Reader_August1_2019

--

',. •

37 YEARS OF THE FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT

CONCERT INFO, A NEWCOMER'S GUIDE TO SANDPOIN T, SAGLE HOMEOWNERS AD DRESS RI SE IN B URGLARIES, TH-E AFTIVAL AT THE HIVE , PINE ST. WOODS GETS A GRANT, l(AUSPiL TRIBE W fNS AIR QUALITY OESIGNATtoN, HECLA MINING PERM IT TOSSED OU T AND MORE!

2 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

(wo)MAN compiled by

Susan Drinkard

on the street

Are you attending the Festival at Sandpoint? Which performances?

“My wife and my sister and I are going to Walk Off the Earth. My sister got tickets for her birthday and chose to take us—bless her heart.”

Sam Stotts Cashier Sandpoint

DEAR READERS, Welcome to another Festival at Sandpoint! For 37 years, we’ve seen some of the best performers grace the stage under the iconic white tent at War Memorial Field.

This year’s lineup is one for the books. Kudos to Dyno Wahl and the rest of the Festival staff and volunteers for transforming our community each and every year.

For those of you who are new to town, check out the newcomer’s guide to Sandpoint on Page 12. For those looking for all the information they need about the Festival, check out Page 24. For those about to rock, we salute you.

Remember, this is going to be a busy few weeks in Sandpoint, so let’s all be kind to one another. Leave your car at home and ride your bike or walk to town, if possible. Tip your servers a few extra bucks – they’re working their butts off during these busy summer days. Practice patience and don’t be “that guy.” And please, if you value the Sandpoint Reader, visit our advertisers and show them some love. This newspaper wouldn’t exist without them – and you, dear readers. Have fun!

-Ben Olson, Publisher

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (editor-at-large) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Cameron Barnes (cover), Lyndsie Kiebert, Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson

“No, none of the bands interested me this year.”

Jen Needham Stylist Sagle

Contributing Writers: Brenden Bobby, Drake the Dog, Zach Hagadone, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Luke Mayville, Ben Olson, Marcia Pilgeram, Cameron Rasmusson Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

Subscription Price: $115 per year

“Depends on whether or not I’m fishing.”

Rickey Eells Sorter at Panhandle Animal Shelter Lives in the mountains between Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint

“No, I am a local and I can’t afford the prices anymore.”

Kim Kernodle Post office clerk Sandpoint

Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.

The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.

Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics.

Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com

“If I lived here I would like to see Kool and the Gang.”

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

Jason Hester Lab tech for veterinarians Kootenai County

About the Cover

This week’s cover photo was taken by Cameron Barnes and captures that moment when the blankets fly and cover the grounds at the Festival at Sandpoint.

August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 3

NEWS

Newport smelter opponents appeal land sale decision Lawyer: ‘A win here will invalidate the sale of the property to PacWest’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Legal wrangling over the controversial silicon smelter plant proposed in Newport, Wash. is entering another phase, as opponents filed an appeal July 24 with the Division III Court of Appeals in Washington state.

Filed on behalf of eight Newport residents and the organizations Responsible Growth*NE Washington and Citizens Against the Newport Silicon Smelter, the brief contends that the local Public Utility District reached beyond its legal authority when it sold four parcels of public land to Canada-based smelter developer PacWest in the fall of 2017.

The appeal asks that a prior Spokane Superior Court ruling upholding the transaction — though it was “unusual or irregular” — be overturned and the sale voided.

Appellants argue that Washington public utility districts are prohibited by law from selling land unless it is first declared surplus

and cannot acquire land unless it is used “strictly for the PUD purposes” of improving the delivery of public utility services.

According to the brief, the PUD purchased one parcel from Pend Oreille County and offered it for sale to PacWest before designating it as surplus.

When confronted in April 2018 by the appellants with allegations that the property transfer had been performed in violation of Washington law, the brief alleges that the PUD retroactively declared the contentious parcel surplus — “nearly eight months after the sale was already completed and the deed recorded in PacWest’s name.”

The appeal argues the PUD violated the spirit, if not the letter, of the law by working to push through the land sale to PacWest without following the statutory steps to ensure that it went before the public and served the purposes of the utility district and its stakeholders.

“Public utility districts were

created to serve the people and the public interest, not private companies,” according to the appeal.

PUD spokesperson Kenna Tornow wrote in an email to the Sandpoint Reader, that, “The PUD’s authority to buy and sell property was affirmed by the Superior Court. The PUD will respond to the plaintiff’s appeal in due course, but we feel confident that the Superior Court’s reasoning was sound and will be upheld.”

Rick K. Eichstaedt, the Spokane-based lawyer representing the appellants, wrote to the Reader that, “we are confident in this appeal.”

The PUD, Pend Oreille County and PacWest have a month to file a response, after which appellants have another month to reply.

Eichstaedt expects oral argument to happen about 90 days after that with a decision coming three to six months later.

“We are still a long way off from a decision,” he wrote, adding that a successful appeal would alter PacWest’s plans in Pend

Montana judge nixes Hecla permit for proposed mine near Noxon

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Conservation groups embroiled in a longtime struggle to block Coeur d’Alene-based Hecla Mining from developing copper and silver extraction projects in the Cabinet Mountains cheered the decision from a Montana judge July 26 to invalidate a water-discharge permit previously granted to the company by the Department of Environmental Quality.

The ruling specifically targeted the proposed Montanore mine site near Noxon, Mont., which Hecla is currently seeking permission from federal officials to explore.

Opponents like San Francisco-based nonprofit environmental law organization Earthjustice, which represented conservation groups in the case challenging the discharge permit for Montanore, contend Hec4 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

la’s proposed Cabinet Mountains projects threaten regional water quality and wildlife habitat.

The judge in the case, Kathy Seeley, ruled that DEQ renewed a 2014 permit for Montanore without establishing appropriate limits for pollution, in the process violating both the federal Clean Water and Montana Water Quality acts.

“This is a big win for clean water,” Earthworks Northwest Program Director Bonnie Gestring stated in a July 30 news release from Earthjustice announcing the decision. “The court affirmed that Montanore cannot make use of

Libby Creek in Montana. Photo courtesy Earthjustice a 27-year-old permit that would allow unnecessary pollution of Libby Creek, rather than complying with today’s laws to better protect Montana’s trout streams.”

Montana Public Radio reports that the company and DEQ are considering the ruling and it is uncertain if they will appeal, though Hecla spokesperson Luke Russell said the agency more than fulfilled its obligations to state and federal environmental laws when it granted the permit.

Oreille County: “A win here will invalidate the sale of the property to PacWest.

This might create an opportunity to finally end its effort in Newport. If not, if we win, the other side could appeal to the State Supreme Court or try to correct the errors in the sale and try again.”

PacWest CEO Jayson Tymko couldn’t comment on specifics but said the legal back and forth

has resulted in alterations to the company’s timelines.

“Right now, we’re just in a holding pattern,” he said. “But we need to have our zoning complete.”

That part is two years behind, he added.

“It’s yet another delay tactic,” Tymko said of the recent appeal.

“And we’re not concerned about appeals. … We expected it.”

Battle over Sagle asphalt plant continues Judge denies Bonner County motion to dismiss petition

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The saga of the proposed asphalt batch plant in Sagle continues after a District Court judge in Nez Perce County ruled July 26 to deny a request by Bonner County legal counsel to dismiss a petition for judicial review. That petition, submitted by the nonprofit group Citizens Against Linscott/Interstate Asphalt Plant, challenged the county commissioners’ decision to grant a conditional use permit for a batch plant.

Controversy surrounding the proposed facility began in November 2018, when the Bonner County Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit for Interstate Concrete & Asphalt to operate an asphalt plant in Linscott gravel pit in Sagle.

Opponents of the project — concerned about potential negative effects on health and property values — filed an appeal following that approval. Appellants alleged that the P&Z board had not based its decision on facts and it granting of the permit ran contrary to local, state and federal law.

Bonner County commissioners convened a hearing to consider the appeal in early January, ultimately upholding the P&Z board’s decision.

Concerned Sagle residents then submitted a request for consideration later that month, outlining 11 “alleged deficiencies” with commissioners’ decision. One of those deficiencies — failure to follow non-conforming use code — led to

a hearing in late March.

Citizens Against Linscott/ Interstate Asphalt Plant claimed that placing a batch plant within the gravel pit would expand a non-conforming use, which is against county revised code.

Planner Sam Ross said the batch plant and gravel pit are considered separate uses, so non-conforming use code does not apply. County commissioners went on to uphold their earlier decision, granting the permit to Interstate.

The anti-plant group then filed a petition for judicial review on April 19, but due to a filing error, they had to resubmit. The date of resubmittal is unclear, as the petition failed to be filed by court officials for an unknown reason.

News of the failure to file didn’t reach the citizens group until May 1, making it the official petition submittal date.

Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor William Wilson, representing the county commission, filed a motion to dismiss the petition May 16. Wilson claimed the petition had been submitted late. County code dictates “petitions seeking judicial review of an approval of a special use permit must be filed no later than 28 days after all remedies have been exhausted under local ordinances.”

Second Judicial District Judge Jeff M. Brudie denied the county’s request for dismissal on the grounds that “these defects are easily curable and Bonner County has not demonstrated any prejudice due to the deficiencies they have alleged.”

NEWS

Kalispel Tribe wins Class I air designation

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the airshed redesignation of the Kalispel Indian Reservation from Class II to Class I under the Clean Air Act. The reservation, located on 4,557 acres near Usk, Wash., will now be protected under the strictest-possible federal air quality designation. The Kalispel Tribe requested the redesignation in 2017 and the EPA approved that request July 19. The new air classification will officially come into effect Monday, Aug. 19.

This comes after Bonner County commissioners sent a letter to the EPA in December 2018 voicing opposition to the proposed redes-

ignation. While their aversion lay partially with the potential limiting of future industrial development, commissioners also argued that the tribe should have consulted with nearby Idaho counties before filing the Class I request.

The meeting in December drew several area residents whose opposition to the proposed PacWest smelter in Newport fueled their support for the airshed redesignation. Commissioner Jeff Connolly urged attendees to stay focused on the task at hand — drafting a letter to the EPA — and alleged it had “absolutely nothing to do with the smelter.”

“The two are very integrated and combined — you can’t really have one without the other,” Bonner County resident and vocal

anti-smelter activist Elizabeth Iha said at the time. “If there was no proposed smelter or purchase of land by a Canadian corporation, [the tribe] wouldn’t be asking for [a Class I Airshed designation].”

The Kalispel Tribe has since confirmed Iha’s comment.

“It wasn’t until the PacWest facility was sprung on us in August of 2016 that we had ever once worried about our air quality from a pollution perspective,” Deane Osterman, executive director of the Kalispel Natural Resources Department, told the Inlander earlier in July. “We want reasonable assurances that protection of our fundamental ‘qualities’ — air quality, water quality and environmental quality — is sufficient enough to not be threatening to our

community’s health. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

The Class I designation does not prevent future or affect current industry, but it does limit the amount of pollutants allowed in the airshed. According to the EPA, the difference between Class I and Class II varies by pollutant. For instance, the allowable levels for some pollutants decrease by a quarter when the airshed is made Class I. For other pollutants, like sulfer dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, Class I regulations reduce acceptable levels to between 1/10th and 1/20th of the limits allowed under Class II designation.

If air deterioration reaches an unacceptable level, larger polluters in the region will be expected to make changes.

City responds to trash talk over new garbage bins

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The new high-tech, solar-powered trash cans that started popping up on Sandpoint city streets in mid-July have proved to be a treasure trove of public debate. A post on the Sandpoint Local Forum Facebook group featuring a photo of one of the trash cans at City Beach overflowing and surrounded with garbage netted more than 220 responses from July 30-31 alone.

“Always nice to see a good plan implemented,” the post author wrote sarcastically. “Kudos mayor, love the new solar smart cans.”

Other critics take aim at the price tag of $4,000 for each of the “smart” bins from Massachusetts-based company Bigbelly, which come equipped with Wi-Fi and transmitters to alert city officials and Sandpoint trash disposal contractor Waste Management when the receptacles need emptying.

Many of the 56 units, specifically those installed around downtown and in city parks, feature solar-powered internal compaction systems that enable them to hold 150 gallons of refuse — five times more than the old trash cans, according to the city. Some sport a purpose-built disposal area for

cigarette butts and all operate via front-loading handle- or pedal-operated hatches called hoppers.

For Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton, the cost-benefit analysis is clear: the Bigbelly bins outperform the old open-topped metal receptacles they replaced.

“We had been on this trend as a city when we’ve been consistently adding more and more garbage cans,” she said. “We had exceeded the number of cans that [Waste Management] will pick up under the terms of the contract.”

All those extra cans added up to mounting expenses. With 155 of the old cans and counting — each of which cost $1,200 — Waste Management was billing the city $20,000 per year above the contracted amount to perform collections. On top of that, city staff had to take on the task of trash disposal in the parks. According to Stapleton, if the city had continued

One of the new trash bins located around Sandpoint. Photo by Ben Olson. on that path, excess disposal costs would likely have risen to $30,000plus per year.

Because the new bins can handle more trash and ping managers when they reach 80% capacity, Stapleton said the number of trips Waste Management has to make will be immediately reduced — eliminating that $20,000 per year

overage from the start. Furthermore, Waste Management will now collect from the parks, thus freeing city staff from trash duty.

“A lot of it is in avoided cost,” Stapleton added. “Really when we look at it we believe we have cost savings as a result of going with this. … This allows us to modify the service based on what the current demand is.”

As for the pictures of overloaded Bigbelly bins making the rounds on social media, Stapleton said that has everything to do with people trying to cram in things that aren’t meant to go into a municipal garbage can, thus jamming the hoppers. During the weekend of July 26-27, she said only one can reached 80% capacity while city staff had to respond to five jammed hoppers. As for the City Beach bins, during a conversation on July 31, she said that none of the units at the park were reported full. They had simply been jammed with inappropriately large items.

“There’s an appearance that the garbage can is full, but people are shoving things in there that are not meant to be put in municipal bins,” she said. “It’s not a problem with the bins, it’s a problem with what we think we should be able to shove into the bins.”

Wrenco dump remains open Bonner County takes back decision to close site while scouting a new location

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

The Wrenco waste refusal site will remain open for the foreseeable future, after a unanimous vote July 30 by Bonner County commissioners.

Commissioners originally voted June 11 to close the site by July 31, based on recommendations from the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and Great West, a company the county hired earlier this year to craft a 10-year improvement plan for Solid Waste.

Solid Waste Director Bob Howard said that without considering the cost of having Waste Management haul the site’s garbage, the unattended dump costs the county $12,000 annually in extra maintenance. A May 2017 letter to Howard from the Selkirk Fire Department, which owns the property where the Wrenco dump is located, described the kitchen-only site as “abused.” The letter listed Dumpster looting, appliance disposal and illegal discarding of hazardous waste as some of the fire department’s concerns.

When the Wrenco neighborhood got word of the June 11 closure decision, some residents felt left out of the conversation and stuck without an alternative. County residents packed a conference room June 17 to voice their concerns to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee.

Commissioner Jeff Connolly, who voted against the previous resolution to close the Wrenco dump, cited lack of public involvement when casting his opposing vote.

In an about-face July 30 — just a day before the Wrenco site was set to close — Howard asked commissioners to keep the Wrenco dump open until an alternative location could be found to accommodate surrounding residents. Commissioners voted unanimously in favor with minimal discussion.

Howard said he is currently exploring several prospects for a new location, and the county will host a public hearing once an alternative waste refusal site to serve residents between Sandpoint and Laclede is secured.

Those with questions should contact the Solid Waste Department at 208-255-5681, extension 2.

August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 5

COMMUNITY

KLT receives grant from AARP to pave walking trail The project is one of many improvements coming for the Pine Street Woods

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Driving up to the newly purchased property known as the Pine Street Woods, it’s obvious that Kaniksu Land Trust has been busy. A new, wide gravel road winds gently to the top of the shelf where PSW sits and terminates into a large parking lot where trailheads and a recreation center will soon rise from the forest floor.

The nonprofit land conservation organization will be even busier this

6 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

fall, thanks to a $5,000 grant it received from the American Association of Retired People Idaho. The grant, presented Monday in the meadow atop PSW by AARP Idaho State Director Lupe Wissel, will fund a half-mile paved path providing access from the trailhead to the meadow.

Wissel said it was “innovation” that led AARP Idaho to select PSW for the grant out of only four projects in the state.

“We were looking at projects that were innovative,” she said. “This project gives an opportunity for the young and old to access open spaces. This can benefit an 8- or an 80-year-old.”

Regan Plumb, conservation director for KLT, said the new paved trail will skirt the edge of the meadow, with the dream to make it a loop trail someday.

It’s not just the paved trail that is keeping KLT busy. In the coming months, the organization will break ground on trailhead shelters, signage and a 1,900-square-foot recreation center that will serve as PSW’s hub.

The rec center will also house a Nordic groomer and include ample storage space. The plan — thanks to the wide entry road — is to accept busloads of local schoolchildren for a new student learning center that focuses on outdoor stewardship and education.

The plan is to break ground in mid-August and finish the major con-

AARP Idaho presented Kaniksu Land Trust with a $5,000 grant Monday. From left to right: Regan Plumb, Ross Longhini, Katie Cox, Cameron Murray, Lupe Wissel and Jim Zuberbuhler. Photo by Ben Olson.

struction in time for a Sept. 21 grand opening.

The Pine Street Woods has been in the works for almost a decade, with KLT finalizing the land purchase in March 2019.

KLT Executive Director Katie Cox said the success of the project is mostly thanks to the community.

“We are really thankful for how giving this community is — not just private people, but businesses, too,” Cox said.

Upon completion, the PSW will contain numerous hiking and mountain biking trails, a summer camp and outdoor education area, groomed Nordic trails during the winter months — and that’s only the beginning. The $5,000 grant from AARP will ensure the woods are easily accessible by the elderly and physically challenged populations in Sandpoint.

“When we talk about aging, we want people to have rich lives,” Wissel said.

“This is the perfect opportunity.

For more information about the Pine Street Woods, visit kaniksulandtrust.org.

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: Essential oils are showing “strong killer activity” for addressing Lyme disease syndrome, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, printed in the journal Antibiotics.

The oils from oregano, cinnamon bark, clove buds, citronella and wintergreen were deemed more effective than the best-performing pharmaceuticals.

Democracy for All, a bill to amend the United States Constitution by addressing unbalanced influence on politics, has been introduced to the Senate. Yet, it fails to address the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court, which in 2010 granted personhood status to corporations. The group Move to Amend says the correct legislation to pass would be the We the People Amendment, which aligns with the non-partisan organization’s goal of establishing that “money is not free speech” and that “human beings, not corporations, are persons.”

With Florida voting to outlaw dog racing, it’s expected that up to 6,000 greyhounds will be seeking adoption. Check out The Greyhound Project, a non-profit that shares greyhound info.

Due to objections over references to climate change evidence, the Trump administration halted the release of a USDA report on how farmers can remain resilient when facing rising temperatures, new precipitation patterns and more chaotic weather.

The report, says Politico, sought to safeguard the nation’s food supply and stabilize the ag industry.

Super volcano in New England?

There is an “upwelling” of lava forming below Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. But Rutgers University professor Vadim Levin indicated to The WEEK that an accurate status of the activities will be more obvious in 50 million years.

The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee has released the first of a five-volume report about Russian interference with the 2016 elections. The Russian effort began in 2014 and occurred in all 50 states. No votes appeared to have been changed, the report says. Meanwhile, significant election vulnerabilities remain today. A minority report from Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden says that in order to defend our elections, “Congress must establish mandatory nationwide cyber security requirements.” The Senate is blocking that.

The Washington Post published an opinion piece on July 26 alleging Senate leader Mitch McConnell, who controls what legis-

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

lation the body votes on, is a Russian asset.

That’s based on numerous reports showing a Russian company, with possible ties to the Russian mafia, investing in business in McConnell’s home state.

The new photo-documentary book Bitter Leaves explores a range of problems stemming from the tobacco industry: deforestation, exploitative child labor practices and marketing that targets youth.

At a recent Turning Point conservative student summit, the presidential seal located behind President Donald Trump was altered: the eagle had two heads (reminiscent of the Russian imperial eagle) while its talons clutched golf clubs and cash. The Post reported that organizers don’t know how the faux seal ended up being projected behind the president.

The FDA has taken mesh pelvic repair devices off the market. Use of the mesh resulted in urinary problems, organ injuries and internal scarring. Nonprofit progressive group Public Citizen requested the ban in 2011, and said the “reckless delay” by the FDA contradicted the agency’s claim that “patient safety is our highest priority.”

Texas Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe has been fronted as the next director of National Intelligence, but his confirmation will depend on whether intelligence expert John McLaughlin’s insights are heeded.

McLaughlin says Ratcliffe lacks an adequate background for that position, and his hyper-partisan, pro-Trump history is a danger. Others don’t like his opposition to net neutrality.

Blast from the past: in 1957, oceanographer Roger Revelle and chemist Hans Suess warned readers of the journal Tellus that the rapid pace of releasing carbon dioxide and other gases into the air amounted to an alarming experiment with the environment.

Those releases increased dramatically as populations grew and more soil was cultivated (releasing releasing more CO2) to feed more people. Revelle’s work led the USDA and the EPA to begin examining the issue in the 1980s; they wanted to determine how much soil carbon was already lost, and how to recapture it. The topic has gained momentum worldwide with scientists and farmers.

One such scientist, Rattan Lal, is working on test plots worldwide to determine the best agricultural practices for removing CO2 from the air and getting it back into soil; which, along with other efforts to shrink society’s carbon footprint, has the potential to reverse climate change. Further details are in the 2014 book “The Soil Will Save Us,”

by Kristin Ohlson.

Hang up on your phone...

Dear Editor, Today, as I waited at the stop light next to Dub’s with my 9-year-old daughter, Violet, we watched a couple doing something at the outside table that was concurrently disturbing and much more common in our culture than saying hello to a stranger or holding a door. The man, who was about 40, was giving his iPhone, or “device,” all the attention that one might give a mate he or she is in love with or at least slightly infatuated with. He stared at it, manipulated it, almost caressed it, as a woman sat next to him and tried to look content playing a distant second fiddle to the first-string device.

I asked Violet if anything about the couple looked odd to her. I guess I have trained her well because she said something like, “He is only looking and paying attention to his phone, not his wife.” I was impressed with her spot-on assessment but still bothered by the message he was sending his wife or girlfriend. For a second, I thought of saying something out the window but knew no good would come of it, no matter how delicately I phrased it.

I will never impress anyone with the amount of money I make or the businessman I’ll never be.

I have made an impression on some who know me, however, with my sometimes passive, other times active disregard and refusal for phones and their negative impact on people.

I feel sick and sad when I drive by a park and a group of people are standing around, overweight, with children and they are all on phones... not interacting with one another. There is a park right next to them where people used to throw Frisbees, play basketball and play soccer. When I see young people outside doing these activities I think about going up to them and thanking them for being outside without phones.

My 14-year-old daughter, Adeline, is a great young woman. She impresses me almost daily. There is one source of contention between with my wife, Adeline and me, though… her phone. Sometimes I have to take it and hide it at night because she sneaks into the kitchen to do one last text or streak (not sure what that is but have a vague idea). She does not have an addictive personality but is sometimes unable to stay away from her phone and gets in trouble for looking at it past the turn-in time.

I have angered some with my anti-phone rhetoric and befriended others because of it. I hope that one day my girls are able to look back and see the cumulative time I was able to spend with them because I chose not to spend it with a phone.

Justin Henney Sandpoint

Wake up and smell the burning planet...

Dear Editor, Some observations on the debate of human caused/augmented climate change.

It used to be that human misery due to natural disasters such as fires, floods, tornadoes, drought and the like came at certain times of the year and did not happen — at least with such severity every year. Now, all these things appear to blend together all year long. You can’t turn on the TV without hearing about some new weather-related catastrophe. Tornadoes near Seattle, in Wyoming and New Jersey. Snow in the Rockies in early July. Worst hurricane in a generation, every year. Worst fire season ever, every year. Worse flooding ever, every year. Worst heat wave in a generation, every year.

Climate change deniers who say humans aren’t to blame contend that these changes are natural, dismissing 98% of the scientists who say they are, then cite studies by those who are backed by the fossil fuel industry or individuals of questionable

backgrounds to support their personnel view. Yes, changes do occur naturally, but what we’ve seen in the last 20 to 30 years has in the past taken generations even centuries.

It was in some movie: “The Mummy” or “Indiana Jones” where the shady character is killed in a tomb of riches trying to gather all the gold, while his companions escape — not rich, perhaps, but they got out alive.

