Reader_Dec29_2022

The week in random review

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

that corn chip dog smell

Dog owners know what I mean when I refer to the corn chip smell. Especially when my dog gets up from being curled in a toasty warm ball on her dog bed, the weirdly satisfying scent of Fritos fills my nose. Turns out, it’s her microbiome. Bacteria, fungi and sometimes even yeast can give off a corn-chippy smell. It’s not a sign of sickness, luckily, but just a fact of doggy life. I’m not complaining. Anything is better than when she enjoys a good roll in elk poop…

best hack for checking road conditions

This time of year, those of us with commutes wake up some mornings and think, “How in the heck am I supposed to get to town today?” Especially with the hairy road conditions many of us experienced over Christmas weekend this year, it occurred to me that many people don’t know that the Idaho Transportation Department has a website with live footage of area roads available to view 24/7. I regularly check the images of Highway 200 at Sunnyside, as well as the cameras on Highway 95 near the Long Bridge. Access information about road conditions all over the state at 511.idaho.gov.

one day at a time

“You know how I always dread the whole year? Well this time I’m only going to dread one day at a time.”

— Peanuts character Charlie Brown on his New Year’s resolution

for those who need a couple more weeks

…to commit to a resolution or embrace a fresh start, there is Chinese New Year, which is slated for Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. The year 2023 will be the year of the rabbit, which is considered the luckiest of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac. It also represents peace, which I think we can all agree sounds pretty nice headed into a new year. All that said, if Dec. 31 doesn’t signal a positive shift in your life, give it a couple of weeks and embrace the spirit of the rabbit.

a haiku for 2023

Another year, here

Possibilities abound

Find the good, it’s there

DEAR READERS,

Throughout the year, as we count down the 52 editions of the Reader we release into the wild, I’m always amazed at how quick time flies when your life is dictated by weeklong deadline cycles.

Believe it or not, the Reader will soon celebrate eight years of being back in print since we brought the paper back from the dead in January 2015. We’ve been through a lot in those eight years. There have been lots of highs, a bunch of lows and quite a few middling moments between, but one thing remains the same as the first day I began as publisher of this newspaper: I appreciate all of you out there who pick us up each week.

Also, I’d like to remind those who would like to submit to the 208 Fiction contest that the deadline is rapidly approaching. Please send your short stories to stories@ sandpointreader.com by midnight on Dec. 31 to be considered for the contest. Stories should be exactly 208 words long (not including title or author name) and the winner gets $150 and will be published in the Reader. Happy New Year!

–Ben Olson, publisher

111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 946-4368

www.sandpointreader.com

Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com

Editorial:

Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com

Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com

Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus)

Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com

Contributing Artists:

Ben Olson (cover design), Karen Hempstead, Arlene Lothian, Bill Preuss, Steve Johnson, Marlene Rorke, Bill Borders, Otto Kitsinger

Contributing Writers:

Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, Lorraine H.Marie, Brenden Bobby, Clark Corbin, Shelby Rognstad, Barbara Russell, K.L. Huntley, Cameron Rasmusson, Marcia Pilgeram, Sandy Compton

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com

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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

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

Requirements:

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

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About the Cover

This week’s cover was designed by Ben Olson. Happy new year!

BoCo adopts updated Goals, Objectives and Policies for the Comp Plan

Comments about ‘disjointed’ Comp Plan amendment process don’t deter commissioners

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Bonner County commissioners voted unanimously Dec. 21 to adopt updates to the Bonner County Comprehensive Plan’s Goals, Objectives and Policies document while facing concerns about lack of public involvement in the Comp Plan update process.

The Dec. 21 hearing marked the second time the board had heard planning staff present on the Goals, Objectives and Policies, which serve as a jumping-off point for the rest of the Comp Plan’s more detailed chapters. The Bonner County Planning Commission recommended the amended document’s approval in September, and the BOCC floated changes during its November hearing on the file that required an additional hearing before adoption.

The commissioners heard the Goals file, as well as proposed changes to the Comp Plan’s Community Design chapter, after nearly three hours of public testimony related to other land use files, including a hotly contested proposal to change a zoning designation at the intersection of Dufort and Vay roads from Rural-5 to Rural Service Center, allowing for the future development of a gas station on the property. The board voted unanimously to remand that file back to the planning department.

By the time the BOCC took up the Comp Plan changes, the packed room and online audience had mostly cleared.

Planner Swati Rastogi presented the Comp Plan files, despite assurances from the commissioners that they were familiar with the changes they’d suggested and didn’t need to

hear them again.

“But, it is still the process that is dictated by the state code that we have a public hearing for the public to be able to participate in any recommended changes on the Goals, Objectives and Policies,” Rastogi said.

Regardless, the presentation on the actual content of the document’s amendments remained slim, with Commissioner Dan McDonald acknowledging that he’d “read through it” and made note that all of the “shalls” previously included had been changed to “shoulds,” “which is the correct language for this document,” he said.

“We are the ones who suggested all of these changes, so if we’re suddenly not in favor of that, then we probably should go to the doctor immediately,” said Commissioner Jeff Connolly, prompting laughs from the two other commissioners.

The public comment period saw testimony from Idaho Conservation League’s Jennifer Ekstrom, who serves as the organization’s North Idaho Lakes Conservation Associate. Ekstrom requested that the board table its vote on the Goals, Objectives and Policies, calling the process to update the Comp Plan “unnecessarily disjointed, complicated and confusing in a way that alienates public participation.

“You can see here, four days before Christmas, almost 5 o’ clock after everybody showed up for something else — they’re not here for this,” she said, referencing the recently cleared room. “I personally see this process right here as having much greater consequence for the future of our community than one particular issue, which is something that people don’t want in their backyard so it’s a lot more exciting to get engaged in. But this issue

that is before you right now is going to have consequences long into the future. So, if you’d consider tabling it and letting the next commission take it up in a way that seems to make sense, I think that that would be terrific.”

Connolly and McDonald will be replaced in office in coming weeks by commissioners-elect Luke Omodt and Asia Williams.

Ekstrom also noted that she believed the Comp Plan’s guiding document should feature a commitment from the county to ensure landowners are procuring the necessary sewage treatment authorization prior to approving land divisions or building permits.

“A failure to do so is a huge disservice not only to the landowners and the builders, but also to everyone who enjoys or recreates in or drinks the water that can be impacted by improper sewage disposal,” she said.

McDonald responded to that concern by stating that Panhandle Health District is routed on approved files.

“We let the outside regulatory agencies deal with their business and we deal with our business,” he said. “It’s when we start trying to cross over into their business or they cross into our business that we have problems.”

Ekstrom’s other concerns, particularly about how the Land Use portion of the Comp Plan’s Goals document only made particular note of commercial and industrial uses, were dismissed by the board because other portions of the plan would address issues like rural character and

natural resources.

“This is a working document,” Connolly said. “If the new commission came in on [Jan. 9] and said, ‘Yeah, we don’t like that,’ they can change it then, that very day. This is not inscribed in stone. It is meant to change, and if they don’t like it, they’ll change it.”

Written comments from Margaret Hall, a former Bonner County planning commissioner for 11 years, were also read into the record. Hall urged the board to postpone adopting the Goals document, calling the entire Comp Plan amendment process “truncated,” adding that it “lacks adequate public engagement” or consideration for current and projected scientific data.

In response to Hall’s comments, McDonald said: “Not correct, but that’s fine.”

The Comp Plan is currently being amended and adopted chapter-by-chapter, with the planning commission recommending changes for each section and commissioners adopting one chapter at a time.

“As far as the process, you

think it’s disjointed, but if you go back and look at the way they did it in 2005, it’s exactly the same. Same exact process,” McDonald said in response to Ekstrom’s comments. “Because, to do this in one big body would be too cumbersome for anybody to comprehend, so they’re breaking it up in pieces. The reason for that is it’s easier to focus on something in a smaller chunk than to swallow the whole enchilada.”

Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the updated Goals, Objectives and Policies. They also voted to hold another hearing on the Community Design chapter of the Comp Plan due to recommended changes the planning commission put forward after its last official hearing on the issue.

To stay up-to-date on upcoming Comp Plan hearings and to read the proposed amendments, go to bonnercountyid.gov/ComprehensivePlanUpdate.

Bonner County Commissioners from left to right: Dan McDonald, Jeff Connolly and Steve Bradshaw. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey.

The dean of the Idaho press corps signs off

Longtime Idaho political journalist Betsy Russell to retire Jan. 1

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun

Betsy Russell, the longtime president of the Idaho Press Club and a dogged and influential political journalist who covered seven Idaho governors, is retiring Jan. 1.

Russell started her reporting career early, joining her high school paper and covering her own graduation.

She earned a political science degree from the University of California-Berkeley and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

“Journalism became my career for really idealistic reasons because I believed really strongly, and I still believe, that we cannot have representative democracy and live in a free country unless the people know what their government is doing so they can freely engage in self government,” Russell told the Idaho Capital Sun.

Russell moved to Idaho in 1986 to cover Boise City Hall for the Idaho Statesman. Over the next 36 years she covered the Idaho Legislature, government and politics for the Statesman, the Spokesman-Review and Idaho Press newspapers. Along the way, she was a part of a team of Spokesman-Review journalists that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for their coverage of Randy Weaver and the Ruby Ridge standoff near Naples.

Her coverage exposed false claims made by Republican and Democratic elected officials from the campaign trail to the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives. Russell’s stories led to prison reform and changes in state policy, while her work with the Idaho Press Club and Idahoans for Openness in Government sought to increase transparency in halls of power across the state.

When Russell first arrived at the Idaho Statesman, she covered then-Mayor Dirk Kempthorne and the debate about downtown Boise’s redevelopment and an ill-fated proposal to build an indoor shopping mall. Gov. John Evans was nearing the end of his last term

in office and Russell got her first taste of covering the Idaho Legislature and the governor’s office when Kempthorne would testify at the Statehouse. Russell went on to cover six other Idaho governors closely — Cecil Andrus, Phil Batt, Kempthorne, Jim Risch, Butch Otter and Brad Little.

Russell’s career included several highlights.

•Russell created and wrote the Eye on Boise blog, first for the Spokesman-Review and later for the Idaho Press, that was a must-read for anyone interested in the Idaho Legislature and state government — including many of the most highest ranking and influential elected leaders in the Gem State.

•In 2004, Russell and Dean Miller, a veteran Idaho and Washington newspaper editor, created Idahoans for Open Government, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to openness and compliance with the Idaho Public Records Act and Idaho Open Meetings Law.

•Russell’s 1997 series investigating Idaho prisons revealed the fact that nearly a quarter of Idaho’s prison population was incarcerated for four crimes that are not even considered felonies — simple drug possession, drunk driving, driving without a license and writing bad checks — in a majority of states. The series led to a gubernatorial investigation launched by then-Gov. Phil Batt and led to several reforms. In a telephone interview, Russell called her prison series “probably the most significant story I have covered in my career.”

Russell’s Eye on Boise blog was such essential reading that legislators and and Idaho’s highest ranking elected officials would routinely refresh it throughout the day while working in the Idaho State Capitol.

“You’d walk on the floor, particularly towards the end of the session when things are happening, and a third to half of the laptops (would be reading Russell’s blog),” Idaho Gov. Brad Little said.

Although Russell is regularly

praised even by elected officials she scrutinized in her coverage, she does have a critic in Idaho Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman — who Russell administered a rare public rebuke of earlier this year.

