(208) 265-5700 320 S. Ella Ave. www.IdahoVet.com
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(wo)MAN compiled by
Lyndsie Kiebert
on the street
‘What are your tips for winter driving?’ “Be prepared and pay attention.” Mindy Pearson Retail manager Sandpoint
DEAR READERS,
This week’s cover was painted by Sandpoint artist Tricia Florence. It’s an overhead view of Gold Creek Road and we liked the abstract quality of the piece, which is why we chose it for this week’s cover. Would you like to have your artwork or photograph on the cover of the Reader someday? We’re always interested in receiving submissions from locals. Now is a great time to send them, too, since I’ll be leaving for a month from Christmas to the end of January. We’re considering covers for January issues in the three weeks I have before leaving, so if you have ski photos, outdoor winter photos, or anything else that speaks to the season of January, we’re interested in taking a look. Please send submissions to ben@sandpointreader.com. Remember, cover submissions should be 10” wide by 11.5” tall. Don’t forget to leave a couple inches at the top of the page for the Reader flag and make sure to send only color work (no black and white, please) Have a great week, everyone. Lots of cool stuff going on out there.
-Ben Olson, Publisher
“As an avid biker, I say never trust a driver. In other words, be cautious.” Don Oak Bike mechanic at Outdoor Experience Sandpoint
READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724
www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (editor-at-large) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Tricia Florence (cover), Ben Olson, Bill Borders, Lyndsie Kiebert, Zach Hagadone. Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie Phil Hough, Brenden Bobby, Beth Weber, L.S. Jones, Barney Ballard, Marcia Pilgeram, Cody Lyman. Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash. Subscription Price: $115 per year
“Have good tires and keep your distance. Slow down.” Markell Walson Owner of Naked on the Cedar Street Bridge Kootenai
“Drive slowly.” Pixie Vasquez Customer service Sandpoint
“Drift more.” Jake Smith Musician Sandpoint
Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers. Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook. About the Cover
Sandpoint artist Tricia Florence submitted this week’s cover painting, which is an overhead view of Gold Creek Road. See more of her work at Tricia Florence Fine Art on Facebook. December 5, 2019 /
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NEWS
Festival names interim E.D., office manager Despite challenges, Ali Baranski and Amy Bistline say the show will go on
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The first time Ali Baranski experienced The Festival at Sandpoint, much less Sandpoint itself, she was crossing the Long Bridge to attend a Michael Franti show in 2010. She’d flown in from Oregon to see her now-husband’s hometown and, as it soon became clear, Sandpoint would become her hometown, too. “We kind of consider that our first date,” she said. In the interim, Baranski and her husband, Conor, a Sandpoint native, have established their family here — she works remotely, managing a corporate sales team; he teaches history and coaches soccer at Sandpoint High School; they have two young kids, a 2-year-old and an infant. In addition to all that, Baranski is now the interim executive director of The Festival at Sandpoint, which she’s served as a board member for a year and a half. Roughly a quarter of that time, however, has seen the nonprofit navigate the most tumult in its 37 years. First came the drunk driving arrest of longtime Festival Executive Director Diana “Dyno” Wahl on the closing night of the 2019 season, then the announcement of her removal from the position — which she’d held for 21 years — 10 days later on Aug. 21. The paid administrative staff for the nonprofit subsequently quit, leaving the board to step in and steer the operation. Amid that furor came a challenge to The Festival’s ban on firearms at War Memorial Field, which the nonprofit leases from the city of Sandpoint for two weeks each August. Pushback on the gun ban quickly morphed into a lawsuit between Bonner County and the city, with the former alleging the no-weapons policy violates state statute and the latter arguing the lease means The Festival can put in place any security protocols it deems necessary. Finally, as the city moved forward with its Parks and Rec 4 /
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Master Plan through the summer and fall, it became apparent that Memorial Field would undergo major changes, chief among them resurfacing with artificial turf. The turf design, which immediately drew widespread controversy following its approval by the City Council in a tie-vote split by Mayor Shelby Rognstad in October, also raised big hurdles for The Festival, which has always set up on natural grass. Asked how the board has been navigating the near-constant challenges presented in recent months, Baranski said, “We’re kind of having to compartmentalize. You come in here to work on one project and something else happens to pull you away.” Regardless, she added, customer service has been at the forefront of the organization’s priorities, as “the rumor mill hasn’t been in our favor lately.” The biggest rumor: The 2020 Festival season won’t happen. If the city loses the gun ban lawsuit and the concert series is required to allow firearms into the venue, Festival organizers say they won’t be able to book artists whose contracts stipulate gun-free performance spaces. Meanwhile, many fear that either because of logistics or construction delays, the Memorial Field project will make it impossible for The Festival to be set up in time to meet its schedule obligations — or at all. As for the lawsuit, Baranski said the organization sees a “high likelihood” that the legal wrangling will drag on past the 2020 season. A status conference had been scheduled in the case for Nov. 26, but because the judge fell ill it was postponed until Jan. 28, 2020. “We don’t see it affecting the 2020 Festival,” she said. “That’s our mode right now. We’re moving forward with booking the acts,” which this year will be accomplished through a booking agent rather than the executive director. “There’s a lot of unknowns right now and [booking acts] can’t be one of them,” Baranski added. Regarding unknowns, now-in-
Ali Baranski, left, and Amy Bistline, right, in the Festival at Sandpoint office. Photo by Zach Hagadone. terim Office Manager Amy Bistline, who had served as a board member for three years including a recent stint as secretary, said The Festival hasn’t even been added to the gun ban lawsuit yet — an action required by its lease to “indemnify and defend” the city in the case of a legal challenge. “That’s been the case since the beginning,” said Bistline, who has practiced law for 15 years and has offices in Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint. She added that The Festival has filed a motion to intervene — to which the city has agreed — though the county has yet to respond to that motion. It’s unclear when a judge may be able to make the decision whether to add The Festival to the lawsuit. While there is a lot of uncertainty, Baranski and Bistline agreed that the 2020 Festival will go on, regardless of the court action. Of more immediate concern is the status of Memorial Field. Baranski said engineering plans stipulate four months for completion — one month longer than typical for such a project — and a performance bond will be in place with the contractor, guaranteeing that if work goes off schedule and the field isn’t ready by its July 30 target date, at least The Festival will be able to cover its costs. That said, Baranski added,
“we’re continuing to look for different venues” in the event that the project doesn’t come off in time. Should that happen early in the project timeline, relocation might be possible. In the worstcase scenario, if work slows later in the schedule, The Festival could find itself in a position where it doesn’t have enough time to arrange for a new location. “There’s a good chance that we wouldn’t survive that,” she said. Yet, both Baranski and Bistline are heartened that Production Manager Paul Gunter remains on board after 20 years of involvement with the event, as well as the role of longtime former-Production Manager Dave Nygren, who is advising the city and its contractors on The Festival’s logistical needs. “The city is committed to The Festival,” Bistline said, “and they’re going to do whatever they can to get it ready in time.” Asked if she was “cautiously optimistic” that the field would be ready in time, Bistline responded, “optimistic. We’re having a Festival.” Baranski added, “The Festival at Sandpoint might not look and feel the same [with the turf surface] but it will still be recognizable.” With a degree in exercise sports science from Oregon State University, she should know.
“The technology has gotten a lot better,” Baranski said. “It is better than I thought. I think the infill [granules of material between the artificial grass] is the biggest thing people will notice.” Looking forward, half of all 2020 season passes have already been sold — even after delaying the start of sales by a month amid uncertainty over the Memorial Field turf decision. For comparison, Baranski said, last year The Festival sold 60% of passes in the two months after they went on sale. “We’ve gotten some great support from our sponsors,” she said, including interest from would-be volunteers and those wanting to apply for board membership. “I think a big part of why The Festival gets so much press — good or bad — is because it’s so important to the community.” It’s clearly important to the board, as well, which has weathered an undeniably contentious season. “We’ve all become very close as a board,” Baranski said, noting that through the summer and fall, members have volunteered “thousands of hours” to answering phones, selling season passes and generally keeping the office running. “It’s a really talented group with lots of diverse backgrounds.” A posting for permanent executive director is expected after New Year’s, and whoever gets the job will be tasked with building the staff — in collaboration with the board, of course. “It’s important for the board to know how everything works,” said Bistline. “Boards need to do more of that. [And] some people don’t realize that it’s cranking away.” The Festival at Sandpoint will host its annual membership meeting at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10 at MicDuff’s Beer Hall, 220 Cedar St., during which board members will be on hand and Baranski will offer an overview of Festival operations. The event is free and open to the public, with MickDuff’s donating $2.50 of every regular-price beer to The Festival.