This has gotten me wondering: Do the deniers have something at stake, a financial ulterior motive?

Could they, a friend or relative have stock, for instance, in the fossil fuel industry?

I have no proof, but it would explain a lot. Could it be something as simple as money and greed that will cost all of us a livable planet? Riches can’t do you much good when you’re dead.

Lawrence Fury Sandpoint P.S. Saturday, July 20 was the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. The iconic shot of the Earth over the lunar horizon should be apparent to everyone. All humans that have ever lived were born and lived on this little blue-and-white rock. There is only one life-supporting planet, so far that we know of. We ruin it and it’s all over. So, unless Captain Kirk shows up with a fleet of starships that can take us to another solar system… well, you get the picture.

Study up, drivers...

Dear Editor, In the near future there will be changes in the driver skills testing exam and changes in the scoring of the test.

Right now, the disqualification rate in Idaho is 3-5%. With the coming changes, I expect that to increase. Hopefully these changes will improve traffic safety in Idaho.

You might want to adjust your driving habits, especially if you have teenagers planning on testing in the near future. If your son or daughter has completed driver’s training and is not yet 17, they cannot test for six months. In that time, they observe other drivers’ habits, especially their parents. Do you stop behind the crosswalk? Do you always turn into the proper lane? Do you know which lane is the proper lane to turn into? Do you signal, check your mirror and the blind spot when changing lanes? Do you come to a complete stop at stop signs and red lights?

I didn’t think so. All these things and more will now be included in the skills test. If you stop inside a crosswalk, for example, you will be marked down. If you do it four times during the test, you will fail. Turning into the wrong lane is an immediate disqualification.

The vehicle inspection is also more thorough on the new test. If the vehicle does not pass — for example if lights, horn, seatbelt, windshield wiper, etc., don’t work, the test cannot be conducted. You will be given back your money and told to fix whatever isn’t working before making an appointment for another day. However, if the vehicle passes the inspection, but you fail to show you know where those controls are and how to use them, you will fail and your money will not be refunded.

If you fail the test, you must wait at least three days before you can take it again. You will have to go to the DMV, get a new receipt for $6.50 and take the skills test again for another $28.50.

My advice is to read the Idaho State Driver’s Manual, which is available online or from the DMV office, and brush up on your driving skills — whether you are taking a driving test soon or not. If we all improve our driving skills, we will all be safer, and this seems like a good time to do that.

Bob Ashbrook Idaho State Driver’s License Examiner Sandpoint August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 7

COMMUNITY Angels Over Sandpoint gears up for annual Back to School program

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Bouquets: GUEST SUBMISSION: • I would like to give a HUGE thank you to Bryan Hult of the Bonner County Veterans Services office. Bryan works for the County (not the VA), but his job is to assist Bonner County residents in dealing with the Veterans Administration. He can help sign you up for medical services, help you in applying for VA disability benefits and a myriad of other things related to the VA. Bryan helped us apply for both medical services and VA disability. His knowledge, professionalism and determination were invaluable during this process. We found the VA to be very confusing but Bryan helped make sense of it all and keep us on the right track to maximize our benefits. I would strongly recommend any veterans who could use assistance with the VA to contact Bryan. He is amazing at what he does, and he is an allaround really good guy. Thank you Bryan. You’ve made a huge difference in our lives and we are eternally grateful!

—Russell and Monica Bradley Barbs • It seems I can’t go a couple weeks without someone berating me from their vehicle when they see me roll through a stop sign on my bicycle. Please, people, look up the “Idaho stop” and find out that you don’t actually know what you’re talking about when bellowing nonsense out of your car window. To share the rules — again — bicyclists do not have to stop at a stop sign when the way is clear. They treat it as a yield sign and can roll through. Also, when encountering a red traffic light, bicyclists do not have to wait for the light to turn green if the way is clear. In other words: for a bicyclist, a stop sign is a yield sign and a red light is a stop sign. Learn the law and keep your mouth shut if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

8 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

The Angels Over Sandpoint are preparing for their 17th annual Back to School event providing backpacks and school supplies to children in Bonner County.

Because many parents cannot afford to purchase all of the necessary school supplies each year, the nonprofit Angels make it a priority to assist these families so each child gets to start the school year as prepared as their classmates.

“More than 2,000 students in Bonner County participate in the Free and Reduced Lunch program,” the Angels wrote in a statement to the Reader. “These are the students we aim to help.”

School supplies will be distributed in Sandpoint, Priest River and Clark Fork at the end of August. Families who register their children for supplies will be given distribution information.

The Angels have set a goal for at least 1,000 schoolchildren to receive supplies and backpacks this year, costing approximately $30,000, which is raised from various community events throughout the year, as well as private contributions. The program is operated by volunteers and 100% of donations received go directly to the program.

The Angels also work with

Parks and Rec round-up

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Adult Tennis League Registration is now open for the adult doubles tennis league — extended season. Players must be 16 years or older to participate (a legal guardian must sign a waiver if the participant is under 18).

The league runs Tuesday, Aug. 13 through Wednesday, Sept. 25. Register online by Sunday, Aug. 4. Discounted player fees are available for Sandpoint Tennis Association members.

Priest River student Sitiva Ochoa sifts through backpacks at the annual Angels Over Sandpoint Back to School event in 2017.

Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert.

the Community Action Partnership to register families to participate in this critical program.

“Each year letters are sent to local businesses and Bonner County residents requesting donations for the Angels Back to School program,” the Angels wrote. “We want to thank each business and individual who generously donated.”

Community members who wish to contribute are urged to make their donations right away since supplies must be purchased soon to prepare for distribution.

Please send checks to: Angels Over Sandpoint BTS, PO Box 2369, Sandpoint, ID 83864. All donations are tax-deductible.

Families interested in receiving school supplies should contact the Community Action Partnership office at 208-2552910. Registration will be open until Thursday, Aug. 15. Those interested in volunteering for the program should contact robin@ angelsoversandpoint.org.

Advanced Sailing Sandpoint Parks and Recreation and the Sandpoint Sailing Association are offering an advanced sailing lesson for would-be sea dogs aged 10 to adult. Personal floatation devices are required, but students should be comfortable in deep water.

Register by Thursday, Aug. 8. Classes run Monday, Aug. 12-Thursday, Aug. 15. Session 1 is from 10 a.m.-noon and Session 2 is from 1-3 p.m. $49 per person.

Sandblast Beach Volleyball Tournament Ready, set, spike! The Sand-

blast Beach Volleyball Tournament takes place Saturday, Aug. 24-Sunday, Aug. 25 at the sand volleyball courts at City Beach.

This tournament is for ages 16 and up. Pre-registration costs $40 per team. Mens’ and womens’ games are Aug. 24, co-ed doubles on Aug. 25. Meet at 8:30 a.m. for rules. The tournament begins at 9 a.m.

CPR / AED Classes Learn CPR and AED (automatic external defibrillator) with optional first aid at a general community course offered for those with little to no medical training.

The course is open for ages 16 to adult. Register online for Session 1 by Thursday, Aug. 1; Session 2

by Wednesday, Sept. 4; or Session 3 by Thursday, Oct. 3.

Session 1 class is Monday, Aug. 5; Session 2 class is Monday, Sept. 9; and Session 3 class will be Monday, Oct. 7. CPR/AED is 4-6 p.m. while first aid is 6-8 p.m.

For information about these and other Sandpoint Parks and Recreation events, call 208263-3613 or visit sandpointgov. parksrecreation.

READER SPOTTED AT THE HAGUE

Living Literature Camp for kids

By Reader Staff

The Living Literature Camp is designed to keep kids aged 6-10 engaged in learning throughout the summer, with a specific goal to get them excited about what they are learning. This camp brings books to life through play, hands-on activities and applied learning.

Subjects covered over the course are geography, history, science, language arts, applied math and character-building. There will

be themed crafts and activities each day. Kids are responsible for bringing a sack lunch each day.

Register online by Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 2 p.m. Camp dates are Monday, Aug. 12-Friday, Aug. 16 at the Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 S. First Ave. Fee will be $100 per session per child.

Scholarships available. Contact Sandpoint Parks and Rec at 208263-3613 or visit sandpointidaho. gov for more information.

Mike Flaim brought the Reader to the International Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands. “I’m reading and drinking coffee in my Evans Brothers mug with three editions of the paper close to hand,” Flaim wrote. *Fun fact: Mike Flaim was publisher Ben Olson’s English teacher during senior year at Sandpoint High School. Whatever typos you see Ben make in future editions, blame this guy.

OPINION

Reclaim Idaho proves that grassroots win

By Luke Mayville Special to the Reader

Regan’s complaint made the false allegation that Reclaim Idaho received the vast majority of its financial support from outside of Idaho while Once again, it’s time pretending to be a homegrown, to clear up some congrassroots organization. fusion about “Reclaim Following a thorough invesIdaho” and what we’re tigation, the state elections diall about. rector concluded that Reclaim Two years ago, a Idaho did nothing wrong. A few friends and I joined recent letter from the secretary together in our homeof state’s office states that the town of Sandpoint to investigation “did not identify found Reclaim Idaho. any violations” and that the Starting with a small complaint file is now closed. group of friends and The conclusion of the family in Bonner CounLuke Mayville. Courtesy photo. investigation comes as no ty, we eventually grew surprise to anyone familiar with our orgato a statewide movement with thousands of nization. Reclaim Idaho is grassroots to the volunteers. We filed the citizens’ initiative core — we always have been and always to expand Medicaid and organized a sucwill be. We began in North Idaho with a cessful signature drive. Last November our initiative received 61-percent approval from bright-green, 1977 camper (“the Medicaid Mobile”) and remain powered by thousands Idaho voters. of small donations from ordinary citizens.

Our organization recently came under But the entire affair raises a larger attack in an official complaint submitted to the Idaho secretary of state by Brent Regan, question: Why did Regan file a frivolous chairman of the Idaho Freedom Foundation. complaint against Reclaim Idaho? Why is

the IFF trying to tarnish our reputation as a homegrown, grassroots movement? In other words, what are they afraid of?

Ironically, it is well documented that the IFF itself is a “dark money” organization that refuses to disclose the source of its funds.

According to a 2019 report by the Idaho Statesman, it remains a secret where the vast majority of the IFF’s money comes from.

In this respect, the IFF is not unique.

These days, it’s typical for political organizations to raise mountains of money — much of it in secret — and then spend it on professional lobbying, high-priced communications and, in the case of initiative campaigns, professional firms that hire people by the hour to collect signatures.

Reclaim Idaho has a different approach.

Rather than hire an army of paid petitioners to collect the signatures for Medicaid Expansion, we traveled around the state and engaged with passionate Idahoans who were willing to volunteer their time. We challenged them to form volunteer teams and become leaders in their communities.

For a professional team of paid petitioners to collect as many signatures as our volunteers did, it would cost at least $1 million.

Reclaim Idaho spent less than $50,000.

But volunteers did much more than simply save the campaign money. By showing up at the doorstep and engaging their fellow citizens in genuine, face-to-face conversations, volunteers gave our campaign deep roots in communities all over the state.

It’s often thought that when it comes to politics, money is everything. A century ago, Ohio Senator Mark Hanna famously said: “There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money and I can’t remember what the second one is.”

That may be true for the IFF. But for those of us who still believe in the possibility of grassroots politics, there’s something way more valuable than money: volunteers.

When ordinary Idahoans volunteer their time to a worthy cause, they can do things that money can’t buy.

That’s why Brent Regan and the IFF are attacking the reputation of Reclaim Idaho: Our volunteers are demonstrating that dark money is not the only game in town.

Reclaim Idaho is proving that grassroots, volunteer-driven campaigns win.

N. Idaho human rights groups: An open letter to BSU President Tromp Special to the Reader Dear President Tromp: As non-governmental nonprofit organizations that have worked for decades in Idaho promoting human and civil rights while at the same time joining other Idahoans and political leaders to successfully confront the serious threats by the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations when they targeted members of Idaho’s minority communities, we have learned a number of important lessons.

The following are some of those lessons learned: 1. It was essential not to remain silent when messages and acts of hate arose in our state and also to become allies of those who became victims of that hate.

2. Our successes in confronting these dangers were significantly aided by the support from political leaders of both major political parties, the faith community, educational institutions and the business community, to name a few.

3. We have worked with K-12 schools and higher education to advance curricula, diversity programs and events to create a more welcoming and safe environment for each student.

4. We have spent years traveling and communicating with communities and the media across America, sharing the true

values of Idahoans rather than the erroneous image portrayed by the actions and crimes of the neo-Nazis.