Russell stepped outside of her traditional role to write a July 23 opinion column in her Eye on Boise blog, writing that Hoffman was wrong to use his position to undermine public trust in public schools, health care and Idaho journalists. In an interview with the Sun, Russell listed the column among her most memorable of her career.

Russell and Hoffman previously worked together at the Idaho Statesman and both served on the Idaho Press Club board of directors. Russell spoke out after Hoffman used his video podcast to refer to Idaho journalists as biased, leftists and socialists.

“Hoffman’s continued agitation against real journalists is encouraging his followers to engage in actual harassment against the hard-working reporters who work to bring you the news every day,” Russell wrote. “It needs to stop.”

Hoffman believes the column was one example of Russell stepping outside of journalistic ethics. Hoffman declined to be interviewed for this article, and submitted a written statement instead.

“Betsy is not a reporter,” Hoffman wrote, in part. “She’s a propagandist, much like most of the rest of the Idaho media. Having spent nearly 20 years in the journalism profession and 17 years connected to it (as an agency spokesman, a spokesman for conservative candidates and politicians, and at the head of the Idaho Freedom Foundation for nearly 15 years) I can safely say that Betsy abandoned long-established standards for ethics in journalism about 20 years ago. She should

have left the profession then.”

Russell said she made a unique exception to call Hoffman out, based on her career experience and role as the president of the Idaho Press Club, to appeal to Idahoans to support local journalists who provide unbiased coverage and are transparent about their reporting and funding sources.

“Over the years, my blog has always been a news blog, not an opinion blog,” Russell said. “I’ve always taken care to keep it that way. I am a news reporter, I am not an opinionator.”

Russell is the longest serving and most prominent of three Idaho journalists who are retiring this

year, joining Bill Spence from the Lewiston Tribune and Keith Ridler from the Associated Press. Russell is also stepping down as president of the Idaho Capitol Correspondents Association. The association’s vice president, Idaho Education News reporter Kevin Richert, will take over as president during the 2023 legislative session.

Idaho Press city editor Laura Guido will take over for Russell as the newspaper’s Statehouse reporter, the Idaho Press reported.

“It is time to hand over the reins to a new generation of Idaho journalists,” Russell said. “That is why I am also stepping down as president of the Idaho Press Club when my term ends in April. I’m really excited about the talented wave of younger journalists that is coming up in our state. It is their turn now.”

In her retirement, Russell plans to devote her winter weekdays to skiing at Bogus Basin, something she has been unable to do because of the Idaho Legislature’s schedule.

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

City of Sandpoint accepting applications for various committees

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

City of Sandpoint Administrator Jennifer Stapleton announced at the Dec. 21 City Council meeting that applications are currently being accepted for various committees.

“We have vacancies on the Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation Commission, an opening on the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency, as well as the Planning and Zoning Commission,” Stapleton said.

Those interested in applying can obtain applications from the city of Sandpoint’s Facebook page, or from the front page of the city’s website at sandpointidaho.gov.

“If anyone is interested in the Planning and Zoning Commission, they have to be a resident of the city of Sandpoint,” Stapleton explained. “You do not necessarily have to be a city resident for SURA or the Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation Commission, but there is criteria you’ll have to fill out.”

Journalist Betsy Z. Russell asks a candidate question during the Idaho Supreme Court debate on May 6, 2016. (Otto Kitsinger)

Idaho to ramp up to legislative session during first week of January

Inauguration and committee meetings begin before legislative session starts Jan. 9

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun

Although Idaho’s 2023 legislative session doesn’t begin until Jan. 9, action will begin picking up at the Idaho State Capitol during the first week of January with the inauguration, inaugural ball and a couple of committee meetings setting the stage.

Decisions made during the new year will help shape Idaho government, policies and politics for years to come, with four new statewide officials being sworn in and historical turnover and leadership changes at the Idaho Legislature. About one in three legislators will be rookies in 2023.

Here’s a look ahead at some of the key events associated with the start of new terms of office for elected officials and the process of opening a new legislative session.

Key dates leading up to the beginning of Idaho’s 2023 legislative session

•Jan. 4: The Idaho Legislature’s Change in Employee Compensation Committee meets at 9 a.m. in Room EW20. The committee makes recommendations about pay and salary increases for state employees. The Idaho in Session streaming service provides free live streaming coverage of this meeting, as well as legislative committee meetings and floor sessions, events from the governor’s office and Idaho Supreme Court hearings throughout the year.

•Jan. 5: The Idaho Legislature’s Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee will meet at the Idaho State Capitol. The time

and place have yet to be announced.

•Jan. 6: The inauguration of Brad Little for his second term of governor and the swearing in ceremonies for statewide constitutional officers begins at noon on the south steps of the Idaho State Capitol. The ceremony also includes Little’s inaugural address. Idaho Public Television will broadcast the inauguration live.

•Jan. 6: The Idaho Legislature’s Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee will meet at the Idaho State Capitol. The time and place have yet to be announced.

•Jan. 7: Idaho’s 49th Inaugural Procession and Ball begins at 7 p.m. inside the Idaho State Capitol. The ball is open to the public and tickets are $35.

•Jan. 9: The Idaho Legislature convenes at noon in the Idaho State Capitol.

•Jan. 9: Gov. Brad Little will deliver the State of the State address at 1 p.m. to a joint session of the Idaho Legislature on the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives. The address will be streamed live on Idaho in Session and broadcast by Idaho Public Television.

•Jan. 10: (Tentatively) The rest of the Idaho Legislature’s committees, including the powerful Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, will begin conducting their first meetings of the year at the Idaho State Capitol.

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

Panida Century Fund ‘inches’ from first-year goal

By Reader Staff

Donations from individuals the past week to the Panida Century Fund totaled $2,870, which was doubled thanks to the match from Ting Internet, for a total $5,740 added to the Century Fund coffers. The fund total as of Wednesday stood at $236,133.77.

But Panida board member and fundraising chair Foster Cline said there’s another substantial number coming in, as the Idaho Heritage Trust has notified the Panida of a $15,000 grant.

“When that comes in, the fund will be over $251,133,” Cline said. “We feel like we’re inches away from our first-year goal

of $273,100. If individuals donate only $11,000 more, with the Ting match we’ll meet that goal.”

This first-year fundraising goal is dedicated to the replacement of the Panida roof, which is aged and has a leak in extreme weather events, threatening damage to some of the historic interior plaster.

The Century Fund has a five-year total goal to raise of $1.9 million to fund long-deferred maintenance and restoration before the Panida’s 100th anniversary in November 2027. The campaign has gotten a huge boost from Ting Internet, which has pledged to match individual donations of $5,000 and under, for a total of $200,000 over the five-year campaign.

To donate, or see detailed plans for the campaign itemizing expenses, click to www. panida.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:

Don’t do it. That’s the advice about drinking alcohol during pregnancy, from the University of Vienna. Researchers scanned 24 fetuses between 22 and 36 weeks gestation, whose mothers had consumed anywhere from less than one drink a week to intoxication. When compared to fetuses with no alcohol exposure, the alcohol-exposed showed a “significant reduction” in brain development in the area associated with language development and social cognition.

On Christmas day vandals attacked four power substations in Pierce County, Wash., stopping power to 14,000 customers. ABC News said damages were more severe than initially estimated. Earlier in December two substations were shot up in North Carolina.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently visited U.S. Congress with a message of gratitude for support as his nation fights Russian aggression, Axios reported. “Your money is not charity,” he said. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy...” Zelensky was given a standing ovation by lawmakers, with the exception of some from the farright. (Msn.com reported that Kremlin state TV has applauded Rep. Lauren Boebert for refusing to stand, and also lauded Rep. Matt Gaetz and Tucker Carlson of Fox News for their pro-Russian stances.) Following Zelensky’s visit, The New York Times said Congress passed a bill expanding the government’s power to prosecute international war crimes. Congress rejected Zelensky’s request for battle tanks and fighter jets.

Resolution fodder: Three long-term studies on how exercise can protect against developing dementia are timely. While vigorous exercise is the best, there were also benefits from “non-traditional” exercise, such as household chores, The New York Times reported. Those who exercised regularly (ranging from walking to gym workouts) had a 17% lower risk for developing dementia. Another study showed benefits of starting exercise while young: higher levels of fitness as a youth resulted in higher cognitive function in midlife. One study’s take-away: do the exercise you like best. For more about exercise and cognitive decline, read Dr. Dale Bredesen’s books about reversing Alzheimer’s.

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

The House voted to publicly release Donald Trump’s tax returns after years of his refusal to do so, The New York Times reported. One finding: the IRS, despite a mandate to audit sitting presidents, did not audit Trump in his first two years in office. The released tax info was still not a completed audit.

Congress voted to fund the government through September, numerous media reported. Included in the $1.7 trillion bill were investments in education, childcare, healthcare, public and mental health, the opioid crisis and basic needs like food security, housing and heating. Members of the armed forces got a 4.6% pay raise. Funds also went to state and local law enforcement, Ukraine and disaster relief. Of particular significance was inclusion of the Electoral Count Act, meant to deter any scheme to overturn the election results. The spending bill’s passage prevents a struggle by some Republicans to hold the spending hostage so their demands can be met. Exclusions from the bill included an extension of the Child Tax Credit, $9 billion to fight the Covid pandemic and energy permitting “reforms” coveted by West Virginia coal businessman Sen. Joe Manchin.

Various media reported that at least 50 people died as a result of recent weather; 53.7% of the nation was covered in snow. More recorded loss of life is expected; emergency aid has been hampered by snowfall that exceeded any time frame since the beginning of weather record-keeping.

Polio has resurfaced. Complicating eradication efforts is the fact that by the time the virus is detected, it may already be out of control, The Nation says. Like COVID, a person can be an unaware carrier. Unlike COVID, polio can suddenly cripple victims, who are most often children, but sometimes adults. The author of the Nation article recounted his own childhood experience with polio: he had not been vaccinated, was hospitalized with polio for three months, then had to wear leg calipers and a device to keep his back straight. It took years to gain better mobility, and he’s always had a severe limp. The whole account is found in Patrick Cockburn’s autobiographical book, The Broken Boy.

Blast from the past: “Patience is also a form of action.” — Auguste Rodin, French sculptor, 1840-1917.

Right: Norwegian ice candles, showing the beauty in frigid temperatures. “These ice candles are so fun to make and are pretty festive when grouped together,” said photographer Karen Hempstead.

Far right: Guy Lothian cross-country skis on a beautiful winter day before the freezing rain.

Photo by Arlene Lothian.

Bottom left: “Snow snorkeling” with Molly the dog, who dove into the deep snow chasing an orange Frisbee (seen exiting frame left).

Photo by Bill Preuss.

Bottom middle: A photograph of “The Patient Garden Shed,” by Steve Johnson.

Bottom right: “Sit and chill for a while,” says photographer Marlene Rorke, who snapped this icy photo of a bench.

To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.

Bouquets:

•I have to take my hat off to Kaleb Keaton and the rest of the crew who put on the Festivus production at the Panida on Dec. 23.It was one of those events you attend without a clue what to expect, and leave glad that you were there. It was like a celebration of everything local in Sandpoint — the togetherness, the snark, the inside jokes and refusal to take anything too seriously. We need more events like that in Sandpoint to help us retain the character that is seeping out more and more over the years.