NEWS
Council sends Cedar Street housing development back to P&Z By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff A 15-unit multi-family housing complex planned for the 1700 block of Cedar Street is still in limbo after the Sandpoint City Council voted Dec. 3 to send the proposal back to the Planning and Zoning Commission with the request that the overall development be limited to two stories. The Ridge at Cedar Street apartments, fronted by Hayden-based Cedar Street Investments LLC., has made waves with neighbors for at least the past four months. When it first came before P&Z in September, commissioners tabled their recommendation in the face of approximately 40 residents who showed up in force to express their opposition. At the time, one resident promised to appeal should commissioners ultimately recommend approval of the conditional use permit — something P&Z did at its October meeting, albeit with conditions that its previous three-story design be stepped back from the street and a 6-foot masonry wall be erected along the eastern property line to mitigate light and noise pollution from its 24-stall parking lot. As promised, Cedar Street
neighbors appealed, triggering a public hearing before the City Council that again drew around 40 attendees to state their cases both for and against the project. The appeal was lodged by resident Jean Allen, whose home would be located directly adjacent to eastern parking lot wall. “All of us are shocked at the completely inappropriate scale and density of this building,” she told the council. “I’m distrubed that something with this kind of negative impact could be permitted next to me.” Representing the applicant, Todd Butler, of Coeur d’Alenebased Forte Architecture and Planning maintained that the project had gone through the approval process in its entirety, “we met all the guidelines as dictated by the planning and zoning codes and, again, as part of that it had to go through this conditional use permit process, and as you can see we were approved. … We have met all of those conditions.” He walked council members through the revisions to the concept, which included the conditions approved by P&Z in October: the stepped-back Cedar Street frontage rising from two stories in the north to three in the south and a wall along the eastern property line.
“I think it does come down at the end of the day to code vs. desires, and we’ve been doing the best that we can to limit impact and work within the rules that are outlined,” he said, adding that much more intrusive single- and multi-family developments could be put up on the same property under the minimum code requirements without going through the CUP process. As with previous testimony related to the project, appellants ticked off a number of concerns: preserving the character of the predominantly single-story, single-family neighborhood and overtaxing an already-insufficient road infrastructure on Cedar Street with increased traffic and more on-street parking. While these concerns were focused on the immediate vicinity of the 1700 block of Cedar, it quickly became clear that residents’ worries about the project touched on much wider context of development changes around Sandpoint. “Compounding the problem is the new four-way stop at Pine and Division,” said resident Shawn Martin. “It has been effective at relieving backed-up traffic crossing Division from Pine, however, during school times the backing-up is now on Division, at times extending to Cedar.”
Snowmobile access through Stimson Lumber land threatened By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner and Boundary counties are working together to spread awareness of responsible motorized winter recreation practices after Stimson Lumber brought attention to property damage in an area where the company allows access. “Due to resource damage from motorized use occurring on Stimson Lumber Company land, the threat of closing access to motorized travel has become more of a reality than an inconceivable notion,” according to a Nov. 27 media release from the Bonner
County Commissioners Office. “With the cooperation between Stimson, IDL, Bonner County, Boundary County, and the East Bonner Snowmobile Advisory Board an agreement was made to continue access through their land (for now) with restrictions.” The area in question is known as Highland Flats, a popular snowmobiling destination in Naples. “In the Highland Flats area, access to endowment and public lands is provided on roads through private Stimson Lumber Company timberland. Entering Stimson land is a privilege,” said Boundary County Commissioner
Dan Dinning. “Stimson land is working land, where timber and the land itself is vital for business. Off-trail snowmobiling can cause significant and expensive damage to young tree plantations.” Dinning said it is vital for snowmobilers to always know whose land they’re on, carry maps, stay on groomed trails unless they’re absolutely sure off-trail riding is allowed, report riders who are breaking the rules, and to always pack out what they pack in. Following such guidelines will assure recreational opportunities in the Highland Flats area remain available, Dinning said.
He added that motorists attempting to circumvent that intersection have taken to surrounding streets as de facto bypasses, putting further stress on inadequate neighborhood streets. “A reduced density [of the project] would at least minimize those impacts,” Martin added. For others, such as Frances Ogilvie, who organized the opposition, the issue was of far larger “competing interests”: developers who wish to maximize profits and a city that wants to increase density while maintaining the quality and integrity of neighborhoods. While about nine residents testified against the project, only one — Jennifer Anderson — spoke in favor, saying, “In my opinion, this modest project represents a suitable degree of density for this neighborhood” by supporting the city’s goal of increasing the housing stock. Two others signaled their support but did not speak. Mayor Shelby Rognstad agreed that density is good in the larger context of Sandpoint’s housing affordability crunch. “What we’re seeing here tonight
is an example of the growth pressures that we’re seeing around the city,” he said, adding, “I understand that this is just an inherent conflict that we face as a city … [but this project] goes a long way to finding that middle ground” between affordability and scale. Rognstad also applauded the developer for accommodating neighbors’ concerns and, while noting that notions like “neighborhood character” and what it means to “blend” with that character are subjective, “I think this is definitely an improvement over what we’ve seen elsewhere in the city.” Councilman Tom Eddy made the motion to send the CUP back to P&Z, stating “I just don’t feel comfortable approving that third story in this area.” Councilmembers Bill Aitken and John Darling cast “aye” votes, while Deb Ruehle and Joel Aispuro voted “nay.” “Change is hard but change is coming,” Ruehle said during deliberations. “If we all stand our ground too hard we’ll probably end up with something worse.”
County receives grant for PulsePoint Money will go toward a phone app to alert CPR-certified civilians to cardiac emergencies By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County commissioners voted Dec. 2 to accept a $25,000 grant to fund PulsePoint — a smartphone application designed to get CPR-certified citizens to the scene of a cardiac emergency before an ambulance can arrive. The grant comes from the BNSF Railway Foundation. BCEMS Medical Director Ronald Jenkins wrote the grant, which the county applied for in August. Lindsey said the costliest portion of the project will be linking up the county’s emergency dispatch system with the app. However, the grant will cover
the entire cost — no county funds will be spent to implement PulsePoint, Lindsey said, adding that BCEMS is also aiming to use some of the funding to list — within the app — where the nearest AEDs are located. As far as effectiveness, Lindsey said BCEMS personnel already have experience with PulsePoint. Once, while off duty, a BCEMS paramedic who already subscribes to the app received a PulsePoint notification while in Spokane, where the program is already in effect. “He was off-duty, didn’t have any equipment,” Lindsey said. “He did CPR and actually saved a life — so this program does work.” December 5, 2019 /
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NEWS
Bits ’n’ Pieces County commissioners to decide on RV zoning changes From east, west and beyond
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
Bonner County commissioners denied a request Dec. 3 from the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission to continue workshopping a portion of county code pertaining to the permanent use of recreational vehicles on private property. In a decision that ultimately came down to timeliness, the commissioners will consider those code changes at a hearing Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. at the Bonner County Administration Building. When planners held a hearing Nov. 21 to consider changes to RV land use code, the planning commission arrived at a split recommendation — in a unanimous vote, they chose to recommend a portion of code changing requirements for commercial RV parks and campgrounds, but to request a time extension to further work on language regarding private, permanent RV use. The meeting drew a packed audience, as several residents made comments about how the county shouldn’t be regulating private RV use at all. “The [planning] commission asked for those sections back so that they could work on those a little bit further, so this decision today is whether or not the [B]oard [of County Commissioners] should consider the entire file or a portion of the file and send [the private RV use portion] back to P&Z,” said Planning Director Milton Ollerton at the BOCC meeting Dec. 3. Due to time constraints, Ollerton said the Planning Department has already advertised a hearing scheduled for Dec. 18, so county commissioners were deciding whether to decide on the entire set of RV ordinance changes at that hearing, or to only hear the portion that P&Z sent forward with a recommendation. If commissioners chose to send a portion back, the planners would need to hold another hearing after workshopping the language, followed by another BOCC hearing to make the final decision on those changes. 6 /
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If commissioners sent the ordinance back for further workshopping, Ollerton said, “it would probably take until February [or] March” before any final decisions were made, seeing as each hearing has to be advertised ahead of time. Commissioner Jeff Connolly asked Ollerton why there was such a “big rush” to finalize the ordinances, to which Ollerton replied, “not so much a rush, it just comes down to the cost of doing business” — that cost including publishing hearing notices As Connolly and Commissioner Dan McDonald considered whether to deny the P&Z’s request — Commissioner Steven Bradshaw was not present — Connolly said he was concerned that it would look like BOCC was “circumventing” the planning commission’s process. “Not really, because they’re just making a recommendation,” McDonald said. “It’s really ultimately our decision anyway.” Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson said that should county commissioners decide to take up the ordinance changes in their entirety at the Dec. 18 meeting, anyone with concerns or suggestions regarding private RV use changes can still be heard. “[They] can come to your guys’ meeting and make the exact same criticisms and offer the same changes to you directly,” he said. McDonald and Connolly both voted in favor of addressing private and commercial RV code changes at the Dec. 18 hearing, denying the planning commission’s time extension request.