5. Numerous local and Idaho state government entities, chambers of commerce, business sponsored groups such as Jobs Plus in Kootenai County and educational leaders have worked diligently for years to recruit corporations as well as college administrators, faculty and students with diverse backgrounds to Idaho.

6. Many of us who are or have been educators have decades of experience and research as to the extraordinary value that the implementation of cultural diversity curricula, programs and events enhance learning for our students as they prepare to enter an ever-growing diverse world.

7. And most importantly, we are committed to a future that finds ways to end the discrimination, bigotry and stereotyping that has often marginalized the work and cultural values of minority communities in our country. To correct these injustices, the answer partially lies in the willingness of Idaho’s colleges and universities to create greater diversity in curricula, programs and events for students from Idaho’s dominant culture so that they have the opportunity to experience the richness found in other cultures. If we are going to create a world of understanding and appreciation based

on social justice, we cannot retreat into the ways of thinking and doing from the past.

We were highly concerned and deeply troubled when we learned of the letter to your office from 28 Idaho state legislators objecting to the outstanding framework that Boise State University has developed and embraced to make your campus a safe, accepting, friendly and inclusive environment. To do otherwise, would result in a major setback for a campus that cherishes social justice for all its students, employees and visitors.

If all Idaho institutions of higher learning were to disband their present commitment to these educational principles and mission, it will have serious consequences far into Idaho’s future creating a major setback on (1) our long struggle to correct the unfair image we suffered when the Aryan Nations relocated to Idaho in 1973, (2) a message would go out to potential out of state students that Idaho is not a warm and welcoming place for minority students, (3) Idaho leaders working to recruit corporations to Idaho with a diverse workforce would find their task much more difficult and in some cases impossible, and (4) instate students would lose that valuable opportunity to experience a more diverse learning environment.

Dr. Tromp, we stand in unity and support with Boise State University’s outstand-

ing mission that provides a world-class education for all its students.

Sincerely, Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations Christie Wood, president Bonner County Human Rights Task Force Brenda Hammond, president Human Rights Education Institute JoAnn Harvey, president Boundary County Human Rights Task Force Craig Kelson, president CC: Idaho State Board of Education Dr. C. Scott Green, president, University of Idaho Dr. Kevin Satterlee, president, Idaho State University Dr. Cynthia Pemberton, president, Lewis-Clark State College Dr. Richard MacLennan, president, North Idaho College Dr. Bert Glandon, president, College of Western Idaho Dr. Jeff Fox, president, College of Southern Idaho Dr. Rick Aman, president, College of Eastern Idaho August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 9

Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

mega marsupials

Australia, a.k.a. the Land Down Under, is home to some of the most nightmarish biology to skitter, squirm or swim on the planet Earth. Hey, at least it’s a beautiful continent, right?

It probably won’t surprise you to know that Australia has always swarmed with freaky fauna. Marsupials are pretty strange by mammalian standards, having a weird pouch built into their anatomy to birth and raise their young. Everyone thinks kangaroos are cute and cuddly, until you see one tall enough to play in the NBA at 6.6 feet tall.

Procoptodon goliah was the largest kangaroo ever to exist and died out a scant 15,000 years ago. Unlike today’s kangaroos, P. goliah was incapable of hopping; the Achilles tendon in its leg would have snapped under its weight if it tried.

Scientists believe it may have trotted in a similar fashion to humans, which would have been utterly bizarre to watch.

The strangest thing about P. goliah must have been its appearance: it had a face that looked like an American Staffordshire Terrier and each foot featured a single clawed toe. While it’s easy to think these creatures evolved into today’s kangaroos, their sole genetic remnant likely exists in wallabies, which weigh around 9 pounds.

The thought of marsupials doesn’t typically incite feelings of terror, but that’s about to change when you learn about Thylacoleo carnifex, a marsu10 /

R

Brought to you by:

/ August 1, 2019

pial lion and apex predator of ancient Australia.

T. carnifex was a strange but brutally effective predator that sported an arsenal of unique evolutionary traits including retractable claws not unlike those of your house cat. Retractable claws are always the sign of a cunning apex predator: protecting these deadly assets while keeping them razor-sharp. But the strangest feature of T. carnifex’s claws was the semi-opposable thumbs on either forepaw — a trait not found in other big cats. These semi-opposable digits allowed the big cat to efficiently climb trees or anchor hold fast to its prey so it couldn’t slip away.

T. carnifex wasn’t the only murderous marsupial lion in the world. Across the Pacific Ocean in South America, Thylacosmilus made its mark as one of the strangest-looking predators in the world. At first glance, Thylacosmilus looked like any other saber-toothed cat — except for a huge bony protrusion from its chin. This protrusion was believed to have housed fleshy pouches in which rested the lion’s teeth, which is odd as it frequently needed to wear down its teeth to keep them from growing too long and becoming unwieldy.

Thylacosmilus also had a laughably weak bite for a creature that weighed more than 500 pounds: equivalent to the bite force of a modern house cat. Eventually, Thylacosmilus was driven to extinction as true saber-tooth cats moved into its territory.

Weirdness isn’t measured only by lethality, as the

large Palorchestes proves.

Palorchestes was a 450-pound marsupial that stood around four feet high and measured more than eight feet in length.

It was a stout beast and probably looked a lot like an anteater on steroids. The strangest thing about it, however, was its proboscis. Much like a tapir, Palorchestes’ snout could likely curl and move somewhat independently from the rest of its face. Scientists believe its nose may have been a sort of proto-trunk — a less evolved version of what elephants now have, despite the fact that the two species are completely unrelated to one another.

I’ve saved the biggest and the best for last: Diprotodon was the largest marsupial to ever have walked the Earth, stretching almost 10 feet from nose to tail and weighing more than 6,000 pounds. It likely looked like an oddball combination of a furry rhino, trunkless elephant and a wombat, which makes sense when you take into account that it is an ancestor of today’s wombats.

Diprotodon lived in herds and were believed to have a social structure very similar to African elephants. The earliest human inhabitants of Australia, who landed there around 50,000 years ago, were believed to have preyed upon the Diprotodon while also worshipping it in a similar fashion to early Europeans and woolly mammoths. As evidence, researchers point to early cave paintings in Australia that depict the giant wombats.

The Diprotodon may also be the inspiration of the

Diprotodon vs. man. Who do you think would win in a fight? bunyip, a mythical creature of Australian lore. While I won’t argue the validity of the existence of the bunyip, I can say for certain that the Diprotodon went extinct about 40,000 years ago.

If you want to trip out your

local librarian and see some cool prehistoric megafauna pictures, stop by the information desk at the Sandpoint Library and show them this article.

They’ll help you discover all of the weird and wonderful stuff I research on a weekly basis.

Random Corner ralia?

Don’t know much about Aust • Indigenous people inhabited Australia for about 50,000 years before the British began colonizing the continent in January 1788.

• There are more kangaroos than people in Australia.

• Australia has more than 10,000 beaches. You could visit a new beach every day for more than 27 years.

• The city of Melbourne, Australia, used to be called Batmania.

• Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt went missing in 1967 after going for a swim in rough weather.

Searchers never found his body and declared him dead in absentia.

We can help!

ther from the U.K. than the moon.

• Highway 1 in Australia is the world’s longest national highway.

Spanning about 9,000 miles, it circumnavigates the entire country.

• A bookstore in Australia wraps its wares in paper and includes short descriptions of the plots so no one can “judge a book by its cover.”

• The Australian National Science Agency claims to have invented the technology behind Wi-Fi and has sued companies using the technology without a license.

• Only licensed electricians are allowed to change light bulbs in Victoria, Australia.

• Australia does not have a bill of rights.

• The top-10 deadliest snakes can be found in Australia.

• Australia exports camels to Saudi Arabia.

• Australian koalas are in danger of extinction because more than half of them have chlamydia.

• There is a mountain in Australia called Mt. Disappointment.

Early explorers were unimpressed by the view from its summit and wanted to reflect that.

• In Australia, Burger King is called “Hungry Jack’s.”

• According to a 2013 survey, 10% of Britons think Australia is far-

• An underground, natural coal fire has smouldered beneath Burning Mountain, Australia for about 6,000 years.

• British Queen Elizabeth II ended an Australian government shutdown in 1975 by firing every public employee and restarting the bureaucracy.

FEATURE

Sagle homeowners gather to address rise in burglaries Law enforcement urges residents to secure neighborhoods

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff The mood was tense at a meeting of Sagle homeowners July 27, and for good reason. Gathered at the Little Church in the Wildwood, about midway between Bottle and Garfield bays, it is no exaggeration to say that residents have been terrorized by a rising trend in burglaries in recent years. Fed up with helplessly watching home after home get hit, the homeowners met with Bonner County Sheriff’s Office volunteers to learn how to better protect themselves.

“Now I’m so scared,” said one homeowner, who requested to remain unnamed. “When I hear a noise outside, I don’t want to go outside and investigate that.”

Recent data bears out local concerns.

A search on crimereports.com, which the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office uses to catalogue crime incidents, shows 56 recent property crimes in Bonner County.

A majority are scattered around the Sagle area, particularly in the residential areas near the river and lake to the east and west of U.S. 95. Other hot spots include Clark Fork, Cocolalla and Priest River.

According to the annual Idaho State Police Crime Report, Bonner County experienced a 13% increase in overall crime between 2017 and 2018. Burglary increased from 179 to 187 incidents, while larceny jumped from 511 to 519 reports. The overall crime rate is measured at 46 incidents per 1,000 residents in 2018. That gives Bonner County the 15th highest crime rate in Idaho.

According to those who spoke at the recent meeting in Sagle, the burglaries demonstrate a few commonalities: they typically occur where population density is low and the chance of escaping unobserved is high. Another hallmark of many robberies is multiple break-ins — one homeowner has been hit 12 times, according to his neighbors.

Between the property damage and items stolen, the crimes are costly, adding up to thousands of dollars lost. Finally, the burglaries cover a swath of rural areas across North Idaho. Of the more than 50 people who showed up for the meeting,

almost a dozen raised their hands when asked who had been victimized.

The burglarized families themselves, however, are a diverse lot. Their properties range in value. Some are permanent residents, while others are so-called “snowbirds” who stay in North Idaho on a seasonal basis. That distinction was a source of tension at the meeting. Permanent residents expressed frustration that the vacant houses potentially left their neighborhoods more vulnerable.

“Some of us are seasonal, some of us are permanent,” said one homeowner.

“In Martin Bay, we have 90 residents, 90 lots. And we have 12 full-time Jay Dudley explains neighborhood watch programs to a packed house July 27 in Sagle. Photo by Cameron Rasmusson residents. There’s absolutely no way we of manpower they have and the amount can police houses in the woods — these expressed frustration with the BCSO’s lack of communication. Hemphill of territory they have to cover.” shacks with these gates that they get at BCSO officers said homeowners Big R — and I resent the fact that that’s appreciates those concerns. He said that law enforcement is often making can take measures to put the odds in being put upon me.” progress on cases, even when they can’t their favor. Game cameras, alarms and Firearms and chainsaws are among comment on it. video systems can be vital in capturing the most common items stolen. But “People are hoping for regular evidence. Outdoor lighting, interior clothing, jewelry, tools, art, electronics, updates on their case when the nature lighting that activates a regular timer, recreational gear are also targeted. One trimmed shrubs and bushes near the family lost their daughter’s high-school of the investigation precludes us from sharing information, and I understand home — anything that makes it difficult graduation ring. that frustration,” he said. for burglars to hide — are smart choicAccording to Sheriff’s Captain Tim Others were more appreciative of the es. For homeowners gone on extended Hemphill, it’s difficult to assign any absences, coordination with neighbors is one cause for the steady rise in property BCSO response. One couple said Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Bonner went above vital to avoid signs of vulnerability like crimes. Drug activity is often a factor, unplowed snow or uncollected mail. he said, but based on investigations into and beyond the call of duty, snowshoeing into their property and preventing Neighborhood watch programs about 25 burglaries in the Sagle area the burglar from stealing additional also make a difference. Jay Dudley, a since February, Hemphill believes they items on a planned return trip. background investigation and neighborare often simply crimes of opportunity.

