Reader_August17_2023

The week in random review

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Number buddy, email doppelganger

A Twitter trend made the rounds in 2019, in which people texted their “number buddy” or “text door neighbor,” out of the blue to say hello. A number buddy is someone whose phone number is one digit away from yours. I experienced this growing up, before the dumbness of Twitter was realized — we would occasionally get calls for “Andy” (which was confusing since that was also my dad’s name), but it would turn out to be for Andy with the number ending in 7493, while ours ended in 7943. I eventually met my number buddy in high school and we’re still friends to this day. Along with number buddies, there are also email doppelgangers: those who have an email address very similar to yours. Years ago, I got an email from a guy with my same name, who was forwarding something that he said, “looked important” and that he’d occasionally gotten emails for me before. I thanked this other Ben Olson out there in the world and thought that was the end of it, but about once or twice a year for a decade, one of us will email the other with a stray email, or occasionally just to ask how everything is going. We never ask personal questions and always keep it light, but it does seem odd I’m closer to this stranger than I am with many people I see every day.

tough spell

Working for a newspaper, we traffic in words every day of our lives. Occasionally, on slow weeks, Zach and I will try to figure out how many words we wrote for that particular edition, but the number never seems to do justice to the difficulty it takes to keep them churning out uninterrupted. As any writer will confirm, there are a handful of pesky words that often give us pause when spelling them out. The words might be different for each writer, but no wordsmith can say they never hesitate when spelling one of their awkward words. For me, “rhythm” always gives me trouble, as does “bureaucracy,” “lieutenant” and “acquiesce.” What are your tough spellers?

Fear and portmanteau in Sandpoint

For those of you who aren’t word nerds, “portmanteau” refers to a word that blends the sounds and meanings of two others. For example, “spork” comes from “spoon” and “fork.” While many portmanteaus make it to the big leagues and get picked up by the dictionary, there lies an entire history of nonsense portmanteaus that we toss around, sometimes only becoming an inside joke between friends. Some of my favorite bush-league portmanteaus over the years include “scry,” which is when you scream and cry at the same time; “touron,” which is a tourist who is also a moron (double points if you just thought, “Isn’t that also an oxymoron?”); and “outrigue,” which is being intrigued by something simply because you’re outraged by it.

quotable

“The world is a prison in which solitary confinement is preferable.”

— Karl Kraus

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Final team advances to Phase 3 of downtown waterfront design competition

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

One day after a panel of judges heard presentations from the three teams in Phase 2 of the city’s downtown waterfront design competition, the Sandpoint City Council voted unanimously at its regular Aug. 16 meeting to select a finalist that will proceed to Phase 3.

The team led by GGLO and Bernardo Wills came out on top with its concept — referred to in shorthand as “The Blue Necklace” — envisioning redevelopment occurring in Sandpoint based on the concept of a “uniting thread that ties together the many jewels of Sandpoint,” from the Granary District to City Beach, with numerous avenues of connectivity for bikes, pedestrians, vehicles and watercraft with an emphasis on natural vegetation and “rewilding.”

“I am thankful we chose GGLO because I felt like it was the most local feel,” said Councilor Joel Aispuro. “There is a lot of fear of change … at least this picture was more of what we have now.”

The team selected included Mark Sindell, Josiah Brown and Amanda Jesser of Boise-based GGLO; Dell Hatch and Julia Culp of Spokane-based Bernardo Wills; Phil Boyd and Matt Gillis, of Welch Comer, based in Coeur d’Alene; ecologist Erin Plue; artist Sarah Thompson Moore; and Professor Greg Möller, who teaches at University of Idaho and Washington State University.

Don Stastny, a Portland, Ore.based architect and master planner with whom the city contracted to manage the competition, told councilors, “You have a small city here, but it’s got a big-city mind,” pointing to the complexity of the issues facing Sandpoint as it works to ensure livability while maintaining its values.

“I have been at this a while, and I don’t think I’ve seen another competition that’s as challenging but could be as rewarding to a small community,” he said. “You have a wonderful, wonderful place here, and my hope is that

Council selects ‘Blue Necklace’ concept from GGLO-Bernardo Wills

through this competition we will make it a better place if not for the people who are here, but for the children and grandchildren who will grow up here.”

Among the design elements in the GGLO-Bernardo Wills plan include expanding Farmin Park to accommodate an “event corridor” on Oak Street leading to Main Street and into an “arts and culture district” on Second Avenue near a 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.

Mixed-use development is envisioned along the west bank of Sand Creek, though fronted with vegetative plantings to restore the riparian habitat. A terrace at Cedar Street would feature public space and plantings, along with the potential location for a small restaurant.

The most dramatic element of the team’s design featured a reconstructed bridge connecting First Avenue to City Beach 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 concept 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 devoted 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 native landscape plantings on the point to the southeast.

Officials emphasized that

selecting GGLO-Bernardo Wills as the preferred plan for Phase 3 doesn’t mean an end to the process, but a beginning.

“The purpose of the downtown waterfront competition was to create a framework and a master plan for our downtown that pulled together all of our existing adopted plans into a coalesced holistic vision,” Stapleton said, later adding, “This gets us down to a team that will be doing this work with the community and with the city.”

A survey conducted by the city, which only garnered a little more than 100 responses, also reflected an overall preference for GGLO-Bernardo Wills’ concepts. The general sense among commenters was that the submission best incorporated the feel of Sand Creek and City Beach while still proposing changes that would improve access to new and existing amenities.

In particular, respondents supported the notion of “rewilding” portions of Sand Creek to benefit its riparian habitat while keeping the waterway open to boating.

“It changes Sandpoint the least,” one commenter wrote.

Again, Stastny said the object of the competition wasn’t necessarily to set in stone a particular redevelopment plan, but to create an “operational manual” which can be taken apart “piece by piece, project by project, and move toward implementation.”

The design competition 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.

Eight teams submitted plans and two other teams made it to Phase 2: one including Skylab, PLACE, KPFF, PAE & LUMA, Brightworks and ECONorthwest; and the other made up of First Forty Feet, Greenworks, Fehr & Peers, Century West Engineering and North Root Architecture.

The city budgeted $500,000 for the competition, including honorariums of $40,000 for each of the finalist teams. A further $40,000 will be awarded to the GGLO-Bernardo Wills team upon completion of Phase 3.

A workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 6-Thursday, Sept. 7 with design team updates to the concept throughout the month. The team will present its updated vision to the jury the week of Oct. 9, which the public is invited to observe. The jury will then evaluate the plan and prepare a report, which will be reviewed and forwarded as a recommendation to the City Council.

Council is expected to take in a presentation of the completed plan at its Wednesday, Oct. 18 meeting, when the public will again have a chance to see what the team has produced.

Councilors were enthused about the prospect of having a

proposal in hand that they could present to private developers, as well as potentially leverage sources of funding.

“When you have a plan with an ambitious vision it makes it a whole lot easier to get that money,” said Councilor Jason Welker.

Councilor Andy Groat made an appeal for Sandpoint residents to embrace the conceptual nature of the plan and “rise above … some of the emotions that they may feel with the changes, the growth, the maturity of their small town.”

Councilor Justin Dick, who admitted to some hesitation at the beginning of the competition, said, “If we as a community come together … we have an opportunity to do something very, very amazing in our little town.”

Council President Kate McAlister agreed, adding, “This is an opportunity for us to control the change, participate in the change, rather than have change happen to us.”

“I like change,” she added. “I think change is good if it’s done right, if it’s controlled, it’s done with the community.”

Find the GGLO-Bernardo Wills plan — as well as the other teams’ concepts — in addition to videos of the Aug. 15 presentations, survey results, schedule and more at sandpointidaho.gov/ stage2design.

A slide from GGLO-Bernardo Wills’ design concept for the downtown waterfront redevelopment, depicting the area immediately south of Cedar Street Bridge. Courtesy image.

Longtime BGH CEO Sheryl Rickard will retire at end of the year

By Reader Staff

After 36 years with Bonner General Health, CEO Sheryl Rickard will be retiring at the end of 2023, capping a career that began in 1986 as accounting supervisor for the hospital. Rickard was promoted to chief financial officer two years later and continued in that role until she assumed the CEO position in 2004.

“I share this news with mixed emotions,” Rickard stated in the Aug. 15 announcement of her retirement. “I truly love and cherish BGH, the people I work with, the boards I have served on and my peers across the state. I really can’t think of a more rewarding and meaningful career. However, it’s now time for me to spend more time with my family, travel and

enjoy the next chapter of my life.”

BGH Board of Directors Chair Ford Elsaesser noted Rickard’s many accomplishments during her time with the hospital — made “particularly impressive in light of the extremely challenging environments of all rural hospitals,” he stated.

“While many similar health

Sandpoint City Council approves $52.9M budget

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Members of the Sandpoint City Council voted unanimously at their regular Aug. 16 meeting to approve a fiscal year 2024 budget of $52,974,269 — an aincrease of about $3.3 million, or 6.7%, from FY 2023 — attributable in large part to the city’s Enterprise Funds, which include the water and sewer funds.

Specifically, the FY ’24 budget includes about $6 million earmarked for the design and phased construction — including upgrades and replacements — for the wastewater treatment plant.

Sandpoint’s total operating budget will be $27,714,004 and capital improvements will account for $25,260,265.

The city anticipates collecting $4,864,014 in property taxes in the coming year, up only 1.5% from FY ’23. According to budget documents, for a home valued at $623,812, the increase would translate into $21.93 after applying the homeowner’s exemption.

Nearly $165,000 in property tax relief is due to revenues from

care systems have had to shrink their capacity, during Sheryl’s tenure, BGH has expanded health care offerings in Bonner County,” Elsaesser added, going on to highlight, “the construction of the Health Services Building, connected to the hospital by the Jack Parker Sky Bridge, and the remodel of the Emergency Department, to note just a few accomplishments.”

Also under Rickard’s leadership as CEO, the hospital became a Critical Access Hospital; expanded its space and services, including the Pinegrove Medical Office Building and the Health Services Building, Bonner General Immediate Care, Behavioral Health, Ophthalmology, and Women’s Health clinics; revived the BGH Foundation; collaborated with Kootenai Medical Center to bring a cancer center to Sandpoint; with the help of the BGH Foundation and grant funds remodeled the Emergency

Department, Ultrasound, Mammography and CT suites, and Trauma Radiology; and doubled employee numbers with growth and added services, with a current workforce of 430 employees.

Rickard has been recognized as BGH Employee of the Year (1998), Idaho Hospital Association Board Chair (2016) and received the Idaho Hospital Association Star Garnet Award (2022).

She currently serves on the boards and committees of the Yellowstone Insurance Exchange, Bonner Partners in Care and Blue Cross of Idaho.

Meanwhile, the BGH Board of Directors has chosen current CFO John Hennessy to serve as CEO after Rickard’s retirement.

“I have every confidence that our fantastic team, under the leadership of John Hennessy, will continue to grow our services and positively impact the health of our community,” Rickard stated.