•I appreciate all of you who have reached out to ask how to help while we pay back our PPP loan. Thank you for your fundraising ideas, but we’re going to handle it internally. We already had a very successful fundraising campaign last year thanks to Ting Internet matching donations, and we don’t want to ask too much of our community; there are so many worthy nonprofits out there who do much more than we do. They deserve your support. I only shared the news about our loan forgiveness being denied out of transparency in case some of our services are lacking in the near future. As a result, I’ve received several snarky emails from many of our readers who seemed to revel in telling us exactly what they think of us. Frankly, I’m sick of all the ugliness, so I’ll try to hold our cards closer to the chest from here forward. We’ll get through this. The best way you can support us is to patronize our advertisers’ businesses and keep being an informed community member.

Barbs:

• Mother Nature gets a Barb from me this week. What a shame to have all that wonderful snowfall, then watch it get ruined by freezing rain. I’m glad to see the snow returned Wednesday. Let’s hope we continue to keep our temperatures below freezing.

Dear editor, Regarding articles about lack of affordable housing and rapid population growth [Reader, Dec. 15, 2022], the “elites” continue to push “high density,” “affordable,” “workforce,” “low-income” housing projects, while ignoring that this may open the door for lower income transplants with rent subsidies to relocate here.

Sandpoint’s population explosion in the last 10 years coincides with the surge in new “high density” housing projects, (Milltown, behind Super 1 foods, built 2013, etc.).

These projects accept out-of-state, (as well as local) Section 8 HUD and other rent subsidy recipients.

We witnessed many out-of-state plates moving into Milltown when it first opened. New residents told us that openings for new “rent-subsidized housing projects” are advertised to Section 8 HUD and other rent subsidy recipients across all 50 states. People receiving rent subsidies can transfer to any state/city they choose [see hud.gov for more info].

Is there a correlation between 10 years of rapid population growth and 10 years of rapidly building high-density government subsidized housing projects? I don’t know, but the average citizen like me is unlikely to find the answer unless the mayor, (or maybe a journalist who has the “huevos”), can dig in and answer some direct questions, preferably publicly in the paper so we can all read and discover the truth.

What percentage of people living in our current housing projects came from out of state, having relocated here with their rent subsidies?

What percentage of the residents in our “affordable housing projects” resided in Bonner County prior to their initial residency? (I say initial because some may have “upgraded” from another local project.)

What percentage of people living in these current “workforce” housing projects are employed?

What portion of the so-called “high density, affordable housing” is occupied by true locals, versus outof-area people relocating here with rent subsidies?

Thank you and Merry Christmas, David Haussler

Sandpoint

Dear editor,

I want to genuinely thank the Sandpoint community for believing in my dream as much as I do. I am so

thankful to everyone who has pledged, shared and simply talked about my project to their friends and family.

Bigger Brain/Smart in Style is now 84% funded via Kickstarter. Kickstarter is all-or-nothing, so if we don’t reach the goal by then, all funds will be returned to pledgors. My campaign only needs $4,232 more by Dec. 30 to become reality.

I am passionate about this project and its commitment to furthering students’ educations, empowering youth to be confident in their intelligence and spreading the message that being smart is cool. Why? Because I was one of those students who hid my intelligence to be cool in high school. I hid my true interests at times because I thought it would be seen as weird/different. Bigger Brain aims to inspire generations to come that intelligence and being you is something to be proud of.

Please go to http://kck. st/3WRMS1F to learn more and help spread the word. Sincerely,

Sage Saccomanno Bard College, New York (by way of Sandpoint)

Dear editor,

I am pleased to respond to Lawrence Fury who replied to my letter to the editor regarding money being spent on placing “a living space for humans on the moon.”

I thank Mr. Fury for his graceful appreciation of my service to this country in the Army in Vietnam. I thank his father for his service in WWII (my father was a Captain in that war). I was drafted out of grad school.

It is rewarding to see a response to a letter which does not “attack” the writer. I apologize for mentioning being a Vietnam Veteran for I am not seeking any compliments. I only did what I had to do. I only meant that I served and hoped that all Amerians could be secure, healthy and successful and live without fear for their lives.

Mr. Fury is spot on when he stated that technological advancements have been brought about because of the space programs.

I continue to believe, however, that there must be some way that our elected congressmen can figure out a way to monetarily afford to get people off the streets and give affordable medical care to the needy.

If other nations can do it, why not the greatest nation Planet Earth has ever seen?

James Johnson Clark Fork

Local dogs featured in trail etiquette campaign

Dogs teach dogs how to do good

at Pine Street Woods

By Reader Staff

Pine Street Woods may not be classified as a bone-a fide dog park, but there are arguably more dogs than people on the trails on any given day. The sheer number of canines who visit Pine Street Woods could spell disaster if not for the well-trained humans that accompany these good dogs.

Kaniksu Land Trust recently launched their DOGOOD in the Woods campaign to help educate, enlighten and encourage excellent etiquette when visiting Pine Street Woods with pets. Offering tips for keeping Muffy out of mischief, ensuring Spot is safe and protecting wildlife from Wolfy, it aims to clear misunderstandings about “leash not required” policies and best practices for poo pick-up.

As expressed by Arlo, KLT’s Director of Greetings (D.O.G.), “There’s a place for everyone at Pine Street Woods, but sometimes we all need a little help remembering which place is ours. For example, I love to bark at the deer and often forget that they don’t generally appreciate it, so my leash serves as a helpful reminder. Wearing it helps keep everyone more safe.”

KLT posts weekly tips on their social media channels featuring local dogs who frequent Pine Street Woods. Each post includes a message of advice to dog-parents for enjoying the trails, caring for their pets and respecting other dogs, people and wildlife.

“We started to notice that some people were confused about which dogs need a leash, what the most earth-friendly way of disposing of dog doo is and whether the pond water is safe for dogs to roll in. We think those are good questions to ask,” said KLT Communications Director Marcy Timblin.

“Who better to answer those questions than the good dogs who set the example at Pine Street Woods?” she added.

While KLT does not maintain strict leash requirements at Pine Street Woods, that should not be considered a Fido-free-for-all.

Dogs are required to maintain a 10-foot maximum distance from their human. If a dog is not consistently obedient to voice commands, he or she needs to be leashed.

“Observing this one simple policy can mean the difference between a good day and a bad day on the trails. If a dog doesn’t have good recall, they can take out a small child or an unsteady adult. They can also disrupt the wildlife who need to make a living up there,” Timblin said.

Speaking on Arlo’s behalf, KLT Conservation Director Regan Plumb mentioned that some dogs don’t respect his space, which tests his patience.

“Arlo is mild and considerate, except when provoked by squirrels, overhead airplanes and intrusive dogs,” she said.

There are additional considerations when bringing dogs to Pine Street Woods in the winter. Dogs (and some other pets) are always welcome on the narrow trails maintained by Pend Oreille Pedalers for biking, hiking, snowshoeing and dog-walking when the conditions are just right and paws aren’t sinking in and putting holes in the trail. However, those activities are not permitted on the wide trails, which are maintained by Sandpoint Nordic Club for cross country skiing.

Dogs are encouraged to use the narrow trail called “Frog” from the lower parking lot, which is being groomed specifically for their benefit. They also get to join their humans on the groomed wide trails once per week, every Friday from noon to 7 p.m.

“It’s kind of like a weekly happy hour for dogs,” Plumb said.

The five basic DOGOOD messages can be found, along with a DOGOOD quiz, at kaniksu.org/ dogood. Follow KLT on Instagram (@kaniksult) and Facebook (KLT7B) for weekly updates. Dog parents who would like their dog to be considered for future DOGOOD posts can email photos and the name of the pet to marcy@ kaniksu.org.

Is there a correlation between growth and subsidized housing…?

Bigger Brain almost funded…

‘If other nations can do it’…

A rule in common The practice of kindness

By Barbara Russell Reader Contributor

On Oct. 21, 1985, First Lady Nancy Reagan presented the United Nations with the gift of a mosaic on behalf of the United States in celebration of its 40th anniversary. The mosaic is based on Norman Rockwell’s well-known painting which represents different ethnicities and cultures worldwide with dignity and respect. The mosaic is inscribed with the phrase known as the Golden Rule: “Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You,” which speaks of shared aspirations that unify world religions and philosophies. It is the principle of treating others as one wants to be treated.

One the oldest quotes dates back to the philosopher Confucius who lived in China between the sixth and seventh centuries BC: “Is there any one maxim which ought to be action upon throughout one’s whole life? Surely the maxim of loving kindness is such — do not do unto others what you would not they should do unto you.”

Artist Eric Bess reflected on the significance of Norman Rockwell’s painting, saying, “It serves as not only a call to action, a directive, but also a reminder of what we deeply desire irrespective of our differences: kindness. What else is there to practice other than what we wish for ourselves?”

Kindness is selfless, compassionate and merciful, a main topic of the Bible and many philosophies.

Christianity: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow-man.”

Baha’i: “Whatever is dis-

agreeable to yourself, do not do unto others.”

Buddhism: “Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.”’

Sikhism: “As thou deemest thyself so deem others.”

Islam: “You do not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness.”

The Golden Rule is the basis for the concept of human rights; that people have the right to just treatment, and in turn, a responsibility to ensure justice for all. As 1931 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jane Addams said: “The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.”

In 1923, Arthur Nash published The Golden Rule in Business, the story of a tiny business becoming the world’s largest garment manufacturer by the constant application of the Golden Rule. J.C. Penney believed “the Golden Rule was meant for business as much as for other human relationships” and opened the Golden Rule Store in Wyoming in 1902.

Inclusion, which is kindness in action, is considered a universal human right. It provides equal access and opportunities without discrimination and intolerance. The goal is to embrace all people irrespective of race, gender, disability, economic situation or geographic zone. Inclusive designs such as traffic lights that help the blind and accessible sidewalks for disabled people affirm the right to be included in public life.

Third-grader Sammie Vance, one of People’s Girls Changing the World in 2021, founded the Buddy Bench as a way to promote inclusion when she realized so many people were

lonely and some of her fellow students were being excluded.

The Golden Rule incorporates the rights that all people hope for and deserve — to be born free and to live and be treated equally with dignity and basic human rights. Learning about each other makes it easier to be understanding. Being understanding spreads love and peace through the multicultural words, music, traditions and celebrations we hear echoed throughout the month of December.

The Boundary County Human Rights Task Force encourages all people to honor their traditions, express gratitude, work for peace and to remember the Golden Rule.

Barbara Russell is the chair of Boundary County Human Rights Task Force.

Science: Mad about

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

the science of 2022

It’s the final Thursday of 2022, which seems like a great time to take a look back at the science that happened this year. Due to the cutting-edge nature of much of this, I might not have a lot of information available in the article, but if you’re really curious you should be able to find a lot of the information fairly easily online.

Scientists discovered applying a hydrophilic hydrogel to the bottom of solar panels attracted atmospheric water that would condense to cool the panel, improve its performance, and also drain into a collector to hydrate plants enclosed beneath the panels. This hydrogel could have really interesting applications in greenhouses to help maintain stable temperatures and waste less water.

Scientists used 3D-printed electrodes stacked vertically to extract energy from cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria, which in vast quantities creates algae, uses photosynthesis with light from the sun to produce energy. In some cases, scientists will farm them in big vats with electrodes to capture electrical energy released by the individual cells when they produce energy from the sun. Scientists also breed different types of algae that can be converted into biofuels and burned for energy. Cyanobacteria and algae are the source of all petroleum from many hundreds of millions of years ago.

Scientists linked a dinosaur fossil to the very day of the impact that left the Chicxulub

crater and triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs. This was the first time in history that scientists were able to pinpoint a fossil to the very day of the event.

