Reader_August10_2023

The week in random review

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

he’ll sell you a lemon

DEAR READERS,

Did anyone hear the sonic boom on the afternoon of Aug. 9? Sandpoint Airport Manager Dave Schuck called the Reader offices to confirm that around 11 a.m. on Aug. 9, a U.S. Navy EA-18 Growler based at Whidbey Island, Wash., triggered a sonic boom over Sandpoint as it took part in an emergency landing training exercise, in which it made the approach to the Sandpoint airport but did not actually touch down. The jet is a variant of the F-18, with the EA portion of its name standing for “electronic attack.”

According to Wikipedia, 172 of them have been built as of October 2021, each costing up to $125 million. Their top speed is 1,190 miles per hour at 40,000 feet, which is Mach 1.8.

Thanks for the info, Dave.

READER

111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 208-946-4368 sandpointreader.com

Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com

Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com

Soncirey Mitchell (Staff Writer) soncirey@sandpointreader.com

Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey (emeritus) Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus)

Advertising: Kelsey Kizer kelsey@sandpointreader.com

Contributing Artists: Karley Coleman (cover), Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Racheal Baker, BNSF, Bill Borders, Sophia Szokolay

My dog Bucky is 75 pounds of anxiety and tennis balls, with a thick, black coat that keeps out the water and in the stink. One thing he’s afraid of — in addition to thunder, cats and car rides — is baths. That doesn’t stop him from rolling in whatever foul pile he can find in the forest. He has a hidden stench stash somewhere that he visits every morning before anyone can stop him. After a recent week of trips to the beach and deodorizing wipes, drastic action had to be taken. Only one smell known to man can win in a fight against a wet dog: That’s right, Irish Spring. You may know Irish Spring as the soap that’s rumored to keep flies out of the house when it’s rubbed on door frames. With a smell that’s citrusy, herbal and headachingly strong, Bucky now walks around in a cloud reminiscent of cologne. Like every teenage boy discovering body spray for the first time, it’s gone to his head. He has a newfound swagger about him when he hounds me to play fetch. I’ve started calling him “The Salesman,” because pulling into my driveway is like rolling up to a used car-lot; I’m waiting for him to lowball my trade-in, then show me a 1999 Subaru with a complimentary pine air freshener.

words to live by

To add some pizzazz to difficult conversations, consult Dick Syatt’s book Country Talk, in which there’s a localism for every situation. For instance, the next time you’re listening to someone whine about a problem of their own making, simply tell them: “That’s your possum and you can just wool it.”

condensed milk is a soup

My parents have a pantry built in the ’70s by hippies who took too many mushrooms and not enough math classes. The narrow wooden shelves run from floor to ceiling and leave no room for any kind of lighting. I found myself tasked, as daughters often are, with reorganizing and throwing out the stale marshmallows and aspirin from 1996. Meditative jobs like these elicit important philosophical questions, like, “Does dry pasta go with canned soup or rice?” At 11 p.m. on a recent Saturday night, I gave myself the authority to recategorize entire food groups. So, for posterity, I propose that salsa is a jam; pasta is a cracker; and, of course, condensed milk is a soup.

In other news, Music Bridges Borders! organizer Rick Reed told the Reader he forgot to name one of their acclaimed musicians in last week’s article. Tuba player José Angel Zaragoza Espinoza was a vital part of the event, helping to make sure the right sheet music was used and, according to Reed, “The camp would not have been as good without him.”

–Ben Olson, publisher

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Clark Corbin, Kathy Hubbard, Marcia Pilgeram

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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

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About the Cover

This week’s cover photo was taken by Karley Coleman of 5MW Photography. Thanks Karley!

Finalists present their concepts for downtown waterfront design competition

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

After nearly six months, the city of Sandpoint is getting close to identifying a finalist in its downtown waterfront design competition, which kicked off in late-February when the City Council voted to invite eligible teams to submit proposals for redevelopment of Sand Creek and City Beach, as well as inform the Comprehensive Plan update and future zoning and code changes.

Since then, the competition has progressed through its first stage and most of the second phase, arriving at three finalist teams. From those, one will be selected by a jury after public presentations at City Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 15. The winning team will then present to the City Council at a date to be determined, after which the design will be further vetted and modified — potentially even incorporating elements from other

teams’ concepts.

The three finalists include:

•Team A: Skylab, PLACE, KPFF, PAE & LUMA, Brightworks and ECONorthwest;

•Team B: First Forty Feet, Greenworks, Fehr & Peers, Century West Engineering and North Root Architecture;

•Team C: GGLO + Bernardo Wills, Welch Comer, Greg Moller, Erin Blue and Sarah Thompson Moore.

Team A will present its proposal Aug. 15 at 11 a.m., followed by Team B at 1:30 p.m. and Team C at 3:30 p.m. All the presentations will take place in person at City Hall (1123 Lake St.) and be available virtually by following the links at sandpointidaho. gov under “News & Announcements.”

In the meantime, all three proposals — including visuals and supporting documents

Team A: Skylab

— are available on the city’s website and boards depicting the concepts will be on display in the City Hall council chambers Thursday, Aug. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. and Friday, Aug. 11 from 9 a.m. to noon, as well as Saturday, Aug. 12 at the Jeff Jones Square east of Farmin Park on Third Avenue and Main Street from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton will also be on hand to answer questions and gather feedback.

An original design report from each team is also available from the reference desk at the East Bonner County Library Sandpoint branch (1407 Cedar St.). Other opportunities for community participation include a survey, which is

open until noon on Monday, Aug. 14 and available at communityfeedback.opengov. com/13087.

This concept focuses on the downtown watershed, envisioning a corridor of redevelopment from the Granary District to Sand Creek and the beach. That includes a daylight stormwater treatment system that would result in a creek running from a “source” at the Jeff Jones Square through reimagined pedestrian-only “re-wilding blocks” along Main and Oak streets filled with trees and other vegetation — and flanked by multi-story mixed-use redevelopment at the current city parking lot — before spilling out into Sand Creek over a constructed waterfall.

The “source” would form a centerpiece for events surrounding Farmin Park — which would also be home to the Carousel of Smiles — and during winter would serve as an ice skating rink.

Along the waterfront would be floating wetlands, numerous docks, a floating screen for projecting

movies and an observation tower providing views of the lake to the east and downtown to the west.

Team A proposes a bladder dam at the mouth of Sand Creek, near the railroad and byway overpass, that would keep water levels in Sand Creek at full pool level year round.

City Beach would feature much expanded parking and features including pickleball courts, a floating spa, floating surf pool, enclosed family swimming area, event spaces, a new playground and space for a cafe near an enlarged moorage area on the south side of the beach.

Skylab’s plan also proposes a mining-themed underpass with interpretive information about the area’s mineral extraction history through which pedestrians and motorists alike would access City Beach from Bridge Street.

City officials meet with the public at Farmin Park Aug. 5. Photo by Soncirey Mitchell.

Team B: First Forty Feet

The team led by First Forty Feet envisions waterfront redevelopment beginning in the vicinity of Farmin Park, with Main and Oak streets serving as curbless “festival streets” shaded by a canopy of trees and leading pedestrians and bicyclists — the latter benefiting from a protected bikeway — east toward Sand Creek.

There, the entrance to the waterway would be through a plaza flanked by mixeduse redevelopment at the current Zero Point and A&P’s locations on First Avenue — south of the Panida Theater — and marked by sculptural gate-like elements extending into the watercourse on constructed berms.

The berms are intended to serve as “wetland flux zones,” connected in places by stepping stones. During the winter, when water levels drop, Team B envisions snowsports activities such as cross-country skiing in and around Sand Creek over trails and pathways.

Overall, the First Forty Feet team approaches waterfront redevelopment with First Avenue and Main Street as a “hinge” connecting Farmin Park to Sand Creek.

At City Beach, the concept includes expanded parking as well as a regional playground, relocated sand volleyball court, new boat launch and enlarged boat access on the

Team C: GGLO

south side of the beach; a hardscape/event space and stage area alongside an amphitheater in the center of the park; a location for the Carousel of Smiles; and — notably — a large circular boardwalk encompassing the

swimming area on the east side of the beach with a promenade for fair and market activities, concessions and a protected swimming/ sunbathing lagoon.

The third team in the competition embraces a concept it calls “The Blue Necklace,” defined as “a uniting thread that ties together the many jewels of Sandpoint,” from the Granary District to City Beach.

The design includes building out Farmin Park to include an “event corridor” on Oak Street leading to Main Street and into an “arts and culture district” on Second Avenue near new mixed-use development and a public parking structure at the current Sandpoint city parking lot.

A new intersection at First Avenue and Bridge Street would enable angled street parking to the south and a First Avenue “gateway” with sculptural elements and signage pointing the way to downtown and City Beach.

Team C’s vision emphasizes mixed-use development along the west bank of Sand Creek, though fronted with vegetative plantings to restore the riparian habitat while refurbishing Farmin’s Landing and establishing a terrace at Cedar Street featuring public space and plantings, along with the

potential location for a small restaurant.

The most dramatic element of Team C’s vision for Sand Creek includes a reconstructed bridge with large vertical elements evoking a suspension structure, over which vehicles would travel while a second route beneath the roadway would be reserved for pedestrians.

The Carousel of Smiles would be located adjacent to the existing parking area on the east side of Sand Creek.

At City Beach, the GGLO-led team

expands parking, moorage and launches for both motorized and non-motorized watercraft, and also proposes a nature playscape on the northern portion of the park with a nearby “ice ribbon/roller sports course.” The center of the park would be given over to a “great lawn” with an event pavilion to the west; tennis and pickleball courts to the south; sand volleyball courts to the east; and a native pollinator meadow, community forest, picnic pavilions and a native landscape plantings on the point to the southeast.

BNSF officially opens two-way rail traffic over Lake Pend

Oreille bridges

Bits ’n’ Pieces

From east, west and beyond

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

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, one of several justices in the hot seat for not reporting sizable gifts, claims Congress has no “authority to regulate the Supreme Court.” That’s been met with humor, The Lever reported that legal professionals — including judicial ethics expert Amanda Frost — pointed out that Congress regulates the court’s size, where it meets and writes the oaths of office for justices. Those oaths are intended to “ensure that the justices behave ethically.”

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

After more than a decade of planning and construction since 2019, BNSF Railway announced Aug. 7 that it had officially opened two-way traffic on the new and refurbished train crossings over Lake Pend Oreille.

The inaugural trip across the “Sandpoint Junction Connector” marked “the last step of the project,” according to a news release from BNSF, and signified the “final configuration” that would allow “both lines to now carry freight simultaneously.”