“Sheryl will be sorely missed,

and her teamwork style of management is truly the main reason for BGH’s growth,” Elsaesser added. “The board is confident that John Hennessy will carry on Sheryl’s work and continue to help the entire team to provide superb health care.”

Rickard stated that it had “truly been an honor and privilege to work with such an exceptional team of talented and devoted people.”

“I am filled with gratitude and pride for all that we have accomplished together to enhance and improve the health and well-being of the community,” she added. “None of our success could have been possible without the dedication and commitment of our board of directors, senior leadership team, managers, physicians, staff and volunteers. I want to thank every member of the BGH health care team for their contributions and enduring commitment to our patients and their families.”

INAUGURAL WOMENS’ SYMPOSIUM

the 14% Resort City Tax coming in higher than expected. Both the FY ’23 and ’24 budgets included $1.5 million in revenue collected from the tax — approved in 2022 and effective Jan. 1, 2023 — which is levied on hotels, bed and breakfasts, and short-term vacation rentals.

By comparison, before voters passed the 7% increase, the Resort City Tax brought in between $558,000 and $615,000 in FY ’21 and ’22.

“The revenue source has increased substantially in the past few years as the economy has improved and tourism has increased,” according to the city’s budget breakdown.

Meanwhile, city employees will see a boost in pay to keep pace with regional agencies and to adjust for potential increases in health insurance costs, rising from $8.9 million to $9.6 million in FY ’24.

Overall, expenses across the city’s various divisions either increased because of one-time projects or remained level with last year’s budgets.

City budget writers asked for

< see BUDGET, Page 7 >

A crowd of about 100 people turned out for the inaugural Womens’ Symposium held Aug. 16 at the Heartwood Center in Sandpoint.

The event was billed as an evening to “learn the history and ongoing threats to women’s rights,” in Idaho. Keynote speakers included Josi Christensen (speaking in the above photo) with the

National Organization of Women; Jen Jackson Quintano with the Pro-Voice Project and Idaho congressional candidate Kaylee Peterson.

“The Idaho Legislature has taken away our reproductive rights, opposes our access to health care, votes down affordable child-care, rejects parental leave policies and more,” wrote organizers, who

added that the event would bring experts and political leaders together to “discuss the harmful anti-woman policies that have already been enacted, new threats on the horizon, and ways that regular men and women can fight back and work to restore our rights.”

— Photo and words by Ben Olson.

Sheryl Rickard. Courtesy photo.

Increase of 6.7% from FY 2023 attributed in part to wastewater treatment plant project

Crews continue fighting area blazes, with Ridge Creek, Buckskin 2 fires at 15% contained

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Fire bosses provided an update on the Ridge Creek blaze Aug. 16, burning on 3,124 acres 3.5 miles northeast of Hayden Lake in Kootenai County, noting that high temperatures Aug. 15 contributed to “active fire behavior and some fire growth,” while crews reported 15% containment.

A total of 458 personnel on 11 crews are working the fire, along with 12 engines and six heavy equipment assets. According to officials, efforts to fight the Ridge Creek fire would be supported Aug. 16 by two “super scooper” air tankers based in Alaska, as well as a Type 1 “heavy” helicopter and an additional reconnaissance aircraft.

Crews and equipment operators are working to reinforce fuel breaks and plan to use night-time operations to clear ground fuels in order to strengthen the eastern flank of the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but suspected of being human-caused.

Residents in the Bunco Road and Hayden Lake areas are in a state of level 1 “Get Ready” for evacuation, meaning they should continue to monitor official sources of fire information and call 208-446-2292 for any questions regarding evacuations.

Meanwhile, U.S. Forest Service Structure protection personnel arrived Aug. 15 in Lakeview on Lake Pend Oreille to make assessments “out of an abundance of caution … should it ever be needed for the Ridge Creek Fire,” according to an advisory notice from the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. The USFS teams will be in Lakeview until Friday, Aug. 17.

Meanwhile, air support on the Ridge Creek fire was diverted Aug. 15 to respond to the Sarah Loop fire, which was reported in the late afternoon Aug. 15 burning on about 60 acres north of Silverwood and west of U.S. 95, and initially prompted level 3 evacuations for Athol residents but were downgraded Aug. 16 to level 1. No homes have been lost, but officials reported two outbuildings had been burned. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

In support of those suppression efforts, four Fire Boss fixed-wing scoopers, two large air tankers and one very large air tanker were operating in the vicinity of Athol and Bayview under the jurisdiction of the Idaho Department of Lands on Aug.

15, underscoring the need for residents and recreational boaters to be observant of aircraft — including helicopters — using either Hayden Lake or Lake Pend Oreille, and restrict their activities to the shore when present.

Elsewhere, burning on 264 acres about eight miles south of Clark Fork in the Sandpoint Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, the Buckskin 2 fire is 15% contained, as of Aug. 15, with 160 personnel working the blaze, including eight engines; five hand crews; three modules; and heavy equipment consisting of three dozers, two skidgens and one water tender.

The cause remained undetermined as of Aug. 16, and fire managers reported that an interagency Hotshot Crew had joined the effort, which included improvising, holding and mopping up existing firelines along the remaining perimeter, as well as reinforcing firelines along the western flank.

Road closures are in effect for the intersections of Forest Service Roads 203 and 332, as well as FSR 1021 and 332, and 1533 and 306 in Clark Fork. UTV Trail 77 is also closed, while an extension of the FSR 203 closure was pending as of Aug. 15.

Meanwhile, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office issued a level 1 “Get Ready” notification for residents in the Twin Creek and Rearden Road areas in Clark Fork. For local updates, sign up for BCSO’s emergency messaging system at nixle.com.

The Bee Top fire, located five miles northeast of Clark Fork, and burning on 45 acres as of the most recent report Aug. 10, is 80% contained, with crews monitoring the fire to keep it within containment lines. Fire officials identified the cause of the Bee Top fire as lightning.

Likewise, the 475-acre, lightning-caused Consalus fire in the Priest Lake Ranger District was 80% contained as of the Aug. 12 report, burning 10 miles west of Coolin in Pend Oreille County, Wash.

Stage II fire restrictions remain in place for North Idaho, owing to drought conditions and continued high temperatures, which have made fire danger ratings “very high” to “extreme” across the region. Learn more about the restrictions at idl. idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder.

Go to inciweb.wildfire.gov for more updates on regional fires.

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:

Georgia has indicted former-President Donald Trump — his fourth indictment — and 18 others on criminal counts for attempting to overturn 2020 election results. A Fulton County grand jury examined evidence and heard from 75 witnesses before recommending the indictments. Allegations include false statements, impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to defraud the state, and acts involving theft and perjury. The defendants have until Friday, Aug. 25 to surrender to authorities, according to various news outlets.

A U.S. District Court judge recently decided for 16 young Montana plaintiffs, agreeing they were being deprived of a right to a healthy environment when the state supported fossil fuel companies. The plaintiffs’ harms spanned a myriad of issues, including physical health and economic security. The judge said their “injuries will grow increasingly severe and irreversible without science-based actions to address climate change.” The state’s argument: burning fossil fuels doesn’t cause climate change.

Some 300 people may have died recently while suffering heat in Phoenix, where temperatures topped 110 degrees Fahrenheit for 31 consecutive days — the hottest ever recorded in a U.S. city. That pattern of death can be stopped, according to the director of the city’s heat mitigation team. The Guardian reported that getting to zero deaths entails more than cooling centers: the city is doubling its investment in shade trees and boosting resources to build shade.

Phoenix will need to rethink cooling centers, which are not open at night. The city recently experienced 16 consecutive nights that did not drop below 90F (one night it was 97F). Public health experts say the body cannot recover well from heat until temps drop below 80F.

The death toll from recent wildfires in Maui appears likely to exceed 99 — more than the 85 killed in the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California. An estimated 2,000 people were initially missing and 4,500 were displaced after some 2,200 structures — mostly residential — were damaged or destroyed.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told CBS that it could take up to 10 days to establish a full death count, as the area being searched is five square miles. NPR reported that the Maui fire had several

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

components, such as years-long drought and human-caused climate factors. Predictions are that it will cost more than $5 billion to rebuild after hurricane-force winds whipped flames in Lahaina, with flames reportedly traveling as fast as one mile per minute. Following fire suppression, scientists warn that toxic fumes and particles will pose a hazard.

A formerly secret memo from Dec. 6, 2020 reviewed by The New York Times indicated a plot to use a false slate of electors for the purpose of Trump claiming victory in the 2020 elections. The lawyer crafting the plan admitted it was “controversial” and that the Supreme Court would likely reject it. But, he claimed it would buy the Trump camp time to win litigation that would reduce the number of Biden’s electoral votes. The memo is being regarded by prosecutors as showing a clear link to the Trump team’s involvement in a criminal conspiracy.

According to ABC, the judge overseeing the hearings stated that the more inflammatory statements from Trump that could “taint” the jury pool and witnesses, the “greater the urgency will be that we proceed to trial to ensure a pool from which we can select an impartial jury.”

For two decades, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose numerous gifts from wealthy megadonors, including 26 jet flights, 38 vacations and more, ProPublica reported. The Department of Justice has been asked to investigate. The gifts are calculated to be “worth millions.” Past reporting linked the donors to Supreme Court cases heard by Thomas, from which he did not recuse himself.

With five months left of the year, the U.S. has experienced more than 400 mass shootings, according to ABC News.

Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Democratic presidential campaign has been boosted by a donation of $5 million from a top Trump megadonor, The Guardian reported.

Blast from the past: Social Security turns 88 this month. The average recipient gets $1,700 a month, lower than in peer nations. Social Security Works polling shows 76.33% would like to see payouts expanded, and approve of doing so by making the wealthy contribute their fair share.

Another blast: In the year since passing the PACT Act, which improves health care access and funding for veterans exposed to burn pits beginning in the 1990s, hundreds of thousands of veterans have been approved for expanded benefits.

Idaho A.G. Raúl Labrador provides new ballot titles for open primary initiative

Idahoans for Open Primaries to begin collecting signatures

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office submitted revised ballot titles for a primary election ballot initiative Aug. 11 after being ordered to do so by the Idaho Supreme Court.

In a written statement, the group backing the ballot initiative — Idahoans for Open Primaries — said the new ballot titles are “a major improvement.”

“We are thrilled to begin collecting signatures and to give all Idahoans — regardless of party affiliation — the right to vote in primary elections,” the group stated.

The ballot titles and Idaho Supreme Court case are related to a proposed ballot initiative designed to end Idaho’s closed party primary elections. Supporters are hoping to qualify the ballot initiative for the November 2024 general election.

The issue went to the Idaho Supreme Court after the groups Idahoans for Open Primaries and Reclaim Idaho filed a legal challenge alleging Labrador’s original ballot titles were misleading and inaccurate. The groups also alleged Labrador has a personal bias against the ballot initiative, after sending a May 2 tweet that said, in part, “Let’s defeat these bad ideas coming from liberal outside groups.”