The spate of burglaries comes along- hood watch volunteer for BCSO, said The culprits are familiar with the side a period of unusual calm within that a neighborhood watch sign alone areas they’re targeting and they know can discourage would-be criminals. Any what time of the day or year homes will Sandpoint city limits. Sandpoint Police Captain Rick Bailey community can set up a program by be empty. said recent property calling Sheryl Kins at the BCSO. Spring and Bonner County crimes have been low The regional neighborhood watch fall, when seain Sandpoint compared program is 1,000 members strong with sonal residents experienced a 13% to previous years, 60 block watch captains, Dudley added. are gone and increase in overall with a spurt of earThe Upper Pack River area experienced there’s no snow crime between 2017 ly-summer break-ins a 46% reduction in break-ins after the to complicate at Foster’s Crossing, formation of a neighborhood watch, matters, are and 2018.

MarketPlace Antiques while Selle Road residents, who reportbusy times for -Idaho State Police Crime Report and several cars, then ed about a half-dozen break-ins before burglars. There’s dwindling after a the formation of a neighborhood watch, also rarely evsingle arrest. He said the higher popula- haven’t had any problems since. idence of coordination between incition density works in Sandpoint’s favor: “We just want people to be aware dents, Hemphill added. that they can start these programs them“It’s easy to get a mindset that when more neighbors and police officers make burglary more difficult. selves, and all they need to do is contact you have burglaries in one area, it’s “We’re talking about two different the sheriff’s office,” Dudley said. done by one person or group of people, creatures here,” he said. “It’s hard [for but that’s often not the case,” he said.

BCSO] to be proactive with the amount At the meeting, many homeowners August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 11

COMMUNITY

A newcomer’s guide to Sandpoint

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Every summer for the past 37 years, the Festival at Sandpoint has raised its iconic white tent and drawn folks from all over the country to our little corner of paradise in North Idaho. If you’re one of the many newcomers in town for music or other reasons, here’s a quick list of activities you might check out in Sandpoint and surrounding areas.

EAT

City Beach Organics Looking for a healthy eating option while in town for the Festival? Check out City Beach Organics, 117 N. First Ave, in Sandpoint. Owned and operated by the Edmondsons, a family of nine, this eatery right across from Bridge St. leading to City Beach offers a variety of gluten-free, plant-based offerings.

From their various melts (my favorite is the pesto melt) to fresh salads, quinoa bowls and smoothies, you can eat anything here and walk away feeling like you just did your body a favor.

Serv-A-Burger For those interested in a down-home burger made the old-fashioned way, check out Serv-A-Burger, 907 N. Fifth Ave. in Sandpoint. Owned by local restaurateur Joe Mire for more than 30 years, ServA-Burger has become an institution in Sandpoint. Its burgers are grilled to perfection and the hand-battered onion rings are some of the best fried items available in Sandpoint. Top it off with a shake and you’re ready to hit the town.

Shoga Sushi Bar Located a short drive across the Long Bridge, Shoga is Sandpoint’s premier sushi bar. Just take the first right after the Long Bridge and the first driveway is 41 South and Shoga — two dynamite eating options. The only thing that competes with Shoga’s expertly-crafted sushi rolls is the view of Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River.

Sit on the deck or get out of the hot sun and sit inside, where great banks of windows take in the sweep of the iconic Long Bridge and the shoreline of south Sandpoint. Either way, make sure you 12 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

order a Buddha beer imported from China. Pro tip: Keep the bottle and use it as a flower vase.

Food-wise, my go-to is the Godzilla Roll, but I’m a sucker for deepfried rolls.

DRINK

219 Lounge Your visit to Sandpoint wouldn’t be complete without bellying up at the local “Five Star Dive Bar.” The 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave. in Sandpoint, has established itself as a prime spot for live music in Sandpoint. During the summer months, bands play in the beer garden behind the bar. Since Sandpoint is a handy stopover between Spokane and points elsewhere, a lot of traveling acts have built Sandpoint, and the Niner, into their tours.

Trinity at City Beach What better place to sit and sip crafted drinks than on a deck looking out at the lake and mountains? The bar at Trinity at City Beach, 58 Bridge St., is a favorite after-work watering hole for locals. Their Moscow Mules are divine, and the bar menu is also that perfect balance between pub fare and gourmet.

MickDuff’s Beer Hall There are four breweries in Sandpoint now, but MickDuff’s was one of the forerunners. With two locations — a pub/eatery at 312 N. First Ave. and beer hall/music venue at 220 Cedar St. — MickDuff’s has you covered for your eats and drinks. The beer hall has a courtyard outside where bands play under a strategically-located spruce tree.

It’s a great place to spend the afternoon or evening under the night sky.

PLAY

Sandpoint City Beach Located on the eastern extreme of Sandpoint, City Beach is a city park where you can take the family for a day

A swimmer enjoys the water at Sandpoint City Beach. Photograph by Cameron Barnes. at the beach. Swim, play volleyball, tennis or basketball, sunbathe or play on the large lawn. Just don’t ask the locals about the goose poop — sore subject.

Action Watersports If you’re tired of watching people float around on their lake toys and want to rent one of your own, check out Action Watersports, 100 N. First Ave. They’ll rent you anything from stand-up paddleboards to pontoon boats for the whole family. The local Holland brothers Nate and Pat run the place, located downtown off First Avenue and Pine Street. Both are accomplished athletes: Pat has competed in numerous snowboard cross competitions, including the X Games and FISA World Cup while Nate, a three-time Olympic competitor, has won eight gold medals at X Games and two World Championship medals for his downhill snowboarding prowess.

Mickinnick hiking trail For those trying to beat their hangovers into submission, I recommend the Mickinnick hiking trail north of Sandpoint. A seven-mile out-and-back trail, this one gets a lot of use because of its close proximity to town. It’s rated as “moderate” by a lot of trail websites, but don’t be fooled by this inno-

cent-sounding word. The trail climbs up the Schweitzer basin watershed, winding in and out of huckleberries and wildflowers along the way. You can hoof it all the way to the top, or just take it halfway to the first viewpoint.

Either way, the views of Sandpoint and the lake are amazing. Dog owners, don’t leave your little bags of poop on the trail, please.

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market Since 1988, Farmin Park in Sandpoint has transformed twice per week during the summer months into a thriving farmers’ market. Shoppers can find a little bit of everything at the market: produce, plant starts, artisan crafts, food and drinks, jewelry, housewares and more. There’s always live music playing, usually by a local musician or band, and often a special event (like Kids’ Day on Saturday, Aug. 17, when farmers-to-be sell their wares alongside the regular vendors). If you haven’t had your fill of goods at the market, head across Oak Street and check out the food court for some tasty local cuisine.

The Sandpoint Market is located at Third Avenue and Oak Street and is open from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturdays and 3-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 13

event t h u r s d a y

1

f r i d a y

2

s a t u r d a y s u n d a y

m o n d a y t u e s d a y

w e d n e s d a y t h u r s d a y

14 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

3 4 5

f

Festival at Sandpoint: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats Lakeside Jazz w/ Brig 6-9pm @ Trinity at Cit 7:30pm @ War Memorial Field The opening volley for this year’s Festival at Sandpoint. Na- Great music and a view thaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats play a unique blend of folk, Dollar Beers!

Americana and vintage rhythm and blues. Opener Lucius is a 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dr four-piece indie-pop band based out of L.A. Festival at Sandpoint: Walk Off the Earth Aftival: Yak Attack in concert 7:30pm @ War Memorial Field 8:30pm-12:30am @ The Hive An experimental band from Canada that blends Electronica influenced jam, funk, jazz band. folk-pop with musical innovation. Openers Bring your dancing shoes, brothers and sister Shook Twins hail from Sandpoint and have Live Music w/ Mike and Shanna Thompso cornered the market on “quirky folk.”

5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority (acous. rock) Live Music w/ Zach Cooper Band 9pm @ 219 Lounge Live Music w/ Muffy & the Riffhangers CDA drumming legend. Prog. rock/blues 6-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. (bluegras

Festival at Sandpoint: Jackson Browne Aftival: Afrolicious 7:30pm @ War Memorial Field 8:30pm-12:30am @ The Hive Sure hope you got your tickets to this one, Mixing African, Latin, and percussive because it’s sold out! Jackson Browne, one rhythms with electronic breaks, club beat, of the top 100 songwriters of all time, will sand heavy bass drops, an Afrolicious bring his craft to Memorial Field! show is a non-stop dancing frenzy Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip 5:30-7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes Soulful singer-songwriter 6-8:30pm @ Chop Waterfront Bar & Grill

Sat 11a Fin mo Liv 9pm Fun Liv 4-6p Aco

Festival at Sandpoint: Family Concert “A Musical Zoo” Schweitzer Huckleberry C 7:30pm @ War Memorial Field 10am @ Schweitzer Mounta Activities include the instrument petting zoo, animal petting Family event marked for 5K zoo, clowns, face painting, fun and games and a Parents’ Corner who get colorful powder toss where moms and dads can get a complimentary mini-massage!

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills Outdoor Experience Monday Night Run L 2 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub 6pm @ Outdoor Experience A chill, three-mile(ish) group run with op- A Rock n’ Roll Bingo a tional beverages to follow 6-8pm @ Tervan t

6

Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Sing your favorite tunes, Sandpoint!

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

7

KPND Pint Night Party and Wind Down Wednesday 5-9pm @ 219 Lounge Join host Bob Witte for prizes and drink specials on Wallace Brews, and Korean BBQ from Shilla food truck. With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Tito Huizar playing blues, folk, gospel and jazz

8

Festival at Sandpoint: Lake Street Dive 7:30pm @ War Memorial Field Back by popular demand is indie pop, jazz, soul sensation Lake Street Dive. Special guest Darlingside is an indie folk band from Boston.

Trivia Night 7pm @ MickDuff’s Show off that big, beautiful brain of yours

NIC R 8am-12 Concer college your a registra

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

Lakeside Jazz w/ Bright Momen 6-9pm @ Trinity at City Beach Great music and a view Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

ful

August 1 - 8, 2019

zz w/ Bright Moments nity at City Beach and a view ! rdt’s Pub e keg’s dry

azz band. and sisters

Thompson ous. rock) angers (bluegrass)

A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com.

Reader recommended

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Rodeo (Aug. 2-3) 7:30pm @ Bonner County Fairgrounds Family-friendly event inspired by western tradition. Also featuring Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey - an endearing act that shouldn’t be missed!

MCS Summer Youth Orchestra Concert 2pm @ Panida Theater Presenting “The Magic of Harry Potter.”

Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 8-10pm @ The Back Door Progressive blues, with a folk creme filling Live Music w/ BTP 7:30-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub A new trio taking Sandpoint by storm

Long Bridge Swim Saturday Art Market 11am-3pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall @ Lake Pend Oreille sive Fine art, woodwork, clothing and The 25th annual 1.76-mile swim across Lake Pend beat, more. Live music w/ Brian Jacobs Oreille beside the mighty ious Live Music w/ Joan Zen Band 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Long Bridge. LongBridgFunky-soul and reggae dance band eSwim.org. 208-265-2615 Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs Mugs and Music w/ John Firshi 4-6pm @ The Back Door ll 4-6pm @ Laughing Dog Brewery Acoustic rock, folk and pop

eberry Color Fun Run r Mountain Resort ed for 5K and 2.5K participants owder tossed at them

t Run

th op-

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Piano Sunday: Annie Welle 3-5pm @ Pend Oreille Winery

Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalepeño’s An hour of conversation and stories. This week’s topic: “Getting Unstuck”

NIC Registration Rally 8am-12p @ NIC at Sandpoint Concerned with how to pay for college, or have questions about your application? Come to this registration rally for the answers!

y ’s

magic exander

ht Moments Beach

Yoga on Tap 10:45am @ Laughing Dog Brewery Live Music w/ The Locals 11am-1pm @ Davis Grocery & Mercantile Great live music in Hope!

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park Get your produce, starts, crafts and more! Live music w/ Truck and Carl Karaoke Night 8pm-cl @ Tervan City of Sandpoint Historic Walking Tour 10am @ Panida Theater The City of Sandpoint’s Historic Preservation Committee once again hosts a Historic Walking Tour. Free and open to the public

Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 5-7:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Karaoke Night 8pm-cl @ Tervan

Swing Street Band in the park 6pm @ Lakeview Park With guest singer London-UK-based Max Curto. Sponsored by Sandpoint Parks and Rec. Free, donations appreciated Bonner Mall Seniors Day 9am-12p @ Bonner Mall All are welcome to walk the Mall, plus there will be a featured speaker or entertainment, free refreshments, games and a drawing

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park Locally grown produce, starts, crafts and more! Live music by David Walsh

Live Music w/ Jake Robin 7:30-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Music for the morning after

Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper booth @ Festival at Sandpoint Live Music w/Chad Patrick 6-8 p.m. @ Matchwood Brewing Co.