Sagittarius A, the supermassive blackhole at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy, was photographed for the first time.

Projected to be 4.1 million times more massive than our sun, it acts like the engine under the hood of our galaxy, which is likely home to at least 100 billion stars.

A plant was grown in lunar soil for the first time. To be fair, the soil and plant were on Earth, brought back by the astronauts during the Apollo missions in the late 60s and early 70s. All of the moon dust from those missions, once vacuum sealed, has been contaminated by Earth’s air and humidity and the iron in the soil has begun to rust, changing its color. Moon dust is extremely abrasive and is likely at fault for the destruction of the vacuum seal. Don’t worry, we’re going back to get more in a couple of years.

Lab-grown wood was 3D printed for the first time. Scientists extracted cells from the common zinnia and squirted them into water for some time to let them grow. They were transferred to a nutrient-rich gel and then left to incubate in the dark for several weeks before the gel, cells and all were extruded into the shape of a tree and dehydrated. The end result was an artificial wood shaped like a tree. Future applications could be lab growing furniture or even fuel sources without having to contribute to deforestation.

Remaining on the topic of 3D printing, 2022 marked a success in 3D bioprinting technology when doctors bioprinted an external ear and transplanted it onto a patient. This works very similarly to the library’s 3D printer, except doctors and scientists use living cells instead of polymers to build up an object. While 3D bioprinting functional core organs are still a ways out, this marks an important step in biomedical science.

Similar to 3D bioprinting, scientists developed a hydrogel-based tactile skin in 2022 that is covered with electrodes and then wrapped around a robotic hand. This artificial skin is able to detect things our hands can, like temperature, pain and feeling, which can be translated by a machine or sent back to a human operator. If you’re getting Terminator T-800 vibes, this is actually being developed to help people perform dangerous remote tasks without having to use clunky joysticks or controls. Things like defusing bombs or manipulating hazardous waste in a careful and controlled manner could be much easier if it “feels” like we’re right there. Also, Terminators.

Earlier this year, scientists demonstrated necrobiotics, where a robot used the carcass of a spider as a mechanical gripper for picking up objects. This was achieved by securing the carcass to the robot, and allowing the robot to push pressurized air into it to make it close its legs around an object. Just in case you’re a workaholic that says you’ll sleep when you’re dead, it might be time to rethink your life philosophy!

This is just a glimpse of

some of the science that happened this year. Other major developments have been steps towards a pan-Coronavirus vaccine, the Artemis Program’s maiden launch, the launching and deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope and so much more, especially in the fields of biomedical engineering. Just days ago, a major breakthrough in fusion energy was announced where scien-

tists and engineers surpassed the breakeven point for fusion, which means they generated more energy than they used to start it. This alone could completely revolutionize energy, climate science and even waste recycling if utilized creatively.

Despite what the news cycle may have you believe, it’s a very exciting time to be alive!

Stay curious, 7B, and have a happy new year.

Random Corner

Don’t know much about the new year? We can help!

•New Year’s wasn’t always celebrated on Jan. 1. The earliest New Year festivities date back about 4,000 years, when the ancient people of Babylon began their new year in what we now call March. They would have an 11-day festival to celebrate the beginning of spring. It wasn’t until the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 that Pope Gregory XIII declared Jan. 1 should be New Year’s Day. Since then, most of the Western world celebrates New Year’s on Jan. 1.

•In the U.S., we celebrate by watching the ball drop on T.V., celebrating with friends, champagne and smooching at midnight. In Greece, a gold or silver coin is baked into a cake called a vasilopita. The person who received the piece of cake with the coin inside is said to have luck the rest of the year. In Spain, they eat 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve to bring 12 months of happiness. In Bolivia, families often hang small homemade dolls outside of their homes for good luck. In Japan, at

midnight on NYE, bells and gongs sound to banish the bad spirits. The Dutch made bonfires on the street with their Christmas trees. Portuguese children go from home to home singing songs for neighbors, sometimes receiving sweets and coins in return.

•New Year’s resolutions likely originated with the ancient Babylonians, who made promises to begin the year off right and earn the approval of their gods.

•The first people to celebrate the new year is the tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati, located in the world’s earliest time zone. The last place to celebrate belongs to American Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean, almost an entire day later.

•Americans drink about 360 million glasses of sparkling wine during New Year’s.

•More vehicles are stolen on New Year’s Day than any other holiday.

Brought to you by:

Sagittarius A, a black hole at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. Photo courtesy International Gemini Observatory.

Growing pains

By K.L. Huntley Reader Contributor

A long, long time ago I lived in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas in a town originally built during the gold rush of 1849. Without the use of modern heavy equipment, the town — much like San Francisco — followed the curves, hills and gullies of the natural terrain. In short, it was not flat. It had charming old buildings and homes which had been maintained and many lovingly restored.

The population when I moved there was less than my Los Angeles High School. I know — shocking news to some and hard for others to believe, I was born and raised in the metropolis of Los Angeles. At around seven years old I knew it was the wrong place for me, and by 21 I bought acreage out of the small town of Sonora, Calif.

The people of Sonora lived in a protected globe at the time, somewhat oblivious to the modern world. When it was decided they needed an electric signal in town they actually had to print instructions on

how to use it in the local paper.

There were great fun parts, too. Each year they had a parade. The sheriff closed off the highway skirting the town and sold the beer. As I said, it was a time of innocence that one can only reach back and hold in memory with a smile.

But there was a day that shocked the town. On the main street, one block from the newly installed signal, an unknown, out-of-town business purchased an empty lot with plans to build a motel. There were no objections. At the time we only had one inn and it seemed a great idea. It seemed that way — until construction began.

The local people didn’t for a moment consider what the motel would look like. In a few months the monster was completed, and the residents of the foothills were in mouth-gaping shock. Not only was the structure made of stucco, it was painted a bright lavender purple color.

We all were horrified. Our brick-and-mortar, historical, charming town had a huge, eye-popping hideous monstrosity plopped right down in the middle of it.

When the stunned commu-

nity regained its wits they gathered and formed building codes that included maintaining the historic designs of the rest of the area. New structures could be built. However, beyond the building codes were requirements which maintained historic preservation. They woke up to uncontrolled development and took the reins.

Why am I writing this? Because Sandpoint is paralleling the events in Tuolumne County, Calif., 50 years ago. You have a lovely town here; however you, too, have been discovered and your growth is, for the time being, out of control. So too are the designs of the new buildings and apartments. Kudos to Coldwater Creek when they renovated the Burnd Building in downtown Sandpoint (where Meadowbrook is currently located), MickDuff’s Brewing Co. when they moved into the old library and the modern building on Cedar Street where the UPS store is located. Some builders have kept the theme and ambiance of the town.

Then we have the others. Whatever their motives, their exterior designs simply don’t fit. It is time — actually overdue and I hope not too late

— for the city of Sandpoint to decide what they want to maintain as a theme and then implement it. We all know the current parking situation downtown was a major error, however one that can be remedied with a little rearranging and paint. We can’t do that with the ultra-modern structure at the corner of Cedar St. and Fifth Ave. I just hope they don’t paint it purple.

Or maybe they should. Paint it purple! Wake up the sleepy little town. I can only hope that will have the same effect on historic preservation that it did in Sonora, Calif. The purple motel has been re-painted beige and period railings and shutters were installed. True, it is still stucco. However, it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb anymore.

Currently I live out of town in a tiny community which only has a post office. My years of living on mountains and dirt roads prevent me from actually living in town. Still, I come to Sandpoint for everything: doctors, markets and shopping. I have family in Sandpoint. It is a lovely town. Try and keep it that way.

BY THE NUMBERS

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

17

The number of states out of 20 which have failed to raise the minimum wage above the federal $7.25 an hour standard which have more than 12% of their children living in poverty — Idaho being one of them. In Idaho, the minimum wage is $7.25, but the minimum wage for tipped employees is just $3.35 an hour. A training minimum wage of $4.25 per hour can be paid to employees under 20 years old for the first 90 calendar days of their employment.

76.4

The U.S. life expectancy in years for 2022. This marks a decrease of over seven months from last year, making it the shortest life expectancy in nearly two decades. The CDC reports the primary factors contributing to the decrease of life expectancy include COVID-related deaths and drug overdoses.

$832.84

The average amount consumers spent on gifts and holiday items over Christmas. This number remains on trend with the last 10 years, despite increased prices due to inflation. The National Retail Federation predicted that holiday retail sales during November and December this year would be between $942.6 billion and $960.4 billion, an increase from 6 to 8% over last year’s spending. Online sales were predicted to increase between 10 to 12% from 2021.

274.5 million

The number of gallons of water that Google’s data centers in Oregon consumed last year to cool the computers that help people around the world stream movies, store photos and conduct daily business online. Worldwide, the company uses 4.3 billion gallons of water, the same amount needed to irrigate and maintain 29 golf courses in the southwest U.S. annually.

Mayor’s Roundtable:

By Mayor Shelby Rognstad Reader Contributor

This is the third piece in a six-part series discussing the Leland Report. The purpose of the report was to help guide the city of Sandpoint’s land use policy to support housing affordability and economic vitality. Last week I discussed the city’s utilities, water and wastewater infrastructure. This week I will discuss the city lot and its significance in supporting housing and economic development downtown.

For years the city has contemplated a public-private partnership, or PPP, to create a public parking garage on the city parking lot across from Jeff Jones Town Square on Oak Street. The lot currently parks 120 cars and is full most weekdays.

Having adequate parking downtown is critical if downtown Sandpoint is to remain a welcoming place for commercial and residential use. Eventually, the ITD lots west of Fifth Ave. will go away when ITD rebuilds the Highway 2

corridor as it passes through town. That will further increase pressure on our limited downtown parking resources.

Today, even with the ITD lots, the limited parking inhibits development in the downtown core. The city doesn’t have parking requirements downtown, yet developers recognize parking as a critical limiting factor for any new development. A parking garage, in a place like the city lot, can accommodate overflow parking for downtown businesses and customers. It would also provide parking to accommodate the development that occurs on site. It could also provide longterm or leased parking for neighboring commercial or residential users downtown.

As land becomes more scarce and increasingly valuable downtown, it makes less sense to dedicate it for surface parking. Addressing the parking shortage with a public garage will entice development downtown and likely result in develop-

The city lot

ment over many of the private lots we currently see downtown.

In addition to parking, through a PPP additional commercial space, residential space or other type of use could be developed that could benefit the overall economic vitality of downtown. For these reasons, the Leland Report recommended that the city, in partnership with the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency (SURA), undertake a highest/best use analysis of the city lot and adjacent property and engage a PPP to develop the property to support public and private needs.

This process officially began on Nov. 16 when the city approved an agreement with SURA to partner on this project. The first steering committee meeting was held Dec. 8 to develop a request for qualifications (RFQ) to attract private development partners to the project. The city has retained Leland to guide this process. The city will also reach out to neighboring property owners to consider expanding the focus area for the project. Over the next several months, the committee will determine the highest and best use for the property and the appropriate amount of public parking for the project. Supporting an active commercial streetscape will be

an essential component. Other downtown needs identified so far include workforce housing and a hotel.

There will be several tools available for financing the garage. The city recently completed a parking study for downtown Sandpoint. It provided a detailed analysis of parking assets, what current demands are and how well they are met with existing resources. A further study will be sought in the coming months that will help the city determine what additional resources will be needed given anticipated growth. It will also provide insight into how the city can manage parking resources and generate the revenue necessary to finance construction of a parking garage. Urban renewal dollars and grant funding are two other revenue sources that may come into play.