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: A U.S. District judge in Boston has declared the search of electronic devices at border crossings unconstitutional and a violation of the Fourth Amendment, according to Business Insider. Any searches would require a warrant based on reasonable suspicion. California is the second state to allow cities and counties to create public banks. The banks will be able to provide capital at interest rates lower than those offered by commercial banks, the Los Angeles Times reports. North Dakota began public banking in 1919 to dodge predatory lending practices. Since 2009, euthanasia rates at animal shelters in the nation’s 20 largest cities have dropped 75%, according to The New York Times. Reasons include more spaying and neutering, higher regard for animals and efforts by shelters to nurture a more adoptable pet, such as housing pets in rooms rather than cages. After a new outbreak of E. coli contamination in romaine lettuce, Congress has the chance to approve the Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act. According to Consumer Reports, the proposal would allow the FDA to use existing technology to quickly determine the source of contamination. If enacted, uncontaminated food could still be sold, rather than the current practice of stopping all sales of a particular food regardless if it’s contaminated. What oceans do: they are essential to our oxygen supply, regulate the climate and absorb CO2. But, according to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the oceans have already absorbed 90% of the planet’s excess heat, leading to rising water temperatures, dead zones bereft of marine life, and an acceleration of acidity levels that threaten fisheries and entire ecosystems. Rapes have reached a crisis point in South Africa but, The New York Times reports, a survivor of sexual violence has created an effective training regimen that has cut the number of rapes in half. The program pivots around teaching school boys about consent and how to stop attacks; girls are taught self-defense and how to identify risks. The program’s advocates see it as easily replicated worldwide. In an effort to raise money for medical bills, a quarter million Go Fund Me campaigns are launched every year, according to Public Citizen. Move over Ukraine. The Trump ad-
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
ministration has been withholding without explanation $105 million in military aid to Lebanon, The New York Times reports. The aid suspension prompted two people at the Office of Management and Budget to resign. When the mysterious withholding gained media attention, the funds were released. The blockage created vulnerability for Lebanon to hazardous influence from both Russia and Iran. Due to his Republican Party ties, the latest Democratic presidential hopeful, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, is being questioned about his motives. Politico reports Trump lawyer and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (now under investigation) endorsed Bloomberg’s race for mayor of New York City. Bloomberg has spent millions on Republican congressional campaigns, during the George W. Bush years only giving to Republicans. While he does donate to some Democrats, he typically does not donate to those who support taxing the rich. Three U.S. Senators have introduced the Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act for Congressional consideration. The Act would raise the corporate tax rate by 0.5% for companies that pay their executives 50 times more than their typical worker. For companies that pay their CEOs 500 times the pay of their median workers, the tax rate would be 5%. Speaking of taxes, FedEx paid no taxes last year, despite showing $4.6 billion in profits, The New York Times reports. FedEx’s founder was among 7,000 corporate lobbyists who fought for corporate tax breaks in 2017. They were rewarded when their tax rate dropped from 35% to 21%. (The tax rate is 24.2% for the bottom half of taxpayers; in 1950 the tax rate for the top 400 households was 70%.) Blast from the past: While there have been questions as to whether a sitting president can be indicted, arrested, handcuffed, etc., history shows that Civil War General and President U.S. Grant was arrested by a black police officer in Washington, D.C. for speeding in his horse-drawn buggy. The officer stopped the president in a zone where a mother and child had been run over by speeding carriages, explained the problem and encouraged Grant to set a good example. But it happened again the next evening: same officer, same president. The officer arrested Grant and other speeders and took them to the police station. A trial the next day resulted in no appearance by Grant, but did result in heavy fines following testimony from 32 “ladies of the most refined character.”
PERSPECTIVES
The Legislature pushes up your property tax bill By Sen. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, and Rep. Mat Erpelding, D-Boise Special to the Reader When the Legislature orders counties to carry out state functions but fails to provide the money to do so, local property tax payers pay the price. As a result, residential property taxes are sky high in many counties and citizens are demanding relief. The inability of the state to pay these costs stems from its long history of cutting state income taxes to primarily benefit the wealthy. In depriving the state of revenue to pay its bills, they’ve forced costs on to local governments and school districts, and increased property taxes on all of us. Although some state politicians like to talk about their cuts coming to a billion dollars over the years, they don’t seem to acknowledge their role in increasing our property taxes. For example, the 2018 income tax cut is costing the state at least $129 million in revenue each year. Such cuts have prevented the state from properly funding the schools and have resulted in property tax override levies that will total $214 million this year. Income tax cuts also deprive the state of the revenue it needs to house a significant number of its prisoners. Instead, a good number are in county jails, with Ada County now having about 326 of them. The Ada County
Sen. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise Jail has become so crowded it is in violation of mandatory jail accreditation standards with some prisoners sleeping on the floor. Although a state prisoner costs the average county $86.55 per day, some counties as much $112 per day and Ada County about $102 per day, the state only pays $55 per day for the prisoner’s first seven days and $75 per day thereafter. Consequently, Ada County is forced to subsidize the state prison system by $1.6 to $1.8 million per year, and that doesn’t even consider that the state should, but doesn’t, pay a proportionate share of the cost to build and expand the jail. One wonders
Rep. Mat Erpelding, D-Boise if Canyon County might have been able to solve its continuing jail crowding problem many years ago if the state had simply paid the full cost of housing its prisoners. And jails are just one of the state’s unpaid bills. The Legislature’s total unfunded county mandates are in the many millions of dollars per year. For example, county property taxpayers subsidize each sheriff-issued driver’s license by $3; and counties must spend $12 million a year on indigent health care, $8 million a year on involuntary mental health commitments, and $32 million a year on public defenders. The list of unfunded state mandates goes on and on.
Another reason residential property taxes are sky-rocketing is that the Legislature significantly reduced the homestead exemption in 2016, thereby shifting a significant amount of the property tax burden from business to residential property. Unfortunately, efforts to repeal this shift were blocked in the Idaho House last session. Rather than repeal the property tax shift and require the state to pay its own bills, some inside and outside the Legislature say local governments have caused the property tax crisis by spending too much. They want to lower local government budget caps still further by barring any budget growth based on new construction. New construction is, however, a factor the law expressly allows to cover budget costs stemming from population and economic growth. That growth must pay for itself. Pretending it isn’t there, and that it doesn’t impose significant costs on local communities, won’t make it so. Arbitrarily lowering budget caps will either force cuts in public safety and other services or force overrides which will mean no real property tax relief. When it comes to property tax relief, the Legislature’s priorities should be to pay the state’s bills and repeal the property tax shift, not cut vital local services.
Laughing Matter
By Bill Borders
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COMMUNITY Parks and Rec round-up By Ben Olson Reader Staff Bouquets: • I heard some great stories from our readers about folks helping out to shovel snow Monday morning after we finally got our first dump. If you’re one of those thoughtful people who helped out your neighbors, you deserve a pat on the back. • I really appreciate constructive criticism. As one who gets a lot of feedback on a weekly basis, I notice the different ways folks offer their critiques. Some can be belittling and pedantic. Others can be mean-spirited, almost relishing the opportunity to “take someone down a peg.” But then there are those who offer critique not because they want to be “right,” or that they hate those that are the subject of their criticism, but rather to correct the record or to help us do better next time. These people should be the role models for us all. As any writer knows, it’s not the ones who love everything you write that make you a better writer. There’s a flip side to that coin, though. If you are the recipient of criticism, be graceful and take it like an adult. It could be a lot worse.
Barbs: • I’ve noticed a troubling trend lately. I don’t know if it’s just me, or if others have noticed, but it seems like there are a lot more people running stop signs in Sandpoint. I know we all learned simple line-standing etiquette in second grade, but perhaps it’s time to revisit. No matter if you’re in a hurry or out for a Sunday drive, if someone gets to a stop sign at a four-way stop before you, it’s their turn to go first. If you get there first, it’s your turn. If you get there at the same time as someone else, whichever vehicle is on the left must yield to the vehicle on the right. Seem complicated? It’s not. Use your brains, folks. Not only is it polite to acknowledge that there are other people besides yourself in this big, crazy world, a traffic ticket for blowing a stop sign is going to cost you some coin. 8 /
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Sandpoint contra dance
Sandpoint Parks and Rec. has partnered with Emily Faulkner and Lost Horse Press to bring contra dancing, which is community dancing in the New England tradition. This event features live music with great regional bands and lively callers. Contras, circles and occasionally squares or long ways sets are taught, called and danced in a friendly atmosphere. Dancers will meet at the Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 S. First Ave., on Friday, Dec. 13 from 7-10:30 p.m. Beginners and singles welcome. Each dance begins with an introductory dance covering the basics. Light, comfortable shoes and a water bottle are recommended. A $5 donation is suggested at the door.
Twilight ski and snowboard special
Looking for a great stocking stuffer? New to nordic skiing? Interested in trying skate skiing? Want to brush up after a yearlong break? This class is for you. Join the Sandpoint Nordic Club for introductory skate and classic ski classes. Participants must supply their own gear. Rentals are available at Syringa Cyclery, Alpine Shop and Outdoor Experience. Lessons will be Saturday, Dec. 21 at the Pine Street
Woods nordic trails, 11915 W. Pine St. Classic ski lessons will take place from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and a skate ski lesson will be offered from 10-11 a.m. Each lesson is $20 per person, with a $2 discount for city residents.