The second rail bridge — which spurred no small amount of controversy among many who opposed it due to environmental and safety concerns related to increased coal and oil shipments — runs parallel to the existing bridge, separated by approximately 50 feet.

Grassroots climate change activist group Wild Idaho Rising Tide has been the most vigorous and longtime opponent of the second rail bridge, consistently speaking out against the project as a source for ongoing and increasing pollution due to coal dust and diesel emissions, as well as arguing it represents a public health risk through the potential for derailments and spills.

Citing a July 2023 report from The Wall Street Journal, which found lead pollution stemming from buried communication cables beneath a number of rail bridges — including the Sandpoint bridge — WIRT leader Helen Yost told the Reader in an email that, “BNSF’s second lake and creek bridges construction in and near Sandpoint released not only toxic coal, diesel, and Superfund site contamination into the Pend Oreille lake and river watershed and

the federally designated, critical habitat of threatened bull trout, but apparently disturbed buried lead, too.”

Completion of the new train bridge in late 2022 came about a year ahead of schedule, according to BNSF, and enabled the company to undertake a modernization project on the original 1904 bridge, which had been closed since last year for maintenance upgrades. Meanwhile, new bridges were also constructed over Sand Creek and Bridge Street in Sandpoint.

“The completion of this bridge is a big win for our customers and the community, especially before the start of the fall harvest season,” BNSF Vice President of Engineering John Cech stated in a news release. “This milestone is thanks to many team members spanning across multiple departments who collaborated to help improve the consistency of our service. This bridge will be critical moving forward to address our long-term growth and will allow us to meet customer expectations for the next century or more.”

BNSF went on to state that the commencement of two-way traffic over Lake Pend Oreille will reduce congestion at area railroad crossings by making freight traffic more efficient, therefore cutting down on the number of trains that sit idle on the tracks.

“BNSF thanks the community for their patience as the team worked to complete this important work as safely and efficiently as possible,” the company stated.

To learn more about the Sandpoint Junction Connector Project, visit keepsandpointrolling.com.

Heat is the deadliest kind of weather, and kills an average of twice as many people as are killed by tornadoes and hurricanes, according to The Lever. Recent months saw an increase in heat-related deaths, and July registered as the hottest month in recorded history.

UPS strikers are off the potential picket line with a new negotiated contract. According to the Teamsters, the contract has more workplace protections and full-time jobs.

Former-President Donald Trump has pleaded “not guilty” to allegations that he tried to overturn his 2020 election loss, including charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., obstruction of official proceedings and conspiracy against the right to have votes counted (violating a law passed to stop KKK terrorists from interfering in the 19th century with the counting of electoral votes).

The indictment charges came from a grand jury of 23 “ordinary” citizens who were tasked with weighing evidence of criminal activity. It said that, “until 2021 [the election process] had operated in a peaceful and orderly manner for more than 130 years.” The top charges in the case are punishable by up to 20 years in prison for Trump.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Trump is the 1,078th person charged in connection with the events of Jan. 6, 2021. He faces two other cases, one being mishandling of classified files and the other that of falsifying business records to cover hush-money payments.

“It is perhaps the most important indictment ever … to safeguard American democracy and the rule of law in any U.S. court against anyone,” David French wrote in The New York Times.

Trump claims that the indictments he faces are good for his 2024 presidential

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

campaign: “We need one more indictment to close out this [upcoming] election.”

A comment on Trump’s guilt came from former-Attorney General Bill Barr, who told BBC that Trump “knew well he lost the election.” Reports are that more than 15 pages of the 45-page indictment confirm that Trump’s lies about election fraud were knowingly made. Barr said the apparent defense of “free speech” offers no protection when one enters a conspiracy; other legal authorities have clarified that the First Amendment does not cover criminal behavior.

Details from the recent indictment include plans by the election conspirators to use the military to control protests against overturning 2020 election results. That led military leaders to tell Congress they hesitated to respond to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot for fear that they would be used under the Insurrection Act.

The recent indictment references six unnamed co-conspirators.

Political chaos prompted Fitch Ratings to downgrade — for the second time in U.S. history — the nation’s long-term credit rating. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called that “arbitrary,” pointing out that U.S. economic growth is strong and the president “has delivered the strongest recovery of any major economy in the world.” Nevertheless, she agreed that extremist politicians aiming for a debt default and to undermine the government does pose a threat to the economy.

Blast from the past: Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolph Hess, was buried in a small German town in 1980. The town soon became a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis. On Aug. 17, they marched through the town, aiming to incite riots and violence, which, in the past, anti-fascists felt obligated to respond to. The town tried a different strategy: Turn the Nazi parade into a charity walk. For every meter walked by neo-Nazis, people pledged 10 euros to EXIT-Deutschland, a group that helps extricate willing people from far-right groups. When the neo-Nazis crossed the finish line, they were surprised to be greeted with confetti and loud cheers, and learned they had raised $20,000 euros for the EXIT group. The effort went further, and later T-shirts with Nazi ideology were given to neo-Nazi marchers. When they were washed, the T-shirts had an offer to “free” them, and calls to the EXIT-Deutschland organization went up 300%.

Photo courtesy BNSF.

Idaho Supreme Court wrestles with how to describe primary election ballot initiative

Supporters of the open primary initiative cannot move forward with signature drive until ballot titles are resolved

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun

Questions about how to describe a proposed ballot initiative that would change Idaho elections were the focal point of oral arguments before the Idaho Supreme Court on Aug. 7 in Boise.

The case involves the ballot titles for a proposed ballot initiative brought forward by Idahoans for Open Primaries. The ballot titles are important because they describe to voters and the public what the initiative is and what it does. There is a short ballot title of 20 words or less and a longer ballot title of 200 words or less.

The ballot initiative was in front of the Idaho Supreme Court on Aug. 7 because Idahoans for Open Primaries and Reclaim Idaho filed a legal challenge to the ballot titles that Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office assigned to the ballot initiative on June 30. Reclaim Idaho is the same group that was behind the 2018 Medicaid expansion ballot initiative.

The short title from Labrador doesn’t call the ballot initiative an open primary but calls it a nonparty blanket primary.

“MEASURE TO (1) REPLACE VOTER SELECTION OF PARTY NOMINEES WITH NONPARTY BLANKET PRIMARY; (2) REQUIRE RANKEDCHOICE VOTING FOR GENERAL ELECTIONS,” the short ballot title reads.

The hearing Aug. 7 included an array of questions posed by sev-

eral of the justices and a lengthy discussion of a tweet Labrador posted May 2 writing, in part, “Let’s defeat these bad ideas coming from liberal outside groups.”

During the hearing, attorney Deborah Ferguson argued Labrador failed at his duty to be an objective and impartial officer in his handling of the ballot titles. Ferguson also argued the term “nonparty blanket primary” is inaccurate.

“Glaringly absent in that title is any mention that the law would create an open primary system in Idaho,” Ferguson said.

“This is such an important part of the initiative process and the short title especially is the headline by which the public will know it,” Ferguson added.

Idahoans for Open Primaries are asking to have Labrador’s ballot titles thrown out and corrected by the court.

Meanwhile, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office is asking for the challenge to be dismissed and the titles to be retained. Idaho Solicitor General Theo Wold, who argued the case for the A.G.’s office, said Labrador followed the law and described the initiative in language that is truthful and neutral.

“Petitioners want the ballot title to call the measure an open primary, but it is not,” Wold argued. “Idaho used to have an open primary, but the system proposed here is distinctly different. The initiative proposes a nonparty blanket primary.”

Wold also argued that in his

tweet Labrador was arguing against the concept of ranked choice voting, not the specific ballot initiative he was reviewing and assigning titles for. Wold argued that the justices should simply look at Labrador’s work product to determine he did not violate his role with the initiative.

Will the Idaho Supreme Court supply new ballot titles?

During oral arguments, Idaho Supreme Court justices raised questions about the accuracy of both the supporters’ use of “open primary” and Labrador’s office’s use of “nonparty blanket primary.”

“I was unable to find another external source that referred to this type of primary as an open primary,” Idaho Supreme Court Justice Colleen D. Zahn said during the beginning of the hearing. “Instead, they appeared to define open primary as still a party primary, but anybody, regardless of party affiliation is allowed to vote.”

About 20 minutes later, Zahn

questioned Wold over how the Idaho Attorney General’s Office came up with the term it used.

“I couldn’t find where the term ‘nonparty blanket primary’ has ever been used by anybody other than the attorney general,” Zahn said.

During oral arguments, Ferguson and Idaho Supreme Court Justice Gregory W. Moeller discussed the possibility of instead using new ballot titles that refer to it as “a top-four open primary” with “ranked choice voting” in the general election.

Zahn also discussed the term “top-four primary.”

Oral arguments lasted just over an hour on Aug. 7. At the end, Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan announced the justices would take the matter under advisement. The justices did not announce a deadline for issuing a ruling.

In some notable recent cases, the Idaho Supreme Court has issued rulings in a matter of weeks.

For example, in the 2020 case of former Superintendent of Public

Instruction Sherri Ybarra vs. the Idaho Legislature, the court held oral arguments June 5 of that year and issued a ruling June 22.

What happens next for the Idahoans for Open Primaries ballot initiative?

The ballot titles are an important part of the initiative process, and supporters of the initiative cannot move forward with their signature drive until the ballot titles are in place.

As things stand now, the group Idahoans for Open Primaries has until May 1 to turn in signatures to qualify the initiative for the 2024 general election. To qualify, they will need signatures from 6% of Idaho voters statewide and 6% in 18 of the state’s 35 legislative districts. To meet the 6% statewide total, supporters will need to gather about 63,000 signatures from registered voters.

Then, if the initiative makes the election, it would take a simple majority of voters to approve it at the polls.

The initiative supporters have also requested an extension to their deadline to turn in signatures, saying the case over the ballot title issues has already dealt a significant setback to the effort.

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

Fire danger prompts Stage II fire restrictions across North Idaho

By Reader Staff

Moderate to severe drought conditions coupled with persistent high temperatures have contributed to the decision to raise fire restrictions to Stage II across North Idaho fire districts. These lands include those managed or administered by the U.S. Forest Service; Idaho Panhandle National Forests; Bureau of Land Management; the Coeur d’Alene Tribe; the Idaho Department of Lands; and the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties.

Restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.

The fire danger rating has been listed at “extreme” across North Idaho since July 31, and has not changed, with multiple geographic areas experiencing large wildfires.

Under Stage II fire restrictions, the following acts are prohibited on restricted private, tribal, state,

and federally managed or protected lands, roads and trails:

•Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire;

•Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a designated recreational site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials;

•Operating motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails in

accordance with existing travel management plans for non-commercial purposes, including ATVs, UTVs and pickups;

• And, from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., operating a chainsaw or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine; blasting, welding or other activities that generate flame or flammable material; and using an explosive.