We are hopeful that we will have the RFQ out by summer and select a partner firm to lead this development project by next fall. Public investment into a downtown parking garage will result in more housing downtown, both long- and shortterm. It will also result in additional commercial space. Together, these improvements will strengthen economic vitality and livability in downtown Sandpoint.

January Parks and Rec Programming

Youth basketball, community garden plots and more

By Reader Staff

Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces will be offering the following programming in January 2023.

Ongoing programs in December and January:

Open gym basketball for adults and youth is held Sundays at the Sandpoint High School Gym. The program continues through March 12, 2023 (No open gym on Dec. 25, Jan. 1 and Feb. 12). Youth (grades 3-12) play 3-4:30 p.m. for free. Adults play 4:30-6 p.m. and pay a $2/player fee at the door.

Online registration is currently open for:

Little Dribblers Basketball (grades 1 and 2), a clinic-style program designed to introduce kids to the sport of basketball and teach the basics of the game with a heavy emphasis on dribbling and ball handling. It’s a fun and engaging program that the kids love. Play is on Wednesdays Feb.

8-March 29, 2023, at Kootenai Elementary School from 2:30-4 p.m. for first graders and 4-5:30 p.m. for second graders. Register by Jan. 16. The fee is $34.50 (plus a $5.25 non-resident fee). Scholarships and sibling discounts are available for all youth league sports. Inquire at 208-263-3613 prior to online registration.

Volunteers are needed for this program. Sign up to volunteer during online registration. No special basketball background is needed, just a genuine desire to engage with the special child in your life. We have a complete step-by-step guide and a coordinator to help with drills and keep everything running smoothly.

Youth Basketball (grades 3-6), where our focus is on fun and fundamentals. Play is split into 3-4 girls, 3-4 boys, 5-6 girls and 5-6 boys. Games are held on Saturdays at Sandpoint Middle School. Play will begin Feb. 4 and run through March 11, 2023. There will be a coaches’ meeting before play begins. All coaches will be contacted.

Registration deadline is Sunday, Jan. 8. The fee is $34.50 (plus a $5.25 non-resident fee). Scholarships and sibling discounts are available for all youth league sports, inquire at 208-263-3613 prior to online registration.

Adult volunteer coaches are needed for this program. Sign up during program registration. Parks and Rec has resources to share coaching techniques, skills and drills upon request. A desire to coach the philosophies of fun, fundamentals and sportsmanship are the only true requirements.

A note on youth sports jerseys: Red and white nylon mesh reversible sports jerseys will be required for both the Youth Basketball and Little Dribblers program. They may be purchased online or at the Parks and Rec Department if you do not already have one. We also allow red and white reversible jerseys from other organizations to be used in our leagues. Jerseys cost $14.50.

Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces is hiring for the following posi-

tions: Youth Basketball Coordinator, Little Dribblers Coordinator and Youth Basketball Officials. League seasons are as follows: Youth Basketball (3-6 grades) Feb. 4-March 11; Little Dribblers (1-2 grades) Feb. 8-March 29.

Job applications are due Jan. 21, 2023. Apply online or call 208-263-3613 for more information, or visit governmentjobs.com/ careers/sandpoint.

Upcoming facility rentals:

Community Garden Plots: Last year’s plot tenants in good standing will receive first right of refusal on their plot for the upcoming 2023 season. Online reservations open for remaining plots on January 10, 2023. The community garden, located at Highway 2 and Lake St., offers both four-by-eight-foot plots for $26 and sevenby-seven-foot plots for $31.50. Supply is extremely limited. Make your reservation on the Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces web site at sandpointidaho. gov/parksrecreation.

Life in miniature

The many joys (and benefits) of small-scale painting

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

I was always an artsy kid with a flair for the fantastic. I distinctly remember being singled out and shamed in front of the whole class in the third grade for “doodling too many monsters.” If only third-grade Brenden would’ve known that a fantasy drama about dragons would one day redefine television and storytelling at large.

My first earnest foray into painting in miniature started earlier this year. A couple of YouTube videos, some cheap Apple Barrel paints and one poor Wererat miniature later, and I was hooked.

As the pages fell from the calendar, I swapped my Apple Barrel paints for Vallejo, expanded my desk and purchased lighting, and eventually procured a travel case to carry my paints from place to place. I watched more videos, I talked to more creators, I buckled down and sank hours into a very fun and rewarding hobby, and it’s finally starting to show.

Painting in miniature does a lot of interesting things to your brain, and working in three dimensions does a lot more. This hobby is the perfect intersection for beginners and experts alike, with a shallower learning curve than traditional painting but a limitless skill ceiling that will ensure you’re still learning new things 20 years into it.

Admittedly, the hobby isn’t all unicorns and rainbows. It can be expensive once you factor in the cost of paints, brushes, cleaning supplies and secondary materials like substrate and flocking for bases and terrain, not to mention the miniatures themselves or a 3-D printer if you wish to make your own. Any hobby is expensive though — even something as simple as hiking starts to add up when you add up the cost of supplies and gear as your skill level climbs.

You might think this hobby is just for nerds like me, likely gathered around a table somewhere arguing about which fantasy character is related to which dragon. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Painting in miniature is a very old hobby and one that predates the sci-fi and fantasy genres of entertainment by decades, if not centuries. Model

building is a very closely related craft that employs identical techniques and disciplines, as well as many of the same supplies. Building dioramas for display is the ultimate challenge for a miniature painter, folding the art of terrain building, model building and miniature painting into one project. Whether that diorama is showcasing Ultramarines holding off Tyranid swarms on Macragge, or actual marines storming the beaches of Iwo Jima, is completely up to you.

The vast number of subjects that can be covered in this hobby allow for people of all ages and backgrounds to gather together and learn from each other. The techniques used to paint a convincing metal tank can be applied just as effectively to a suit of armor or even the iron gate of a tiny Victorian house.

Painting and art in general has proven to help increase your focus as well as combat the effects of dementia. Painting in miniature will also help you keep and strengthen control of your hands and fingers while teaching you breathing techniques to control shakes and shivers, which will help with any number of other tasks in life that require use of your hands.

If you’ve thought about trying to get into model building, or maybe you’ve

painted for years and are looking to network with some other people in the hobby space, you should check out the library’s Mini Painting hangouts.

Even if you’ve never picked up a brush a day in your life but would like to give it a try, the group has supplies on hand and a wealth of knowledge to get you started.

Top: A peek at the author’s studio and workspace.

Above: A close up view of some of the miniatures in the author’s collection.

Courtesy photos.

The year in re- and preview

What has been and (maybe) will be in 2023

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

We’re just going to get this one out of the way at the top. Since 2020, when we started doing these annual review/ previews, we included a little tongue-incheek prediction that iconic actress Betty White would make it another year — rooting for her to at least make it to 100 years old.

In the Jan. 2, 2020 paper, we hoped against a gauche prediction from The Cut that Betty would shuffle off her mortal coil. In the Dec. 31, 2020 paper we rejoiced that The Cut had been wrong. In the Dec. 30, 2021 paper, we upped the ante and prophesied that “Betty White will continue to grace us with her presence until at least 2023.”

Alas, the day after that paper hit the streets — that is, on New Year’s Eve — Betty passed away at the age of 99.

I was greeted that morning with a phone call from News Editor Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey in which she said simply, “You killed Betty White.” I also got blowback from more than one person both on the streets and social media, accusing me (only half-joking) that I’d cursed a national treasure. “No more predictions for you,” wrote one commenter.

Well, here I am again, tempting fate.

As I scatter jinxes everywhere, let’s also take a look at a few things we got right, wrong, half-right and half-wrong about 2022.

Downtown and surrounds

Right off the bat, we were only halfright about efforts to “turn downtown around,” referring to a slate of sweeping changes along Sand Creek that would redevelop the downtown waterfront with a slew of pedestrian and watercraft amenities and effectively reorient the east side of First Avenue so that buildings would face both the street and the creek.

Those efforts remain underway, with the city embarking on a design competition to solicit visions for what that part of the downtown core should look like. Thus, the downtown waterfront — a.k.a. Farmin’s Landing — project remains conceptual.

However, one development within that area did raise a lot of hackles in July, when a routine vote about a land swap between the city and a developer at First Avenue and Bridge Street turned into a collective social media freak out over plans for a 13-unit high-end condo development on the site.

Five days before the City Council vote, Developer Bridge Street, LLC, released a number of renderings on its website touting “small town luxury living” in its envisioned 65-foot-tall mixed-use development.

“It’s a monstrosity,” more than one resident testified.

For their part, City Hall officials reassured citizens that the One Bridge Street images were “cartoon in nature,” and wouldn’t necessarily represent the final design. How all that shakes out remains to be seen, but we predict there will be

a much firmer vision for the future of downtown by the summer.

Meanwhile, we were spot on that there would be some “forward momentum” on a parking structure at the current city parking lot (though we had been predicting that since 2020).

In the Dec. 8 paper, we reported that the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency has approved a memorandum of understanding with the city of Sandpoint — which the council had approved at its Nov. 16 meeting — to establish a steering committee that would get the ball rolling on determining what kind of redevelopment should take place at the lot, find a developer to do it, and arrange a property transfer from the city to SURA to the developer.

We still don’t know what might go up there, but the consistent talk has been of a mixed-use residential-commercial project including additional parking. Expect to see at least a concept by the end of 2023.

We were also correct that the availability and affordability of housing would remain tight through the year (no duh). The city took a hard look at the issue during the year, commissioning a report from Portland, Ore.-based Leland Consulting Group, which presented a draft in the summer and a final study on Dec. 8.

The key concept: Sandpoint is growing at breakneck speed (double duh), houses cost upwards of $700,000 because we’re running out of inventory and the only way we’re going to seriously address the crunch is by expanding the area of city impact to open up more acreage for

new housing stock.

Considering the stridency with which the Leland report emphasized the importance of the ACI to the fate of Sandpoint, we predict the city will take some pretty bold steps in 2023 toward collaborating with surrounding municipalities to extend infrastructure and utilities into the western hinterlands. We also predict that’s not going to make everyone happy (triple duh).

Elections, etc.

We didn’t quite nail it that “COVID politics” would persist through 2022. Sure, there’s still some of that furor, but the virus and its political baggage seemed to have taken a back seat to things like inflation and various fronts in the culture wars such as access to abortion, LGBTQ equality (and safety, amid a thwarted attack on a Pride gathering in Coeur d’Alene by an armed right-wing extremist group), “critical race theory,” and banning and censoring books and other media for “inappropriate” content.

Those battles were waged — and continue to be waged — at the national, state and local levels. To be honest, the Supreme Court upending Roe v. Wade kind of threw us for a loop, but it did color politics in 2022 to a great extent, especially in Idaho as we went through the May primary and November midterm elections.

It was in that area where we made a few prescient calls.

Specifically, that the Idaho GOP would

be divided between its traditionalists and fire-breathers, with the May primary serving as “a referendum on IFF’s chilly grip on the Legislature.”

That’s certainly how some pundits saw it, with the hard-right wing losing almost all of the up-ballot races for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction. IFFbacked candidates did much better with Raul Labrador as attorney general and in a great number of down-ballot legislative races around the state — so much so that we’re going to see a radically different Legislature when lawmakers gavel in after the new year.

While we were right that Brad Little and Scott Bedke would go on to terms as governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, we were wrong that Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad would be the Idaho Democratic Party candidate nominee for governor. He didn’t make it onto the ballot due to a missed filing deadline, but did mount a write-in campaign.