Reclaim Idaho is the same group that backed the successful 2018 Medicaid expansion ballot initiative.

On Aug. 10, the Idaho Supreme Court issued an opinion throwing out the original ballot titles Labrador’s office assigned to the ballot initiative on June 30.

What do the new ballot titles say?

The ballot titles are important because they explain to the public and voters what a ballot initiative is and what it does.

There are two ballot titles: a short ballot title of 20 words or less and a longer ballot title of 200

words or less.

In the new short ballot title, Labrador doesn’t use the phrase “nonparty blanket primary,” which the justices flagged in their opinion as likely to cause prejudice against the initiative among people who have heard the term.

The new short title reads: “Measure to (1) replace voter selection of party nominees with a top-four primary; (2) require a ranked-choice voting system for general elections.”

The short ballot title, the longer ballot title and a short letter from Labrador to the clerk of the Idaho Supreme Court are available online.

The Idaho Attorney General’s Office issued a written statement Aug. 10 about the Idaho Supreme Court opinion and the ballot titles.

“While we are disappointed we did not win on all issues presented, we are pleased that the Idaho Supreme Court rejected most of Petitioners’ challenges,” Communications Director Beth Cahill stated . “The Court held that the initiative does not propose an open primary and does propose ranked choice voting. We will promptly submit revised ballot titles accommodating the Idaho Supreme Court’s other holdings and in accordance with the Court’s schedule.”

Moving forward, Idahoans for Open Primaries and Reclaim Idaho have until May 1, 2024 to turn in signatures from 6% of Idaho voters statewide and 6% of voters in 18 of the state’s 35 legislative districts. To meet the statewide total, the ballot initiative’s supporters will need to gather signatures from about 63,000 Idaho voters.

Supporters couldn’t begin the signature drive until the ballot titles were resolved and in place.

In anticipation of Labrador issuing new ballot titles, Idahoans for Open Primaries announced in a press release issued Aug. 10 that it is scheduling signature drive kickoff events in 30 Idaho communities.

What would the open primary ballot initiative do?

If the ballot initiative qualifies for the November 2024 general election and is approved by a simple majority of voters, it would make changes to Idaho’s primary and general elections.

If approved, the ballot initiative would end Idaho’s closed party primary elections and replace them with a single primary election in which all voters and all candidates would participate, regardless of party affiliation. The top four vote-getters would advance to the general election in November.

The ballot initiative would also change Idaho’s general election

and received from council approval to levy $50,717 of the available $284,538 in forgone property tax from years prior, which will be used to purchase public safety vehicles.

The two largest expenditures in the FY ’24 budget will be $8.8 million from the Wastewater Fund — which includes the wastewater treatment plant project — and $8.4 million from the Parks Capital Improvement Fund. Capital projects come in third, with approximately $6.3 million in expenditures during the fiscal year.

The city has more than 30 capital improvement projects included in its FY ’24 budget, with the biggest-ticket items amounting to

by creating an instant runoff or ranked-choice system of voting. Under that system, Idahoans would vote for their favorite candidate. Voters would also have the option — but not be required to — to rank the remaining candidates in order of preference on their same ballot.

If one candidate wins a simple majority of the votes, that candidate would be elected the winner. But if no candidate received a majority of votes, the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated and their votes would instead be transferred to those voters’ second choice of candidate. That process would continue until one candidate has a majority of

$9 million for parks and recreation planning and culture services — the bulk of that being $7 million for the James E. Russell Sports Center at Travers Park.

Other notable projects include $475,000 for the final phase of downtown street work, focused on rebuilding First Avenue from Church to Lake streets. Funding will come from the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency, and the city will hire a consultant to begin design of Phase 3 of the project, which is estimated to be completed in late-November 2026.

Elsewhere, impact fees totaling $500,000 will be leveraged toward the “Short-Term East-West Connection” project, converting Pine Street to two-way

votes and is elected winner.

Under that system, Idahoans would not need to vote more than once, and there would not be more than one election because the ranked choices voters marked on their ballots would determine any instant runoff elections.

Idaho has had a closed primary election law since 2011, which means that political parties don’t have to let voters who are not registered with their political party vote in their primary elections. The law also gives political parties the option to open their primary election to unaffiliated voters or voters from another political party; but, to open their primary, the political party needs to formally notify the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office.

During the most recent primary election in 2022, only the Idaho Democratic Party held an open primary, a spokeswoman from the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office previously told the Sun. The Republican, Libertarian and Constitution Party primaries were closed.

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.

travel between Fifth and Fourth avenues and relocating the traffic signal at Church Street and Fifth Avenue to Fifth and Pine Street. That is expected to be complete in late-September 2024.

In addition, the reconstruction of Great Northern Road from Baldy Mountain Road to Woodland Drive is included in the budget, totaling $1.9 million, with an estimated completion date of late-September 2029.

Despite a raft of high-profile projects, General Fund expenditures are expected to decrease $760,000 while Special Revenue Funds will fall $141,000.

Find the full FY ’24 budget book at bit.ly/45umIoZ.

Photo courtesy of Idahoans for Open Primaries.

< BUDGET, con’t from Page 5 >

Bouquets: GUEST SUBMISSION:

• “Since we can only afford the Festival from the park, it’s been a joy to share in the lovely and lively Mattox Farm Production’s free musical offerings at Farmin Park. What a joy to hear creative, unique, quality music that urges you to get up and join in the spirited family dancing. All ages, all fun. Thanks to Mattox and the sponsors for bringing back that good old Sandpoint vibe.”

— By River Burdick

Barbs:

GUEST SUBMISSION:

•A reader called and said they’d like to give a Barb to Safeway in Sandpoint because of a parking issue they recently experienced. While attempting to pick up medication at the Safeway pharmacy, the caller mentioned that all the handicapped parking spaces at Safeway were inaccessible due to repaving efforts in the parking lot. When asking a Safeway employee where to park, the caller was told, “Over there,” indicating a place at the northern end of the lot. “I’m not even sure it’s legal,” the reader said about the absence of handicapped parking spots.

GUEST SUBMISSION:

•“Welcome to the streets of Sandpoint, Saturday morning,” on Aug. 12, 2023.

— By Jim Healey

Bring Jim back…

Dear editor, Most Idaho voters value truthfulness.

Our excellent former-state senator, Jim Woodward, is truthful and was a dedicated legislator.

But, in the primary, with the help of his out-of-state financial backers, Scott Herndon sent thousands of mailers lying about Sen. Jim Woodward. Herndon defeated Jim in the primary — and in Idaho, the primary winner wins the general election.

Herndon’s lies and other unethical behavior in office has been jeopardizing our democracy in Idaho ever since.

Let’s write or call Jim Woodward and let him know we want him working for us again. Jim’s truthfulness and his integrity are needed back in the Idaho Senate.

Sincerely,

Clarice M. McKenney Bonners Ferry

Dear editor,

In agreement with the general leanings of the Reader staff, all country-loving Americans want a statesman to represent them on the world stage — someone free of debasing derogatory language; free of desires for personal gain or undue power from whatever office is sought; free of the pressures of a self-serving machine (as long ago as Eisenhower, he were warned us of this); free of irrational influences harmful to our moral compass and country; and, of course, free of self-serving international influence schemes.

In this country, we do need a return to bipartisan respectful dialogue, and we need statesmen at all levels to represent us. We are all, on both sides, losing all of this.

Bruce Ehni Sagle

Dear editor,

I was going to gear this letter to remind everyone about voting. After last week’s 3C’s meeting, I thought I’d better touch on the [Priest River] Junior High. Shutting it down for repairs, in my opinion, doesn’t make sense. Doing that makes it fit into the plan of some other people that have their own plan for that building. We’re not the dummies you think we are. Your own plan is easy to see, it fits right into your agenda,

which is also easy to figure out. At the 3C’s meeting, three gentlemen stood up to speak who I have great regard for. Many other people spoke as well and all should be listened to. Mr. Parenteau, Mr. Go and Mr. Lamanna (as in, Priest River Lamanna High School) all spoke about the importance of keeping that school going.

The boiler is an issue, but not as Mr. Durst makes it out to be. Like everything else it’s fixable or replaceable, more than likely for less cost than buying portables would be. We have many mills in the area that have boilers, which means we have lots of individuals in the area who know boilers and how to repair them. They would volunteer their help. That would also save the money you want to spend on a professional study on what it needs. Please use common sense. If you don’t have any of your own, consult with people who do. We have lots of them in our district.

The junior high is on the national register of historical buildings. That means there is grant money available for its upkeep. The community is proud of that building. It means a lot to us. Its location is so that all visitors to the community can easily see it. It stands proud.

Ernie Schoeffel Priest River

A warm welcome…

Dear editor, Welcome, Soncirey, to the Reader — you go girl! We’ll look forward to all you’ve got to share. You’ve got big, wonderful shoes to fill, but it sounds like you’re up for it. Can’t wait!

Rich Holub Trestle Creek

God, infinite and man, mortal, in a way I cannot comprehend, because God is as far above me as a quasar is above an ant.

A gun is a tool, like a hammer. It exists to kill things. When I grew up in North Idaho, people used them to put meat on the table and sometimes to knock bottles off fence posts. Now they are used as a political statement: a way to declare manhood, a way to threaten and bully others, and, of course, too often to kill people.

In this way God and guns are opposites. God calls us to new life and love. Jesus said crazy things like, “turn the other cheek” and “love your enemy.” A gun is a hunk of metal used to snuff out life. A more honest sign would be, “Guns are my God and I’ll shoot Jesus on sight.”

Mary Haley Sandpoint

Dear editor,

Just over a year ago Bonner County voted almost two-to-one to elect Branden Durst as the Republican nominee for superintendent of public instruction for the entire state of Idaho. If you consider that the liberal precincts in Sandpoint had much higher vote totals for his opponent, Debbie Critchfield, than the rest of the county, it’s likely that Branden’s margin of victory in West Bonner County was even greater than 2:1.

Given those facts, it strikes me as funny that the small cadre of last year’s Critchfield supporters in our district could bring themselves to believe that our community wouldn’t be absolutely thrilled to have a man that we overwhelmingly thought was best qualified to be the superintendent for the whole state of Idaho come and dedicate himself to a much-needed turnaround of our own school district.

Dear editor,

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes the option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months. This option is permanent. Once Idaho takes up the option we will receive federal matching funds annually.

In the postpartum period — during the time new parents are out of the hospital and often beyond the traditional six- or eight-week post-pregnancy visits — cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscle) and mental health conditions are leading causes of death.

The cost of coverage to the state’s general fund would have been about $6.2 million per year, with a federal match of $28.7 million. The budget surplus for 2023 is above $416 million.

That seems way out of touch with the community that the Critchfield supporters claim to represent, or just plain unsympathetic to the actual values of Bonner County — and especially the western half of it — or maybe both.