In local wildfire updates, the Buckskin 2 Fire reported on Aug.

4 is currently listed at 185 acres as of Aug. 8. Due to steep terrain, the fire is currently listed at 0% containment, with 80 personnel working on fire suppression. Road closures include the intersection of USFS roads 203 and 332, the intersection of 1021 and 332, as well as roads 1533 and 305 in Clark Fork.

For a full list of exemptions to the Stage II fire restrictions, see idl.idaho.gov.

Courtesy image.

Bouquets:

•We recently received a generous donation and a very generous donation from two members of our community. I’ll keep their names a secret, but I would like to thank them — and everyone who donates to the Reader — for such kindness. We really appreciate the support and we couldn’t make it without you all.

•Sometimes, I take for granted how good we locals have it sometimes. Sure, we can’t afford to buy a home, work menial jobs and often deal with some entitled tourists, but in another couple weeks or so, the town will drift back to the shoulder season and we can enjoy this place we love without all the hassles. A Bouquet goes out to all you locals out there, biding your time until the seasonal slowdown.

Barbs:

•There are a few areas around Sandpoint that are natural bottlenecks where traffic sometimes slows to a crawl because some drivers don’t take the time to know the rules of the road. I’m talking about the left turn lane at Yoke’s directly across from McDonald’s. When turning north into Yoke’s, drivers are supposed to skip the first ingress and turn at the second one, but it seems most people try to turn left right away, causing major congestion with traffic leaving Yoke’s and McDonald’s. Luckily, the lines were recently repainted, so it’s very obvious now where to enter Yoke’s parking lot. Another cluster seems to happen at the corner of Cedar Street and Second Avenue, with the curse of the “phantom stop sign.” I admit, this intersection makes me lose my cool sometimes, as I sit watching car after car stop on Cedar Street even though there’s no stop sign. With the slow crawl of summer traffic moving through downtown, this intersection can rob you of five minutes of your life before you can say “useless downtown street redesign.”

‘Message in a baggie’...

Dear editor, I ride my bike on early mornings and cruise town when the streets are void of cars. On a recent Sunday, I rode the northwest corner of town and noted plastic bags lying on the streets. Riding so quickly, I paid no attention and assumed it was leftover trash from a Friday trash pick-up. I began to see the same baggies on a number of other streets.

The baggies were lying at the center of every driveway and I thought there must be a message. Perhaps some event was to take place, an invitation to a block party or a birthday party in the neighborhood. I stopped and picked up a baggie and opened it. It had two little rocks and a folded flier. In ominous large block letters, a bunch of anti-Semitic language alongside with photos of President Joe Biden’s cabinet ministers and their titles.

There is a message here. It indicates there remains a cadre of hateful people in our community and they are at it again. These hurtful feelings are pernicious, persistent and cowardly, as usual. Littering (regardless of the message) is illegal.

City of Sandpoint Code 5-2-2: Littering Public Thoroughfares

Prohibited:

“It shall be unlawful for any person to scatter or throw upon the public thoroughfares any handbills, posters, advertisements or papers. Nothing herein shall be construed to authorize any person to obstruct the public thoroughfares or create any nuisance therein. These provisions shall not interfere or prevent the posting of notices required by law to be posted.” (1958 Code)

To the litterers: Give it up, your crusade is dead.

Barry Burgess Sandpoint

Dear editor,

Recently there was a letter from Sagle. The writer slammed our teachers and said that our young folks aren’t the sharpest tacks in the shed. This is an example of bullying. To me that was a horrible statement. Shame

Then there was a notice about a fundraiser for the trustees being recalled. It said “Keep West Bonner conservative.” Completely political. Schools should not be subject to political ideas. It should be about all people — regardless of political affiliations — working together and

sharing ideas to provide the best education possible for our youth.

I also want to comment on residents coming to live here from different parts of the country. You left wherever you’re from for your own reasons. Why try to change your new choice to something you left behind? Fifty years ago, I moved here from New York because I was tired of the rat race. I embraced my new home here for what is. Thankful that it was not like the area I migrated from. And I hope to H— it stays that way, with normal progression.

Then there is a local pastor taking a stand on this non-religious debacle. That doesn’t sound ethical to me.

And finally, I want to remind you to vote. The day is approaching in a hurry: Tuesday, Aug. 29. Mark it on your calendar. Don’t rely on your neighbors or friends to carry the vote. It’s up to all of us. Get out there and vote. No excuses.

This is critically important for the future of our school district and our kiddos’ lives. Do this for all of us. Vote in favor of the recall. Recall, replace, rebuild.

Ernie Schoeffel Priest River

Dear editor, To King Bradshaw and Prince Omodt: When will you represent all the people of Bonner County, instead of simply running roughshod over anything proposed/ suggested/presented brought up by Serf Williams? Having Omodt in Dan McDonald’s old seat is like still having McDonald in the chair. Bradshaw and McDonald or Bradshaw and Omodt sure does not make much difference about our county commissioners and how they vote.

Still spending money on Sewell Engineering regarding the fairgrounds, when the Fair Board, County Planning and Zoning and the sheriff are all opposed to the Omodt/ Bradshaw proposal/land usage.

Not allowing for public comments/input at board meetings?

Who do you two think you are? Is there something going on behind the scenes that the public is not aware of? Exactly what’s in it for these two commissioners?

It’s time for you to listen to public input, whether for or against what you’re doing.

As far as I’m concerned, the two of you can take your dictatorial attitude and shove into the garbage can. You are supposed to represent the people of Bonner

County, not represent your own special interests.

The phrase, “Sandpoint: A beautiful place destroyed by ugly people,” seems appropriate.

Michael Harmelin Sandpoint

Dear editor, Reading Jennifer Ekstom’s article “Appreciating North Idaho’s great lakes” in the July 27, 2023 issue of the Reader reminded me of the Great Lakes of Michigan. Being raised near the shore of Lake Erie was magical. My dad taught me to fish on its shores, we went boating, swimming, watched fireworks, and played at the amusement parks on Boblo Island and at Cedar Paint. Wonderful memories, much like those near our beautiful Lake Pend Oreille.

But in the last decade those wonderful memories took a dark turn. We began to hear reports of toxic algae blooms appearing in Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes as well. One late night a news alert reported that toxicity had become dangerously high: “Don’t drink the water, bathe in it, wash dishes or clothes in it!” Terrifying!

There was communal panic. My husband had to drive 30 miles to get water for us until it started being distributed from the back of trucks at the township hall. Reading Ms. Ekstrom’s article brought all those memories, wonderful and horrific, flooding back.

Lake Pend Oreille is a treasure — even more so than Lake Erie. Maintaining the quality of our lake means everything. Don’t take it for granted. With pollution issues already being reported, sewage treatment unable to keep up, the explosion of new housing further stressing the system, we need to act now.

Go to a meeting. The Kootenai Ponderay Sewer District meets Monday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. You could also call them at 208-263-0229 or write to 511 Whiskey Jack, Sandpoint, ID 83864 and ask that they suspend new hookups. Stay informed. The Idaho Conservation League is just one place to do so: idahoconservation.org.

Patricia Hofmann Kootenai

Dear editor,

Here are the actual facts to set the record straight:

•Was the WBCSD office staff fired? Yes, they absolutely were. They

were sent emails from Mr. Durst that they were all terminated and no longer employed by the district. They were fired, they did not quit;

•Did the ELA curriculum cost $20,000 to return? No, but it was not the $3,300 that they are telling you. It was a total of $9,075.66. The district office has the receipts, that’s a fact.

The recall effort is not a political one. Those in favor of the recall are community members, parents, grandparents, former teachers, business owners and good-hearted people. Our children’s education is our top priority. Spreading misinformation is not.

Vote for the recall Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Tamara Hirst Priest River

Dear editor,

During contract negotiations, Branden Durst has shown a lack of financial understanding in regards to the district budget, and is relying heavily on the support and assistance from the Idaho Department of Education for clarification and understanding of the district’s budget.

He has also demonstrated a lack of understanding regarding the software programs and procedures to run the district efficiently.

In and of itself, the two above instances are cause for concern. But the salient issue is that Durst wasn’t hired for his expertise in managing a school district (remember, he has zero experience).

In fact, it’s obvious that WBCSD Board Members Rutledge and Brown aren’t concerned a bit about Durst’s poor performance as long as their overall objective is met: first, to annihilate the district as it currently stands; second, to replace it with Christian charter schools.

Durst has admitted on his Twitter account (Dec. 29, 2022) that he will be, “Putting together incorporation documents and an application to open Idaho’s first Christian charter school. The school will leverage Hillsdale curriculum. There will be emphasis on biblical worldview and training up the next generation in Truth.”

There is nothing wrong, per se, with having a Christian worldview. The First Amendment protects that right.

Why, then, do Rutledge, Brown and Durst feel the need to rely on obfuscation and misrepresentation of what their true intentions are,

‘Message in a baggie’...

‘Setting the record straight’...

‘Who do you two think you are?’…

Incompetence, agenda are grounds for recall…

Get involved for clean water…

while harming the very thing they are purporting to save? Not only is that un-Christian, but grounds for recall.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, Aug. 29. Recall. Rebuild. Replace.

Glenn R. Hines Priest River

‘Inaction and distraction’...

Dear editor,

In 2018 I wondered why we were spending so much of our time working on problems facing Idaho, rather than enjoying our own lives. My sister said, “Because we are doing the work the government is not doing.”

Inaction and distraction by the Legislature forces us to resort to citizen initiatives to get critical things done.

We have Medicaid expansion because of a citizens’ initiative. More school funding was on the way in last year’s citizens’ initiative, except that the governor promised school funding and then — after we withdrew the initiative — he broke his promise.The Legislature even passed legislation aimed at making citizens’ initiatives impossible!

Legislators are attacking individual rights and meddling in family business. Prime examples are the right to read in our libraries, and legislators forcing the closure of an entire department in our hospital and driving doctors out of Idaho.

These moves are distractions from what Idahoans need and want, using up time and money, and expanding the power of state government. By offering circuses without bread, they cover up inaction on the part of too many of our elected officials.

Something’s gotta give, and we are ones who have to make it give.

Nancy Gerth Sagle

In support of aquatic herbicide treatments…

Dear editor,

There was a letter on Aug. 3 titled, “One thing we can all agree on is having clean water” [by Meryl Kastin and neighbors, of Sandpoint], and I absolutely agree with that notion on many fronts.

Good water quality is inherently essential, and especially important to me being that I swim in the Pend Oreille system on a near daily basis throughout the summer, every year.