Speaking of write-ins, by far the most interesting local political race revolved around the Senate 1A seat.

First it was between Republican candidate Scott Herndon (he of the Festival gun suit, he of the “abortion abolition” activism) and incumbent Sen. Jim Woodward in the primary. That campaign involved an unprecedented amount of mud flung by Herndon at Woodward, with mountains of glossy mailers filled with misrepresentations of Woodward’s record mailed to residents throughout the district.

Herndon prevailed at the polls, though, and would have sailed to victory in November unopposed, but for Steve Johnson, who switched his party affiliation from Democrat to independent and launched an equally unprecedented writein campaign to keep Herndon from the Statehouse.

Johnson, a farmer and longtime former educator, mounted such a vigorous, focused and visible write-in effort that it was reasonable to expect that he might actually pull it off. However, Herndon carried the November ballot with 13,064 votes to Johnson’s 9,025.

County drama

Can you believe that in the Jan. 6, 2022 edition of the Reader we had a lead news headline that read: “Deputy prosecutor alleges ‘defamation campaign’ by county officials”? That’s right: This is a story that we just reported on in the Dec. 8, 2022 paper, covering the ongoing spat between Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bauer and County Commission-

ers Dan McDonald and Jeff Connolly.

On top of all that, the county has also been beset by citizen unrest about rezoning for development in rural areas; the Camp Bay saga, centered on public access to the lake through a high-end housing development; and, most recently, the death by apparent suicide of the fair director, which shocked the community and came amid an investigation by Sandpoint Police into potential misuse of funds and other resources.

There’s a lot of “stuff” going on at the county, folks, and we all know it. But like icebergs in a sea on which smart people shouldn’t travel, we only see the tip. We’ll keep chipping away until the truth (or some approximation of it) is known.

And we’ll call that our first prediction: Even after two new commissioners take their seats in January, the various turmoils and controversies at the county will continue to make headlines.

Last words

Intensity seems to be mode for this batch of the ’20s, and 2022 was no slouch in that department. So in the spirit of prognostication — perhaps irresponsibly spirited — here are a couple of random notions for what 2023 might bring, both here and elsewhere:

•Elon Musk will announce the creation of the Mars Party, including leading members Ye, the My Pillow Guy, Nick Fuentes and Alex Jones, with the goal of establishing a labor camp/broadcast center/crypto casino on the Red Planet where there will be free speech for everyone, so long as they aren’t making fun of them. Donald Trump will serve as its representative on Earth. A five-year plan to wage war on Venus will immediately commence.

•The Idaho Legislature will vote to defund and outlaw all public libraries and schools. Rather, Idahoans are to be educated by a network of loud speakers installed around the state reciting from the Old Testament, the collected works of Friedrich von Hayek and a tractor manual. Lawmakers will then vote to outlaw themselves, conferring all governmental authority on whoever it is that funds the Idaho Freedom Foundation.

•The City Beach geese will meet with their high council in Ottawa, Canada, and decide to establish an open season on humans.

• An entire block of Aspen, Colo. will be purchased and transported to Sandpoint by an unnamed tech billionaire with business addresses in Delaware, Nevada, California and Wyoming, where it will be dropped on top of the Cedar Street Bridge.

WEIRD NEWS

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Man with WWI explosive lodged in his rectum sparks bomb scare, hospital evacuation

Best of 2022, in brief

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

At the conclusion of every calendar year, it’s customary for journalists to wax poetic about their favorite creative endeavors that dropped over the past 12 months. Checking in with the rest of my colleagues around the world, it seems some of my favorites of 2022 jived with the others’ picks, but some didn’t even make others’ lists. So it goes.

Here’s a brief rundown of my favorite movies, television shows and albums that were released in 2022.

Movies

Top Gun: Maverick

One might say this case left doctors shell-shocked.

A French hospital had to be evacuated a few days before Christmas after a senior citizen arrived to the emergency room with a World War I artillery shell lodged in his rectum.

The 88-year-old man came to have the object removed, ending up sparking a bomb scare culminating in the hospital’s partial evacuation.

Bomb disposal experts at the scene subsequently determined there was little possibility the shell would explode inside the man.

“They reassured us by telling us that it was a collector’s item from the First World War, used by the French military,” the hospital wrote in a statement.

The sheer size of the object stunned doctors tasked with removing it. It measured almost 8 inches long and more than 2 inches wide.

“An apple, a mango, or even a can of shaving foam, we are used to finding unusual objects inserted where they shouldn’t be,” one doctor stated. “But a shell? Never!”

The elderly man was taken into surgery where his abdomen was cut open in order to remove the 100-year-old explosive. He was listed as being in “good health” and is expected to make a full recovery.

It’s rare that an action movie captures my attention, but I have to take my hat off to Tom Cruise for his performance in Top Gun: Maverick. The sequel, which came 36 years after the original, over-delivered. The movie is a banger, paying homage to the original while blazing new territory at the same time. Most of all, the stunts performed in Maverick show Cruise’s dedication to avoid CGI whenever possible. Aviators will be agog at some of the aerial moves performed by Cruise — who actually flew during the film.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

The second installment of the Knives Out franchise, Glass Onion is just a great movie from beginning to end. Featuring Daniel Craig playing Detective Benoit Blanc in a post-Bond appearance, this movie doubles as an action film as well as a murder mystery, featuring an excellent performance by Edward Norton playing brash tech billionaire Miles Bron (which seems to be a dig at human-dumpster-fire billionaire Elon Musk). From the first moment, you realize that everyone’s a suspect in this film, and it’s up to Detective Blanc to figure it out.

TV Shows

Better Call Saul: Season 6

When Breaking Bad wrapped its epic run, fans were left wanting more from creator Vince Gilligan. Then, Better Call Saul emerged from the ashes and did what nobody expected it to do: give Breaking Bad a run for its money. The spin-off showcasing Saul Goodman’s origin story

before the events of Breaking Bad is a wild, creative and memorable ride that brought the curtain down on Goodman’s journey with an incredible amount of suspense and wonder. It’s on par with Breaking Bad as one of the greatest shows on television.

Andor

A prequel to a prequel doesn’t exactly sound that enticing, but when you enter Star Wars into the equation, anything is possible. After the success of The Mandolorian, streaming service Disney+ has released several side stories in the Star Wars universe, including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett, but the one that truly captured the rugged “space western” quality that The Mandolorian nailed is Andor

Set five years before Rogue One, this film helps establish the rise of the Rebel Alliance. It’s a brutal, heartbreaking, inspiring and action-packed series that leaves Star Wars fans wanting more in this vein.

The Rings of Power: Season 1

After the mediocre reaction to The Hobbit film series, it seems there might have been a bit of Lord of the Rings fatigue setting in. Enter The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime. Not only is this series a faithful accompaniment to Tolkien’s prolific works, it’s also a comfortable fantasy you can get lost in, with characters that help attach plot threads throughout the Tolkien universe.

Albums

LIFE ON EARTH — Hurray for the Riff Raff

The eighth album by the band Hurray for the Riff Raff deserves a mention for one of my favorite albums of the year because it sounds different from just about anything else on the standard “best of” lists. The sound in LIFE ON EARTH is defined by electric synthesizers and catchy hooks throughout the album, leaning into the so-called “nature punk” style the band exudes.

Cool it Down — Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The band’s first album in nine years dropped like a meteor, and is perhaps the best of its career. This Brooklyn postpunk trio offers so much heart and soul in their song selections, with “Blacktop” as one of my favorite songs, featuring singer Karen O quoting Dylan Thomas over a droning Brian Eno synth sound. Very cool, indeed.

Blue Rev — Alvvays

Canadian dream-pop band Alvvays produced a powerful third album in Blue Rev, earning mentions on many “best of” lists. The group has a unique sound that lives somewhere between My Bloody Valentine shoegaze and The Pixies grunge rock, but this sound feels wholly theirs. Singer-songwriter Molly Rankin’s melodies are infectious, as is the band’s energy.

Elden Ring recaptures magic of video game discovery

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Contributor

Most video game enthusiasts have a moment in their deep past where they became hooked on the medium.

For me, it was the original The Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Playing the landmark title as a small child, I felt a sense of wonder, discovery and adventure that I had never encountered before. The game’s stubborn refusal to provide you any direction, instead plopping your charming Link sprite in an open world with nothing but a cave, a sword and an old man’s warning to guide you, instilled the adventure game with a prevailing air of mystery.

About 30 years later, I’ve played many brilliant games, but never one that recaptured that perfect sense of awed fascination — until this year with the release of Elden Ring.

Elden Ring carries with it an impressive legacy of its own. Developed by FromSoftware under the direction of the now-legendary Hidetaka Miyazaki, Elden Ring is the culmination of over a decade of game design, each title iterating on and refining what made its predecessor special. It began in 2009 with the release of Demon’s Souls on Playstation 3. But it wasn’t until 2011’s Dark Souls where the so-called Soulsborne subgenre of action RPGS — a portmanteau of the Souls and Bloodborne games — that the formula refined and defined itself.

The Soulsborne formula has been imitated countless times but mastered by few apart from FromSoftware, the original pioneers. Its details vary from title to title, but a couple constants persist.

Constant one: Prepare to die. Death is merciless and frequent in a Soulsborne title due to devious traps, difficult enemies and terrifying boss encounters. What’s more, death usually carries serious consequences. Typically, it means losing all the resources you’ve painstakingly harvested to upgrade your character and purchase essential items.

Constant two: Persistence is rewarded. The difficulty of a Soulsborne game may seem intimidating at first, but it’s typically tempered by mercy. Yes, you lose your resources when you die, but if you set out from the nearest checkpoint and reach the

site of your demise, you can touch your bloodstain to reclaim them (die again before that, and they’re gone for good). Likewise, a boss that seemed impossible becomes manageable once you learn its attack patterns. An ambush that wiped you out becomes trivial once you learn how to tactically engage the enemy. A trap that caught you by surprise is easily avoided with foreknowledge. Is a particular boss or location just too difficult? Well, you can always upgrade your character, find new equipment and spells, or improve your existing equipment to even the odds.

Those constants apply to Elden Ring, but what makes it an unparalleled achievement is the introduction of a vast, open world. Known as The Lands Between, the world is subdivided into several regions with their own unique art direction, dungeons, bosses and areas of interest. Like The Legend of Zelda so many years ago, Elden Ring offers you little direction through that world apart from occasional golden rays pointing you toward key locations. Instead, it’s up to you to wander your way into your own micro-adventures — perhaps exploring a dusty crypt containing hidden treasure, or fighting through a haunted castle to face a demigod, or stumbling upon a forlorn non-player character who can explain more of the world’s tragic history. The only limiting factor is whether you’re powerful and

skilled enough to face the challenges that await you.

FromSoftware is known for creating stories with rich, detailed histories and mythologies — and then giving the player almost none of that information directly. Instead, it’s up to the player to piece together as much context as they can through environmental clues, item descriptions and cryptic dialogue spoken by the world’s few living inhabitants. This time around, the FromSoftware team received support from fantasy writer George R.R. Martin of A Song of Ice and Fire fame, who built a rich mythology for the player to explore.

For all the thoughtful game design, though, it’s the emotions of Elden Ring that truly stick with a player. Like most FromSoftware games, a deep sense of melancholy pervades Elden Ring as the player explores a beautiful-yet-faded world bereft of gentleness. It’s a deeply lonely experience, even when summoning other players to help you on your way. Interspersed with that melancholy are moments of terror and panic as you fight to survive and progress. And then there’s the sheer elation of overcoming those intense challenges.