In any case, like most of the district probably feels, given our votes for Mr. Durst last year, I am very thankful that he has decided to dedicate his time and skillset to help us put our school district on track towards a much more successful future for the families here.

Anne Wilder Priest River

Dear editor,

Recently I’ve been seeing signs that say, “God and Guns.” What they really mean is, “Guns are my God.”

To write “God and Guns,” both capitalized, makes these two things of the same value. A tool that kills is now equal to the creator of the universe. Clearly these people are not Christians or any other religion that has a God.

As a Christian, I believe God created everything and everyone and called them good. God and Jesus are defined as love in the gospel of John. I believe that Jesus is God’s only begotten son — both

Despite overwhelming voter support for the Medicaid expansion initiative here in 2018, the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee refused to hear House Bill 201 to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage during the 2023 session, complaining that it was a budget issue.

“I think it’s a good idea, I just don’t think it’s quite ready yet, maybe next year,” the committee chairman said.

The last time the Legislature dilly-dallied over Medicaid funding, voters passed the law themselves using an initiative.

Nancy Gerth Sagle

Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor. Please send letters to letters@sandpointreader.com. We accept letters under 300 words that are free from libelous statements and excessive profanity. No trolls. Please elevate the conversation.

‘Statesman-like behavior’…

‘Don’t shut down the junior high’…

‘God and Guns’...

West Bonner supports Branden Durst…

‘ID lawmakers throw away another chance to help women and families’…

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Just like other girls

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

I don’t know exactly when in my childhood I was introduced to the concept of a “tomboy,” but I can remember an “after” in which I decided it was what I must be.

Arriving at that identity was a process of collecting remarks like, “Don’t do that,” and, “That’s not for girls,” like fireflies — keeping them in jars and turning them over until I could make sense of them. If so many of the things I wanted to be doing weren’t for girls — jumping off logs, getting grass stains on my shirtless belly, and packing my peanut butter and jelly sandwich into a Stone Cold Steve Austin lunch box — then I must not want to be like other girls. Instead of simply sacrificing the things I wanted to do to comply with these conventions, I internalized being “girly” as being limited.

I started shedding the stereotypical girly things I enjoyed (like Barbies and my favorite pair of pink, plastic, light-up sandals), and replaced them with paintball guns and skateboards. I didn’t know how to hold space for the parts of myself that liked both.

This inner conflict reached its apex when I burst into tears upon opening a birthday gift from my grandma (a reaction that still catches me unawares with the sporadic aftershocks of my shame). She had carefully wrapped a fuzzy, floral bathrobe that I would have loved the year before, but had somehow turned into an assault on the identity I’d taken so much care to build. I had sacrificed my “girlhood” for

the moniker of “tomboy.”

This translated in adolescence and young adulthood as a constant striving for uniqueness — defining my individuality as a contrast to other girls, and how that might make me more appealing to others (and, specifically, to men). I again rejected things our culture deemed feminine, and invested heavily in acquiring a taste for things that would make me different and more attractive.

I listened to records by Led Zeppelin and The Doors on repeat, never admitting to myself that I might also like Taylor Swift. I watched every Adam Sandler movie ever made and swore that I’d take the fact that I read Twilight to my grave.

These behaviors would again be validated by comments like, “You have good taste in music for a girl,” or, “You know, you’re actually pretty funny for a girl,” confirming that if I could just keep swerving around the parts of myself that like “girly” things, I could maintain my status as “interesting.”

But in the past decade, I’ve felt a shift, both in myself and in the larger culture around me.

As the societal dial turns toward more fluid gender expression and non-binary gender rules, it’s opening the door to embrace all the things previously considered “less than” because of their association with women and girls.

This cultural “moment” is reflected in the shockwaves of Barbie — an unapologetically feminine movie (and its record-breaking $1 billion box office performance) — and the ubiquitousness of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, which is also set to reach $1 billion in revenue. By now we’ve all seen the meme about Margot Robbie and Taylor Swift holding the American economy on their backs, right?

This moment has also set the stage for a celebration of “girly” things across genders, like “girl dads,” belting Taylor’s lyrics in perfect sync with their daughters and boasting about their mastery of the French braid. It’s a reclamation of the color pink, floral patterns and crop tops in every section of clothing stores, and it’s an acceptance of complex and nuanced expression — allowing people to simply like what they like, even if (or perhaps, especially because) it’s conventionally “girly.”

This shift reminds me of the freedom experienced by my 3-year-old niece Clover, who, coincidentally, is the coolest person I know. She can regularly be spotted ripping laps at her local mountain bike pump track and sporting a pink tutu and camouflage knee pads without any concept of that being unique.

For me, this past decade has been a process of unlearning the idea that interests need to be gendered, and especially mutu-

ally exclusive. Now, I want to be just like other girls. I want to be like my friend Katie, an inspired entrepreneur; Jamie, a compassionate leader; Gwen, a fierce mother; my sister, an impressive athlete; Lacy, an insatiably curious learner; and Sara, the physical embodiment of worklife balance.

And I especially want to be

like my niece Clover, on whose long list of incredible attributes is a shameless affinity for pink tutus.

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

Retroactive

Emily Erickson.

Science: Mad about

By Ellie Klippel Reader Columnist

Editor’s note: This week, the East Bonner County Library’s exploration assistant and SHS student Ellie Klippel is guest writing “Mad About Science.” Regular columnist Brenden Bobby said Klippel has been a great addition to the library team, and even though he loves his dear readers very much, he was happy to take the week off.

Why are spiders scary, and should we be scared?

I have been working in a coffee shop in downtown Sandpoint and, on a recent slow day — while working in the back, baking, stocking shelves and other things of the sort — my coworker rushed into the kitchen, their hands folded into their neck and chest. When I asked them what was wrong, they proceeded to tell me that there was a spider at the front of the store.

There, I saw a small spider sitting idle on the window. It was gray and yellow in color and had long thin, delicate legs. I grabbed a piece of paper and a cup, intending to set it free outside. However, once I set down the cup to catch the spider, one of its legs became caught and torn off. My heart couldn’t help but wilt a little for the spider, who was thrashing and squirming in what I can only imagine was excruciating agony. My coworker shared none of my sympathies.

Still, I find it hard to understand why people are so disgusted and afraid of spiders.

In an attempt to understand others, I have turned to psychology and science to try and under-

stand: Why are spiders scary?

Arachnophobia is one of the biggest phobias in the U.S., and in worldwide surveys it often comes in second to the fear of snakes. Similar to the fear of snakes, arachnophobia is generally considered to stem from an ancestral, evolutionary need. Some scientists believe those of our ancestors who responded quickest to dangerous animals had higher fitness and were less likely to die — and therefore more likely to reproduce and pass on that trait to the next generation.

This is likely an incorrect explanation. Unlike snakes, very few spiders are dangerous to humans.

Other researchers suggest that the attitude of disgust surrounding spiders could be linked to an outdated — and also incorrect — theory that spiders were disease carriers. During the Middle Ages, spiders were thought to carry the plague, being often seen in large, impoverished and dirty places — just like the dreaded disease.

This theory is also most likely wrong, considering that people of European descent do not show more fear of spiders than those from other places that were not affected by the plague.

The most likely answer is that spiders just look strange to the human brain, whose “fight or flight” response is wired to trigger every time we see something that looks foreign, in an attempt to keep us out of danger. Despite being common, spiders look strange with their extremely long legs, enlarged abdomens and proportionally large fangs. However, this doesn’t answer the question of why we have this immense reaction to spiders and

not toward other bugs like wasps or butterflies.

One thing separates spiders from other bugs: their cultural associations. Similar to the theory that spiders carried the plague, another reason for the fear of spiders is what people have associated with spiders. Throughout various media, spiders have been associated with death and all things mysterious and spooky. During the Victorian era, arachnophobia became linked with xenophobia through literature.

In books like The Sign of the Spider (1896), the insect is described as “a head, as large as that of a man, black, hairy, bearing a strange resemblance to the most awful and cruel human face ever stamped with the devil’s image — whose dull, goggle eyes, fixed on the appalled ones of its discoverer, seemed to glow and burn with a truly diabolical glare.”

Other works like this share similar depictions of non-European peoples.

According to Scottish scholar Claire Charlotte McKechnie, spiders came to express “fears of invasion, concerns about the morality of colonialism and suspicion about the alien other in the corners of empire.”

In that analysis, arachnophobia had become fused with xenophobia, and with anxiety about the repercussions of imperialism.

Even though there is no confirmed reason pointing to why people are scared of spiders, just like any behavior, it can be conditioned away. There are many successful therapies for those suffering with extreme arachnophobia.

Even though a large number

of people believe spiders are scary, they’re actually helpful to humans. Spiders are particularly apt at keeping down the population of insects that are actually harmful to humans, like mosquitoes. Many people don’t know this, but spiders also help pollinate flowers.

Spider venoms are used to help make medicinal drugs — including those used in the treatment of cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure — as well

as a non-addictive painkiller to replace opiates. Meanwhile, scientists in the U.K. are using silk spider webbings to make biodegradable bandages for their patients that also have an added antibiotic component.

I’m not saying that you have to love spiders, or really even like them. But maybe the next time you see a spider on your window sill, instead of crushing it with a broom, put it outside instead.

•Capybaras are strange animals. They look like a mad scientist took a guinea pig and enlarged it about 100 times and set it loose on the world. These are the world’s largest rodents, which roam the lush landscapes of South America. Greater capybaras — the larger of the two species — can be found living wild across Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia and Peru.

•Capybaras usually grow up to 4.4 feet long and typically weigh up to 146 pounds. The heaviest wild capybara ever recorded weighed 201 pounds.

•Capybaras are highly social creatures, living in groups of 10 or 20, but also as many as 100. They have also been kept as pets.

•Capybaras have been called the “hippos of South America” because they’re semiaquatic and love to play around in mud puddles. Like hippos, their eyes, nose and ears are all on top of their heads, so they can stay mostly submerged while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

•After requests from Venezuelan priests in 1784, the Vatican declared that due to their aquatic nature, capybaras could be classified as fish and could thus be eaten during Lent.

•Capybaras eat their fecal matter every morning because the grass they consume is hard to digest and many of the nutrients only become available a second time around. Mmmm.

•Capybaras once became revolutionaries when they invaded an ultra-rich gated community in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which was built on native wetlands.

Democrats fight for fairness in our housing market

Rep. Lauren Necochea, D-Boise Reader Contributor

All Idahoans need a roof over their heads, but today’s housing market challenges residents across the income spectrum. Rapid population growth has led to home costs outpacing wages, with monthly rents climbing an average of $475 in Idaho — a staggering 41% increase — over the past three years. And a worrisome trend in out-of-state investors scooping up large swaths of properties is only exacerbating the situation.