The aquatic noxious weed flowering rush harbors the intermediate host that causes swimmer’s itch — something that contributes to what I would consider a degradation in clean water. The planned herbicide treatments by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers targeting flowering rush is aiming to cover 26 total acres across six sites on Lake Pend Oreille using two chemistries — diquat and endothall — not glyphosate, as asserted in the referenced letter.

Their planned glyphosate treatment is to target terrestrial noxious weeds on the Clark Fork Drift Yard control booms — a separate project from the submersed treatments.

Glyphosate deserves more content than can be shared in a 300-word LTE, but in short, it has gone through the EPA’s re-review process and maintains registration for use in the United States. As for the EU opting not to continue registration for diquat, I cannot find any information beyond abstracts to back up their decision. When any of these chemistries are used in accordance with label directions and dosages, non-target safety is upheld and the integrity of water quality is not compromised. Equate it to using Tylenol — it is safe when used in proper dosages, for the specific purpose of alleviating pain.

The Corps has my support for the planned flowering rush treatments, and Jeremey Varley with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture also has my support for any potential treatments led by the state in the future.

Chase Youngdahl Sandpoint

Editor’s note: Chase Youngdahl is the noxious weed manager for Bonner County.

Junk mail…

Dear editor,

I received a piece of junk mail the other day in my mailbox. The word “junk” hardly describes it. It’s the type of propaganda that is the stock in trade of the extreme rightwing political agenda. Yes, the mailer had all the right catch words like “Woke” and “CRT” and “Progressives” and pictures of children playing and daydreaming and the usual logo of a donkey with a red line across it.

The controversy over the West Bonner County School District rages on into a recall.

What opponents of the recall would like you to ignore is that this is all part of the plan to promote the ideology of the far-right power grab in all our local institutions. Didn’t we just get a completely unqualified county assessor appointed by Scott Herndon and his minions? Thankfully, they were denied their try at the library by voters who saw through that power play. Now he and his agenda are on to the WBCSD via the school board.

The voters of the WBCSD are parents and good citizens who are trying to bring a balance to the school board that will include all the interests of those who are involved — not the ideology of just one narrow-thinking group.

As it is now, we have unqualified persons appointed by this agenda to run the future education of our children — at outrageously expensive contracts and benefits. This is wrong. You know it, I know it. This recall is a way to promote and nurture democracy in our community.

Vote for the recall on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Darwin Jensen Sandpoint

Dear editor,

On Aug. 17, The Bonner County Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed 117-unit Providence subdivision.

In 2012, when a development of only 39

homes was proposed on the same site, the city of Sandpoint would only agree to grant water rights if it annexed the subdivision into Kootenai.

In 2023, the developer received a “will serve water” from the the city of Sandpoint, for more than three times the amount of homes in the 2012 plan.

The developer has chosen not to annex into Kootenai, so as to avoid impact fees for its roads and services, yet managed to acquire water rights from Sandpoint.

If the board approves this, the developer will pay for none of the added stress on Kootenai’s roads and services, despite the inevitable impact that these 117 additional units will have on the surrounding area.

Unfortunately, this subdivision is likely to be rubber stamped.

How is this acceptable given the amount of growth in the past 11 years?

Kootenai will get nothing but more traffic congestion and water runoff from paved wetlands.

As proposed, this subdivision will add roughly 1,200 trips a day off Providence Road, and there will only be one ingress and egress.

At the very least, an alternative route would diffuse traffic congestion — already an issue on Highway 200 and Kootenai Bay Road — and allow residents on Providence to evacuate in the event of a fire, such as the one that leveled Paradise, Calif., where there was a similar lack of alternative routes.

But no, thanks to the Sandpoint’s “will serve” letter for water, the wellbeing of the residents of this community are being put at risk in favor saving the developer money.

Comments are needed. Our way of life is perishing for lack of vision.

Jeanelle Shields Sandpoint

Dear editor,

Thank you Jason Welker for realizing that the residents of Pine Street (and others) might like to see it remain a residential street. In all the conversations about the Couplet that may or may not be needed in 20 years, I was dismayed to hear the plans for Pine Street presented as a fait accompli, with seemingly little room for public comment.

I therefore appreciate our councilmember(s) taking up the cause. And, while they are at it, could they ask why we need another entrance to Route 2 on Ella? First, it will take additional traffic directly past the toddler park. And secondly, there is a perfectly good entrance one block over on Olive.

Let’s take some time to think about this folks!

Weslie Kary Sandpoint

‘Lack of vision’...

Take some time to think about street planning…

Science: Mad about

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

A simple grain is responsible for sustaining the tremendous population of humankind — as true today as it was nearly 12,000 years ago. It’s also the source of aggravation for more than a few of us looking for our next meal at the grocery store. Why on Earth do sheets of seaweed have wheat as a listed ingredient?

The history of wheat is a long one. You could argue that wheat is the foundation of all human civilization, first appearing as a cultivated crop around 10,000 B.C.E. in the Levant, which is the geographic area comprising modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian territories and Syria.

Wheat is a grass, though we primarily eat the seeds, in various forms. Wheat is often ground into flour to act as the body for things like bread, cakes, tortillas and virtually anything made of dough. Wheat’s ability to act as a binder in dough is thanks to a couple of different genetic features. It is a carbohydrate, which gives ground wheat a starchiness that allows it to stick together.

Carbohydrates, often shorthanded as “carbs” in nutritional science and pseudoscience industries, are starches and sugars composed of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon atoms.

Gluten is another feature of wheat that makes it a great binder and is one of the most important traits wheat possesses as a core food for humans. Gluten is a protein that is unique to grasses — particularly wheat, rye and barley. Between the carbohydrates and gluten, wheat makes for a great foundation for a meal.

That is, unless you suffer from celiac disease or non-celiac gluten intolerance.

Celiac disease is a genetic

autoimmune disease that causes an intense reaction to gluten proteins as they pass through the intestine. Immune cells violently attack the gluten protein while also attacking the intestinal villi, which are small extensions of the gut that increase the surface area for nutrient absorption during digestion.

The autoimmune reaction of celiac disease can vary from asymptomatic to severe, with stomach cramping, diarrhea, undigested food, blood in the stool and a heightened risk of colon cancer likely in part from increased intestinal swelling. A skin rash from exposure to gluten has also been observed in some people, often appearing around the belly and the joints of the arms and legs.

Those of us with celiac disease should not eat any wheat. Fortunately, this is a relatively easy remedy in most of the United States, where countless gluten-free alternatives exist.

A common issue I’ve experienced is a social, rather than physiological, one. When eating with or around others who don’t have celiac disease, others will often feel guilty about eating products with wheat around me, such as donuts or sandwiches. I’ve always thought this is silly — eat whatever you want to eat, and I’ll do the same.

Wheat’s uses extend far beyond a bowl of cereal or loaf of bread. Wheat is a plant, and the grass portion of the plant can be used for countless, surprising, things. Wheat can be pulverized and pulped into paper just like rice plants and trees. Wheat — as well as hemp — can also be formed into a type of concrete that engineers and architects are currently exploring as an eco-friendly alternative to the silica-based concrete we frequently use already.

Wheat and hemp have also been pressed into bales and sealed to create insulation panels for

homes — a function that wheat and other grasses have served for thousands of years in barns and coops.

Wheat is also being explored as an alternative to plastics to create disposable trash bags that will decompose with fewer ramifications than their petroleum counterparts.

Unless you have a few acres of wheat you grow every year, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there is just one type of wheat that serves every purpose we need. Wheat, like every other plant and animal on Earth, comes in many flavors — both figuratively and literally.

Numerous breeds of wheat exist, with each one growing in preferred locations, such as hard red winter wheat, which grows well throughout the southern midwest of the United States. Some breeds are better adapted to colder climates and shorter growing seasons, while others prefer more temperate climates.

Einkorn is another species of wheat first domesticated in Anatolia (a.k.a., contemporary Turkey), and though it has been touted as being a gluten-free form of wheat, it actually does possess the gluten protein. Emmer is another species of wheat, and quite possibly the earliest form domesticated by humans, as it has been found in numerous neolithic archeological sites. It fell out of favor in the Bronze Age, around 3000 B.C.E., for barley — another relative of wheat and source of gluten.

After all of this information, you may find yourself wandering the aisles of the grocery store and see some buzzwords plastered across your favorite bread. All-purpose wheat flour, stoneground wheat, whole wheat — does this actually mean anything?

Yes and no. Bread, as ubiquitous as it is in the human diet, is still subject to marketing, just like

anything else. If your intention is to use the bread as a vehicle for something else, you probably won’t know the difference between all-purpose wheat and whole wheat.

All-purpose flour is created by grinding only the endosperm of wheat — this is, a white portion that encapsulates the germ of the kernel. You can imagine the three parts of a wheat kernel to be like a chicken egg: the bran is the outer

membrane, the endosperm is the egg white and the germ is the yolk.

Whole wheat is when the entire kernel is ground and the bran, endosperm and germ are all ground up into flour.

How this impacts the texture and taste of the flour is something you’d have to tell me, because I can’t eat it.

Stay curious, 7B.

•Sailboats are slow, but incredibly efficient. The average sailboat cruises between four and six knots, and most don’t go beyond nine knots (five knots is the equivalent of a slow jogging pace).

•Our early ancestors utilized “wind roads” to cross the Atlantic Ocean, which they found to be very reliable. These roads were called trade winds, from the Middle English word “trade,” which meant “track” or “path.” The trade winds were so important for the English fleet and economy that the name “trade” became generally accepted to mean any commerce (usually foreign).

•“Sonofagun” refers to one’s birthplace. In the early days of sail, women had to be smuggled on board. When the passage took longer than expected, some women had to give birth, which typically took place between the cannons on the gundeck. If the child wasn’t claimed by one of the passengers or sailors, it was entered into the ship’s log as being a “sonofagun.”

•This is mostly theoretical, but, technically, one could sail for nearly 22,229 miles in a straight line. David Cooke “discovered” the Cooke

Passage in 2015, which is a straight line running around Earth from Port Renfrew, B.C. to Quebec without ever touching land. While critics (correctly) claim it’s impossible to sail — let alone navigate — a perfect straight line, in theory, Cooke’s Cooke Passage is accurate.

•The first person to circumnavigate the world alone was Joshua Slocum in 1898. Slocum wrote the book Sailing Alone Around the World about the journey, and the book became an international best seller. The second attempt wasn’t made until 1967, when Sir Francis Chichester gave it a go.

•The most fearsome, successful pirate in history was a female Chinese former-prostitute named Zheng Yi Sao (a.k.a., Ching Shih), who commanded more than 300 junks manned by 20,000 to 40,000 people — though some sources put that number as high as 80,000 pirates and close to 2,000 ships. She fought all the major naval powers of the time, including the British Empire, the Portuguese and the Qing Dynasty. She lived in prosperity until the ripe old age of 68 or 69, dying in 1844.