Cross Country Ski Lessons
Looking for a great stocking stuffer? Schweitzer Mountain Resort is offering a ski and snowboard special in coordination with Sandpoint Parks and Rec., with $10 non-refundable lift vouchers available to twilight skiers and snowboarders of all ages. The vouchers are good for any valid night of twilight skiing from 3-7 p.m. at Schweitzer starting Dec. 26. Coupons must be purchased before driving up — they will not be available at the Schweitzer ticket office. Vouchers need to be redeemed for a valid ticket at the Ski and Ride Center or a ticket window on any valid night of the ski season. Purchase tickets at Larson’s Department Store, Yoke’s Fresh Market and the Parks and Rec. office. Participants needing to rent equipment can get a special ski or snowboard rental package for $15 plus tax when showing a ticket at the sales desk and asking for the night deal. For info about these events, call 208-263-3613 or go to sandpointidaho. gov and click the Parks & Recreation link under “Your Government.”
Take responsibility for problematic plastics... Our planet is in environmental trouble. Our landfills and oceans are overloaded with plastic. It is unhealthy for us to make plastic and dispose of it. Yet we act like spoiled children in a messy room claiming it’s not our fault. You can help. Take the simple step of bringing your own reusable bag grocery shopping. And you grocery stores: Be the adult in the room, stop enabling, charge 50 cents for each plastic/paper bag you give out. Christopher White Sandpoint
Questions remain in turf debate… Dear editor, On Oct. 16, City Council met to discuss the plan for Memorial Field. Part of this discussion involved the issue of natural or synthetic turf. Some statements in the Reader quoted from the meeting stand out: “The tie was ultimately broken by Mayor Shelby Rognstad who, despite his previous desire to see a natural option, voted to approve the design.” Surprising, as the mayor had, in fact, been supportive of natural turf. “I’ve thought long and hard and what it boils down to for all the years I’ve been working for Parks and Recreation — and I’ve been doing this for 33 years — is that in the spring kids have no place to play,” said Sandpoint Parks and Rec. Director Kim Woodruff. Not surprising: Mr. Woodruff has been advocating synthetic turf for a while. Then: “According to City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton, that would require an entirely new design concept, as consultant firm GreenPlay, which the city has contracted to formulate the designs in its Parks and Recreation Master Plan, only presented an option including synthetic turf. Coming up with a new concept would require a substantial expenditure and push back any improvements to Memorial Field to 2021.” Very surprising: GreenPlay had apparently never included a natural turf option. On Nov. 6, the council repeated its vote. On Nov. 25, the city hosted a “workshop” to discuss the “final plan.” There were suggestions about parking and concession stands, and concerns raised about light pollution, tree removal, impacts to bird populations and the general timing of the construction phase. A workshop? Not really. I asked when, precisely, the decision to use synthetic turf had been made. Dell Hatch repeated the talking points for synthetic turf. I asked my question again. Still no answer. Shortly after that, when the turf issue was again raised, Mr. Woodruff reminded us of his “33 years of doing this”; that the decision had been made and our job as the public was to deal with it; we were not going to “re-litigate” the decision. Questions remain: What was the point of holding a vote on natural vs. synthetic turf on Oct. 16 when this was apparently a done deal? Puppet theater to pacify us? Are individuals in the city government pursuing their own agendas without public accountability?
Are enough people concerned that there should be further discussions before we commit more public funding to these projects? David Phillips Sandpoint
Editor’s note: While the Boise-based gun activist group Idaho Second Amendment Alliance has expressed support for the county lawsuit vs. the city of Sandpoint over firearms at The Festival at Sandpoint — and the challenge to the event’s policy was initiated by individuals acting in collaboration with ISAA in August — the organization is not a party to any legal action related to the issue.
Save beach property for the public… Dear editor, I am in complete agreement with Kody Van Dyk and strongly oppose the selling or trading of the city’s beachfront property east of the Edgewater Hotel [Perspectives, “City waterfront giveaway,” Nov. 14, 2019]. Every foot of precious lakefront property must be preserved for use by the citizens of Sandpoint. The beach and green lawn space would invite use by simply landscaping to separate public from private property. I and many others assumed it all belonged to the hotel, so the public didn’t use it. City Beach is one of Sandpoint’s most unique and precious features. Lake activities should remain the focus of any additions. Pathways into the large open green space east of the parking lot could be landscaped leading to inviting smaller, shaded picnic areas creating restful environments. Native plants with signage might add an educational component. Water sports should be the focus here. Design docks or rafts to invite swimming, swimming lessons and swim races, diving, water volleyball, surf sailing, paddle boarding, snorkeling games, etc. I strongly support an ice skating rink, but suggest it should be located at Travers Park, which is already the hub of many athletic activities, is close to a number of schools on the west side of town, and has space to build the facility and has parking and city bus access. By the way, I wonder why the hotel would be eager to give up needed parking space to the city while expanding their business. Yes, the hotel sees the commercial value of our beachfront. This is not in the public’s interest nor does it preserve the beauty and ambiance of City Beach. Sandra Deutchman Sandpoint
PERSPECTIVES
Many wild questions
By Phil Hough Reader Contributor Nothing is more wild than our imagination. Blank spots on the map are places to explore; we enter them not knowing what we will find. We need wild places to challenge us. And maybe change us, too. If we are not quite sure how we will be when we come out, our passage is exciting. When we are children, everything we do is new and wild. I was fortunate growing up to have a guide, my father. He took me to wild places, rivers and mountains with no people around, where my imagination could run wild. We hiked and paddled through woods that are, as Robert Frost imagined, “lovely dark and deep.” These places were well guarded. We often endured hardships to even get to them. The secrets they held were only unlocked by experiencing them on their own terms. By paddling endless hours against the wind, by hiking in an all-day rain, or blistering sun. We had many miserable miles to go before we slept. Sometimes the wilds only revealed themselves by sleeping in mud and mosquitos. Few things make me feel more alive than drying socks around a campfire, applying lotion to sunburned wrists and eating dinner through a mosquito net. And when the clouds part to look up and find the north star, right where it belongs at the end of the little dipper’s handle. Wondering if somehow these same celestial guides brought Lewis and Clark west or the Fremont expedition home. Were they also warmed by the same eternal campfire? Did owls also echo from the pines around their camp, or loons call across their lakes? Perhaps frost on the ground will tell
us more in the morning about what has passed by. Who still has the freedom to roam this land tells us a lot about how wild it truly is. I am thankful I had the chance to explore wild places as a child. But it was not an accident. We need wild places for our kids to develop their imagination, their sense of belonging and understanding. And we need to capture for ourselves that same awe we had when we were children, so we can help our kids find their way. These days my questions turn to what kind of guardians of the wilds will we be? What kind of guides will we be? Will we save places for our kids imaginations to run wild? And will we take them there?
Phil Hough hiking in the Grant Tetons, circa 1978. Courtesy photo.
Phil Hough is the executive director of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, as well as an avid hiker and outdoorsman.
Fireside avalanche chat held at Matchwood By Reader Staff
For those rearing to get into the snowy mountains this season, the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center is hosting a fire pit chat Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Matchwood Brewing to help educate locals on the importance of avalanche awareness. The event is a chance for attendees to ask questions, learn valuable information and tips on safe winter travel in the
backcountry, and get to know IPAC staff and members. The fire pit chat is slated for 5-8 p.m. and will feature a new beer release from Matchwood. Funds raised throughout the winter from that new beer will go to IPAC. Contact the IPAC office with questions about the event at 208-263-6635. Matchwood Brewing is located at 513 Oak St. in Sandpoint. December 5, 2019 /
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Mad about Science: By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist So, you got a brand new 7 million-inch TV on Black Friday for $8. Sure, to get it you only had to pick up another shopper and throw them like Darth Vader threw Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi, but for $8? Worth it. Now that you have your 583,333-foot TV in that perfect spot, are you starting to wonder what makes it work? How is it projecting such crystal-clear pictures directly to your eyeballs? That, my friend, is science. Let’s break it down. Televisions come in a few varieties with lots of confusing acronyms: CRT, LCD, PDP, LED, OLED, QLED, HD, 4K, 5K, you name it, it’s probably there. These distinctions are more than posh marketing scams, they all mean something and, depending on the type of picture you want, it’s pretty important to you as the consumer. Let’s start with some outdated technology: CRT, or cathode-ray tube. CRT displays are characterized by being boxy and heavy — like most TVs from the ’90s and earlier. These types of displays fire beams of electrons through a tube, which is controlled by coils that focus and deflect the beams onto a fluorescent screen with a number of colored pixels that create an image. Though very outdated, CRT displays are famous for their reliability and longevity. Also, if you’ve ever had to move them out of a third story apartment with one 10 /
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other friend, you know they’re extremely heavy. PDP stands for plasma display panels and was a very popular type of TV around the advent of high-definition TVs (HDTVs) in the early 2000s. Plasma TVs have two glass plates with a small gap between them for the screen, where neon and/or xenon gas is housed inside of millions of pixels. Each pixel is coated with phosphor, which produces light when electronically charged, which in turn creates a picture on the screen when working with the other pixels. LCD forms the basis for all of the following TVs, and stands for liquid-crystal display. These TV sets ushered in the era of the flat-screen TV, and have a bright white light behind the screen. The screen has millions of pixels, which are made of even more sub-pixels made of liquid crystals stuck between two glass filters. These crystals rotate to allow shades of color to pass through, making deeper, richer blacks and brighter whites than CRT or PDP TVs, which had pixels with only three static colors. LED, or light-emitting diode, TVs operate on this same principle, but use an array of light-emitting diodes rather than a large light in the back of the TV. This allows manufacturers to create much slimmer units at a much lower cost, and which are also easier to repair — one of the reasons we’re seeing TV prices plummet into double digits around the holidays. OLED and QLED are two
fairly new technologies, and stand for organic light-emitting diode and quantum light-emitting diode, respectively. OLED TVs use microscopic pixels made from organic materials like carbon mixed with other chemicals. When an electronic charge hits these pixels, they light up based on what the computer is told to process. QLED uses something called quantum dots, which are insanely small — between 2 and 10 nanometers (DNA has a diameter of 2nm). Each of these quantum dots come in a specified color, and when set in an array can create very rich colors and contrasts. So, what about the difference between HD, 4K, 5K and beyond? That is the resolution of your television and a rule of thumb is the higher the number, the clearer the picture. A standard HDTV has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. That means the TV has 2,073,600 pixels working to build your image. A 4K TV has a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, or 8,294,400 pixels — four times the amount of pixels as a paltry HDTV. 5K is similar, but is primarily for widescreen computer monitors. You can also factor in the refresh rate of your television for a smoother image. Most TVs have 60-hertz refresh rates, which means they’ll refresh 60 times per second. Very smooth, higher-end TVs will offer 120hz refresh rate and, in my opinion, anything higher than 144hz makes the picture look like claymation. There are cutting edge televisions that refresh 240 times per second,
and at the time of writing this, start out around $4,000. At four grand, that TV better dispense kombucha on demand. If this is all crazy and overwhelming, and if you’re starting to doubt that 110-mile wide TV you just bought, have
a chat with one of the tech desk attendants at the Sandpoint library. They live for this stuff. Otherwise, call NASA. I’m sure they could use a screen the size of the Payette National Forest.