While many landlords operate in good faith, state laws allow bad actors to take advantage of having the upper hand in a tough market. Renters sometimes have no other options than to pay exorbitant application fees, exploitative charges and steep rent hikes. Idahoans are often surprised to learn how little recourse renters have against

these practices.

With so much at stake for families, Idaho Democrats have worked hard to enact basic consumer protections. While there is much more progress to make, we have scored critical wins toward leveling the playing field.

Until 2020, landlords could demand any level of rent increase once a lease expired with no advance notice, which often left renters scrambling.

House Democratic Leader Ilana Rubel led the passage of the Fair Warning Act, requiring a 30-day notice for rent increases or terminations of a residential lease. This gives families a fighting chance at landing on their feet.

This year, Sen. Ali Rabe, who leads an eviction prevention nonprofit, brought legislation to stop the surprise fees and wildly unreasonable charges she has seen unscrupulous landlords spring on renters. In one incident, a landlord billed a family $300, claiming that a praying mantis kept in a jar for a science fair was an unauthorized pet.

While 34 Republican legislators voted against this common-sense legislation — a compromise between lobbyists for landlords and renters’ advocates — enough Republicans sided with Democrats to ensure fees are reasonable and spelled out in the lease ahead of time in the future.

Idaho Democrats have also played defense against state legislation threatening city-level consumer protections. One city passed an ordinance to curb some landlords’ deceptive practice of charging exorbitant rental application fees and collecting fees from applicants even when no unit was available. Republican legislators attempted to restrict the power of local governments to tackle this issue through state law. Fortunately, we have been able to block this legislation.

We have a lot of unfinished business, such as Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow’s bill requiring landlords to justify

deductions from security deposits, which Republican legislators blocked. But all our wins have been hard-fought, multi-year efforts to get the Republican supermajority to come along. And Idaho Democrats will continue fighting for a housing market that works for all Idahoans.

Rep. Lauren Necochea is the House assistant Democratic leader, representing District 19 in Boise on the Commerce and Human Resources; Environment, Energy and Technology; Revenue and Taxation; and Ways and Means committees.

Rep. Lauren Necochea. File photo.

Dirt-y Secrets In the thick of it

By Ranel Hanson Reader Columnist

Hooray for August! Sun, a warm lake, berries and flowers everywhere — hooray!

Little brown frogs, grasshoppers that look like butterflies when they fly, butterflies, bees of all kinds, spiders — oh my! We are in the thick of it, and it is just glorious.

I have been a bit lax in applying my slug abatement program, which is epsom salt mixed with eggshells. Then, minding my own business, I stepped onto my deck one early morning and spotted a six-inch-long leopard slug (Limax maximus). I admit to being entirely grossed out by these creatures and am ashamed to say I turn into a murderer when I see one. So my eggshell/salt regimen is back in slug defense mode.

I adopted some little frogs from my neighbor who had them swimming — and

pooping — in her hot tub. They are so cute and tiny. They now live in my garden, mostly snuggled up to pots that get plenty of water. They are such good little insect eaters and the frog music they make at night is so beautiful. I hope they raise babies and are back next year.

Spiders. Wow. There are so many. Of course, I won’t spray them because the spray kills other bugs and doesn’t do the birds any good, either. And spiders are beneficial, too. But it seems that spider webs are threatening to take over the house. If you know of a benign spider deterrent, I would love to know about it. I have tried insecticidal soap to no avail.

There are also so many butterflies in so many varieties: swallowtail, painted lady, cabbage moths and many, many more. I would like to attract monarch butterflies; but, in order for that to happen, they need milkweed.

I urge everyone to order a few milkweed

seeds or buy a plant or two from a local nursery. They are beautiful, hardy and — here’s the best part — monarch butterflies must lay their eggs on the foliage so that their emerging caterpillars can feast on the leaves. Milkweed is their only food. The flowers attract many other butterflies and lots of bees, too. The pods are really interesting and filled not only seeds but fluffy material that Indigenous Americans used like down.

I know you’ll be pleased with a milkweed addition to the garden and the beautiful butterflies it attracts.

Every plant needs plenty of water, according to their individual needs. Hanging baskets need water every day and fertilizer once every week or two. Because we water them so frequently, the nutrients leach away. For maximum health and bloom, especially on these hot summer days, keep baskets moist and fed.

Of course, most other garden flowers can benefit from adequate water and good quality fertilizer. The exceptions are cacti and succulents, who both need a drier environment and little (if any) fertilizer. Also, peonies and hydrangeas do just fine with no fertilizer. For everybody else, fertilizer is particularly important in the month of August because you want your plants to go into winter in good health. Healthy plants can withstand more of what winter dishes out. And who knows

what kind of winter is coming?

There is no need to feed birds in the summer because there is plenty of natural food for them. But, by the end of August, I start putting out seeds for them to find. I use black oil sunflower seeds because those seem to be preferred. For migrating birds, the seed will give them energy for their trip. And, for those that stay, they need to fatten a bit so that they can remain healthy when the weather turns cold. If you do feed the birds, be sure to keep it up because they remember where the food is and depend on those tasty bites you provide.

On another note, I have noticed that some people walk their dogs in the heat of the day. The asphalt is too hot for dogs if the air temperature is 85 degrees or higher, and our air temperature has been way above that for most of the summer. So walks on streets should be undertaken early in the morning or late in the evening when the pavement has had a chance to cool.

Like us, pets always need adequate water and a cool place to rest, but that’s especially important on hot summer days. Your pet depends on you to keep their paws from burning.

Until September.

A flutter by of butterflies. Courtesy photo.

A recap of the 2023 Festival at Sandpoint The Reader talks with Festival Director Ali Baranski about the past season

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

For two weeks every summer, the Festival at Sandpoint builds a small village at War Memorial Field and hosts the biggest musical concerts in Sandpoint, only to break it all down and pack it away for the next year. The Reader reached out to Festival Director Ali Baranski for a post-game discussion of the music series, and what concertgoers can expect in the future.

“It was a really phenomenal season,” Baranski said, highlighting the addition of three new full time staff members who had not experienced a full season yet. “It was also the first time I’d experienced a full staff since I joined the Festival.”

Baranski said it was a banner year for sales, with Michael Franti, Train and REO Speedwagon all drawing capacity crowds. Despite last year’s Festival containing one additional show, the 2023 Festival still sold more overall tickets due to an increase in capacity of 500 tickets per night.

Another factor contributing to increased sales was the earlier announcements of concerts, which gave the Festival a competitive edge to market alongside shows in nearby cities like Spokane and Missoula. Baranski said the lineup announcements will continue to be rolled out as they come, instead of all at once, as the Festival did before the pandemic.

“Essentially, the biggest misconception is that we are the venue, but these are not our shows,” Baranski explained. “Doing a strategic rollout is not normal in the industry. If we can get on a tour announcement, we want that because it really just comes down to when the artist is ready to announce.”

The goal, according to Baranski, is to announce 2024 artists as soon as they are able; and, with the booking process already up and running, those announcements could come earlier than ever.

“Now that we’re getting bigger acts, we don’t have as much lever-

age in wanting something done a certain way, so we have to go with the industry standard,” she said.

One of the biggest changes this season involved the iconic white tent that has been the brand of the Festival for decades. Due to its age and the safety issues with tensile tents, the Festival was forced to change it out at the last minute, renting a new style of tent, which Baranski told the Reader allowed for higher levels of production.

“The new tent is more turnkey for tours,” she said. “There’s more production value and space for video walls, and we get to use the entire stage. In the past, it was 40 feet by 40 feet, but because of the back of the tent angling down, it wasn’t usable space.”

Due to a six-year waiting list to purchase the new tent design, Baranski said the Festival would likely continue to rent.

“We have a dream of getting our own venue at some point, so whether or not that happens, six years is a little unknown for us to make that big of an investment,” Baranski said, adding that a study measuring the feasibility of moving the series away from its location at War Memorial Field is currently underway.

She cited an increase of usage fees, as well as uncertainty each year renewing the lease with the city of Sandpoint, as factors contributing to a contemplated change of venue.

“It seems more difficult than it needs to be,” Baranski said, when asked about the process of working out logistics with the city of Sandpoint prior to each season.

“Post-COVID, our city park fees were raised 60% per ticket and we get a wad of complaints about fees on top of tickets ... fees are a nature of the business, but … what we pay to be there seems unnecessarily high for the usage compared with other entities that use it,” she said. “There are a lot of hoops and rules that get changed at the last minute that make our job a lot harder, so it would be great to invest in our own permanent stage so that we don’t have to pop up and tear

down every time.”

Baranski told the Reader the Festival was also investigating the idea of shifting from a concert series to a fuller season, with concerts spread out over time, rather than back-to-back over two long weekends.

“It’s really hard to book artists routed in such a small window of time in such a rural area,” she said. Having a more flexible concert season also might mean opening the venue to other community events, such as Montana Shakespeare in the Parks.

“We’re looking at our 100-year plan, if you will, trying to commit to something that will be salable and flexible for a very long time,” she said. “Right now, every year at Memorial Field the rules change and we’re not really in charge of our own fate.”

One change that ruffled a few feathers this season was the absence of the national anthem before each show — a tradition that started in 2002 after 9/11.

“Again, these shows are not ours, they are the artists’,” she said. “One thing we weren’t able to negotiate was more time before the shows for announcements and the national anthem.”

Baranski said the decision not to include the national anthem was made with “heavy hearts” due to logistics and artists’ contracts not allowing for that time.

“The national anthem before a show isn’t industry standard, so we had to go out of our way to

push for it each year,” she said. “We started losing that battle more and more ... because artists have contracts to control everything from house music to lights and ticket prices. …

“We’re committed to giving our community a world-class concert experience and the Festival has to evolve,” she added. “We understand that it wasn’t favorable for all, but it had nothing to do with politics or patriotism.”

Baranski said that despite record sales, the cost of operations continues to increase each year — especially with added costs

like spending $150,000 to protect the artificial turf at Memorial Field, renting the tent each year and dealing with stricter contracts from artists due to safety concerns. Season passes for the 2024 Festival at Sandpoint are expected to go on sale Oct. 1, and Baranski said not to delay as they often sell out fast.

For more information about the Festival at Sandpoint or to purchase season passes, visit festivalatsandpoint.com.

Photo by Racheal Baker.

Lake Pend Oreille, 1952: When trophy fish trumped national defense

By Nancy Foster Renk Reader Contributor

Dr. C.C. Wendle had uncovered a story that was explosive — literally. An unidentified civilian employee at the Navy’s research facility in Bayview told Wendle about plans to detonate a series of explosive charges deep in Lake Pend Oreille. Alarmed, Wendle immediately contacted Idaho Sen. Herman Welker, who talked with Navy officials in Washington, D.C. He also enlisted Jim Parsons, Sr., longtime publicist for the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, who began asking questions of his own.

By the time the story hit the newspapers in early February 1952, the rhetoric had become heated. The underwater explosions were described as “bombing,” a term that helped rally opposition to the Navy’s plans. Sen. Welker did nothing to calm the waters, claiming that the “bombing” would “completely eradicate all fish life from the lake.”