I’m sorry, how do you say your name?

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

It’s pronounced SON-serray. Yes, it is shocking when people get it right on the first try, and Reader Publisher Ben Olson and Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone are two of only a handful to do so. I’m so used to mispronunciations that I will respond to anything starting with “s” that has roughly the same number of syllables, including “so-NEEcray,” “salsa-ray” and the word “sincerely.”

Don’t worry if you say it wrong — every new pronunciation makes for a good story, and I love stories.

I’ve been fascinated by writing and history since my childhood in Idaho’s cedar forests, where I spent years covered in mud and chasing grasshoppers. Blame it on The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, and my parents’ decision to only have one child.

I’ve lived in Sandpoint for 23 years in the same little cabin with its lilac bushes and rhubarb patch. Even when I went off to college in L.A. and then Tacoma, Wash. — a.k.a. “Grit City” — I came back every summer for the mountains and the lake. When you grow up a rural wild child, it’s impossible to live in the city.

My early education at the Sandpoint Waldorf School taught me many valuable lessons, including empathy, creativity and juggling, which earned me the name “Clown College Dropout” in L.A. It’s

the greatest compliment I’ve ever received.

The older I get, the more I find joy in the absurdity of life. I can crochet, I can sing, I can wear my bumble bee dungarees to the Farmers’ Market. I lost track of that freedom in high school, but college brought it back.

At university, while I pursued a bachelor’s degree in English: Creative Writing, I amazed big-city folks with my tales of dirt roads and slow internet. A San Francisco native even asked me if we had “electricity back in Idaho.” I told him, “Sometimes, if the wind’s not too bad.” Friends tell me I should have been angry at that question, but I can’t bring myself to mind. As I said, it makes a good story.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude as a member of the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa, which I hoped would outweigh the fact that I had to write “English Major” on job applications. I returned to Sandpoint in the summer of 2022, where and when I divided my time between writing and editing freelance for local businesses and authors, applying for jobs, and planting an enormous garden with the help of my two dogs.

One of the thousands of

emails I sent in my job search landed me a call from someone named “Ben,” who apparently owned a newspaper, but still took the time to call me personally and pronounce my name correctly. Just like that, I had an interview for a job that may or may not have existed, possibly taking over for Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, who sounded like an incredible human being and a crucial member of the team.

No pressure.

I’ve now been a reporter for about three weeks and I couldn’t be more grateful. Ben and Zach bring kindness and levity every day to our cramped, sweltering office.

I’ve been thrown into the deep end with water wings, and though I can’t remember where one day ends and another begins, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As my dad said when he saw my name in the paper, “It’s a hell of a byline, sweetie.”

A hell of a byline for one hell of a first name.

So, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Soncirey, and I’m here to share your stories.

Reach Reader Staff Writer Soncirey Mitchell at soncirey@sandpointreader.com, or call 208-946-4368.

Soncirey Mitchell, seen here in her bumble bee dungarees literally placing herself in the line of fire, is the Sandpoint Reader’s newest hire. She’s just weird enough to fit in perfectly around the Reader offices. Courtesy photo.

All photos on Pages 12-13 were taken by Racheal Baker, whose Festival at Sandpoint photographs have become legendary. Check out more of Racheal’s work at rachealbakerphotography.pixieset.com

Sailing toward independence

The first summer of Sandpoint’s new youth open sailing program

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

Jon Totten, a professional sailing instructor with a passion for the outdoors, asked himself one question as he walked along Sandpoint’s underutilized waterfront: “Where are all the kids?” He posed the question to the Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Department, which admitted that despite its best efforts, employees didn’t have the expertise, the boats or the staff to give local kids the opportunity to get out on the water. That would soon change.

Totten’s nonprofit Dogsmile Adventures has joined with Sandpoint Parks and Rec. and the Sandpoint Sailing Association to pool their resources and offer youths ages 10 to 18 the opportunity to sail, completely free of charge.

“It’s a beautiful collaboration. I’m so glad to be a part of it,” said Totten, whose organization gives underserved communi-

ties access to therapeutic sailing trips. The nonprofit supplies the leadership and expert sailors for the kids to learn from, SAA brings the volunteers and boats, and Parks and Rec. provides the facilities.

The collaboration set sail in June and has seen a steady stream of 12 to 15 kids every Thursday. While some are repeats, each week brings someone new. Totten has what he calls a “one-room schoolhouse philosophy,” in which returning students are encouraged to take new sailors under their wings. Because the meetings aren’t formal classes, kids have the opportunity to be both students and teachers.

But why get kids sailing at all?

“It’s an internal challenge and when they do it they get a major confidence boost,” said Totten. “When they get it they just glow.”

Sailing is an opportunity for local youths to connect with Lake Pend Oreille and the surrounding area. Because the program is

free, it especially benefits kids who would ordinarily be excluded from such expensive outdoor activities, whether because of financial hardship or other issues at home. Whatever difficulties a teen may be facing, Totten believes that sailing can help them find peace and independence.

“It’s therapeutic in nature because it holds them in the moment,” said Totten. “Most of us suffer in the future or the past — suffering about things that aren’t real, that already happened or that will never happen. Sailing engages the mind and the body at such a high level, that all that fades away.”

Participants will not only learn to sail but build discipline and develop other practical life skills by helping to repair and maintain their boats. Above all, they’ll be having fun and forming lifelong connections within the local sailing community.

“This thing doesn’t run on good feelings. I fundraise every day,” Totten added.

Parents that are able to are encouraged to

purchase a family membership to SSA; but, otherwise, the program is run on donations. Through their efforts, Totten and the host of volunteers who keep the program running seek to empower the next generation.

“Especially for the young ladies, when they can see a woman who can sail a boat by herself, it’s incredibly important,” said Totten.

Youth Open Sailing meetings are every Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Sandpoint Windbag Marina until Aug. 31. There is no cost to participate. To find out more about the program, or to get involved, visit sandpointsailing.org/jr-sailing or dogsmileadventures.org.

Above pictures: Jon Totten instructs class participants how to clean and rig their boats. Photos by Karley Coleman, 5MW Photography.

Ponderay’s ‘dream’ comes true

Groundbreaking ceremony for the Field of Dreams Recreation Complex

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

Kevin Costner’s baseball diamond looks like a T-Ball field compared to the city of Ponderay’s proposed Field of Dreams Recreation Complex, named after the classic 1989 film. Mayor Steve Geiger broke ground on Aug. 4, officially reigniting a dream that’s been 30 years in the making.

“We’re all here because of this community that has kept the dream alive for years,” said Geiger during the ceremony.

The project began in 1993 with Mike Read, a British expat with a love of soccer, and local land owner Floyd McGhee — both of whom saw a need for outdoor playing fields for the children of Ponderay and beyond. Sandpoint’s limited field space couldn’t accommodate everyone, and many children had to be excluded from local sports teams. The answer to their problem was clear: McGhee’s 50acre lot north of Ponderay.

The Sandpoint Soccer Association, through Read’s efforts, snatched up the land for $200,000 to be paid out over 10 years.

Read and McGhee’s vision gained momentum when joined by representatives from the Sandpoint Soccer Association, the Sandpoint Strikers and the Sandpoint Baseball Association, who formed the Ponderay Youth Sports Association, District 1 in 1994.

In 1995, a fleet of volunteers gathered with their personal farm equipment

to plow and plant the non-irrigated fields in time for the city’s “Soccer Bowl.” Almost 1,000 children flooded the fields to play 236 soccer games and one baseball game. Onlookers were even treated to aerial views from a hot air balloon.

Unfortunately, without irrigation, the fields were impossible to maintain. Left without water, the site became locally known as the “Dust Bowl.”

The vision for the current recreation complex didn’t take shape until the city of Ponderay purchased the land in 2011. Since then, the community and local government have rallied around the venture, passing a 1% local option tax to fund both the Field of Dreams and the Front Yard Project.

“This is the most generous community,” said Geiger, standing in what will become the Field of Dreams

The local option tax raises approximately $3 million in funds per year, according to Geiger, and is bolstered by a $500,000 LOR grant from the eponymous private foundation.

“Facilities like these are essential because they promote a healthy lifestyle by getting people out enjoying outdoor sports activities, visiting with friends and families, while watching our children play sports, what could be better than that,” he later told the Reader

As it sits now, the “Dust Bowl” is 50 acres of sun-baked silt held together by the hope and commitment of a community. The groundbreaking ceremony’s golden shovel — signed by former-Ida-

ho Gov. Butch Otter and previously used at the Sandpoint Byway’s inauguration — could barely dent the compacted ground. Even so, the dust devils that whirled around the refreshment table are being evicted.

Phase 1 is expected to be completed by June 2024, and will include four fully lit fields with artificial turf that can accommodate multiple sports and age groups. A portion of the plan’s concessions, bathroom facilities and parking lots will also be completed to ensure that kids can get out on the fields as quickly as possible.

Though Read and McGhee are no longer here to see their vision for the field become a reality, their presence will be felt on the fields for years to come.

“They had the vision back then to see this was needed in our area,” Geiger told the Reader, “and I am glad that we are all here to honor their legacy to finally see this become a reality.”

Left: Ponderay Mayor Steve Geiger breaks ground with a golden shovel. Right: Officer Cameron Simeral plays soccer with local kids at the future site of the Field of Dreams. Photos by Soncirey Mitchell.

POAC’s Arts and Crafts Fair to feature more than 120 artisans

By Kathy Hubbard Reader Contributor

People who were children when the Arts and Crafts Fair started at City Beach are now bringing their grandchildren to the bigger and better fair in downtown Sandpoint, 51 years later. And when organizers say “bigger and better,” this year Pend Oreille Arts Council is hosting more than 120 vendors all with handmade, unique wares.

The show opens on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vendors will set up their tents from Main Street east of Farmin Park to First Avenue and across Second Avenue from Cedar to Church streets. The fair continues on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Artists and crafters come from all over the country to participate in the juried show. From metal art to pottery to jewelry

to fine art to yard art, the show has something for everyone’s taste and budget. Speaking of taste, food vendors will be on hand to serve lunch and snacks.

For the non-shoppers, the Kaniksu Land Trust Folk School will have a booth by the fountain where attendees can carve their own wooden spoon, weave a broom, make a copper ring and more. There will also be artists doing henna tattoos; caricature drawings (Saturday only); hair shimmers; and permanent jewelry, including bracelets, anklets and necklaces that are welded together on the spot.