Random Corner g terms?
Don’t know much about sailin • The term “feeling blue” originated from sailing culture. If a ship lost its captain during a voyage, the sailors would hoist blue flags indicating their loss. • In the old days of sail, women needed to be smuggled onboard, which meant that if any became pregnant on a particularly long voyage they’d have to give birth at sea. Frequently, ship-born babies came into the world between the cannons on the gundeck and, if the child wasn’t claimed by any of the sailors, it was entered into the ship’s log as being the “son of a gun.” • The term “loose cannon” originated as a sailing term. Cannons of a ship could weigh up to 3,400 pounds each and, if one wasn’t lashed down tight, imagine the damage a loose cannon could do to a ship’s deck and hull. • The phrase “fits the bill” can be traced back to a bill of lading, which was used to acknowledge the receipt of goods and the promise to deliver them to their destination in good or like-new condition. Upon delivery, the goods were checked against the bill of lading to see if all was in order. If so, they “fit the bill.” • When captains disciplined sailors, they used to whip the men with a “cat o’ nine tails,” a special whip kept in a leather bag. When the
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sailors “let the cat out of the bag,” they had usually done something that resulted in punishment. The term today means someone has said something that was not to be said, or revealed a secret. • While we know them as tall buildings, the term “skyscraper” actually originated in sailing ships. The skyscraper is a term for a small, triangular-shaped sail that was set above the other sails on square-rigged vessels. They were so tall they seemed to scrape the sky. • When someone feeds you a “square meal,” it means you’ve received a proper or substantial meal. On sailing ships, the term originated from the square platters that were used to serve sailors. • Nowadays when one is “three sheets to the wind” it’s time to take their car keys away. The expression originally meant one did not have control of their vessel because they had lost control of the sheets (the sheet is a line that controls the angle of the sail to the wind). • When someone tells you to “pipe down,” it’s probably time to shut your mouth. Back in the day, this nautical term was used as an officer’s whistle sound, denoting the completion of an above-deck work shift. To “pipe down” meant to get permission to go below and relax.
PROFILE
‘Knowledge is power’
OPEN 11:30 am
GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS
Human Rights Day presentation features activist from Montana
By Ben Olson Reader Staff It was 71 years ago when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed by 48 different member countries of the United Nations, marking Dec. 10 as Human Rights Day thereafter. In the seven decades since the non-binding pact was signed, the struggle for human rights still continues. To commemorate the day locally, Bonner County Human Rights Task Force has invited a dynamic speaker to an event from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at the First Lutheran Church, 526 S. Olive Ave. in Sandpoint. Rachel Rivas, the co-director of the Montana Human Rights Network, has been invited to present “Knowledge is Power: How to Understand and Counter Anti-Democratic Movements Co-opting Human Rights Language.” The event is co-sponsored by the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, Montana Human Rights Network, Lost Horse Press, the First Lutheran Church of Sandpoint and the First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint. Rivas has worked to expose anti-democratic white nationalist forces and organized communities to respond to hate activity for more than a decade. Her work has even been covered extensively in the national news, including NPR and The New York Times. Bonner County Human Rights Task Force President Brenda Hammond said the Task Force invited Rivas to speak in Sandpoint after hearing her at a recent conference at Gonzaga University. “She’s remarkable,” Hammond said. “She shared so much experience that she has had and knowledge about the various anti-democratic groups that try to spring up in this region of the world.” Hammond contends that Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Wyoming is a region that has been targeted by anti-democratic groups, often with a desire to “break off from the rest of the country and establish a white Christian-dominated nation.”
Rachel Rivas is the co-director of the Montana Human Rights Network. Courtesy photo. Rivas’ presentation will focus on the methods some groups use to co-opt human rights language. “It’s often so confusing to listen to people talk about freedom and liberty and patriotism and understand that they mean something entirely different than what I grew up knowing about those terms,” Hammond said. “I think they are redefining those words. I don’t know if they’re aware that they’re co-opting human rights language.” Hammond believes the efforts to “mainstream” extreme ideologies has
had an effect, especially among those who don’t traffic in facts. “I think these groups are well aware of the fact that the majority of the people in this country don’t read and research very carefully,” Hammon said. “The sound bytes are good enough for them.” Rivas has previously worked for The Policy Institute, the Western Rural Development Center and Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, also has helped manage six successful political races, including that of Montana’s first African-American mayor, a refugee from Liberia. Her presentation also touches on how anti-democratic ideologies leak into local politics. “It starts with dog catcher and then the school board and county commission or city council,” Hammond said. “It’s part of the strategy … we’ve seen it here, too. When [Sandpoint mayoral candidate] Ken Lawrence said we need to ‘fight against godlessness and liberalism,’ I don’t know if he really knows what that means. What would he have done as mayor to ‘fight godlessness and liberalism’? It’s a really confusing world to live right now.”
The Psounbality with Per FRESH FOOD LIVE MUSIC THE BEST NW BREWS
212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint
208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994
Rachel Rivas’ presentation is free and open to all. For more information, visit bchrtf.org.
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COMMUNITY
Chamber names Howard Shay Northern Lights wins communications awards as volunteer of the month By Reader Staff
By Reader Staff
The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce has recognized Howard Shay as its November volunteer of the month. As the current Sandpoint Lions Club president, Shay has been involved in countless community events over the years. For the Lions Club alone, he has played an instrumental role in the planning and execution of the Fourth of July parade and fireworks show, Halloween trick or treat, turkey bingo, Toys for Tots, Christmas dinner and the flag program, in which 160 flags are placed around town for all eight national flag holidays. He is also an Idaho Trails Association crew leader, personally leading eight ITA projects this past summer. For the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, Shay participated in three project trail days and volunteered four days as a goat ambassador — totaling more hours than any other volunteer for the Friends this
The idea is simple: When we all pull together, we can accomplish amazing things. That’s the kernel of wisdom underlying the “More Powerful Together” series of ads, stories and digital messages produced this last year by Northern Lights Inc., the rural electrical cooperative serving Bonner and Boundary counties as well as parts of northeast Washington and northwest Montana. The ad series won multiple accolades from the Northwest Public Power Association during the 26th annual NW Communications and Energy Innovations Conference, held it Tulalip, Wash., in September. With a record-breaking 257 entries this year, the power association presented NLI with three Excellence in Communications awards. Elissa Glassman, NLI’s Communications and Conservation director who oversees the campaign, was on hand to receive the awards.
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Chamber Ambassador Phil Hough presents Howard Shay with the Volunteer of the Month honor at the General Membership Luncheon on Nov. 18. Courtesy photo.
summer. In addition, he is a weekly volunteer to the Bonner Community food banks in Sandpoint and Priest River. Shay humbly accepted his award but was quick to recognize his wife Connie as an equally avid volunteer: “She does just as much, if not more than me,” he said.
“NLI was honored to receive these awards,” Glassman said. “The ‘More Powerful Together’ message supports our cooperative’s contribution and dedication to the communities we serve.” The ad series appears in the Sandpoint Reader as well as other regional publications; NLI also produces content for the Ruralite magazine as well digitally. NLI received two Excellence in Communications awards for its creative print ads and photos, and received an additional award for its website at nli. coop. Keokee media and marketing in Sandpoint helped to execute the series. The individual entries in this year’s Excellence in Communications Competition were judged based on concept, message and execution. “This annual event showcases top-rated communications and energy innovative performances, so naturally NLI is proud to have won,” Glassman said.