July 9 Avett Brothers @ Festival at Sandpoint July 9 Slim Wednesday @ Aftival (The Hive) July 10-11 ARts and Crafts Fair @ Downtown Sandpoint

August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 15

16 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 17

FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater

Worth its weight

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist

I used to look forward to attending the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. It’s the largest food industry event in North America and the premier showcase for launching new products. It was the place to see (and taste) the latest in culinary innovation, long before new products hit the market shelves.

I had to attend on behalf of my top-shelf catering and event clientele, who loved the notion of being the “first” to serve some new, fancy food accoutrements on their tabletops. These showcase products had everyone all abuzz and we lined up to taste single origin chocolate, floral infused syrups, fancy shelf-stable pastries and even salt.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a penchant for salt. Back then, I especially liked the coarse, animal-grade salt that came in 25-pound bags, sliced open with a pocketknife and poured into tubs made from worn out tractor tires. I loved popping a few of the salty crystals and letting them melt against the roof of my mouth.

Later, when I got married and moved to a ranch in remote Montana, those big, 25-pound bags of red clay-speckled salt were omnipresent. With a big herd of mother cows, calves and yearlings, we went through tons (literally) of salt. So much, in fact, that once a year we’d load into the old Mack semi and head to Redmond, Utah, to buy our minerals direct from the salt mines, operated by Redmond Mineral Company, whose salt 18 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

deposit is the remnant of an ancient inland sea that covered much of North America millions of years ago.

On one visit, after our flatbed was loaded and we were wrapping up the paperwork with the bookkeeper, I mentioned how much I loved using my mortar and pestle to grind a pinch or two of the livestock salt for my own gastronomic pleasure.

Apparently, I was not the only one using the salt for human consumption, and I was sent home with a couple of 8-ounce boxes, packaged for their friends and family.

Nearly 15 years later, my salt worlds collided in one in one of the huge, long exposition halls at the Javits Center. Though it was rebranded as Redmond Real Salt and all dressed up in fancy packaging on an oversized display, I instantly recognized my old friend — and learned it wasn’t just for cows anymore. In

fact, today it’s the leading natural salt sold in the United States.

For the same price I used to pay for one of those big, brown bags of salt (about $5.99), I can now purchase a 10-ounce shaker from Winter Ridge.

There’s no shortage of types of salts on the market today, and it seems as though the fancy salt fad is here to stay. In my cupboard alone, I have more than a dozen different flavors that include smoked salt, truffle, rosemary, lavender and saffron, and even different sizes of salt: finely ground for baking and cooking (and popcorn), coarse ground for seasoning and brining, kosher for rubs on prime rib and potato jackets (not to mention margaritas) and delicate flakes — English Maldon is my all-time favorite — perfect for any finish.

Salt is essential for life in general, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. It’s one

of the oldest and most universal food seasonings, and salting is an important method of food preservation. (I especially noted this when I visited Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia — there were dozens of varieties of dried and salted fish, hanging in every market).

I learned from Wikipedia that there is evidence of salt processing dating back to around 6,000 BCE, when people living in the area of present-day Romania boiled spring water to extract salts. A salt works in China dates to approximately the same period. Salt was also prized by the ancient Hebrews, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Hittites, the Egyptians and the Indians. Salt became an important article of trade and was transported by boat across the Mediterranean Sea, along specially built salt roads and across the Sahara on camel caravans.

The scarcity and universal need

for salt have led nations to go to war over it (and use it to raise tax revenues). Salt is used in religious ceremonies and has other cultural and traditional significance.

I can’t say if I am worth my weight in salt, though I have eaten my weight in salt. Most sources suggest that the recommended salt consumption is one teaspoon daily, but it seems most of us are consuming 50 percent more than that. I have tried to cut down my own salt consumption a few times (this attempt normally follows my annual physical) and I am here to tell you that I haven’t found a salt substitute worth its weight in salt (or even substitute).

If I can’t have the real thing, my favorite seasoning replacement for salt is pure, fresh lemon juice. Lucky for us, one of my favorite recipes marries two of my favorite flavors: Lemon Roasted Potatoes.

Lemon Roasted Potatoes Serves 4-6 These potatoes are a favorite at my house. Serve with grilled chicken and a Greek salad for a perfect summer supper.

INGREDIENTS: • 3 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1⁄2-inch cubes • 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil • 4 garlic cloves, crushed and minced • 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled • 1 teaspoon salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 1⁄2 cup chicken stock • 1⁄3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice • 2-3 lemon wedges • 2-3 sprigs of chopped, fresh oregano • Maldon sea salt flakes

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 425°F Place the potatoes in a single layer in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and pour the oil over them. Combine the garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper; add to dish; and toss well to coat with the oil.

Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes. Add the stock, stir and bake for 10 minutes more. Sprinkle on the lemon juice, lemon wedges and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through and golden.

Chop fresh oregano and combine

with salt flakes. Sprinkle over the potatoes, garnish with oregano

sprigs and serve at once.

FOOD Bringing positive change to the table NAMI Far North to host farm-to-table fundraiser in honor of Ethan Murray

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Justine Murray has been running into more hummingbirds than normal. While hiking in the mountains. At her home. At friends’ houses. While visiting the site where her son, Ethan, died.

A friend told her it was Ethan’s way of letting her know he’s “doing fine,” and it’s something Murray has chosen to believe.

Ethan was shot and killed May 4 by a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy. A diagnosed schizophrenic who struggled with drug addiction, the 25-year-old died at a small homeless camp in Spokane Valley. The tragedy inspired Murray to be a more vocal advocate for improved mental health resources.

The local Far North chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will honor Ethan with a farm-to-table dinner Saturday, Aug. 24 at 5:30 p.m. The dinner will take place at From the Heart flower farm, located at 1444 Gooby Road in Sandpoint. Tango Cafe owner and chef Judy Colegrove, who knew Ethan, will provide all the cooking for the evening.

Though NAMI hosted its first farmto-table dinner last summer, Colegrove spearheaded bringing it back this year in honor of Ethan. A small hummingbird adorns the event’s poster.

“I am touched and honored that Judy had the idea to put this together,” Murray said.

The evening will feature a multi-course gourmet meal and libations from Pend d’Oreille Winery. There will also be silent auction items, including a painting to honor Ethan by local artist Diana Shuppel.

Colegrove described last year’s dinner — which she attended as a guest — as an

Courtesy photo. “amazing experience.”

“The food, the people, the place — that feeling is very special,” she said.

Tickets to the 2019 NAMI Farmto-Table dinner are $95 per person.

All proceeds go toward NAMI’s North Idaho Crisis Services, which offers an after-hours crisis hotline for those seeking help, support and referrals to local mental health services. The line is staffed by licensed mental health professionals and is available 5 p.m.-8 a.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday.

NAMI Far North board president Ellie Lizotte said the crisis line costs $6,000 a month to operate, making donations and grants vital to the resource’s success.

To buy tickets to the event, use eventbrite.com and search “2019 NAMI Far North Farm to Table.” Those with questions about the event or who want to bid on Schuppel’s painting — which will soon be on display in downtown Sandpoint — should email NamiFarNorth.

FarmtoTable@gmail.com.

Those interested in donating produce or other food items to the event can contact Colegrove at 208-263-9514.

August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 19

20 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

COMMUNITY

BoCo Rodeo hosts range of additions at the arena in 2019

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

adults with disabilities the chance to participate in a range of rodeo activities, from leading horses to riding bucking barrels and “milkBonner County Rodeo organizers are saddling up a number of ing” a bucket cow.

“It’s an event to give these new exhibitions, acts and events individuals an opportunity to exfor the 2019 competition, set for perience cowboy life,” said Rodeo Friday-Saturday, Aug. 2-3 at the President Jimmy Cornelius.

Bonner County Fairgrounds.

Other events include the RusSanctioned by the Professional tlin’ Up Grub food drive, which Rodeo Cowboys Association and benefits the Bonner Community Women’s Professional Rodeo Food Bank — bring a can of Association, this year’s rodeo non-perishable food to the ticket features longtime favorites like booth and be entered into a prize calf roping, barrel racing and raffle — and the Miracle Minute, competitive bronc riding, with the in which rodeo royalty and area addition of professional women’s kids collect contributes from breakaway roping — an exhibition rodeo attendees to support local of speed and accuracy described cancer services. as similar to calf roping only a “We’re making quite a few rider doesn’t dismount, their rope changes here in one year,” Corneinstead disengaging from the lius said. “Trying to saddle once the calf is lassoed.

BoCo PRCA Rodeo keep it fresh.”

But perhaps Also new Friday, Aug. 2-Saturday, Aug. 3.; the most unique this year is the gates at 6:30 p.m., performances at 7:30 p.m.; $15 adults, $8 youths performer at this Rascal Rodeo, online; $18 adults, $10 youths at year’s event is also which on Satthe gate. Bonner County Fairits smallest. urday, Aug. 3 grounds, 4203 N. Boyer Road, Whiplash the at 10 a.m. gives 208-263-8414, get tickets online at bonnercountyfair.com or sandCowboy Monkey, children and pointbonnercountyrodeo.com.

who hails from Stephenville, Texas, lives up to his stage name. The 27-year-old white-headed capuchin monkey, whose given name is Pistol Pete, is a veteran of rodeos around the country. Now he’s coming to the Bonner County Rodeo for a special performance in which he’ll ride his trusty dog in a display of sheep herding prowess.

Kenny Petet has owned, cared for, worked and lived with Whiplash for the past seven years, after taking him as a favor for the late-Tommy Lucia — a family friend and legendary rodeo animal trainer who will this year enter the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

“Whip, he’s really smart. He’s been doing this since he was 2 and he’ll live to 45 or 50,” Petet told the Reader in a phone interview while driving through Montana, as Whiplash rode in the backseat watching TV and eating grapes.

“He’s healthy, he’s happy, he likes what he does. He’s lived with people all his life.”

Dog-riding monkey acts have a long history, dating back to the days of vaudeville at the turn of

the 20th century. They eventually fell out of favor — Petet said unscrupulous managers in former times would simply buy a capuchin at the pet store, tie it to a dog and set the pair loose in the arena.

Petet was clear that practices have changed. Whiplash is in no way restrained to his canine mount and “he rides that dog because he wants to,” Petet said. What’s more, the little capuchin lives at home with the Petets “like a toddler who never grows up.”

Cornelius said he was drawn to including Whiplash in this year’s rodeo because “that’s a specialty act that I saw when I was a kid, but nobody does it anymore.” Petet confirmed that Whiplash is one of only two cowboy monkeys currently performing in the country.

That was enough to catch the attention of Heidi Cornelius,

Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey hard at work. Courtesy photo.

Jimmy’s wife, who encountered Whiplash and Petet at the PRCA convention in Las Vegas last December.

“At the time I thought, ‘We have to do something completely different because we had some of the best of the best trick riders [at the 2018 rodeo].’ When I saw Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we have got to get that act,’” she said.

Coming soon: a mountain field campus for local youth A large grant to Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education propels it toward $70,000 goal

2019 Live Your Dreams Scholarship recipient: ‘I want to affect other people’

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff One question above all stood out to Curtis Hauck when he neared the end of high school: What do I want my life to be?

The answer to that question centered on family and loved ones.

Beyond the scholastic and career goals that come standard with high school graduation, Hauck’s commitments were, above all, to the people he loves.

It was his emotional intelligence that impressed members of the Orton family, which founded the Live Your Dreams Scholarship. It’s also why the Live Your Dreams board selected him as its 2019 scholarship recipient.

“The fact that he was thinking about his relationships beyond his career really touched us,” said Kristina Orton.

That’s not to say that Hauck doesn’t have ambition to spare when it comes to his studies. He intends to attend the University

of Channel Islands, California to study engineering. He hopes he can use the skills he picks up to assist underserved communities and countries.

“Looking toward the future, there’s going to be a need for good engineering,” he said. “And I like to think I’d be able to go somewhere where the infrastructure is really bad.”

Part of his natural compassion stems from one of the darkest moments in his young life: his friend’s suicide. Hauck is haunted by memories of how, just hours before it happened, they had made plans to go to soccer practice the next day. But after a period of intense darkness and depression, he resolved to do something useful with his pain. The result was Walk for HOPE, a suicide prevention and awareness walk.