“This show grows every year and we’re thrilled that we have lots of returning artists along with several new and extremely original and inventive booths,” POAC President Carol Deaner said. “We’ve been doing this show for a long time, and I think — no, I know — this year will exceed everyone’s expectations.”

Deaner said that the number of applications to participate this year was more than expected. “This has given us the opportunity to choose the best of the best artists and crafters. We’re excited to see downtown filled with tents offering incredible and unique items,” she said. “I hope to see all of you there.”

For those who work and play down-

town, note that the streets occupied by the fair will be closed to vehicle traffic beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11, and continuing until 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13.Cars parked in the zone will be subject to being towed. Access to the City Parking Lot will be on Church Street only.

For more information, visit artinsandpoint.org or call the office at 208-263-6139.

Courtesy photo.

COMMUNITY

‘Every stitch is done with love’: Panhandle Piecemakers present the Festival of Quilts

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

Autumn is around the corner and the Panhandle Piecemakers Quilt Guild is putting on a Festival of Quilts, Friday Aug. 11 and Saturday, Aug. 12 to stave off the upcoming chills. A marketplace will be set up inside the Heartwood Center, complete with art and household goods made by the guild members, alongside the main quilt raffle.

More than 100 quilted pieces will be on display and the show will feature the work of artist Loretta “Lori” McPherson, who was chosen for her talent by her fellow guild members.

The history of the guild goes back more than 35 years. In addition to its biennial

Bonner Homeless Transitions takes a new step toward progress

By Reader Staff

Bonner Homeless Transitions, a 501(c)3 transitional housing program in Sandpoint, is undergoing a significant transition of its own. While the organization has been providing shelter for single women and families, it has also been offering low-income housing rental units at Trestle Creek for several years.

After careful consideration and thoughtful deliberation, the BHT board of directors has decided to sell the Trestle Creek property, signifying a turning point for the organization.

According to BHT, the move marks “a strategic shift toward better facilities and enhanced services, allowing the organization to better support individuals and families in their journey out of homelessness.”

By reinvesting the funds generated from the sale into an existing complex that is in dire need of attention, the BHT hopes to explore new solutions and create a more comprehensive support system for those in need.

As the nonprofit embarks on its new venture, it is seeking the support and collaboration of the individuals, businesses and stakeholders who share its vision.

“Together, we can forge a path toward lasting change, ensuring that every person has access to safe, stable housing and the opportunity for a brighter future,” the organization stated.

quilt show, the group holds regular meetings and community quilting classes on the second Tuesday of every month.

“We’re about enriching and teaching these skills,” Quilt Show Chair Wendy Belding told Reader. “We’re about accepting people so that we can learn from them and they can learn too. It’s about a group of people who become family.”

Proceeds from the market and raffle go toward maintaining the guild’s classes, meeting space and supporting the community through volunteer work.

“It’s all about love, too,” added Belding. “Every stitch is done with love.”

Friday, Aug. 11, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; $5 per person, husbands and children 10 and under get in for FREE. Heartwood Center, 615 Oak St., facebook.com/PanhandlePiecemakers.

Sandpoint Summer Music Series: B-Side Players

6pm @ Farmin Park

THURSDAY, august 10

FREE outdoor music with food, drinks and fun. B-Side Players play a horn-driven, polyrhythmic groove with funk, rock, jazz and hip-hop sounds

Live Music w/ Big Phatty and the Inhalers

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Ron Keiper Jazz

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Movies on the Mountain FREE

8pm @ Schweitzer

Head undersea to unravel the mystery of this legendary lost city. PG

Live Music w/ Transcendental Express and Hard Maybe

9pm-midnight @ Eichardt’s Pub

Transcendental Express is a Missoula-based psychedelic funk fusion quintet and Hard Maybe from Seattle is a 7-piece with a fusion sound completely their own, playing back-beat driven funk, soul and more. This will be a $10 cover event for these stellar bands

Festival of Quilts show (11-12)

10a-6pm @ Heartwood Center

Sandpoint Chess Club

9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am

August 10-17, 2023

Live Music w/ John Firshi

6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

FriDAY, august 11

Live Music w/ Phil Hamilton and Erica Perry Hamilton supported by Kyle Mont Cunningham

8pm @ The Hive Country music from Texas

Festival of Quilts show (11-12)

10a-6pm @ Heartwood Center

Admission $5 (husbands/children free). Marketplace, vendors, more

Enchanting Music Tales

5pm @ Panida Theater

A performance by the summer academy orchestra and choir

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill

6-9pm @ Barrel 33 Country and classic rock

SATURDAY, august 12

Live Music w/ Band of Comerados

9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge

Portland-based string band playing feelgood jamgrass. 21+ no cover.

Food by Killer Tacos

Live Music w/ Suspicious PKG

7-9pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill

6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Rock and country

Live Music w/ Hannah Siglin Trio

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Enchanting vocals and harmonies

Magic with Star Alexander

5-8pm @ Jalepeño’s Up close magic shows at the table

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Waterfront Design Comp. display

8am-12pm @ Farmin Park

Display boards with Sandpoint redesign concepts and city officials on hand to answer questions

51st annual Arts and Crafts Fair

9am-5pm @ Downtown Sandpoint Head downtown for a two-day fair with artist booths, food vendors, a youth art arena and more. All proceeds support POAC

Free Family Show: Mummies

10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas

Volunteers needed for trail projects in North Idaho

By Reader Staff

STEM trailer

10am-2pm @ WaterLife Discovery

Become a citizen scientist for a day. Explore trails and collecting samples under the microscope. 1591 Lakeshore Dr.

The Idaho Trails Association is looking for volunteers to help maintain backcountry paths throughout North Idaho in a number of late-summer and early-fall projects. Trips range in length from one day to one week, and in difficulty from easy for beginner hikers to strenuous for seasoned volunteers.

Priest River Sprints

7am-3pm @ Priest River

Non-motorized watercraft races on Priest River. Head to the Mudhole and bring your boat to race, or watch from the shore. porpa.org

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

9am-1pm @ Farmin Park

Produce, crafts, food and more.

Live music by Bridges Home

Live Jazz w/ Bright Moments

5:30-8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

Hikers who are interested in joining are encouraged to visit idahotrailsassociation.org/projects to sign up for a project. No trail maintenance experience is necessary to join.

ITA has completed 10 trail projects in North Idaho so far this year and has another seven projects scheduled this season. Here are a few upcoming projects in North Idaho:

Pend Oreille Divide — Aug. 12-14

51st annual Arts and Crafts Fair

9am-4pm @ Downtown Sandpoint Artinsandpoint.org

Outdoor Experience Group Run

6pm @ Outdoor Experience

3-5 miles, all levels welcome

SunDAY, august 13 monDAY, august 14 tuesDAY, august 15

Weekly Trivia Night

Local Cottage Market

10am-6pm @ Farmin Park

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

6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Hosted by Zach Hagadone and other rotating hosts

Volunteers will enjoy sweeping views of the Purcell and Selkirk mountains on this section of the Idaho Centennial Trail.

Hughes Fork — Aug. 18-22

This five-day project near the Washington border includes all meals and pack support to bring in personal gear.

Jackson Creek — Sept. 8-10

This three-day weekend project on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail is in partnership with Washington Trails Association.

Free Family Show: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas Sandpointcinemas.com

Bonner County Fair (Aug. 16-19)

@ Bonner County Fairgrounds

wednesDAY, august 16

Benny on the Deck

5:30-8pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Timber Mountain — Sept. 16

An old-fashioned country event featuring the Challenge of Champions bullriding Friday, Demolition Derby Saturday and all kinds of fun in between. See bonnercountyfair.com for a full schedule of events

ThursDAY, august 17

Bonner County Fair (Aug. 16-19)

@ Bonner County Fairgrounds

An old-fashioned country event featuring the Challenge of Champions bullriding Friday, Demolition Derby Saturday and all kinds of fun in between. See bonnercountyfair.com for a full schedule of events

Summer Surprise Film Series

7pm @ Panida Theater

The film is a surprise until it starts! Hint: It’s set in the 1930s and some may argue this is the best of the series

Free Family Show: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas Sandpointcinemas.com

This one-day trail project takes place in a scenic area with lots of history and an old mining settlement.

Chimney Rock — Sept. 23

On National Public Lands Day, volunteers will work this scenic trail that heads up to Chimney Rock on the Selkirk Mountains Crest.

To sign up for these projects and see the rest of ITA’s North Idaho schedule, visit idahotrailsassociation.org/projects.

Turning back the clock with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

One thing that can be said in favor of Hollywood’s addictive cycle of prequels, sequels and reboots is that I’ve been able to replay many of my favorite cinematic experiences with my kids in the theater.

Though I was too young (or too non-existent) to see the first two original Indiana Jones films in the theater (but unfortunate to have endured the fourth installment), I recently enjoyed the experience of watching Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with my 11-year-old son.

It was with a palpable sense of time travel that I sat in the Bonner Mall Cinema next to my son, watching Indy don his iconic fedora and sling his whip — just as I had done 34 years ago when I took in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade at the former-Sandpoint Cinema 4 West.

That feeling of temporal whiplash also permeates Dial of Destiny, literally and figuratively, as it opens with what’s essentially an

in-universe flashback to the final days of World War II, featuring a digitally de-aged Harrison Ford.

Much has been said about the practice of artificially reducing an actor’s age using CGI — including by rogerebert.com, which called the effects “distracting instead of enhancing” — but I beg to differ.

So much of the Indiana Jones canon requires a suspension of disbelief that taking in a slightly gauzy rendition of our hero minus the facial evidence of his 81 years seems hardly tough to ask of audiences.

Rather, it simply felt good to see Jones kicking Nazis’ asses six ways from Sonntag and coming away with nary a scratch.

All that was merely a prologue, however, for the main action of the film, which opens on Jones as a boozy, heartbroken divorcee sweating in his underwear in a dingy New York apartment on the day he is to retire from teaching archeology on July 20, 1969 — the same date of the moon landing.

This Indy is very much aged. Everything sags, everything hurts and everything sucks, including his young hippie neighbors who are

whooping it up to celebrate “Moon Day.” The 1969 version of our favorite swashbuckling professor/artifact hunter couldn’t care less.

His mind is on the loss of his son (Shia LaBeouf, in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) during the war; the subsequent breakdown of his marriage to Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Crystal Skull); and, upon arriving at his half-full lecture hall, the irrelevance of his own past and the past in general to his bored students. (Insult to injury: His colleagues give him a clock at his halfhearted retirement “party” after class is canceled to watch the lunar landing.)

Truly, we find Indiana Jones at his lowest ebb.

All that changes after he ducks into a neighborhood bar for a couple-five whiskeys — after giving the “gift” clock to a passing homeless guy — and an attractive young woman pulls up a stool next to him.

