that every family that needs one will receive a Kaleidoscope-at-Home bag. Each bag costs $10 to build. Those interested in supporting the program should visit artinsandpoint.org to donate. Parents are asked to share their children’s finished artwork on social media using the hashtag #POACatHome. “We hope to see a lot of great art work,” Lund said.
Restaurant Association, Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry and Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. “The majority of our local businesses are small businesses and we want to reach out and help them in any way we can,” said Kate McAlister, president and CEO of the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Sandpoint City Council. “This will be a way to support what we have already been doing with curb-side takeout and online purchasing. Spend money locally, it helps people you know.” As Risch wrote in the announcement, “Idaho small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and the backbone of our state’s economy. The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has forced widespread closures of small businesses across the Gem State, threatening livelihoods,
acute job losses and imperiling the future of Main Street establishments across the state. There are many ways to support these businesses, on Friday, April 24, I invite you to find a way to express your support for the small businesses that power our economy and make our communities thrive.” According to Little, “Idaho will be better positioned for a strong economic comeback because we are making difficult changes in how we live and work in the short-term, and our small businesses need our support more than ever. I urge all citizens who are able to spend money and support small business on Friday, April 24.” If your organization or small business would like to get involved in the Support Local Gems initiative, email press@ risch.senate.gov.
New Thursday Live stream lineup
By Reader Staff More than 100 people tuned in to the Thursday Night Live stream on April 16 as Shook Twins and Josh Hedlund serenaded our virtual audience. The weekly live stream, sponsored by the Sandpoint Reader and Happy Tech Services, will air its fifth episode tonight, April 16 from 7-8:30 p.m. Maya Goldblum (a.k.a. Queen Bonobo) will perform from 7-7:45 p.m. Goldblum, who plays under the moniker Queen Bonobo in a full band, was born in Idaho and has lived and played in Ireland the past few years. She’ll be playing with special guests. The second act will be BOCA, which is Ben Olson and
This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert
READ
The only thing better than a life-changing movie or television series is the book that first brought it to life. From young adult novels (think Harry Potter or anything by John Green) to horror thrillers (think Stephen King) to tales of adventure (think the Outlander or Lord of the Rings series), great books are often the impetus for sharing a story further on screen. And, not to spoil anything, but… the book is always better.
LISTEN
My Spotify account is truly catching my vibe lately, as evidenced by its suggestion that I listen to the album Fuzzybrain by indie-pop artist Dayglow. Austin-based Sloan Struble — a young’n at only 20 years old — is the man behind the bubbly, surfrock sound and intricately crafted lyrics. Fuzzybrain is Dayglow’s first release, and it promises a bright future. My favorite tracks are “Listerine” and “False Direction.”
WATCH
Cadie Archer from Harold’s IGA, who will be playing from 7:45-8:30 p.m. Any musicians interested in signing up for a slot for an upcoming Thursday Night Live concert should contact Ben Olson at ben@sandpointreader. com. As always, you can check on these live streams, as well as any others offered by local musicians logging onto livemusicsandpoint.com.
When it comes to ASMR, if you know, you know. If you don’t, it’s short for “autonomous sensory meridian response” — that tingly feeling some people can trigger when hearing certain sounds. I’ve been blessed with the ability to trigger such relaxation and have, as of late, been utilizing the countless YouTube videos of people making noise next to expensive microphones. If that sounds weird, that’s because it is. Check it out.
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HUMOR
What kind of commenter are you? By Ben Olson Reader Staff
From Pend Oreille Review, April 23, 1920
NEW YORKERS PAY VISIT TO CLARKSFORK MINES A real mining boom has started in Clarksfork and the town has been the mecca for several days of New Yorkers who are financing or seeking to finance some of the many mining properties hereabouts. This rich mineral district was abandoned in the panic of 1893 and only recently has there appeared any signs of arousing the camp from its dormant state. The Interstate-Sullivan company has recently driven a tunnel 700 feet into Goat mountain encountering much rich galena ore. The Clarinda Copper Mining company that adjoins the Copper Giant has increased its area to over 166 acres. The New York gentlemen especially interested in the Clarinda who have been here were highly pleased not only with the ore showing on the Clarinda and Copper Giant but were especially pleased with the progress being made by the Clarinda which is not equipped with machinery. The electic powerline is connected and power operations will begin in a few days. Two discoveries were made in driving tunnel No. 1. Tunnel No. 5 will be driven now by power and good developments are expected in view of the fact that gray copper ore was found on the Lonepine vein at a depth of 200 feet in tunnel No. 3 that assayed 960 ounces of silver. 22 /
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We’re back with another look at the commenting styles of people on Facebook. Which category do you fall under? Headline commenter This person usually reads just the headline of a linked article and immediately weighs in with a dumb comment that most of us deduce comes from someone who hasn’t read the article and knows very little about the topic. Ignore them or challenge them with a detailed point not covered in the headline or first paragraph. The spelling police Some commenters have a sole purpose, it seems: to point out misspellings and grammar mistakes from others. While I believe using proper grammar and spelling words correctly are important in any form of writing, if your sole reason for commenting is to point out someone else’s typing mistake, you shouldn’t post at all. THE ALL CAPS GUY I have nothing to say about this dude, other than to point out that nobody under 75 types in all caps anymore. NOBODY! Calm down and drink some Metamucil. Maybe add a dram or three of bourbon. The humorist I bow down to the witty commenter who avoids politics, ideological battles, religion and other touchy topics — choosing instead to craft a funny response that doesn’t anger anyone except the trolls who want the world to burn. It ain’t easy being funny, so hats off to you, humorists. We need you now more than ever.