Any artistic work that makes a deep emotional impression is bound to create a lasting memory. And in the world of video games, few titles do it better than Elden Ring.

A screenshot of Elden Ring. Courtesy photo.

events

December 29, 2022 - January 5, 2023

THURSDAY, december 29

Woods Wheatcroft slideshow: The Year in Review 6pm @ Wheatcroft Studio, 104 S. Second Ave. Check out Sandpoint photographer Woods Wheatcroft’s unique, colorful and always entertaining perspectives captured for your enjoyment. There will be local craft beer from Utara, music by DJ Mercury and photo prints, collages and calendars for sale. Free entry, but donations always accepted

FriDAY, december 30

Live Music w/ Fern Spores 8-10pm @ 219 Lounge Singer-songwriter Alyssa Nunke traveling from Olympia, Wash. has a powerful voice and catchy original songs. No cover! 21+

Live Music w/ Mobius Riff 4:30-7:30pm @ Barrel 33

Paint & Sip w/ Nicole Black 5:30-7:30pm @ Barrel 33 $45 for a night of creativity and fun

Live Music w/ Chris & Lauren 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Folk, rock and roots duo

Karaoke

8pm-close @ Tervan Tavern

Live Music w/ Bright Moments 4:30-7:30pm @ Barrel 33 Sandpoint’s eminent jazz group

Live Music w/ Truck Mills and Global Gumbo 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Kick off the new year with global sounds, drums, vocals and rock

Taps NYE w/ The Rub SOLD OUT @ Taps at Schweitzer

Karaoke 8pm-close @ Tervan Tavern

Sandpoint Chess Club

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

Winter Fun Days with Kaniksu Land Trust

9am-2:30pm @ Pine Street Woods

Kids 8-13 are invited for a fun-filled day of winter play. Dave and Camp Kaniksu crew have a lot planned, including sledding, games, exploring, building snow forts, warming around the fire and treats. $30/person, includes lunch, snacks, cocoa, s’mores and fun. Register at kaniksu.org

Live Music w/ The Rub 8pm-close @ The Hive One of the best cover bands around

SATURDAY, december 31

Live Music w/ New Year’s Eve Party! Nights of Neon 9pm-midnight @ Eichardt’s Pub Come down to the Pub to party with one of the funnest dance bands in Sandpoint on NYE

Live Music w/ Jason Perry Band 9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge A funk-rock powerhouse blending soulful originals and classics

Live Music w/ Rabbit Hole 6pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

SunDAY, January 1

Troop 111 Polar Bear Plunge 9-11am @ Sandpoint City Beach This event dates way back in Sandpoint history. Take a plunge in icy Lake Pend Oreille with Boy Scouts Troop No. 111

monDAY, January 2

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

POAC announces new adult art classes schedule

By Reader Staff

Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a neophyte, the Pend Oreille Arts Council classes held at the Joyce Dillon Studio will be certain to enhance your creative talents. From pastels to acrylics to elements of design and many more, there is a class waiting for you.

Live Music w/ Luke Yates & Chrissy Lee 6:30-9:30 @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

New York NYE Party 9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. We will be livestreaming the NYC Ball Drop at 9pm. This is a family-friendly party that features specialty bubbles flight, beer specials, mocktail bar for kids and DD’s and a prime rib dinner special

Live Music w/ Steven Wayne, Kevin Dorin & Chris Paradis 8pm-midnight @ Back Door Celebrate NYE with Back Door

Because many classes are starting the first week in January, it’s now time to go to artinsandpoint.org/jds-studio to sign up. Classes are kept to a maximum of ten students so instructors can give individual attention to each student. Also, times and dates vary so there’s bound to be one that will fit your schedule.

“We have several classes that were popular in the past and some exciting new offerings as well,” said POAC board member and JDS Chair Jan

Rust. “Four of the new classes include glass chimes made from recycled materials, stained glass, realistic painting and an introduction to weaving.”

Rust said that registration for classes closes one week before the class starts, so participants are encouraged to register early. Cost of classes is kept low and predicated on the length of the lesson period.

“Student comments from our 2022 season told us that our students appreciated being in a creative environment and connecting with other people who shared their interests,” she said. “We look forward to meeting even more new artists this year.”

All classes are held upstairs at 110 Main Street in downtown Sandpoint. For more information and registration go to artinsandpoint.org/jds-studio.

Group Run @ Outdoor Experience 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome, beer after

tuesDAY, January 3 wednesDAY, January 4

Live Piano w/ Bob Beadling • 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Enjoy a hot pizza, glass of wine and a professional concert on the grand piano

ThursDAY, January 5

Insanity Fab Winter Challenge

@ 3096 Highland Flats Rd. (Naples) North Idaho Mud and Crawl invites you to join the best off-road race in the PNW. 4x4 and SxS welcome. This is the first round of hte 2023 Northwest Unlimited series and will be held at 3096 Highland Flats Rd.

Sip and Shop fundraiser for Scotchman Peaks 4-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Support the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness with a fundraiser. A percentage of proceeds will be donated to this nonprofit, and they’ll be on hand for conversation and a toast to the new year

A bee’s journey

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Inspired by the natural beauty of North Idaho and bonded by a joint artistic endeavor, three local women have successfully published a coloring book with the hopes of encouraging local families to get out and explore the wild wonders close to home.

Patty Ericsson said the idea for a coloring book came to her in the place where the project’s story and scenery would eventually be set: the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, situated at 611 S. Ella Ave. in Sandpoint and stewarded by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. Ericsson said she walks in the arboretum almost daily.

“As I was dog-walking and enjoying the flora, I thought that more children could know about native plants through arboretum experiences,” she told the Reader. “As the idea percolated, I chatted with my neighborhood friend, Mary Toland, who — as a retired primary teacher and long-time arboretum volunteer — knows much more about the target audience and the arboretum than I do. Her response was enthusiastic, but I realized we’d need some financial support and an illustrator.”

That was fall of 2021. As of December 2022, Ericsson’s vision has come to life in the form of Busy Buzzy Bombus Bee, can you color what I see?, a coloring and activity book based around the story of a Bombus bee (also known as a bumblebee) that enters the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum by chance thanks to a gust of lakeside wind. The bee comes across abundant flora and fauna (possibly even some fairies) during this arb adventure, giving readers and crayon-wielders a chance to learn about some of the plants and animals they have a chance to see on their own visit.

As for the funding, the book was made possible by a grant from KNPS given annually in honor of native plant society founder Lois Wythe, as well as advertising featured on the back cover.

Ericsson and Toland share writing credit for Busy Buzzy Bombus Bee.

“I’ve spent my life sharing learning space with young children,” Toland told the Reader. “The power and importance of sitting with a book and having a grownup read along cannot be underestimated … And, as a volunteer gardener in the arboretum, my knowledge of plants and flowers came in handy.”

“We ended up being an amazing team,” Ericsson added. “Our strengths complimented each other remarkably well. But the project would not have been possible without the artistic talents of Hannah Combs.”

Combs, a local artist and historian who works as administrator of the Bonner County History Museum, said she was grateful to have been given the opportunity to illustrate the book, which features black and white images of varying detail perfect for coloring enthusiasts of all ages.

“As someone who too often sets my drawing pad aside for a rainy day, and especially as someone who works at the museum and walks past the arb every day, it has been a real joy to actively engage with the many beautiful plants

Local

trio produces native plant-inspired story and coloring book with the help of KNPS grant

and animals in the arboretum in the process of creating this book,” Combs told the Reader. “I hope the Lois Wythe Grant continues to engage artists, writers and other creatives in sharing the beauty of the arb with the community.”

Busy Buzzy Bombus Bee, can you color what I see? is available to purchase for $5 at the Bonner County History Museum, All Seasons Floral, Vanderford’s Books, The Corner Book Store, Creations, Carousel Emporium and Winter Ridge Natural Foods.

“We believe we can use the art in this coloring book as an entry point for children’s journey of discovery,” Combs said. “If the drawings inspire children to go outside and look deeply at the plants and animals around them, it will set them up for a life full of wonder.”

Learn more about the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society and North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum at nativeplantsociety.org.

Authors Mary Toland and Patty Ericsson stand with illustrator Hannah Combs. Courtesy photo.

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

Count them — just a couple of days left in 2022. In my opinion, it was a pretty fair year. Most of us could spend much-needed time with friends and family, and many of us resumed traveling.

Speaking of travel, as soon as I got home from my week in Paris, I loaded the wagon and headed east to Big Sky, Montana. So, I’m here, in a mammoth vacation home, overseeing meals and activities for a group of twelve lifelong friends from Hawaii.

Knowing I’d be gone the first part of December, I started shopping, cooking and freezing soups, cookies and other treats a couple of months ago. But, of course, the trip’s biggest challenge was the frigid temperatures, which meant unloading anything that would freeze during my 30-below overnight stay in Bozeman.

Sadly, the Hawaiians missed out on their first couple of excursions due to the sub-zero weather, but being housebound gave us some time to get to know one another a little better. From the teenage girls Sera and Emi, I learned how to make their favorite snack, Spam musubi, a nosh made of a slice of grilled Spam on top of a block of steamed rice wrapped together with nori. If you’re ever in Seattle, hit up the Asian market, Uwajimaya, for all musubi-making items, including more than a dozen types of Spam. I was happy to learn that all the supplies I purchased

The Sandpoint Eater Dispatch from a mountaintop

there were perfect, and Sera was so pleased with our results that she sent pictures of the musubi to her grandmother in Honolulu.

Hallmark could not have created a more idyllic holiday setting. Once it warmed up, their week was filled with skiing, snowshoeing, sleigh rides, snowmobiling, campfires and hot-tubbing. I was happy to stay in the cozy warm house, preparing Pupus (Hawaiian appetizers), and hearty winter dishes, like elk osso bucco and bison chili. Every holiday-themed table setting and

meal that I labored over were met with pure and genuine appreciation. Every day I tried to come up with western-style dishes for these adventurous eaters. Even 10-year-old Alex who typically eats “naked pasta,” came back for seconds when I prepared bison bolognese rigatoni.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve prepared Prime Rib and twice-baked potatoes for Christmas dinner, and this year was no exception, but our 22-pound roast was nearly too large for the wall oven, and it took some real rassling

to fit the roast and pan in the under-sized oven. For future culinary endeavors in vacation homes, I’ll request oven dimensions when I’m in the menu-planning stage.

It didn’t seem that long ago when I did this full time for a living, and though I discovered I don’t have the same “14-hour kitchen day” stamina I once did, I was thrilled to share my craft with the houseful of happy and hungry new friends.

I’m looking forward to sharing time with these great folks again. I’ll be meeting up with them in Hawaii in the coming

new year, and I just know 2023 will be a banner year! I have a few culinary projects in the works, and some great new travel destinations to explore this spring.

But for now, I am packing up to head home for a belated Christmas with my very own family, and mentally preparing our New Year’s Eve dinner — another prime rib that will surely fit in my oven, and plenty of twice-baked potatoes for all who come to my table.

I wish you good luck and good food (that will always fit in your oven) in the coming year.

Best Twice-Baked Potatoes

These potatoes are versatile and forgiving with substitutions.

You can omit the eggs, but they give the potato a creamier interior and a crispier exterior. Serves 4 as a whole potato and 8 with half a potato

INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:

Rinse and dry potatoes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake potatoes in the preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour, depending on the size of your potatoes. Set potatoes aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.