After some gruff and grum-

bly preamble, Jones finds out he’s talking to his long-lost goddaughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), with whose father

Basil (Toby Jones)

Indy opened the film whooping Nazis and ending up with a mysterious artifact that turns out to be the titular “Dial of Destiny” — a.k.a., the real-life “Antikythera Mechanism.”

By way of a quick history primer, sponge divers in Greece hauled up the Antikythera Mechanism (really just part of a larger device) from the wreck of a massive Roman ship in 1901, and specialists have been puzzling over its construction and purpose ever since.

Basically, it’s regarded as the earliest analog computer, likely constructed in the second century B.C.E. and, suggested by some — including this movie — to have been the work of no less than the great inventor Archimedes. Guesses as to its use are varied, but all the experts tend to agree that it represents some kind of super-ad-

vanced ancient calendar or clock.

In Dial of Destiny, it certainly serves that function — and much, much more (no spoilers here).

Long story short, Helena wants Indy’s help in tracking down the pieces of the mechanism to unravel its secrets, make her famous and fulfill the mission that drove her dad insane.

If only it were that simple.

Of course, Jones agrees and they’re off on a rollicking, globe-trotting adventure featuring some old friends, including lovable Egyptian digger Sallah (John Rhys-Davies); new friends, like deep-sea diver Renaldo (Antonio Banderas); and an excellent new enemy, Nazi scientist-turned-American aerospace pioneer Dr. Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen).

Is Dial of Destiny the greatest tale ever told? No. Is it even the best Indiana Jones movie? No. (Though I’d rank it third behind Raiders and Crusade). Is it the quintessence of a summertime blockbuster and one of the best ways to turn back the clock with a younger generation? Absolutely.

SledFest music lineup announced

By Reader Staff

Kaniksu Land Trust’s highly anticipated SledFest is just around the corner, and the entire community is invited to join together for a day of music, dance and unforgettable memories. Taking place on Saturday, Aug. 26, SledFest is a summer music festival that celebrates winter fun. It’s an event to bring the community together to preserve the Pine Street Sled Hill — the historic skiing and sledding hill that locals have played on since the 1940s.

SledFest promises to be an event like no other, offering a lineup of live music performances from the Northwest that will keep attendees dancing into the night.

Performers include local favorite Harold’s IGA, plus the regionally acclaimed Kaitlyn Wiens; San Carlos, Calif.-based ThrownOut Bones; and Dammit Lauren!, out of Big Sky, Mont. More bands

will be announced later, including the headlining act.

KLT Executive Director Katie Cox promised an exciting announcement.

“When you see the lineup of musicians coming to SledFest, you think, ‘Wow, the headline must be out of this world,’” she stated. Only ADA parking will be available on site. Other drivers may park at Sandpoint High School (410 S. Division St.) to take advantage of the free shuttle service provided by Lake Pend Oreille School District. Busses will run from 9:30 a.m. until everyone is back to their cars at the end of the evening.

Attendees are encouraged to walk or bike. Those who do will receive a stainless pint and drink token as a thank-you for using an eco-friendly transportation option.

Ticketing for SledFest is managed with support from the Festival at Sandpoint.

“Our goal is to make the event accessible to everyone while also raising funds to save the sled hill. The ticket prices include a donation component, with additional fees covering Idaho State Sales Tax and ticketing platform costs,” Cox stated.

General adult admission is $50, qualifying as a tax-deductible donation thanks to KLT’s Partner Sponsor Program. The youth ticket for ages 3-18 is $12 and children under 3 enter free. KLT is also offering a $5 “community ticket” option so that all can join in the fun, regardless of budget.

Throughout the day, attendees will have the opportunity to bid on one-of-a-kind art sleds created by local artists with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the campaign to Save the Sled Hill. The public is invited to the art reveal of all 20 sleds at Pend d’Oreille Winery on Thursday, Aug.17 at 4 p.m. The winery will also host a sip-and-

shop event with specials benefiting KLT. The sleds will be open to silent auction at that time and the bidding will continue until the last band performs at SledFest.

Kaniksu Folk School will host an old-time mercantile, featuring a diverse assortment of locally made crafts and products. Proceeds will

go toward saving the sled hill. Craft demonstrations, including a blacksmith station, will be available for all to enjoy.

SledFest will include three of Sandpoint’s finest mobile food vendors: Mandala Pizza will serve up pies with an authentic taste of Napoli, Jupiter Jane will offer a south-of-the-border vibe and Burger Dock will grill up the juiciest burgers on the sled hill. All accept cash or credit cards.

Eichardt’s will trade drink tokens for full bar and nonalcoholic beverages. Tokens will be available for purchase at the registration center.

SledFest takes place on Saturday, Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Pine Street Sled Hill property, 11735 W. Pine St. in Sandpoint. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit kaniksu.org/sledfest.

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

Every Monday, since Oct. 5, 2009, the calendar on my phone has reminded me to “take care of Uncle Jimmy.” And I finally did.

Uncle Jimmy was my mother Fern’s older brother. He was born in the summer of 1924, and my mother followed him about 17 months later. In early January 1927, their mother — Irma — was pumping a gas lantern that exploded in her hands. I imagine their house was not much more than a wooden lean-to, so it took no time for the place to erupt into an inferno.

My grandmother threw young Fern, still secured in her high chair, out the door and into a snowbank, then did the same with young James. When my grandfather heard the noise and hurried up from his barn, he found all three engulfed in flames.

My grandfather carried their scorched bodies to the car and rushed to the nearby town of Jerome, Idaho, as their home and worldly possessions burned to ashes.

According to one of the many archived articles I found at the Twin Falls library in southern Idaho, young James suffered gruesome burns and was rushed to the office of Dr. Zeller. There, he inquired about his dog, Gyp. Assured by Dr. Zeller that Gyp was fine, young James lapsed into unconsciousness; and, 10 minutes later, he succumbed to his injuries in the doctor’s office.

My grandmother’s burns were so severe that the doctors thought she might, too, succumb to her injuries, and Uncle Jimmy’s funeral arrangements were deferred so they could be buried together should she per-

The Sandpoint Eater Sweet Baby James

ish. My mother was completely unharmed.

Though Irma survived and lived well into her 80s, she never overcame losing her firstborn.

My mother repeated the story of the fire and Uncle Jimmy so often that, as a child, I knew it by heart. Gram often shared her sorrow in leaving Baby James behind in the cemetery in Twin Falls. Aside from her memory, there was but one physical reminder of Jimmy: a blurry image, enlarged and colorized, which was always present in Gram’s bedroom until she passed (it now hangs in mine).

About 20 years ago, I flew to Boise and rented a car to continue to Twin Falls for a tourism conference. I settled into the car and fiddled long enough with

the radio to find a mediocre station. I continued south, admiring herds of black-and-white milk cows grazing placidly in fields of tall, green grass, and all but missed a highway sign announcing the exit for Jerome. I barely had time to make the turn off the highway.

Jerome — the original headquarters of Tupperware — was a sleepy, timeless little town. I wandered the streets, ate great Mexican food and found the small local museum. With the help of a dedicated volunteer who searched the archives, I could read the actual articles about the fire. Newspapers were filled with sensationalism in those days, and the stories were horrific.

That evening, I missed the conference’s welcome reception

in Twin Falls and barely made it to any of the following sessions. But I found the grave of our sweet little Jimmy. That day, I promised both of us that I would reunite him with his mother and three siblings — all buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Helena, Mont. And, 20 years later, he’s resting alongside them.

It took longer than I anticipated. There was a lot of legal paperwork, expense, and coordination to have him disinterred and reinterred. I had a few false starts, but with the help of a cousin and my sisters, we got it done. My grandson Alden and I made it to Twin Falls in June to finalize the disinterment.

Last week, we gathered to reunite Jimmy with his waiting mother. Grandchildren-now-par-

ents, siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews were there to celebrate Jimmy’s homecoming. We were reminded how much family matters.

During our week in Helena, my baking partner — granddaughter Miley — was presented with her great-great-grandmother Irma’s favorite cookbook. Irma loved to cook (like me), and she loved any excuse for a good party and celebration.

She would have been exceptionally pleased with the gathering of her clan, and the chocolate torte I often bake for special occasions. I hope it will be worthy of your celebrations, too.

Chocolate celebration torte

This torte can stand alone, or becomes even more decadent enrobed in ganache. Approx. 16 thin slices (very rich — it goes a long way).

INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:

•9 ounces good quality 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped

•9 ounces unsalted European butter

•¾ up finely granulated sugar

•¾ up brown sugar

•8 large eggs at room temperature

•1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:

•8 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate bar, chopped finely

•8 oz heavy whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line a nine-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Flip parchment paper so both sides are coated with grease.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or carefully on low in a microwave, until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove from heat and stir until smooth and totally melted. Stir in the sugars, and let cool for five to 10 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking briskly, after each addition. Continue to whisk until the batter becomes shiny and thick. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake approx. 35 minutes, until the torte is nearly set, but still slightly loose in the center, but is not completely set. Begin checking at the 30-minute mark to ensure the torte does not overbake. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully unmold and invert onto a serving plate.

This recipe can be made in advance, and once the torte is cool, can be stored in the refrigerator — tightly wrapped with plastic film — for up to 3 days. Dust with powdered sugar prior to serving, or cover with ganache and garnish with berries.

Chocolate Ganache:

Place chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a soft boil (don’t let it boil over). You can add a tbs vanilla, rum or other

flavor at this point.

Pour the cream over the chocolate, stirring slowly in one direction, until smooth and glossy. When barely cooled, pour over the torte. Store leftover ganache (covered), in the fridge.

MUSIC

Meet conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg at P.O. Winery’s next sip-and-shop event

By Reader Staff

The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint has hosted international and guest conductors since 2012 as part of its annual Music Matters! Summer Academy Youth Orchestra and Music Without Borders initiative. This year may be just a taste of things to come, as guest conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg will pass the baton, following her week in Sandpoint, to her new role as assistant conductor of the Spokane Symphony later this month.

A graduate of Julliard and a believer in music’s power to connect and heal, Samuels-Shragg co-founded the Plano Symphony Youth Orchestra Camp and helped design and play piano in the concert “Dialogue in Three

Movements: An Artistic Journey of Israel/Palestine in celebration of International Day of Peace.”

During her regional conducting season with the Spokane Symphony this fall, Samuels-Shragg will continue to maintain her current post with the Plano Symphony Orchestra.

“We are delighted to welcome Shira and introduce this up-and-coming conductor to our region,” said MCS Director Karin Wedemeyer.