As the story emerged, it became apparent that state officials had known about the Navy’s plans since at least August 1951, when the Department of Fish and Game granted preliminary permission for the tests. Then-Idaho Gov. Len Jordan told Parsons that he did not believe any explosion would cause irreparable harm to the lake. The Fish and Game Commission, while concerned about the fish, was reluctant to interfere with the national defense program. The commission downplayed Welker’s hyperbole, saying that the explosions should not affect fish outside the immediate test area.

To minimize any damage, they were working with the Navy to set small preliminary charges to chase fish away from the

larger blast site.

Both sides of the issue had compelling arguments. The Navy claimed the tests were vitally important to the defense effort because the controlled explosions would provide information needed to keep sailors safe on their ships. In the midst of the Korean War — and World War II still fresh in memory — it was hard to dispute any national defense claim.

Those concerned about the fish also had a strong case. Photos of smiling fishermen holding world-record Kamloops had brought national attention to Lake Pend Oreille, attracting 60,000 people the previous summer and bringing much-needed revenue to the local economy.

Public opinion throughout the region turned quickly and decisively against the Navy. The Sandpoint News-Bulletin explained, “What has aroused the people of this region as much as anything else seems to be the misnomer ‘bombing.’ People have envisioned planes dropping loads of bombs indiscriminately in the lake to the danger of fish and fishermen.”

The paper suggested that the Navy would need to make “a mighty strong case to satisfy an aroused opinion.”

Less than a week later, the Navy launched its public relations campaign with a hearing at the Sandpoint Community Hall. Captain A.G. Mumma, commanding officer at the Navy’s Bayview research facility, described the tests and presented data to show that no harm would befall any fish. The explosions would take place in deep water near Cape Horn, he said. The first test would be in April and, assuming no evidence of damage to the fish population, the Navy planned several

more. Tim Vaughan, regional biologist for Fish and Game, supported these tests and hoped to get accurate data on the effects of the detonations. To mollify critics, Navy officials promised to restock the lake to make up for any fish killed.

While residents of North Idaho were concerned about fish, Spokane residents worried about their drinking water. The city and surrounding area, with a population of 200,000 people at the time, depended on the Spokane aquifer for their water supply. Deep, underground gravel channels at the south end of Lake Pend Oreille carried water to the aquifer, which accounted for a sizable percentage of Spokane’s water. City officials were concerned that the deep blasts might irreparably damage the gravel beds, adversely affecting the water supply.

Clarence Dill, former Democratic senator from Washington, met with Capt. Mumma in mid-February 1952. Mumma explained the reasons for the tests but admitted that the Navy would proceed with the “bombing” regardless of the results. Dill promptly wrote to Washington Sen. Warren G.Magnuson, urging him to join forces with the Idaho delegation to introduce a bill to prohibit funding for the tests.

While there is no evidence of such legislation, Magnuson did contact Navy Secretary Dan A. Kimball to say that he would hold the Navy responsible for any damage to the Spokane water supply. Kimball responded with additional assurances that the explosions would not damage the city’s water in any way.

The Bonner County Sportsmen’s Association voted to formally protest any explosive tests in Lake Pend Oreille. They wor-

ried that the first test would lead to many more in the future. A delegation, led by Dr. Wendle, met with a similar organization in Spokane to discuss how to proceed. Before the end of February, petitions circulated in Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene to “protest the use of the water in Lake Pend Oreille for explosive experiments.” Within a matter of days, 6,000 people had signed. The protests caught the attention of national media, and one Sunday, CBS featured Mumma, Jim Parsons, Sr., and Spokane City Councilor Willard Taft.

The Sportsmen’s Association continued its opposition, lobbying Gov. Jordan and questioning Fish and Game’s initial approval of tests. How was it, they wondered, that the department charged with protecting wildlife would grant the Navy permission to destroy wildlife? They worried that Lake Pend Oreille — one of the finest fishing lakes in the country — would become an explosives testing ground. Meanwhile, in Spokane, Taft threatened court action.

By early March, Sen. Magnuson told Dill that he had done all that he could to stop the tests, including taking the issue to top officials.

The secretary of the Navy had said that Lake Pend Oreille was the only location that met all of the requirements for the tests, and they were “a vital part of the defense program.” Reluctant to challenge further, Magnuson said he had to “rely on the good

Above left: A submarine model measuring 48 feet in length. The sub, with John Kindall standing above, is on Fred Kennedy’s barge at Bayview in the late 1960s.

Above right: A group of Lake Pend Oreille anglers, circa 1947. Photos courtesy Bonner County Historical Society.

Helping students soar

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

Regional pilots will fly into the Sandpoint Airport Saturday, Aug. 19 for an annual air show — and a hearty breakfast — with local aviation lovers. Seaplanes, experimental aircraft and classic cars will be on display for an $8 entrance fee ($4 for kids 12 and under), and all funds will support scholarships through the North Idaho High School Aviation Program.

“This year alone we’ve given out eight scholarships and there are nine kids in the queue already,” said Paula Lee, a pilot of more than 10 years and organizer of the breakfast. Her husband, Jan Lee, is the president and founder of Chapter 1441 of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is

Aviation enthusiasts celebrate the 17th annual Wings Over Sandpoint fly-in event

coordinating the fly-in.

Scholarships primarily fund flight training, and students can start flying solo as early as 16 years of age. Graduates have gone on to successful careers as commercial and Air Force pilots, mechanics and technicians.

“People may not realize this, but there is a significant pilot shortage in the U.S., and along with that a shortage of aircraft mechanics and air traffic controllers,” Jacob Klinginsmith, owner of Pilot Training Northwest and president of Tamarack Aerospace Group, told the Reader Funds raised from the event, and others throughout the year, go to help students overcome the financial hurdles of becoming

Bow-wow bona fides

Fundraiser contest invites participants to guess how many breeds are in dog’s DNA

By Reader Staff

There are a number of things to know about Brodie: he is 7 months old, weighs about 60 pounds, is tan and white, and a generally handsome and friendly dog. One thing that’s harder to know about Brodie is what kind of dog he is, considering his genetic makeup comes from a total of eight different breeds.

In honor of this epic mutt, the Dog Days Fundraiser benefiting the Better Together Animal Alliance invites the curious to

< LAKE, con’t from Page 14 >

faith of the secretary and his associates, when they assert their investigation shows that much of the fear on the part of the local residents is ill-founded.”

Unlike Magnuson, the people of North Idaho were not reassured, and their protest petitions — along with the lobbying and adverse publicity, soon achieved their desired outcome. On March 7, 1952, Navy Secretary Kimball wrote to Sen. Magnuson that the Navy had “indefinitely postponed the explosive tests,” citing both the protests as well as a request from Gov. Jordan.

The 1952 fishing season opened May 3 — the seventh annual observance of Kamloops and Kokanee Day. In anticipation of the popular occasion, the Sandpoint News-Bulletin wrote, “The lake the Navy tried unsuccessfully to ‘bomb’ is going to get ‘bombed’ anyway — with hundreds of flashing plugs and gaily painted lures.”

While the winning fish that day did not set any records, everyone celebrated the big win for the lake’s fish.

enter a contest in which the participants guess as many of the breeds in Brodie’s DNA as they can. Winners will be determined by those having the highest percentage of correct guesses, with prizes both for those who got it the most right, as well as those who got it the most wrong.

The big reveal is Thursday, Aug. 31. To enter the contest, go to surveymonkey. com/r/MS7LGJW. After guessing, participants will be provided with a link to donate to BTAA, from which Brodie was adopted. Get more info about BTAA at bettertogetheranimalalliance.org.

The furor over the proposed “bombing” of Lake Pend Oreille taught both the Navy and Idaho officials a valuable lesson about the need for transparency. In the spring of 1952, citing the protests over the explosive testing, the Idaho State Land Board decided to hold a public meeting over the Navy’s request to moor a barge permanently on the lake.

This electronics barge, with four civilian scientists and technical employees, would be anchored off Cape Horn and used in the measurement of underwater acoustics — with no explosives or poisonous materials involved.

This research continues today at the Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment at Bayview.

Nancy Foster Renk is a local historian and writer. This article first appeared in her blog northidahopastpresent.com.

Special thanks to the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum for the free usage of historic lake photos.

North Idaho High School Aerospace Program student Zionna Blackmore just after her first solo. Photo by Chad Frerichs. a pilot. Practical considerations aside, flying for them is more than a job — it’s a passion. “The first time you go up in a plane it’s an amazing thing,” Lee said. “There’s a real sense of freedom.”

Breakfast is served from 8-10 a.m. and the plane exhibition takes place from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for kids 12 and under. 1101 Airport Way, Sandpoint.

COMMUNITY

ID Dept. of Lands hiring seasonal workers to meet surging wildland

By Reader Staff

Amid a rapid increase in demand for wildfire equipment and supplies, the Idaho Department of Lands is seeking at least 10 seasonal team members to assist in wildland firefighting efforts.

“Lives, property and valuable timber resources depend on our ability to supply firefighting equipment when it is needed, where it is needed,” stated IDL Director Dustin Miller.

The agency’s Coeur d’Alene Interagency Fire Cache stocks and maintains wildland firefighting equipment and supplies, distributing the resources to crews battling wildfires across the West.

According to Miller, many items used on the fireline like fire hoses, chainsaws and water pumps come back to the fire cache and can be used on future fires after they are refurbished — reducing expenses and saving taxpayers money.

During the height of fire season, refurbish-

firefighting demands

ing equipment requires many helping hands, Miller stated: “With equipment returning from the field, and the likelihood of more wildfires on the horizon, each season we bring in help to maintain short turn-around times.”

IDL’s seasonal employees perform essential work, including washing fire hoses, boxing up supplies, loading and unloading trucks, pressure-testing water handling equipment, making deliveries to fires and much more.

Driving positions are also available for those with driver’s licenses and experience driving forklifts or box trucks. Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

The jobs pay $17.92 per hour and team members work from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., six days a week. The positions are eligible for overtime pay.

To apply, resumes should be emailed to careers@idl.idaho.gov, or by visiting idl. idaho.gov/jobs.

events

August 17-24, 2023

Bonner County Fair (through Aug. 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

Live Music w/ Bill Price

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Live Music w/ Joey Anderson

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Jeff Crosby Band

8pm @ The Hive

Born and raised in Idaho, Jeff Crosby has shared his unique perspective of Americana throughout the US and Europe. Free show!

THURSDAY, august 17

Free Family Show: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas Sandpointcinemas.com

Game Night

6:30pm @ Tervan Tavern

FriDAY, august 18

Rock Creek Alliance annual party

5-8:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Rock Creek Alliance update on the battle to protect Lake Pend Oreille from the proposed Rock Creek Mine. Live music by Headwaters, free muchies and a silent auction. Beer, wine and food available from Matchwood. Open to all!