HISTORY FEATURE
Mostek and Stockman
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
As with countless communities across the United States, the people of Bonner County were shocked and angered by the news that forces of the Japanese Empire had attacked ships at anchor in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. Also as with countless communities, the reality of what that attack meant remained obscured by geography until the names of their own sons and daughters started showing up in the casualty lists. Almost two weeks after the event, the Friday, Dec. 19 edition of the Northern Idaho News carried a front-page article headlined “Anxiety Is Felt For Dover Youth.” In it, the paper reported that the “First horrors of the ‘stab in the back’ attack by the Japanese, which touched home, came with the report Tuesday that [Francis] Mostek, 21, who was attached to the U.S.S. Arizona, lost his life when the ship was bombed on December 7 near Pearl Harbor.” Revealing the uncertainty surrounding the exact number of casualties, the paper went on to state, “Early reports of the Pearl Harbor tragedy listed no men from Idaho, but a later checkup showed that at least three from the Pacific northwest were killed when the surprise attack was made.” While the Mostek family, then of Dover, had been notified their son was “missing in action,” yet another local family was also anxiously awaiting news of their son. “Harold Stockman, petty officer third class, son of Fred Stockman of Kootenai, also was believed aboard the Arizona when it went down, but his family as yet have received no word.” Subsequent casualty lists would identify 12 Idahoans who went down with the Arizona, adding their number to the 1,177 service members who perished when Japanese dive bombers pummeled the battleship. A total of 2,403 Americans, including sailors, soldiers and civilians, died in the attack on Pearl Harbor, which makes the sinking of the Arizona an especially devastating blow as it accounted for nearly half of all American losses that day. According to numerous published sources — including full-page ads in local papers memorializing the war dead in 1946, Mostek and Stockman were the only Bonner County servicemen to die at Pearl Harbor. As with all but one of the Idahoans who went down with the Arizona, neither of their bodies were ever recovered — they
Francis C. Mostek. remain entombed along with about 1,000 others in the sunken wreck of the Arizona, maintained by the National Parks Service as the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. With the 78th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, it becomes increasingly difficult to sketch a portrait of these lives. According to the NPS, only 335 service members survived the attack on the Arizona — many only because they were off duty or on leave. Following the death of 98-year-old Lauren Bruner in September, there remain only three Arizona survivors: Lou Conter, 98; Ken Potts, 98; and Don Stratton, 97. The last area survivor of Pearl Harbor, Ray Garland, died in April in Coeur d’Alene at the age of 96. A Marine sergeant stationed on the USS Tennessee, which was moored directly between the USS West Virginia and the Arizona, Garland was an eyewitness to the attack as Japanese planes swung in toward Battleship Row to drop their bombs. As reported by the Coeur d’Alene Press and Spokesman-Review on the occasion of his death, at least one of those dive bombers flew close enough that Garland could see the pilot’s goggles. Barring family records and direct recollections, reconstructing the experiences of men like Mostek and Stockman, who perished on the day of the attack, relies entirely on local printed reports and the compilation of biographical material by organizations devoted to preserving the memory of those whose lives were lost on Dec. 7, 1941.
Exploring the history of Bonner County’s Pearl Harbor casualties
Much of what can be known comes from articles in the local papers, preserved by the Bonner County History Museum and digitally accessible via the East Bonner County Library. Mentions of Mostek and Stockman are brief prior to the attack, yet they illustrate a tight-knit community that considered it newsworthy whenever one of its young people put on a uniform. The Northern Idaho News reported on Friday, March 8, 1940 that Mostek left for Seattle the day before to join the Marines and was immediately transferred to San Diego. On Thursday, May 23, 1940, The Sandpoint Bulletin noted that Stockman had enlisted in the U.S. Navy and gone on to San Diego the previous Sunday. The Bulletin reported in July that Mostek had written to his mother, Sophia, in Dover that he’d arrived in Honolulu and was attached to the Arizona. Less than a month later, in early August, the Northern Idaho News wrote that Stockman spent a weekend at home in Kootenai with his father. A year and four months later, both young men would be killed, but Sophia Mostek would not receive confirmation of her son’s death until February 1942, with a letter from Marine Corps Lieutenant General T. Holcomb. On Feb. 13, the Northern Idaho News printed Holcomb’s letter in full, which informed her that, “your son, private first class, Francis C. Mostek, USMC … has been officially declared dead by the Navy Department as of December 7, 1941.” “There is little I can say to lessen your grief,” Holcomb wrote, “but it is my earnest hope that the knowledge of your son’s splendid record in the service and the thought that he nobly gave his life in the performance of his duty may in some measure comfort you in this sad hour.” The paper noted that Mostek served as a gun instructor on the Arizona, “which was sunk when a Jap dive bomber dropped a bomb down the funnel of the ship.” Mostek left behind a large family. Though his father died in 1937, he was survived by his mother Sophia, three sisters and five brothers. In September 1943, The Sandpoint Bulletin wrote Sophia Mostek had received a letter from USMC Col. John Dixon that she would receive on Francis’ behalf the Purple Heart, American Defense Service Medal and Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. The paper also noted that three of her remaining sons were in uniform: Clem in the Army Air Corps in England, Ole in the Army in
the Aleutians and Raymond with the Marines in New Zealand. Raymond was reported missing in January 1944 and, in March that year, Sophia received word that he had been killed in action on the island of Tarawa in November 1943. Her other sons survived the war, though Ole died in a tragic work accident in Dover in 1947, leaving behind a wife and two children. Francis Mostek remained in the local news almost up until the end of the war. The then-renamed Sandpoint News-Bulletin reported on Thursday, Sept. 7, 1944 that “Mrs. Mostek of Dover has received a memorial for her son, Francis C. Mostek, of the United States Marine Corps, who gave his life in the service of his country December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. It was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.” The article featured a photograph of a smiling Mostek, wearing his dress uniform and cap set at a jaunty angle. Below the image, the paper wrote that Army Corporal Lawrence C. (Ole) Mostek, who had by then served two years in overseas combat duty, had received the Good Conduct Medal. Mostek brothers Francis and Raymond appeared in the “Honor Roll” published in 1946 in the Sandpoint News-Bulletin — one of three sets of Bonner County brothers to fall in World War II — as did Harold Stockman. However, unlike Francis, Bonner County’s other Pearl Harbor casualty received almost no other notice in the local papers. Aside from speculation that he may have died on the Arizona, there were no articles verifying his death. Nor any reports of his father receiving a memorial or posthumous medals. Though Stockman appears on the list at the Arizona memorial in Hawaii and on the ussarizona.org website, no profile accompanies his name. It is unclear why so little public record remains of Stockman, other than to point to the hazards of history, the magnitude of the losses in war and the uncertainty it brings. This was perhaps on the mind of an anonymous local poet who submitted seven stanzas to The Sandpoint Bulletin on Feb. 26, 1942 — about two weeks after Sophia Mostek received confirmation of her son Francis’ death. He or she wrote, in part: Our boys will leave us one by one, The best of the bunch they’ll take; There’ll be laughter and tears and sad goodbyes And for many their last handshake. The title of the piece: “Lest We Forget.” December 5, 2019 /
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Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry Live Music w/ Ron Keiper Jazz 7-11pm @ Eichardt’s
Repeal Day Prohibition Party 5:30-9pm @ 219 Lounge Travel back in time for this Bonner Co. History Museum fundraiser to the 1930s as the Niner turns into a speakeasy! Dress to impress, classic cocktails offered and delicious eats and music of the era. No cover.
Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Jazz and beer: the perfect combo Live Music w/ Devon Wade 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Country night on First Fridays Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 8-10pm @ The Back Door
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Festival of Trees (De 4-6pm @ Bonner Co.F Thursday night is fa open to the public a charge! Enjoy hot coc and a visit with Sant the magically-decorat
Live Music w/ BearGrass Trio and artist reception for Bill Klein and First Friday After Party 4-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery All forces collide at the Winery for live music, an artist reception and the after-party for downtown Sandpoint shopping event called First Friday
Live Music w/ 5-8pm @ Match Local favorites Live Music w/ 8-11pm @ 219 L Justin and Jen L ly earnest, hear flicted. A great i
Live Music w/ Nick Wiebe Christmas Bazaar and Craft Sale 4-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 9am-4pm @ St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Nick’s influences include reggae, Buy quality cottage crafts from vendors, country, classic rock, 80s/90s, etc. including jewelry, candles, clothing, holLive Music w/ Justin Lantrip iday gift items and more! Free admission Live Stand-Up Comedy Show 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority 8pm @ 219 Lounge Thoughtful covers and originals Welcome host Morgan Preston with headLive Music w/ Crooked Fingers 5:30-8pm @ Old Ice House Pizzeria liner Nate Jackson and featuring Sam Classic country, blues and bluegrass! Miller, all nationally touring comics. $25 Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee
Piano Sunday w/ Bob Beadling 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Holiday Ba 7-10pm @ S Semi-forma best. Starts w Art Works 4:30-7:30pm Enjoy appet sations with DJ Kevin 9pm-12am @ Open Ho BGH Hospice memorial tree lighting 10am-2p 4pm @ BGH Classroom Santa wi The lighting of the annual Tree of Memodown! Sh rial Light Ceremony honoring loved ones lost. 208-265-1185 for more info
Lifetree Cafe Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant Kara An hour of conversation and stories. This 8-clos 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub week’s topic: “Stuck in a Rut?” Night-Out Karaoke Trivia Night 9pm @ 219 Lounge 7pm @ MickDuff’s Join DJ Webrix for a Show off that big, night of singing, or beautiful brain of just come to drink yours and listen Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Cary Rey
A Celtic Christmas 7:30pm @ Panida Theater An award-winning Irish trio called Affiniti will per a Celtic Christmas concert, with harp, violin and vo Adult djembe class (ages 12 and up) 5:45-7:30pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint Join Ali Thomas for this djembe (drum) class
Live Music w/ Ben Olson 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s A solo show with Ben Olson from Harold’s IGA playing the lesser known originals and covers
Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub PAFE Holiday Party 4pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Annual holiday party for Panhandle Alliance for Education
Open Mic Night w/ Kevin Dorin 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall A fun open night of playing. All levels of performers welcome. 21+ Kevin will also record your set. Share some passion!