As part of her introduction, and to help raise funds for the conservatory’s Music Matters! outreach, a sip-and-shop event will be hosted at the Pend d’Oreille Winery, on the corner of Third Avenue and Cedar Street, on Thursday, Aug. 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. Fans of the symphony and those wishing to support the next generation of

budding musicians are invited to attend.

Samuels-Shragg will be on hand for a portion of the evening to mingle with guests and experience downtown Sandpoint in the summertime.

Giving — as well as taking in good food and wine — is encouraged, as the winery will donate a portion of sales to MCS, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, serving Sandpoint’s youth with quality and accessible performing arts education.

For more information on Music Matters! or the sip-and-shop event, contact the MCS office at 208-265-4444. Contributions can be mailed to: MCS, 110 Main St., Sandpoint, ID 83864, or shared online at sandpointconservatory. org/giving.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Phil Hamilton and guests, The Hive, Aug. 11

Sandpoint is about to get a taste of Texas country and Southern rock with a multi-talented show at The Hive headlined by Phil Hamilton, featuring Erica Perry Hamilton and supported by opener Kyle Mont Cunningham, who’s a local country sensation in his own right.

Boasting rich vocals and affecting songwriting, Phil Hamilton takes listeners on a sonic voyage through the American heartland — made even more compelling by the harmonies he weaves with Erica Perry Hamilton.

Cunningham’s powerful, heartfelt sound will open the night, and if you’re new to his

performances, it’s about time to get acquainted. Though based in Texas, Hamilton is no stranger to Sandpoint, and Aug. 11 will also mark the debut of his new single, Rock Bottom Whiskey, which he wrote here last winter.

— Zach Hagadone

Doors at 7 p.m.; Kyle Mont Cunningham, 8-9 p.m.; Phil Hamilton feat. Erica Perry Hamilton, 9:30 p.m.; FREE; 21+. The Hive, 207 N. First Ave., 208-920-9039, livefromthehive.com. More info at facebook.com/philhamiltonmusic and kmc.country.

B-Side Players, Farmin Park, Aug. 10

All the way from San Diego, the nine-piece horn-driven, polyrhythmic B-Side Players will fill Farmin Park on Thursday, Aug. 10 with their multifaceted grooves, mixing the sounds of Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and Brazil with funk, rock, jazz and hip-hop.

Part of the Sandpoint Summer Music Series, hosted by Mattox Farm Productions and sponsored by the Pend Oreille Arts Council, The B-Side Players will get the family-friendly crowd moving to the Colombian rhythms of cumbia; Latin American salsa; gritty street samba;

Suspicious PKG, Connie’s, Aug. 13

the Cuban “mountain sound” of son montuno; jarocho, from Veracruz, Mexico; and the Afro-American fusion of boogaloo.

Mandala Pizza and Opa Food Truck will be offering food while 7B Origin will be serving up cold non-alcoholic beverages and Eichardt’s will be slinging adult drinks.

— Zach Hagadone

Gates at 5 p.m., music at 6 p.m.; FREE. Farmin Park, Third Avenue and Main Street in Sandpoint, mattoxfarm. com/summermusicseries.

Don’t be alarmed by this Suspicious PKG — the Bonners Ferry musical trio of the same name is bringing good vibes with a mix of original music and classic covers.

“It’s easy listening with a little bite,” said lead guitarist Ken LaBarbera, who represents the “K” in “PKG.”

The other members of the acronym are Paul Bonnell on rhythm guitar and djembe

and Gary Lawrence on bass. Together, they “cover everything from Bob Dylan to Bob Marley,” Bonnell told Reader, but their personal favorite is John Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.”

— Soncirey Mitchell

7-9 p.m., FREE. Connie’s Cafe, 323 Cedar St, 208-2552227, conniescafe.com.

Science-fiction by nature is weird, but few sci-fi books I’ve read have been weirder in a human sense than Robert A. Heinlein’s 1961 Hugo-winning novel Stranger in a Strange Land, which I’m embarrassed to say I only recently read. Quick synopsis: A human is born, then orphaned, then raised on Mars by Martians. Equipped with his Martian knowledge and sensibilities, he is brought to Earth where he becomes the unwitting — then witting — tool of tremendous politico-religious and social-sexual powers. It’s also a sweeping rumination on art, love, freedom, family, the cosmos and all that. Whew. Check it out at the library. I’m done with it.

READ LISTEN

Alex Ebert is an interesting cat. His songs — especially on the 2011 solo album Alexander — are so earwormy and wistful that even without knowing it, I kept hitting repeat whenever one of them streamed past me on Pandora or YouTube.

“Bad Bad Love,” in particular, is an indie-rock banger. What’s more, according to a 2022 profile in The New York Times, Ebert is also a neo-hippie/spiritualist guru, which you’ll find to be on brand if/when you listen to his sound, which you should.

WATCH

Even after two viewings of auteur director Wes Anderson’s new film Asteroid City, I must confess to a sense of twee fatigue. Plot particulars aside — which revolve around an alien visitation to a kids’ camp for scientific geniuses, who, along with their oddball parents, are sequestered in a tiny desert town and all the hijinks that implies — feels like Anderson is playing with his favorite action figures in a play-within-a-play. It’s visually sumptuous and pithy, perforce his style, but so self-conscious and referential that it fails to inspire much honest emotion. Streaming on Amazon.

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

Photo by Sophia Szokolay.

BACK OF THE BOOK

‘Over-organized, overpriced and over-proud’

There’s a new New Sandpoint coming — hold onto your butts

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

From Northern Idaho News, Aug. 3, 1915

FIRST AVE. TO BE PAVED

Paving was the large question before the city council at its regular meeting last night. A petition signed by all but two of the property owners affected was presented asking that the council pave First avenue from 100 feet south of Lake street, where the present paving district ends, to the county bridge.

This petition was acted on favorably and Friday, the 13th of this month, was designated as the day upon which the council will meet to hear protests. The necessary steps to have this paving laid will be taken with the utmost possible expedition. The council instructed City Engineer Ashley simply to call for bids upon the various bituminous pavings.

The long-expected petition asking for paving on Pine from First to Fourth, Fourth from Pine to Anton, Anton to Euclid, Euclid to Lakeview, Lakeview to Huron and Huron to Anton, failed to put in an appearance. There were several present to protest against the formation of the district but it was not needed. Inquiry developed the fact that the petition still lacked several signers to have the requisite number.

Secretary Whitaker of the school board in a brief talk stated that the board had informally considered the matter of petitioning for paving around the high school block but had arrived at no conclusion. He said that in the first place they were awaiting legal advice as to whether they had the right to do so and in the second place, they did not feel like taking the responsibility of incurring the expense without a definite expression from the taxpayers that they wanted the work done.

“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last/ Slouches toward Bethlemen to be born?”

— W.B. Yeats, “The Second Coming,” published 1920

It’s impossible that I recollect my first “Long Bridge moment,” taking place as it did with me swaddled and fresh from a delivery room at Bonner General in late-September 1980 and heading south, away from Sandpoint and toward the place where I actually grew up, in Sagle.

My childhood geography consisted of a backyard full of the sounds of grosbeak, chickadee, blue jay and cedar waxwing. There were lots of pine needles on the ground and a gravel driveway leading to a washboarded dirt road up and down a hill to the the chip-seal. Higher up were the cedars and pines, tamaracks, birch and aspen. Even today, when I hear the wind go through the tops of those trees, I get an achy, sort of lonesome, sort of cozy, sort of anxious little-kid feeling.

Growing up, that geography expanded to the dirt roads connecting my friends’ houses, over which we’d ride our bikes to critical locations: the old flea market and “John’s Store,” named for the late-owner John Shockey, at the corner of Sagle Road and U.S. 95. My map then consisted of South Sagle to Dufort to Algoma Spur roads and back again.

For my first 12 or 13 years, Sandpoint meant “the city.” I remember my awe at the miniature trains whirring across their tiny landscapes inside the glass-topped tables at the Whistlestop Cafe; the draft horse-drawn trolley that you paid a wooden token to ride around downtown, leaving sick-sweet piles

of green road apples along the way; the tall pillars that held up the Cedar Street Bridge; shopping for kids’ clothes at J.C. Penney on First Avenue; and anything and everything to be found at Sprouse-Reitz. I remember trains running parallel to Fifth Avenue under two towering — and functional — granary buildings.

Yet, until about 1992-’93, the closest I got in a week or more to Sandpoint was the kitchen table at my grandma’s house just south of the Long Bridge, from which vantage point the place existed as an abstraction somewhere beyond the crotch of the car and train bridges.

My grandma — who arrived in Sandpoint in 1925 from Montana as a 3-year-old girl and died here as an 89-year-old woman in 2012 — often glared across the water and grumbled that it was “over-organized, overpriced and over-proud.”

Sandpoint scared me — especially as a middle-schooler, thrown into that old brick building with all the “town kids,” who rode their bikes on asphalt, measured the distance between their friends’ houses in blocks rather than miles, smelled like fabric softener and had cable. They hung out at City Beach alongside the teenagers.

I didn’t really get to know Sandpoint until I got my driver’s license in 1996, a job at Safeway and a girlfriend who lived on North Florence Avenue. We made out in every secluded cranny of this place we could find, which marked my real introduction to the local landscape, so to speak.

In retrospect, it was only a short acquaintance (both with her and the town), because I left on the cusp of 19 in 1999, happily thinking I’d probably never return.

Of course I did return, in successive boomerangs, each time finding a New Sandpoint with new faces, new attitudes, new businesses and new buildings — sometimes even new streets. Some have been better than others, and not necessarily in temporal order.

Sudoku Solution STR8TS Solution

Anyone with a long enough history here has their favorite Sandpoint. Barring the ’80s (which I can remember only about the latter half of), I can definitively place my favorite Sandpoint sometime between 2003 and 2007, followed by 1993-’99.

I didn’t care too much for the Sandpoint of 2010-’13, when the foundations of our current bush-league Tahoe were being laid. I left without remorse.

I met the current iteration in 2019. It is my least favorite by a country mile.

The safe money in 2023 is on a new New Sandpoint exploding over us within the next five years. What it might look like is starting to come into focus, and “over-organized, overpriced and over-proud” doesn’t even touch it.

But what do I know? I’m just a Sagle kid who’s still afraid of the teenagers at City Beach. All it seems we can do is slouch toward Sandpoint with whatever platitude sounds like hope. But I’ll add a corollary caution: “Hold onto your butts.”

Crossword Solution

We’re all afraid of something. Take my little nephew, for instance. He’s afraid of skeletons. He thinks they live in closets and under beds, and at night they come out to get you when you’re asleep. And what am I afraid of? Now, I’m afraid of skeletons.

Solution on page 22

Laughing Matter

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

quiddity

Week of the

1. the essential nature of a thing.

Solution on page 22