Live Music w/ Doug Bond and Marty Perron

6-9pm @ BlueRoom

Mandolin and guitar duo from Sandpoint

Live Music w/ Kerry Leigh

6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Movies on the Mountain FREE

8pm @ Schweitzer

Earth’s mightiest heroes assemble to avenge a villain and his alien army Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

9am-1pm @ Farmin Park

Produce, crafts, food and more. Live music by Musha Marimba

Live Jazz w/ Bright Moments

5:30-8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

SATURDAY, august 19

Live Music w/ BTP

6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Classic rock done right

Live Music w/ Herky Cutler

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Live Music w/ Working Spliffs

9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge

Reggae, funk, rock and everything in between

Sandpoint Chess Club

9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee

Meets every Sunday at 9am

Magic with Star Alexander

5-8pm @ Jalepeño’s

Up close magic shows at the table

Live Jazz w/ Bright Moments

5:30-8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

Live Jazz w/ Heat Speak

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Led by Dario Re’, enjoy acoustic guitars, keys, bass, violin, mandolin, cello, congos and drums

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks: Measure by Measure

5-7pm @ Lakeview Park

A free annual event open to all, with MCS providing pre-show music starting at 4pm. See Page 19 for more information

SunDAY, august 20

Live Music w/ John Pitcher

7-9pm @ Connie’s Lounge

A veteran of the Nashville and Florida music scene, John Pitcher has toured with notable icons like Kid Rock. From Van Halen to Pink Floyd, this guy play it all

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Bizarre Bazaar sends supplies to Hawaii fire victims

Comedy Night w/ Dave Fulton

7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

International comedian Dave Fulton and guests! $22/ticket, available for purchase at IPA

Game Night w/ Lions Club

6-8pm @ Sandpoint Comm. Hall

Held 3rd Friday of the month

Live Music w/ Truck Mills

6-9pm @ BlueRoom

First rate blues guitarist

Earlybird tickets on sale for Black Holes (Spacepoint)

Event is Sept. 30, but get your tickets starting today at spacepoint.org

Live Music w/ Chris Paradis

6-9pm @ BlueRoom

Creations pancake fundraiser

10am-2pm @ Creations

$10 pancake fundraiser, with funds supporting Creations

Live Music w/ Steve Neff

6-9pm @ BlueRoom

monDAY, august 21

Outdoor Experience Group Run

6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome

tuesDAY, august 22

KRFY Little Live Radio Hour w/ Buster Brown • 8pm @ Panida Little Theater

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

Buster Brown won this year’s Sandpoint Songwriter Competition and will perform a special live show for the radio. Stream it at KRFY.org or listen live at 88.5FM

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park

Produce, crafts, food and more

Benny on the Deck music

6-9pm @ Connie’s Lounge

wednesDAY, august 23

Live Music w/ John Firshi

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Live Piano w/ Annie Welle

5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Free Family Show: Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas

Sandpointcinemas.com

Free Family Show: Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas Sandpointcinemas.com

Live Piano w/ Ken Mayginnes

5pm @ Hope Memorial Community Center

Old and new rock, folk and country music

ThursDAY, august 24

Game Night

6:30pm @ Tervan Tavern

Live Music w/ Steven Wayne

6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

By Reader Staff

The Community Assistance League has long been aware that its store, Bizarre Bazaar, is a destination for out-of-town guests. Among those are customers from Hawaii who buy things when they are visiting the area, thereby helping CAL in its mission to support nonprofits in Bonner County.

After the devastating fires in Maui, CAL looked for a way to return that support. After locating some Maui residents who were flying back to their island, CAL packed up a portion of its remaining summer inventory to send with them.

Meeting at the store on Aug. 13, volunteers selected some Hawaii-appropriate clothes and supplies to be flown out the following day.

“Thank you to everyone who donates to Bizarre Bazaar,” CAL wrote in a statement. “Ultimately it is you who sent help across the sea. Aloha to our friends in Maui. We are with you.”

Cindy Vogel and Sherry Fulton gather material at Bizarre Bazaar to send to Hawaii. Courtesy photo.

The immortal bard, al fresco

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks to perform ‘problem play’ Measure for Measure

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

The dog days of summer have arrived in Sandpoint, and with them comes the annual tradition of an outdoor performance from Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. This year, the troupe will perform William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 5 p.m. at Lakeview Park. Attendance is free, and the Sandpoint Middle School gymnasium will serve as a backup location in case of rain or inclement weather.

Neither a comedy nor a tragedy, Measure for Measure is one of Shakespeare’s so-called “problem plays,” which are characterized by complex and sometimes ambiguous tones, shifting between comic material and dark, psychological drama.

Set in Vienna, which is teeming with brothels and other forms of loose morality, Measure for Measure follows the story of Duke Vincentio, who refuses to use his authority to clean up the city and ultimately departs, leaving his deputy Angelo in charge. Angelo, a harsh administrator, uses his power to procure a sexual favor from the sister of a man sentenced to death due to an archaic law.

“Two major themes in this play would be the attempt to enforce public morality when the enforcers are themselves lacking in personal morality,” said Dan Meulenberg, the Sandpoint host for Montana Shakespeare in the Parks.

“The other big theme would be when men in positions of power are threatening or abusing women who are in a position of less or no power,” he added. “One need only take a look at current events both nationally and internationally to see how this plays out.”

Meulenberg told the Reader one of the most appealing parts of Shakespeare’s works are how they are often easily applied to current events, though written more than four centuries ago.

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks: Measure for Measure

Sat. Aug. 19; Pre-show youth concert, 4-4:30 p.m.; performance at 5 p.m; FREE. Lakeview Park, 901 Ontario St., Sandpoint. More info at: shakespeareintheparks.org.

“Shakespeare remains a master at exploration of human nature, including themes of romantic love, loyalty, greed, passion, violence and forgiveness,” Meulenberg said. “He looks at the framework of the law but also the deeper societal underpinnings and the motivations of those who could use or abuse the law to their own advantage.”

The annual performance returns to Lakeview Park where it relocated from the Bonner County Fairgrounds in 2021.

Meulenberg said it was “much

nicer to sit in the trees,” with more shade at the Lakeview Park location — especially during the hot August days.

The Montana Shakespeare in the Parks cast and crew have wowed audiences across the West since its inaugural year in 1973. Since then, the event has become a beloved summer tradition for more than 70 towns from eastern Washington to Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota.

“It is a very intense summer for all the actors,” Meulenberg said. “They put on … shows almost every day through the entire summer with occasional days off.”

Fueled by grassroots fundraising efforts, volunteer outreach and community engagement,

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks relies on the support of local patrons and organizations from each community. Meulenberg wanted to thank local sponsors Pend Oreille Arts Council, Dr. Jim and Geraldine Lewis, Eichardt’s Pub and Family Health Center for their support this year.

Young musicians from the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint will take the stage from 4-4:30 p.m. for a pre-show concert.

Asked why Shakespeare is still vital for audiences of all ages, Meulenberg said Shakespeare was a “master of the English language, and so many of his quotes are scattered throughout our common discourse. He addressed issues of human behavior both individually

and in society. He looked at politics, love, war, business, revenge, parental relationships, and the list goes on and on. He basically introduced and formulated the way we think about ourselves in the modern era. His characters seem as alive today as they were when he wrote them 400 years ago.”

Meulenberg said that “although I feel the play is very relevant for us in America today, I would caution parents that it is a bit different than some of his other plays — particularly the comedies — and they may want to do their own research before deciding whether to bring younger children.”

MSIP actors rehearse Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Photo by Shawn Raecke.

Candidate declaration period approaches for Sandpoint mayor, three council seats

By Reader Staff

While the next general election for Sandpoint city offices isn’t until Tuesday, Nov. 7, the candidate filing period is fast approaching, opening Monday, Aug. 28 with a declaration deadline of Friday, Sept. 8 at 5 p.m.

The declaration period is both for candidates wishing to be on the ballot, as well as write-ins.

Voters will be asked to cast ballots for the office of mayor (currently held by Shelby Rognstad) and the three City Council seats currently held by Andy Groat, Kate McAlister and Deb Ruehle.

The mayor and council seats are all four-year terms.

Forms required to run for office — including the filing packet, write-in declaration of intent and others — are available at voteidaho.gov/city-resources.

Upon completion of their petition, candidates are required to

visit the Bonner County Elections Office to be certified prior to filing with the Sandpoint city clerk. Likewise, those intending to run for office must visit Bonner County Elections to establish that they have taken the proper steps to appoint a campaign treasurer, which must be done before a candidate is allowed to accept or spend any campaign funds.

Meanwhile, those interested in running for office are invited — and encouraged — to attend a candidates’ workshop Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Sandpoint City Hall (1123 W. Lake St.). No registration is required. Visit the city’s elections page at bit.ly/47sg5p4. For all other election information, go to voteidaho.gov.

Creations hosts pancake fundraiser to meet rising costs

By Reader Staff

Creations will host a fundraiser on Sunday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at their location on the Cedar Street Bridge to help raise money to meet rising costs. Head to the back of the bridge to find pancakes, a variety of toppings, eggs, toast and more. Gluten-free options will be available. Participation costs $10 per person, with all donations supporting art and discovery play for local kids at Creations, whose mission is to promote arts, creativity, discovery and STEAM learning.

Arts Alliance Inc., doing business as Creations, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs on donations, grants and volunteers. Donations will directly support the com-

munity art studio and discovery play area, which serves more than 40,000 visits per year. Attend the pancake fundraiser or visit creationsforsandoint.org to donate. Checks can also be mailed to: Arts Alliance Inc.; 334 N.First Ave., Suite 213; Sandpoint, ID 83864.

Courtesy photo.

Courtesy photo.

MUSIC

Jeff Crosby Band to play The Hive

Idaho-born artist returns to Sandpoint for the first time in a decade

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Hailing from a small mountain town outside of McCall, Jeff Crosby is no stranger to Idaho living. For the first time in almost a decade, The Jeff Crosby Band will return to Sandpoint to play a free show Friday, Aug. 18 at The Hive, starting at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m.

Crosby has played shows in North Idaho throughout his career, with either solo projects or various band arrangements bringing him to the panhandle many times over the years.

“I love Sandpoint,” Crosby told the Reader. “We used to play there so much with Shook Twins and so many others. We have a lot of history there and I’m really looking forward to getting back to town.”

Crosby’s current band features a few new faces and some old, with Matt Fabbi playing bass for the past six years and the addition of Jack Dejongh on guitar and lap steel as well as Wade Ronsii on drums.

cool to have an all-Idaho lineup right now. It just makes sense.”

Crosby’s sound can best be described as a hybrid that lives somewhere between alt-country, singer-songwriter and rock, with elements of each thrown into a comforting, pleasant arrangement of songs based on solid rhythms and lyrical explorations that live beneath the surface.