Live Music w/ BareGrass Trio 5:30-8:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Sandpoint’s own progressive bluegrass trio, featuring John Edwards, Luke Levesque and Jared Johnson.
I 9 A I 5 A
ICL Holiday C 5:30-8pm @ Th Come celebrate t plishments and t Tasty appetizers
ful
Dec. 5 - 12, 2019
Trees (Dec. 5-7) nner Co.Fairgrounds ght is family night, public and free of oy hot cocoa, cookies with Santa and view y-decorated trees
A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com. Reader recommended
National Wild Turkey Federation Happy Hour 5-8pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. A happy hour event with $1 of every beer sold will be donated to the cause. This event supports building local membership and education Pint Night w/ Bayner Brewing 6-8pm @ A&P’s
Open Mic Night w/ KC Carter 9pm-12am @ A&P’s Bar
Climate Strike & Army Corps Permit Protest 12-2 pm @ Dog Beach Info: WildIdahoRisingTide.org DJ Skwish 9pm-12am @ A&P’s Music w/ Truck Mills & Carl Rey Backcountry Film Festival 7pm @ Panida Theater @ Matchwood Brewing Co. First Friday favorites playing blues of all stripes Help raise funds for Selkirk Outdoor 4-7pm @ Downtown Sandpoint Music w/ Cedar and Boyer Leadership and Education with these Hosted by POAC, this shopping m @ 219 Lounge specially selected backcountry films event features in-store treats, and Jen Landis’ sound is melodical- Live Music w/ Right Front Burner drinks and promos. Earn red ticknest, heartfelt, thoughtful and con- 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall ets, which can be entered into a . A great indie folk duo from Spt. Sandpoint’s funk, disco & groove banddrawing at the Winery after party
oliday Ball Free First Saturday Bonner Co. Democrats Holiday Party 10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall 10am-2pm @ BCH Museum 7pm @ The Heartwood Center mi-formal dance. Wear your holiday Tour the Bonner Co. History Dinner from Ivano’s. Tickets $20 st. Starts with rumba lesson at 7 p.m. Museum free of charge! Waldorf School Christmas Faire Santa at Cedar St. Bridge 10am-4pm @ Sandpoint Waldorf School rt Works Holiday Reception 11am-3pm @ Cedar St. Brg. The school is transformed for a holiday 30-7:30pm @ Art Works Gallery joy appetizers, live music and conver- Free admission for all kids party. Kids’ crafts, puppet shows, holiday ions with artists. 10% discount! music and food! Open to the public J Kevin FOL Book Sale Karaoke m-12am @ A&P’s 8-close @ Tervan 10am-2pm @ Spt. Library Honey Bee Celtic Winter Concert 3pm @ Panida Theater Open House and Santa visit Enjoy Celtic fusion with twin sisters 10am-2pm @ Sandpoint Super Drug Santa will be at Super Drug to visit with local kids, so head on Deby Benton Grosjean and Pamela Bendown! Shop for holiday gifts - everything is 20% off storewide ton, plus their band! $15/$18. panida.org
nt Karaoke his 8-close @ Tervan
Parkinson’s Support Group 2-3pm @ Sandpoint Library For those affected by Parkinson’s
Festival at Sandpoint annual membership meeting iti will perform 5:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall olin and vocals. Meet with organizers of the Festival for their annual memSandpoint bership meeting class
n Dorin r Hall ing. All elcome. rd your
The Conversation 6-8pm @ Creations “A Call to All Artists” in the theatrical fields to create 15 one-act plays to show at the Panida July 2020
ICL Artist in Residence Show: Celebrating Idaho with Carl Rowe 9am-9pm @ The Longshot (Dec. 11-12) A two-day art showing of Carl Rowe’s beautiful landscape art. Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center Fire Pit Chat 5-8pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Ask questions and learn valuable info from backcountry experts
Holiday Celebration and Art Show pm @ The Longshot celebrate the year with us. We’ll recap our accoments and tell you about current and future work. appetizers, hearty drinks and lovely company
Better Breathers Club 1pm @ BGH Classroom Meetings offered at no cost for those living with chronic lung disease and their caregivers
Dec. 13 Schweitzer Community Day @ Schweitzer Dec. 14 That Christmas Night @ Spt. Bus. and Events Ctr. Dec. 14
Jazzy Nutcracker @ Panida Theater
Dec. 14
Jack Frost Fest @ Heartwood Center
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LITERATURE
A connection to the past Gary Pietsch’s new book Sandpoint’s Early History is a comprehensive look at our origins in North Idaho By Ben Olson Reader Staff
From the Reader Staff to our readers: We appreciate you! Thanks for reading our humble effort. 16 /
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It’s often said that journalists write the “first draft of history.” In the case of North Idaho native and former journalist Gary Pietsch, he has a chance to add to that “first draft” and pen a definitive work covering the early days of Sandpoint. Sandpoint’s Early History is the result of a lifetime of learning and writing for Pietsch, who has called North Idaho home for all of his 84 years. The book, covering the entire history of Sandpoint from the Glacial Lake Missoula floods to present day, is published by the Bonner County History Museum and Keokee. Pietsch will launch the book Saturday, Dec. 7 from noon to 2 p.m. at the museum. He’ll also be signing copies of his book from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Vanderford’s Books and Office Products. Pietsch was born in Bonners Ferry and has lived in Sandpoint all of his life. After graduating from the University of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a stint in the U.S. Army, Pietsch returned to his home in Sandpoint to work for his father Laurin Pietsch, who started the Sandpoint News-Bulletin in 1924. “In 1924, with $500 worth of borrowed money, he started a one-page mimeographed daily called the Daily Bulletin,” Pietsch said. “At one time Sandpoint had three weeklies and two dailies until he bought out all the competition, including the Northern Idaho News. That’s how it ended up as the Sandpoint News-Bulletin.” Pietsch began working for the News-Bulletin in 1958, rising through the ranks as a reporter, and eventually as editor and co-publisher with his father until he sold the paper to Pete Thompson in 1975. “We had the largest circulation of any weekly in the state of Idaho,” Pietsch said. Thompson eventually morphed the Sandpoint News-Bulletin into the Bonner County Daily Bee, which is the paper of record today in Bonner County. After his father retired, Pietsch bought the printing equipment and began the Selkirk Press, which he ran until 2000 when he retired and turned the business over to his daughter, Wesley Dustman. Pietsch’s son, Chris, also works in journalism as the photo editor for the Eugene Register-Guard in Eugene, Ore. “He’s a third-generation Pietsch still in the newspaper business,” he said. “I’m very proud of that.”
Top: Gary Pietsch. Left: The front cover of Sandpoint’s Early History by Pietsch. Courtesy photos. Pietsch said he has always enjoyed history, even at a young age. “For my senior thesis at the University of Idaho, I did the history of newspapers in Sandpoint,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in history.” A member of the Bonner County History Museum and Historical Society, including a stint as president, Pietsch said Museum Director Olivia Luther asked him if he was interested in writing about Sandpoint’s early history. Aptly-titled, Sandpoint’s Early History begins with the ice age floods of Glacial Lake Missoula, which formed the landscape of North Idaho, then covers explorer David Thompson’s time in the region. “Then I followed the activity of the local natives, the Pend Oreille and Kalispel tribes,” Pietsch said. “Then I chronicled the coming of the railroad and how that all came to pass, because that really set the tone on the development of Sandpoint.” The book also includes history about early residents who emigrated to Sandpoint before the railroads, as well as the development of the town, how the streets were named, the shift of the town center from the east side of Sand Creek to its present location, and a detailed analysis of some of the men and women who shaped Sandpoint’s history. Pietsch ended up covering all the costs of the book’s production and gifted the first printing to the museum to sell as a fund-
raiser. “Gary has been a longtime supporter, volunteer and advocate for the museum,” museum director Olivia Luther said. “The board and staff at the museum are overwhelmed by his recent gift of Sandpoint’s Early History, and all of the research, writing, care and detail he put into creating such a wonderful book.” Pietsch said it’s important to record these events because future generations won’t be able to access the information without a reliable account. “I thought it was a good idea to nail down how things used to be and how they came to pass,” Pietsch said. “The history that sprung from the early pioneers is pretty fascinating.” Books will be for sale at both at the Museum on Dec. 7 and Dec. 14 at Vanderford’s. Order online at keokee.com.