Hauck is honored to receive

By Reader Staff

Curtis Hauck, left, and Liam Orton, right, celebrate his selection as a scholarship winner by the Live Your Dreams Foundation. the Live Your Dreams scholarship, which was established in memory of Patrick Orton following his tragic death. He is hopeful he can follow in Patrick’s footsteps as a young man who is guided by his dreams.

“I don’t want my life to just be a life,” he said. “I want to affect other people.”

Underserved rural youth in Bonner County and beyond will soon have a mountain field campus where they will be able to explore and learn about their winter wildlands and the greater Lake Pend Oreille watershed.

Leading the charge is Sandpoint-based Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education.

The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health recently awarded a Community Transformation Grant to the city of Sandpoint for $250,000 to fund projects that encourage healthy eating and physical activity for children. The grant was awarded from High Five, the foundation’s childhood obesity initiative.

As a result, the city awarded SOLE with a grant for moret han $28,000, which helps bring the nonprofit one step closer to completing its $70,000 fundraising

goal to establish the field campus at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

Since 2010, SOLE has focused on providing experiential education programs for youth in the Sandpoint community and beyond.

SOLE’s programs have served well over 3,000 rural youth. The organization’s SnowSchool Experience provides novel, hands-on outdoor experiences in which students are able to explore and learn in their winter wildlands through lessons related to snow science, winter ecology, conservational literacy, avalanche awareness, and outdoor living and travel skills.

Of 66 SnowSchools nationwide, SOLE’s program at Schweitzer was recognized as a National Flagship SnowSchool Site in 2017, a distinction only shared by one other site in the country.

To help SOLE reach its fundraising milestone, email info@ soleexperiences.org or call 928351-7653 for more information.

August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 21

HISTORY

Take a walk through Sandpoint’s past The third annual Sandpoint Historical Walking Tour kicks off Aug. 3 with a guided outing

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Thanks to the Sandpoint Historic Preservation Commission, with an assist from the Bonner County Museum, residents and visitors alike are able to hold an abundance of Sandpoint history in their hands.

The Sandpoint Historic Preservation Commission is printing and releasing 2,500 copies of “Sandpoint: A Walk Through History” — a guidebook for the third annual Sandpoint Historic Walking Tour, which sets off into the past Saturday, Aug. 3 with a special group outing.

The booklet, which is due for release this week, holds photos and stories about more than 50 historic sites throughout Sandpoint, including some listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as winners of Preservation Idaho’s Orchids and Onions Award, according to a city press release.

A fold-out map at the back of the brochure outlines three self-guided walks.

Carrie Logan, former

22 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

Sandpoint mayor and current member of the preservation commission, said the brochure is paid for with advertising, grants and donations.

“Every penny counts and we appreciate any financial help we can get,” she said.

While the tour is meant to be self-guided, Logan and other commission members will lead a tour Saturday, Aug. 3 to celebrate the third printing of “Sandpoint: A Walk Through History.” Participants should meet outside the Panida Theater at 10 a.m., and plan to walk for about two hours.

Those looking to embark on a self-guided tour can get an official brochure and map at Sandpoint City Hall, the Bonner County Museum, the Sandpoint Visitor Center and select downtown businesses.

“I believe strongly in preserving and respecting our past,” Logan said. “Our past is a guide for how we see our town evolving.”

Bonner County Museum Director Olivia Luther said the tour is a great way to provide

community members and visitors with an “interactive experience with Sandpoint’s rich history.”

“I believe that any time we can offer opportunities for people to embrace and learn from the past, we are succeeding,” Luther said.

To access a digital version

of the tour booklet and map, visit sandpointidaho.gov/ your-government/commissions-committees and find the “Historic Preservation Commission” section. For additional information contact assistant city planner Ryan Shea at rshea@sandpointidaho.gov or 208-946-2087.

A rail car sits at the intersection of Main St. and Fourth Ave. in Sandpoint. Photo courtesy Bonner County Historical Society.

Collier book accepted into naval library

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Sandpoint author and retired combat helicopter pilot Bill Collier was treated to a special honor this week when his first book was accepted into the Emil Buehler Naval Aviation Library in Pensacola, Fla. “The Adventures of a Helicopter Pilot: Flying the H-34 helicopter in Vietnam for the United States Marine Corps,” was first published in 2014 and serves as a first-hand account of Collier’s combat flying experiences in Vietnam.”

The Emily Buehler Naval Aviation Library is the repository of archival collections of the National Naval Aviation Museum. Archives at the library focus primarily on the development of U.S. Naval Aviation from 1911 to present.

“I am excited to have my book recognized by such an august organization, and to have it made available to the patrons of the museum,” Collier said.

ARTISAN SPOTLIGHT

Coming clean

Land to Bath Soap-maker Jennifer Wood is ‘why Sandpoint smells so good’

By Ben Olson Reader Staff People think a lot in the shower.

Next time they’re sudsing up, they might consider Jennifer Wood, who has been making artisanal soaps and keeping North Idaho clean for more than 13 years with her local soap-making business Land to Bath Soap.

Wood said she first got into soap making from her mom.

As Wood tells it, in 2001, her niece landed in the hospital with a bad case of eczema. Her mother, who worked as a science teacher, set herself to the task of making a soap that wouldn’t aggravate her granddaughter’s skin.

“Enough is enough,” Wood remembered her mother saying.

Most soaps that use tallow require preservatives like formaldehyde or alcohol — both of which dry your skin.

“My mom came up with a way to make soap without preservatives, using olive oil, coconut oil and cottonseed oil,” Wood said. “She had lavender, tea tree and eucalyptus in it. She started giving bars away for Christmas; and, by the end of 2002, she was making a living doing soap.”

Wood followed in her mother’s footsteps, even transforming the childhood playhouse on the Bonner County property where her family has lived for five generations into a soap-making studio. In 2006, Land to Bath Soap started. Business took off immediately and never stopped.

“By 2008, we had literally built our home on soap,” Wood said. “It’s been one of those success stories and we’re so grateful to our customers.”

Wood estimates she makes about 14 batches of soap per day, and about three times a week. Because you get about 28 bars in a batch, that means she’s creating around 50,000 bars of soap every year.

Her top-selling bars usually contain

citrus, mint or lavender. She still utilizes her mother’s recipe, adding various essential oils for a wide variety of fragrances and colors.

“That’s why Sandpoint smells so good,” she said.

Land to Bath Soap products are sold at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market in a colorful array of cakes that almost look good enough to eat (uh, don’t eat soap).

For those wanting seasonal bars, or who need soap through the winter when the market isn’t open, visvis it landtobathsoap.com.

One of Jennifer Woods’ many varieties of soap. This one is called “Into the Fields.” Photo by Ben Olson.

Jennifer Wood at her regular booth at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market. Photo by Ben Olson.

Friends of the Library offer Aug. book sale

By Reader Staff The Friends of the Library will host their August book sale at the Sandpoint Library on Aug. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Sandpoint Library, 1407 Cedar St., has received the second half of a massive collection of cookbooks which are all being offered at half price. Also featured are beautiful table-top books and specially-priced sets of mysteries and childrens’ books to finish off the summer and get started on the next school year. Finally, there is also a large collection of nonfiction.

OPEN 11:30 am

GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

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

212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint

208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994 August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 23

MUSIC

Festival at Sandpoint: Week 1

Our guide to Sandpoint’s biggest music event of the year — whether it’s your first time or a longtime summer ritual

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The Festival at Sandpoint is nothing short of a two-week shindig. With shindigs come the necessary planning: How will you get there? What will you bring?

How can we get this whole thing to go down without a hitch?

We’ve compiled our best Festival advice in the interest of making sure every night lives up to the well-deserved hype.

Parking Walking or biking to War Memorial Field is ideal, but seeing as the shows draw people from across the county and beyond, the pedestrian option isn’t great for everyone. Driving to the venue, while possible, will result in serious street-parking frustration.

The most convenient option is to park at Sandpoint High School and catch a free SPOT bus ride to the field. Buses throughout the night, picking up festival-goers at the main entrance to the school and ferrying them back at regular intervals — whether the show has completely ended or not. Regardless of your chosen transportation

method, understand that exiting the venue and surrounding blocks is a slow-going process. Be patient, be mindful of others and just ride that relaxing live-show high as long as you can.

Lines There are two lines to the entrance depending on the type of ticket you have. Sponsor/patron ticket holders line up along the fence to the left of the main entrance to the field. General admission ticket holders line up to the right, winding through Lakeview Park. Don’t mix these up or it’s going to be an extra long wait.

Supplies Move over, strict food and drink policies — the Festival at Sandpoint is down with a good, old-fashioned picnic dinner, complete with beer and wine from the home fridge. Coolers are welcome, along with blankets and lawn chairs. When it comes to blankets, be humble about the space you really need (maximum 8 feet by 8 feet) and leave room for people to walk down the aisle without traipsing across your beloved quilt. Low-profile chairs are best so that people behind you

BAND WAGON

FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT

Week 1 shows Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats + Lucius Thursday, Aug. 1; early entry gates open at 5:45 p.m., general admission gates open at 6 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m.; general admission $59.95, early entry $84.95.

A happy crowd watches the opening act at the Festival at Sandpoint in 2018. Photo by Ben Olson. can see the stage. Crowd-appropriate chairs are also available to rent for $3. Other essential supplies include cash for Festival Street treats and a sweatshirt for when the evening cools off.

Decorum There’s nothing worse than looking forward to an event only to have your blanket-neighbors ruin it for you. To avoid this, make a wise seating choice. Dancers should congregate toward the front, where concert goers typically end up standing for the main act. Those looking forward to a low-key, easy-listening evening

Wizards take heed: The Panida Theater is set for a musical enchantment on Friday, Aug. 2, with the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint summer orchestra concert, “The Magic of Harry Potter.”

Guest conducted by Spokane Youth Symphony Director Dr. Roberta Botelli and drawn from the arrangement of Michael Story, students of the MCS Summer Orchestra will cast their charm over audiences thrilled by strains from the beloved “Harry Potter” films — a display of what the budding musical magicians have learned during MCS’s orchestra camp.

You don’t have to be a Quirinus Quirrell or Myron Wagtail to appreciate this exhibition of sonic spellcraft, but muggles need not apply.

— Zach Hagadone 1:30 p.m. door, 2 p.m. show; $10.83 general admission, $5.57 students. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., 208-263-9191, tickets at the door or panida.org. Learn more at sandpointconservatory.org.

R

/ August 1, 2019

Odds and ends Pets are not permitted at the Festival. Shows are happening rain or shine, unless organizers determine there is a safety risk.

There are security checkpoints at all entrances. Diehard fans are welcome to start lining up at 6 a.m. the day of their chosen show, but no earlier.

Jackson Browne Saturday, Aug. 3; show starts at 7:30 p.m.; SOLD OUT. Family Concert Sunday, Aug. 4; activities begin when the gates open at 2:30 p.m. and the music starts at 5 p.m.; $6.

All shows are at War Memorial Field, 801 Ontario St., 208-2654554, festivalatsandpoint.org.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Music Conservatory Summer Concert, ‘The Magic of Harry Potter,’ Aug. 2, Panida Theater

24 /

should choose seats toward the back to be sure their sightlines aren’t blocked. Talking during the show isn’t outlawed, but be mindful of the people around you who came to hear the music, not the latest gossip.

Walk off the Earth + Shook Twins Friday, Aug. 2; early entry gates open at 5:45 p.m., general admission gates open at 6 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m.; general admission $44.95, early entry $69.95.

The Zach Cooper Band, Aug. 2, The 219 Lounge Rarely is a band’s frontman sitting at the back of the stage, but such is the case for Coeur d’Alene blues-rock outfit The Zach Cooper Band.

Drummer and vocalist Zach Cooper leads the way for his five-piece band, belting out lyrics and driving the beat from behind his drum set. Despite the unusual setup, the group lays down funky, fun tunes as a regional favorite in live performances across the Inland Northwest.

The Zach Cooper Band emits a strong groove thanks to their progressive blues style, but not without a definite edge of rock to make their music hard to sort into one category.

With influences from Pink Floyd to R.L. Burnside to The Allman Brothers, Zach Cooper and company aren’t easy to classify.

Still, one thing is certain: Their music is just begging for someone to dance to it.

— Lyndsie Kiebert 9 p.m.-midnight, FREE. The 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208-263-5673, 219.bar.