The genre “Americana” often gets bandied about; but, in Crosby’s case, the term describes his thoughtful output to a T. His songs are simultaneously intimate and universal, as if their verses had been ripped from the pages of a journal that everyone has read. His expansive themes explore love, loss and keeping on the move.

“We’ve always explored that line between genres, and we do a lot of country festivals, but we’re more rock ‘n’ roll leaning,” Crosby said. “We lean into more Rolling Stones than Graham Parsons, I’d say.”

Jeff Crosby Band at The Hive

Fri., Aug. 18; Doors at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.; FREE. The Hive, 207 N. First Ave., 208-9209039, livefromthehive.com. Listen at jeffcrosbymusic.com.

Crosby spent time living and working in Nashville before moving back to the West and subsequently landing in Austin, Texas, where he currently resides.

Embodying the troubadour lifestyle, Crosby’s music is a refreshing, honest portrayal of his life in motion all these years, chasing after the next good show and album.

Speaking of the next album, Crosby said he’s excited about his forthcoming studio release, scheduled to drop in October.

“We just recorded a record with Dave Schools, the Widespread Panic bass player,” Crosby said. “Schools produced it and recorded it at his studio down in Sonoma County on this old apple orchard.”

he is excited to share the finished product with fans.

“Our last album Waitin’ on a Miracle was a little more country leaning,” he said. “This new one with Dave is going to be a pretty unique record. We’re already playing three or four songs from it on tour now.”

Crosby said working with the renowned producer was a unique, humbling experience.

“They’re all Idaho boys, too,” he said. “I’ve played with a lot of guys from other places, but it’s

“That’s where all my shit is, at least,” he said. “I haven’t been there in a couple months.”

Crosby’s seventh full-length album will be titled Another Petal Falls off the Rose. With talent like Schools as producer, Crosby said

“I’ve never had someone quite that hands on,” he said. “Literally every idea I had, he just ripped my songs apart and said, ‘No.’ It was super frustrating, but damn, the end product came out really cool.”

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

The Working Spliffs, 219 Lounge, Aug. 19 Dario Ré, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Aug. 19

The “working” part of the Working Spliffs’ name is no joke — the Spokane-based outfit formed in 1999 as a four-piece reggae band made up of past members of the Dead Flowers, The Splifftones and Fear Politik. Over those 24 years in business, the Working Spliffs have evolved into a five-piece and expanded their sound to include reggae, ska, R&B, punk, psychedelic rock and jazz, mixed into an irresistible

dance party that’s been enjoyed all over the Inland Northwest.

It’s been almost exactly a year since the Working Spliffs played at the 219 Lounge, and here’s hoping it becomes a mid-August tradition.

— Zach Hagadone

9 p.m.-midnight, FREE, 21+. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208-263-5673, 219.bar. Listen at reverbnation.com/workingspliffs.

Dario Ré’s music can only be categorized as “ethereal.”

“I don’t believe in genres, personally, because music is like a language,” said Ré, singer-songwriter of the band Heat Speak. “It’s kind of like asking someone how they speak.”

Ré is often joined by a rotating cast of musicians who play everything from violins to djembe. Before he and Heat Speak release their newest album on Jan. 12, Ré will be performing his poetic

lyrics at the Pend d’Oreille Winery alongside Terri Parrish and Zack Zuniga on Saturday, Aug. 19 — bringing a new and unique sound to his familiar songs.

“Songwriting to me is very much a sacred practice. I’m kind of letting things come to life as they want to,” he said.

— Soncirey Mitchell

5-8 p.m., FREE. Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St, 208-265-8545, powine.com. Listen at dariore.com.

Ed Ohlweiler

This week’s RLW by

READ

Some humorists just make you laugh out loud. Even when you know something funny is approaching, they arrive from a different direction, so freshly original and bizarre that it still elicits the involuntary guffaw. Dave Barry and Gary Larson come to mind. Add to that New Yorker cartoonist Matthew Diffee with his collection Hand Drawn Jokes for Smart Attractive People. The book contains some of his hilarious musings between chapters, and some of the jokes are so well written they don’t even require drawings. You’ll probably find yourself sharing pages with your spouse or partner, who is smart and attractive — just like you!

LISTEN

I’m constantly impressed with the production quality of Afropop Worldwide, a radio show that has been around for 35 years and boasts one of the most beloved African radio personalities in Georges Collinet. It showcases the vast array of African music all over the globe (including the U.S.), from hip-hop to Fela Kuti to Zamrock. With online access to all of the shows in the archive and new ones still being produced, the selection could seem overwhelming, but you could start with this year’s tribute to the legendary music and life of Johnny Clegg, who played the Festival at Sandpoint in 2012 and passed away in 2019.

WATCH

If you enjoy foreign cinema and armchair traveling, The Great Match may be the perfect screwdriver for your needs. It contains three parallel and independent narratives featuring Mongolian nomads, Brazilian Indios and an African Touareg caravan, all trying to watch the World Cup soccer finals in remote areas without electricity. It’s humorous and slightly campy in the vein of The Gods Must Be Crazy (another classic, in my humble opinion). Plus, it offers great visuals like the local landscapes, the always entertaining facial expressions of camels, the sport of hunting with eagles and the characters themselves. There is Indigenous music from each region and the film is suitable for the whole family.

The Jeff Crosby Band will play The Hive Friday, Aug. 18. Photo by Bobby Dodd Photography.

From Northern Idaho News, August 17, 1926

MANY PICNIC AT INDIAN MEADOWS

The annual picnic at the Indian Meadows Thursday last by the Pend d’Oreille Pioneers’ association was fully up to the standard of those that have gone before, which is enough tastimony as to its success. The weather was ideal, and while as much cannot be said of the short but strenuous detour beyond Hope, for those coming from the west, the cars did not seem to mind it - not even the 25 cents at the “toll gate.”

Duncan McDonald, the son of Angus McDonald, the nephew of Finan McDonald, who was one of David Thompson’s companions at the time Thompson reached the lake in 1809 and built Kullyspell House, was there. Mr. McDonald, who is part Indian and a very interesting character, lives at Dixon, Mont. “Old Alec,” who like McDonald has attended other gatherings of the pioneers, was also there, but he is so feeble that he is unable to get around much.

Ed Elliott’s big barge had been towed over to the picnic grounds and tied up at the bank and was floored for dancing. After the picnic dinners, wherein lavish hospitality was manifest, almost all of them providing for the entertainment of friends as well as themselves, was disposed of and seats arranged on the river bank. Compton White, president of the association and master of ceremonies, started the program with a prayer by Rev. Moter, at the conclusion of which Mr. White explained that there were a few necessary expenses that had been incurred and that a collection would be made to cover. The hat was passed around and it was found that the sum of $37.31 was realized, or enough to meet what had not otherwise been donated.

BACK OF THE BOOK

The divine mother and the anxious daughter

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

My first official religious service, outside of weddings and funerals, was my high school baccalaureate. Dressed in my devil-red graduation robe, I sat in the dark theater, waiting for the pastor to tell me the difference between a man and a woman. At those kinds of events, it doesn’t matter what the speech is meant to be about; it all goes back to Eve.

For the purpose of this story, I’ll call the pastor, Adam. That wasn’t his name.

Adam ascended the stage wearing a sweat-soaked button-up shirt and a look of absolute control. The story he told is, roughly, as follows. Years ago, Adam had found himself in a foreign country in a psychiatric hospital for women. Unable to read the signs, he’d gotten lost in a crumbling maze of hallways until, finally, he opened a door into an airy room with enormous windows. Inside was a gorgeous woman. I will call her Eve.

The two couldn’t speak the same language; but, even so, Adam asked Eve how to return to the lobby. In response, she stripped out of her clothes, revealing a matching set of lingerie the color of that original, forbidden, apple. Then, Adam and Eve waltzed around the room to music only she could hear.

My question is: Who dressed her in that lingerie?

The moral of that story was, “You never know what might happen when you step through a door.” For Adam, it was sexual gratification masked by religious righteousness. For Eve, when she first crossed the threshold into that hospital, she was probably promised safety. Instead, she became a fantasy, paraded

through the minds of high-schoolers in lingerie that she couldn’t have bought for herself.

When a woman walks through a door, she may not know exactly what’s beyond, but she can usually guess. That’s why we hold our keys between our knuckles and check the backseat before getting into a car. That’s how I knew what Adam’s speech was about before he did.

It might have been more accurate to call Eve “Mary,” but frankly that pastor couldn’t tell the difference between the two if he preached to them at church.

I’ve never considered myself religious, but I can recognize the Virgin when I see her.

If I found Mother Mary at the bus stop, she’d have the wrinkles of the woman I clung to when I missed my flight. I was stranded in a foreign city at night, the streets were empty and I sobbed because I was sure they’d find my body in the park the next morning. She barely spoke English but got me home safely.

If I sat by the Virgin Mary in a cafe, she’d have the smile of my friend from kindergarten. We hadn’t spoken but for a few words in more than 10 years, but she saw I was having a panic attack and hugged me in the bathroom until I stopped crying. I didn’t have to tell her about the screaming man or the names he’d called me.

If I met Mother Mary on the street, she’d have the eyes of the girl at my high school who hid me from my stalker in an empty classroom. I didn’t know her very well, but all it took was the word “help” to send us running behind the nearest door.

If I found Mother Mary behind the bars of a psychiatric ward, she’d wear the costume the world clothed her in —

Sudoku Solution STR8TS Solution

lingerie or veil. She’d do her best to love her body, though it’s been commodified, abused, and dressed and undressed for the pleasure of others.

I’m an anxious daughter in a state that only values divine motherhood, and even that is tenuous. Next month, my friend will give birth to her son. She could bleed out in a helicopter bound for Spokane because Sandpoint no longer has a maternity ward.

Last month, I deleted my period-tracking app. I often forgot to input data, and I was worried that somehow a court would see those unlogged months and wrongly assume that I’d been pregnant and then had an abortion. In my nightmares, my life ends for one that never existed. Our bodies are at the mercy of governments that promise us safety and barely deliver the illusion of it.

Sometimes the world feels like a crumbling psychiatric ward: no music, only the chafe from cheap lace. And yet, we survive for ourselves, for each other and for the possibility of a better future.

I’ll see Mary again at a coffee shop, paying for the woman behind her. It will be OK.

Crossword Solution

When Gary told me he had found Jesus, I thought, Yahoo! We’re rich! But it turned out to be something different.

Solution on page 22

Laughing Matter

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

Solution on page 22

cupidity /kyoo-PID-i-tee/

Word Week of the

[noun]

1. eager or excessive desire, especially to possess something; greed.

“The Republican party’s outright cupidity has become a game-changer in upcoming elections.”

Corrections: Yes, before you write your emails, we are aware the Festival at Sandpoint stage is no longer in the common parlance “a tent.” While there can and should be earnest discussions about the difference between a tent and a stage, old habits die hard. We may refer to the stage as a “tent” in the near future. If you have a problem with this, meet us at the 219 Lounge to discuss. You buy the beer. —BO