STR8TS Solution
One track mind Some commenters always bring it back to their personal bugaboo. Write a post about the food bank fundraiser, they’ll somehow connect it to goose poop. Write a moving post about a family donating firewood to veterans? Goose poop. A touring band is coming to town? You guessed it: goose poop. One-trackers: It’s not that your subject matter is inappropriate. More often than not it’s a timely, important topic. But that doesn’t mean you have to populate every post with your particular issue. Pick your lanes, friends. Everyone is dumber than me You’ve seen this commenter before. They react to issues of the day with disdain for their fellow man, sometimes angrily insinuating that everyone falls below them on the IQ scale. The ironic thing is, these commenters — while being quite mean — are sometimes correct: most people are quite dumb on social media. You’ve heard the adage that “the camera adds 10 pounds.” Well, social media subtracts about 30 IQ points, and that’s on a good day. Dangerous commenter We don’t hesitate to block someone from our Facebook page if they cross the line. But, occasionally, a commenter will not only cross the line, they’ll run right over it. This happened a few months ago when one commenter made references that a certain group of people “will be rounded up and made to pay for their crimes against this country,” among other incendiary statements. We not only block users that use threats, we report them to the police.
Part 2
ical, sane manner. They take pains to avoid calling out others, but instead, embody the idea that reasonable people can still disagree without being disagreeable. If you fall under any of the other categories, please strive to be one of the rare beasts. They add so much to the conversation. Which category are you? Which do you want to be? Are you helping or hurting? You’re in charge of those fingers, bub.
Crossword Solution
Rational commenter The social media unicorn. Rational commenters don’t resort to emotional pleas or name calling, but argue their points in a log-
Sudoku Solution
I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it.
Laughing Matter
By Bill Borders
ACROSS
1. Numbskull 5. Pierces 10. Shade of blue 14. Former lovers 15. Novices 16. Quiet time 17. The coldest season of the year 19. Skittles 20. American Dental Association 21. Rehabilitation 22. Chocolate source 23. Set free 25. By surprise 27. Donkey 28. A deep fissure 31. A fencing sword 34. Adjudicate 35. Foot digit 36. 1 1 1 1 37. Merchandise /tak-SON-uh-mee / 38. Secure against leakage 39. At this time [noun] 40. In shape of the 1. a classification into ordered categories 41. Spirited 42. Disputed “The superintendent proposed a taxonomy of educational objectives.” 44. Brassiere 45. A lot 46. Capable of being molded Corrections: Nothing to report this week, dear readers. Wash your hands, 50. Fire wear a mask in public and don’t listen to the people trying to convince you 52. Chaff to downplay this pandemic. -BO 54. L 55. Marsh plant
Word Week
taxonomy
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
CROSSWORD
Solution on page 22 56. A disorder of memory 58. Nobleman 59. Angry 60. Dour 61. Backside 62. Typewrote 63. Pinup’s legs
8. Barraged 9. South southeast 10. Lama pacos 11. Military march 12. Forearm bone 13. Likewise 18. Delete 22. Grotto 24. Hearing organs DOWN 26. Pleads 1. Type of vacuum flask 28. Healed 29. A cleansing agent 2. Any compound of 30. Evasive oxygen 31. A short musical 3. Prison-related composition 4. Eastern Standard Time 32. Dwarf buffalo 5. Pressure 33. Confuses 6. Church offering 34. A loyal supporter 7. Diva’s solo
37. Blue dye 38. Oceans 40. Russian emperor 41. Shrimp-like decapod 43. Noggin 44. Found fault 46. Chatter 47. Electrical pioneer 48. Site of the Trojan War 49. Burrowing marine mollusk 50. District 51. Back 53. Snare 56. A sizeable hole 57. It comes from a hen April 23, 2020 /
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