MUSIC

This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert

Rock ’n’ roll all night

READ

Aftival concerts at The Hive keep the music going after the Festival lights go down

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff As they say, “The show must go on.” In the case of the Festival at Sandpoint, downtown music venue The Hive keeps the show going well past when crowds filter out of War Memorial Field. For the seventh year, The Hive hosts four nights of music dubbed the Aftival concert series Friday and Saturday nights Aug. 2, 3, 9 and 10. Doors for all shows open at 8:30 p.m., music starts at 10 p.m.

Must be 21 or older to attend (IDs will be checked, so don’t leave home without them).

Launching this year’s Aftival series, presented by Dig Beats Productions and KPND, is Yak Attack, the “electronic power trio” from Portland, Ore. Established in 2013, Yak Attack has made a name for itself in the City of Roses with its brand of “organic electronica”: a free-wheeling all-live production in which improvisation is the engine for a totally unique experience. House, drum and bass, breakbeat, jam, funk and jazz unite in a sound

that’s perpetually changing — no two shows are the same. Tickets to the Friday, Aug. 2 show are $15 advance, $20 at the door and $25 for VIP access, which gets you a special VIP entrance and entry one hour prior to doors, cocktail service, balcony view, access to VIP bathrooms and VIP credentials.

Listen at yakattackmusic.com.

The second night of Aftival features the return of Afrolicious, which brought down the house at The Hive’s most recent New Year’s Eve bash. The San Francisco-based six- to eight-piece band melds together African and Latin sounds with thumping bass drops, driving rhythms and electronic breaks that add up to an irresistible funky force that never fails to fill dance floors around the world.Tickets to the Saturday, Aug. 3 show, which benefits the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, are $20 advance, $25 at the door and $30 for VIP. Listen at afroliciousmusic.com.

The second weekend of Aftival brings Slim Wednesday, the Nashville-based project fronted

by JoJo Herman of Widespread Panic fame, to The Hive on Friday,

BAND WAGON

At the suggestion of a fellow 20-something female writer, I read “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear,” by Elizabeth Gilbert. Gilbert, best known for “Eat Pray Love,” shines in the self-help genre. She gives anecdotal and philosophical advice in hopes that her readers become more fearless creators. I most appreciated her take on ideas, which, she claims, are living things floating invisibly around us at all times. When an idea latches onto you, it wants to be born through you. There are a lot of reasons to say “no, maybe later,” but saying “yes” might be the best decision of your life.

LISTEN

Aug. 9. Also benefiting MCS, Slim Wednesday pays homage to giants of the New Orleans funk-soul-jazz sound such as the dearly-departed Dr. John and Professor Longhair, as well as The Funky Meters, who are still going strong after 54 years. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 at the door and $30 VIP. Listen at slimwednesday.com.

Aftival 2019 wraps up on Saturday, Aug. 10 with a rock-solid rock-out featuring the Scott Pemberton Band. The Portland, Ore.

native returns to The Hive after a high-energy throwdown in April, bringing his brand of surf-inflected funk-rock à la James Brown, Dick Dale, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. If that’s not enough to get you pumped, remember that Kool & the Gang are on the Festival stage that night, too. That’s one righteous double-whammy of get-down. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and $25 VIP. Benefits MCS. Listen at scottpemberton.com.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Swing Street Big Band, Aug. 5, Lakeview Park

Bright Moments, August 1 & 8, Trinity

Pack a lawn chair and tune your ear for the jumping sounds of the Swing Street Big Band, which will turn Lakeview Park into a hepster’s paradise Monday, Aug. 5.

Starting at 6 p.m., this free show sponsored by Sandpoint Parks and Rec features the 17-piece Sandpoint-based orchestra — which has been bringing Inland Northwest audiences to the dance floor for 21 years — along with local singer Maria Larson, accordionist Steve Filippini and London-based vocalist Max Curto.

Swing Streeters are especially jazzed about Curto sitting in. A 20-year stage veteran, he’s joined Swing Street before and this show marks a fond reunion for the man whose voice has been compared with the likes of Dean Martin and no less than the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra.

“They do the music justice and their love for big band and dedication to keep the sound alive is worthy of respect,” Curto wrote. “I can’t wait to join them again.”

— Zach Hagadone

For more than 20 years, a group of old friends have gotten together to play the jazz music that moves their hearts. Bright Moments is fronted by Arthur Goldblum, who sings and plays trumpet and flute.

Each night is a unique experience, and the set list reflects that. With Mike Johnson playing guitar and Peter Lucht on keyboard, the trio sometimes adds Denis Zwang on sax and Drew Brown on bass, along with different drummers.

The songs vary, but can all live happily under the jazz umbrella.

Bright Moments dips into Latin cool jazz and blasts back into ska jazz at the drop of a fedora. They can be smooth and mellow, or upbeat and rocking depending on the venue. When Bright Moments plays on the lawn at Trinity at City Beach, it’s the perfect pairing of views, brews and great musicians doing what they do.

6 p.m., FREE, donations appreciated. Lakeview Park, 901 Ontario St, swingstreetbigband.com.

Thursdays, Aug. 1 and 8; 6-9 p.m.; FREE. Trinity at City Beach, 58 Bridge St., 208-255-7558, trinityatcitybeach.com. Listen at facebook. com/brightmomentssandpoint.

I’m a sucker for female empowerment set to a catchy beat. In the wise words of 2019 radio success Lizzo, “If he don’t love you anymore, then walk your fine ass out the door.” It’s just one of many gems from her budding discography and her latest release,“Cuz I Love You,” is an album jam packed with sass, self-confidence and a whole lot of nerve. Lizzo is a powerhouse vocalist and gutsy rapper who isn’t afraid to show some skin, and I am here for it. Choice tracks: “Truth Hurts” and “Boys.”

WATCH

I saw “Pretty Woman” for the first time this month, and I should preface my recommendation with a disclaimer — I found a number of reasons to dislike this movie. First, the acting feels forced in places. Second, I really, really hated Richard Gere’s character.

Edward Lewis is a special kind of damaged and strange that I never felt a connection with. Julia Roberts as Vivian Ward is undoubtedly the reason this movie persists as a staple of ’90s film culture. She’s funny, charming and almost a real person, despite the fairytale ending. Plus, that hair.

-Ben Olson

August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 25

The Straight Poop: The quest for dog-friendly businesses in North Idaho ShakaPaw Pet Market

From Northern Idaho News, Oct. 26, 1926

COOLIDGE TO BE INVITED HERE There was only a small attendance at the meeting of the chamber of commerce last night due to many other attractions and the political campaign.

Secretary Paul Bower read a communication from the Idaho state chamber of commerce asking the chamber of commerce to join in with other chambers in sending an invitation to President Coolidge to visit the northwest. The chamber instructed the secretary to send such an invitation.

The committee on better relations between the residents of Sandpoint and the farmers was unable to make a report at the meeting and the matter was laid over until the next meeting of the club.

Several questions of importance were discussed by the members present including a county fair to be held at Sandpoint next fall, the beautifying of hte city parks, the adoption of new street lights in the downtown section, and the securing of factories here to use up the raw materials produced. All these questions were laid over until the next meeting for further action.

A letter was read from A.B. Smith of the Northern Pacific railway relative to the advertising the road is giving Sandpoint in the next time table the road will issue. A copy of the page containing the matter and a picture of Lake Pend d’Oreille was shown the members present. After looking over the picture it was decided the chamber of commerce would send a better picture of the lake to the railroad with the request that the better picture be used.

26 /

R

/ August 1, 2019

By Drake the Dog Reader Columnist

Where am I taking my humans today?

• This place was named after my best trick; • Papa Psuka takes center stage; • Customers here are more faithful than men.

The Missus was having coffee with her friend one day, and they were jibber jabbering about the name of her new natural pet food market in town. She wanted something catchy and not cutesy.

How ’bout Nose to Tail… nope… Toe to Tail… nope…Tails up… nope! During this fur-ocious event, I was sitting ever so patiently with them waiting for a treat.

Finally, the Missus dangled a cookie in front of me with the obligatory “Drake, Shakapaw!” Before I could seize the treat, these two had a light bulb moment.

The store was named after yours truly’s best trick — ShakaPaw! Today we’re walking to 120 Cedar St. I can’t wait to see my kitty buddy, Birch, and owner Jennifer Ferguson. She is passionate about our health because she has had dogs die from cancer-related issues.

Jennifer started her journey into good nutrition for her purr-fessional furry friends as she was researching the link between genetics, autoimmune diseases and unnatural substances found in everyday ingredients, which are also found in pet foods. These ingredients can contribute to dietary imbalance and disease.

Jen bought her first two rat terrier show dogs in 2009, which was a fairly new breed in the United Kennel Club and considered a miscellaneous class in the American Kennel Club.

After much whining and dining, this breed was accepted into the AKC. Good timing, since her pup — Grand Champion Stiletto’s IGO Tequila (aka Teqa) — was in the top 10 UKC rat terrier group.

Raise the ruff... she had the op-purr-tunity to register her first rat terrier litter into the AKC. Bon ap-pét-it…

Jen feeds her show dogs a raw diet.

C’mon, mom; a raw diet instead of my beloved dry kibble? So I asked Jen about the pet-tential of raw diets. Here’s the Straight Poop: going raw is not a new idea. The diet is typically commercially made, balanced and is the most

biologically appropriate diet for dogs and cats. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they should be eating meat loaded with taurine. (My kitty sister Mika needs to have a diet overhaul. Where’s the meat, mama?).

Dogs belong to the canis lupus family, lupus being the scientific name for the gray wolf. Wolves hunt live prey for meat. Dogs are descended from wolves, and so our teeth are meant to rip chunks of meat and swallow them whole. We chew on bones for collagen and calcium, plus they keep our teeth clean. Hence, a raw diet helps us achieve optimal health.

Mimicking a dog’s historical diet is possible through the raw style of feeding, with slight modifications to meet the lifestyle of today’s domesticated pets.

Canned and dry food raw products, some of which are 100% non-GMO kibble, are sold at ShakaPaw. Jen wants us to understand that the physical health issues with dogs are not always about the foods and the environment — the root cause could be a result of how each individual is built and their hereditary conformation. Just like an athlete is built to do their job with minimal breakdown, so is the history behind each breed of dog. You wouldn’t put a pony on a racetrack and expect it to perform like a thoroughbred. Either way, we all deserve the best in our diet to promote a long, healthy life.

Jennifer Ferguson and Drake at ShakaPaw taking a break from snacking on Papa Psuka

Crossword Solution

For mad scientists who keep brains in jars, here’s a tip: why not add a slice of lemon to each jar, for freshness.

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS

Woorf tdhe Week

bastion

/BAS - chuhn /

[noun] 1. anything seen as preserving or protecting some quality, condition, etc.

“The school became a bastion of intellectualism in a sea of ignorance.”

Corrections: “One piece of wisdom a writer quickly learns ~ typos keep you humble.”

-E.A. Bucchianeri

1. Reveals 6. As just mentioned 10. Grizzly 14. Overweight 15. Roman emperor 16. Therefore 17. 4-door car 18. Stigma 19. Trickle 20. Downpour 22. Thorny flower 23. Alone 24. Warning devices 26. Flower stalk 30. Uncooked 31. 18-wheeler 32. Lawn mower brand 33. Sea eagle 35. Radiant 39. Disentangle 41. A company that flies 43. Wager (two words) 44. Tale 46. Behold, in old Rome 47. Black gunk 49. Evil spirit 50. Very intense 51. Ring around the nipple 54. Praise 56. Brought into existence 57. Resembling snoring 63. River of Spain 64. Stopper 65. Furze

Solution on page 26 66. Place 9. Plaster 67. Balm ingredient 10. In deplorable 68. Master of ceremonies condition 69. Terminates 11. Mistake 70. Extend credit 12. Discrimination 71. Muscular contraction against the elderly 13. Hemp cords DOWN 21. Driller 1. Pear variety 25. Teller of untruths 2. Cain’s brother 26. Counterfoil 3. Start over 27. Anagram of “Note” 4. Brother of Jacob 28. At one time 5. Dispatches (archaic) 6. In a narrow-minded 29. Tediously manner repetitious 7. Dethrone 34. Set aside 8. Historical periods 36. Bloodsucking

insects 37. A single time 38. Cry 40. A Freudian stage 42. Enter data 45. Control surface on a plane 48. Mischievous one 51. Poplar tree 52. Batman’s sidekick 53. Made a mistake 55. Judges 58. Lacquered metalware 59. Cavort 60. Killer whale 61. Applications 62. Appear

August 1, 2019 /

R

/ 27