Slice potatoes in half lengthwise — or leave whole, and slit, scoop the flesh and rice into a large bowl; save skins. Add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, and stir, when cool enough, add the egg yolks and blend well. Add 1/2 cup cheese, and 1/2 of the green onions to the potato mixture; stir until well blended and creamy. Gently fold in the egg whites.

Spoon (or pipe) the mixture into the potato skins; top each with remaining cheese, green onions, and bacon (at this point you can also chill the finished

potato for 2-3 days, and cook at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour)

To serve immediately after stuffing,

A perfect partner for prime rib

return potatoes to the preheated oven and continue baking until the cheese is melted, or about 30 minutes.

MUSIC

The Rub, The Hive, Dec. 30; Taps, Dec. 31

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

If it’s a song, The Rub can probably cover it. This Inland Northwest Power Trio is known for their heavy-footed grooves, martini dance steps and rock anthem mix of titles and eras, as well as intriguing originals and improvs.

The Inlander’s Reader Poll hailed The Rub as “Best Cover Band,” for good reason, their flawless renditions of your favorite songs always get the crowd on their feet. Their genres include classic rock, MTV ’80s, mash-ups from

timeless hits, Seattle face melters, ultra poppy booty boogies, Who-like smashers, heady Floyd smoke machine meditators, ’90s post-grunge rock, party anthems, power trios of the ’70s and even short trips through funk, reggae, country and disco. In other words: if it’s music, The Rub can play it.

They’re playing at The Hive Friday, Dec. 30 for $10 in advance, $15 at the door. They’ll also be playing Taps at Schweitzer on New Year’s Eve at 9 p.m., but tickets are already sold out for this show.

Jason Perry Band, 219 Lounge, Dec. 31

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

On his Facebook page, hard-working Spokane music man Jason Perry promises that he and the rest of the quartet known as the Jason Perry Band will celebrate the coming of the new year “right ‘n’ properly funky.” What else could the late-night partiers of Sandpoint possibly want as they bid 2022 farewell?

Billed as “a funk-rock powerhouse” by loving hosts at the Niner, the band builds its

sets out of both memorable originals and energetic reimaginings of classics, all with a thick slathering of groove serving as icing on the extremely funky musical cake. It all adds up to a promising night of dancing and shenanigans in one of downtown’s favorite NYE haunts.

Catch the Jason Perry Band ringing in the new year at the 219 Lounge (219 N. First Ave.) starting at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31. Listen and follow the artist at facebook.com/ jasonperrymusic.

Nights of Neon, Eichardt’s Pub, Dec. 31

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

There are some local bands that just seem to gel perfectly. When rockabilly-ska band Still Tipsy and the Hangovers disbanded in 2018, Reese Warren switched directions to form a new group focusing more on funk. Thus, the Nights of Neon were born, featuring Karston Peer on bass, Michael Robinson with dynamic vocals, Dan Ohmann on drums and Paz Rainbow rounding out the all-local five-piece with his horn.

The band’s sound is a delightful whirl of soul, jazz, reggae and ’90s hip hop, but dig deep enough and you’ll find their band has a chewy core of funk underneath it all.

Nights of Neon plays a fun mix of covers and originals, deliberately choosing songs that have a fun factor to get the audience on their feet.

Nights of Neon will bring the funk to Eichardt’s Pub at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31 for a special New Year’s Eve show at 212 Cedar St. in Sandpoint. Come down and spend NYE where the locals hang out.

Bright Moments Jazz, Barrel 33, Dec. 31 Truck Mills and Global Gumbo, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Dec. 31

One of the hardest working bands in Sandpoint happens to also be one of the most talented. Bright Moments features a revolving mix of accomplished musicians, including Arthur Goldblum, Peter Lucht and others.

Together, they weave tasteful jazz with a fun, engaging performance, making their shows a highlight of

the Sandpoint music scene — especially during the holidays.

They’re playing at the new Barrel 33 in Sandpoint for an early New Year’s Eve show — check them out and see what all the fuss is about.

— Ben Olson

Saturday, Dec. 31, 4:307:30 p.m., FREE, 100 N. First Ave., 208-920-6258.

Variety is the spice of life. In the life of Truck Mills, those spices are heartily and artfully applied to gumbo — his band Global Gumbo, that is. Mills himself is a local legend of blues guitar fame. What sets him apart is his love for world music, and his quest to combine his Americana roots with the captivating sounds of global instruments and influences. With the help of Gumbo comrades Denis Zwang and Ali Thomas, Mills

continues a legacy of music that is both far-reaching and inviting.

If your New Year’s resolution is to become a little more worldly, seeing Truck Mills and Global Gumbo at the winery is a great place to start.

—

This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey

READ

Among my favorite things I read in 2022 were columns contributed to the Sandpoint Reader. The latest piece by Jen Jackson Quintano, our very own Lumberjill, is the perfect example. “The only prescription is more cowbell,” published in our Dec. 22 edition, exemplifies why I feel it is so important to give the people of our community a voice in this newsprint. So here’s to Jen, Marcia, Emily, Brenden, Sandy, Lorraine and everyone else who makes this paper worth picking up each week. Thanks. Read the columns at sandpointreader.com.

LISTEN

I’m grateful to have discovered Bendigo Fletcher this year. The five-piece band, based in Kentucky, combines careful guitar picking and the beautifully folksy vocals of frontman Ryan Anderson to make something that’s not country, not indie rock and not like anything else rising through the ranks of the singer-songwriter genre. Think The Lumineers, but also The Paper Kites, and also cow punk. Tracks to try: “Sugar in the Creek” and “Soul Factory.”

WATCH

Color me surprised that when my husband chose Amazon Prime original movie The Tomorrow War as a flick he could safely watch without me, I wound up sucked in all the same, seated on the couch watching when I’d sworn I preferred to get some work done and listen to a podcast. True, it was gory (not typically my taste) but the story proved worthwhile. Essentially, time travelers arrive to tell people that in three decades, the human race will be wiped out by aliens. Of course, only Chris Pratt can save them all.

Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey

5-8 p.m., FREE. Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St., powine.com.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

From Northern Idaho News, Dec. 31, 1907

ATTEMPTED ENFORCEMENT OF SUNDAY REST LAW

The State Sunday law was ordered obeyed last Sunday, and an effort was made to close up all lines of labor according to the demands of that law. The electric light plant was ordered to close down, the telephone exchanges were told not to say, “hello” on the sacred day, and the milk men were ordered to deliver none of the white fluid. Attorney H.H. Taylor, legal counsel for the electric light people, instructed the company to lock their doors, with the men inside, and go ahead and furnish the town and churches with the electric fluid. It was his argument that in so doing they were not opening the doors of their establishment to do business. Of course no bills for the Sunday lights will be presented for payment to the consumers, as no business was transacted and no salaries will be paid the laborers for services rendered on Sunday.

The Interstate office was locked all day, but the central girls were on duty and answered all calls. Of course, reasoning from the proposition of Attorney Taylor, the Interstate people have not defiled the statutory law, for they did not open their doors to business. But those dear, faithful girls at the switch boards! Poor things, working hard all day without any substantial compensation.

Business was pretty well shut down on Sunday and the stillness of death was everywhere; the faces of the people even looked blue; the citizens tip-toed along the sidewalks, and everywhere you could hear the “sh-sh-sh,” just as though some poor old woman had been burned for being a witch.

It is said that the so-called Sunday rest act is rather weak in the spine, in that no provision is made for things which should be exempted, and all in all it is said to be a very poorly drawn law. That the law is in a jumbled up condition is not to be wondered at when the personnel of the religious lobby at the Boise capitol during the last legislature is considered.

BACK OF THE BOOK

On abandoned critters

By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist

Several days before Thanksgiving, a collection of tracks appear in my driveway, those of a domestic cat. My neighbors have cats, but they don’t visit. These tracks are everywhere, very visible in the fresh snow. I then realize there are two cats, and I suspect that the border of responsibility has been breached again.

I’ve lived near a state border much of my life, during which time people of a certain ilk — one I don’t understand — have dumped unwanted “pets” in our driveway. This decades-long parade of abandoned dogs and cats has been always problematic, sometimes enraging and often heartbreaking.

As kids, we got a couple of great dogs “off the highway.” Peanut Butter was a dun-colored, short-haired mutt we fell in love with and who returned the favor. Trixie was a dandy border collie my grandparents adopted. But Bozo — a long-legged, uncontrollable knot-head — had some severely bad habits and was eventually put down. My dad was charged with that. Others came and went, looking, looking, looking for the car they had arrived in.

When I was a kid, this all seemed sort of normal. It was part of where we lived, and seemed kind of spontaneous. When you’re a kid, you might not think much about how the critter might feel, or even that critters might have feelings.

Then, you grow up. You become the guy who deals with what my dad used to deal with. What do you do about a critter who comes to visit via the decision of someone else that they can’t handle caring for an animal? And, what is it that causes them to put an animal in a car, take them to a stranger’s driveway, shove them out and drive

away? Is it that they don’t have a heart or a conscience, or not enough money for pet food? Do they look back to see if the dog is following them? Do they care what happens to that kitten they are leaving? Are they crying? Do they look around to see if they have been caught? Or do they just drive away?

Who do they think they are? God? Or the devil? They are playing both.

The day before Thanksgiving, I see them in the cabin, my eternal rebuilding project. I’m working in what will be the bathroom — if I ever get done — when they appear. One is a pretty tuxedo cat that dodges under the floor as soon as it sees me. The other is a gray tabby who, in good cat fashion, throws up in the entry room and then runs away. They have become real, and a decision has to be made here at this end of the driveway. What to do, what to do?

Ignore them and hope they go away? That probably won’t work. They seem to be self-sufficient enough. They’re catching mice — yay! — and one seems to be a total badass, savvy and tough enough to take down a snowshoe hare, evidence of which is strewn here and there.

Shall I trap them in the Have-A-Heart and take them to the shelter, which may or may not accept them? Will I have to do what my dad and I and my neighbors have done a number of times? No matter what I do, I’ll be cleaning up someone else’s messy decision. And no matter what I do, I will be playing God. Or the devil. Or maybe both.

It’s a few days since I’ve seen them. The tuna I left out in the shop is still there this morning. Maybe something took care of my problem that’s really not mine, except by circumstance. Maybe a coyote. Maybe an owl. Maybe something, no matter how badass they seemed, they had no chance against. So, now I mourn them, even though I never real-

Sudoku Solution STR8TS Solution

ly knew them. I only saw them once, right? I wonder if they remembered where they came from, or just that they were in a world new to them, one they arrived in without any reason they could comprehend.

I look at their leftover tracks, and think about their courage in the face of disaster, and my heart sags. I watch for fresh tracks, but there are none, just that mélange of old ones, and I find myself wishing it would snow and cover it all up.

I got my wish about snow. And in the snow, are tracks. The tuxedo seems to have gone missing, but the tabby, my game camera tells me, has moved into the loft of my shop.

It’s been a while since I had a cat. The last one came to me “off the highway” as well. I’ve purchased a bag of cat food. And, I’ve seen the tabby twice. Welcome to this side of the border, cat. Enjoy your stay.

Sandy Compton evidently has a soft heart. His books — most of which have happy endings — are available at select bookstores, at bluecreekpress.com and on Amazon.

Crossword Solution

When I think of all the arguments Marta and I have had, I realize how silly most of them were. And it makes me wonder why she wanted to argue over such stupid things. I think I’ll go ask her.

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

ACROSS