LITERATURE
This open Window
Vol. 4 No.15 poetry and prose by local writers edited by Jim mitsui
association While licking a nut-covered ice cream stick during the baseball playoff in which his grandson pitches a no hitter
it is one of those classic autumn days concocted from a mixture of the smoke of burning pine needles, flying geese, and a forecast of rain. Bony fingers of white mist reach up from between rows of shadowy evergreens on Gold Mountain and Lake Pend Oreille lies eerily still on this cold October morning. A long, harsh winter is predicted by Farmer’s Almanac and I’ve seen furry and fattened wildlife preparing. Grazing elk and waddling turkeys, mergansers diving and otters playing with their food. Boats have been stored and kayaks stowed. Heavier clothing begins to accumulate on hallway hooks, and boots gather on the floor. As the day moves on, sunlight begins to dance between the banded layers of darker and darker grey clouds, teasing, flickering light on the warm palette of colored leaves still remaining on trees.
the old poet remembers the sweet and savory flavors of hot Tonkatsu served in a red bento box at the Noh theater in Tokyo
I gaze out the window and contemplate a walk in the last hours of daylight as the wind picks up, swirling leaves and whistling through the back door somebody left slightly ajar. — L.S. Jones
One day he will lace these two experiences together in a short poem.
saigon, may of 1972 and all that has transpired until the full moon book group, september of 2019 Would that I back through time could wend, to ask forgiveness and fences mend. For having arrived at twenty-four, and going off to war, I confess to all and eternity that I have sinned, through my fault, through my fault, mea maxima culpa. And I often see the pedant that is me and ask if truly I have something of import to say, as the full moon rises above Gold Hill over Lago Pend Oreille. Retrospective views become wide, like sculling a shell V-wake each side, and the dip pools of the oars glisten marking strokes that propel to who knows where. Lost in the cadence of each pull, savoring the blackness of receding waters and the reflection of surrounding hills silhouettes, I see a wider view looking back while the bow points relentlessly its singular way beyond. To where, it must go.
— Barney Ballard Barney is a veteran of the Vietnam War who flew multiple missions, piloting various aircraft. His writing provides visions of his war experiences and shows us what war is really like. He also served as an advisor and technical expert helping Sandpoint High School students build their own plane. This column is called This Open Window, and this poem gives us “a wider view” of his experiences.
Autumn is my favorite season and I am constantly moved to write or photograph or paint what I see. It can be so overwhelming trying to express the beauty of northern Idaho.
— Beth Weber Beth Weber is a talented, versatile poet, violinist, teacher, glass artist, gardener, bird watcher who lives here in Sandpoint. This poem was caused by a prompt that required the use of five words; can you guess what the five words were? And it shows that an exercise can recover a memory of an experience and cause a poem to happen.
Send poetry submissions to:
jim3wells@aol.com December 5, 2019 /
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COMMUNITY
UPS plans to ‘Fill the Truck’ for Toys for Tots this year By Reader Staff
UPS has announced its eighth annual “Fill the UPS Truck” fundraiser will take place Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Ponderay Walmart. Local UPS employees will be accepting donations for the Sandpoint Lions Club’s Toys for Tots, as well as non-perishable food donations to the Bonner Community Food Bank. Two UPS trucks will be on hand, one at each door at Walmart. UPS asks the community to help fill the trucks with food, new unwrapped toys or a cash/check donation. Donations will go toward helping Bonner County neighbors in need this holiday season.
Courtesy photo.
SUPPORT DOWNTOwN MERCHANTS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
FSPW outdoor ed program has open 2020 dates By Reader Staff
As winter descends on the rugged Scotchman Peaks, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness are planning the 2020 Winter Tracks season. Winter Tracks is a free outdoor education program for local schools. Teachers, students and volunteers enjoy a winter day teaching and learning. Subjects include orienteering, avalanche safety, tracking, mammals and birds, and tree identification. Each Winter Tracks features four modules that students cycle through for a variety of learning experiences. Students love the chance to spend a day outside and FSPW volunteers enjoy sharing their knowledge with the kids. Retired foresters Jeff Pennick and Ed Robinson team up to teach about trees. “One of my favorite things to do is to teach the kids to be curious and go out and explore,” Pennick said. “If that’s all we get across to them, it’s a wonderful thing.” Teachers appreciate Winter Tracks. Clark Fork High School teacher Becky Haag said, “We had a great time. We are so lucky to allow our students such rigorous hands on learning in the field with 18 /
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Coalition seeking to hire trails director By Reader Staff
The Pend Oreille Pedalers, together with the Sandpoint Nordic Club and Kaniksu Land Trust, recently formed the North Idaho Trails Coalition with the intent to hire a trails director to advance priority trail projects and trail maintenance in the Sandpoint area and beyond. The position calls for someone who can work with a variety of organizations and agencies to promote and implement trail projects, improve public information about existing and planned trails, and to help raise funds for trail development and maintenance. While the trails director would answer to the coalition led by an executive committee, the position would work out of the Kaniksu Land Trust office in Sandpoint. Those interested in applying for the position can visit the following URL for more details about the position: bit.ly/2Y5ZULO. Applications will be due by Jan. 6, 2020.
FOL book sale By Reader Staff
Everyone involved — students, teachers and volunteers — enjoy Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Winter Tracks programs. such a well assembled team of experts to share their knowledge and experience.” According to FSPW, the program is intended to get kids to light up at nature’s wonders. For example, the organization shared one instance when a student was acting bored until shown wing marks in the snow made by a hawk in pursuit of a squirrel, exclaiming, “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” He was excited for the rest
of the day. Winter Tracks sessions are generally on Fridays, but FSPW is open to suggestions. The 2020 season is filling up fast, but there are still dates available. Friday, Dec. 13 is the last day to make a reservation. To learn more, contact sandy@scotchmanpeaks.org or call 208-290-1281.
The Friends of the Library will hold its monthly book sale Saturday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the East Bonner County Library. This month, FOL will feature delectable cookbooks, how-to books for crafters who like to give handmade items, books to tickle the funny bone, mysteries, classics and book sets. The shelves will be brimming with current fiction authors and nonfiction subjects. All electronic media (CDs and movies) will be half price. Paperback books will be 50 cents each and hardcover $1 each. For more information, visit ebonnerlibrary.org.
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OUTDOORS
What’s new at Schweitzer? By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Schweitzer officially opened its 2019-2020 ski season Friday, Nov. 29, with the Basin Express Quad servicing Midway. The mountain will open more terrain as soon as Mother Nature kicks it into high gear; but, in the meantime, now is as good a time as any to discuss exciting new developments. Summer 2019 was especially busy at Schweitzer, with two major construction projects keeping crews busy. Snow Ghost (or Chair 6, depending on how old school you are) has been replaced by two new chairlifts serving the North Bowl, now known as the Outback Bowl. The new chairs include a Lietner Poma detachable quad chair dubbed Cedar Park Express, providing access for intermediate skiers and riders. A complimenting triple chair from Skytrac called the Colburn Triple will take advanced and expert skiers and boarders to the summit of the mountain to more quickly access the steeper terrain in Lakeside Chutes. Both lifts have been completed and will be in service for the 2019-’20 season. “The construction this summer went extremely well,” said marketing manager Dig Chrismer. “Because we replaced the lifts, another thing we’re really excited about is the logging and brush cutting that we did back there.” Chrismer said more than 200 acres were logged and gladed to open new terrain. The addition of the new lifts also added seven cut runs to the resort, though the official number of named runs still comes in at 92 after the managers consolidated some names. “We went through the trail map and some runs had a dual name that was redundant, like making Upper Pend Oreille and Lower Pend Oreille just Pend Oreille,” Chrismer said. The other major construction project undertaken this season is a new 30-unit boutique hotel in the village. The hotel will offer a 50-seat restaurant, bar and outdoor patio. The building will also include a small co-working space, exercise area, communal “living 20 /
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room” and outdoor spa. While the initial round of construction began in summer 2018 with water, sewer and gas infrastructure taking shape — along with concrete foundations for underground parking — Schweitzer expects the construction to finish in time for an opening at some point in 2021. Getting up to the mountain improved over summer, with the Independent Highway District resurfacing the main roundabout and about 6.5 miles of access road. Intermax Networks also installed fiber-optic cables running from the valley to Schweitzer, which will improve the bandwidth for all internet and wireless users at the resort. Schweitzer spent an additional $1.6 million on maintenance projects in summer 2019, including the purchase of a SS Extreme Ski Steer Mulching Mower. The new purchase has enabled crews to mow through thick alder and vegetation, as well as consume tree stumps without needing an excavator. Translation: more defined ski areas without thick
brush. Workers brush cut almost 60 acres of terrain on Little Blue Ridge Run, Vagabond, Snowghost, Have Fun, Zipdown, Cathedral Aisle, Springboard and Stella’s Run. In addition to the badass mower, Schweitzer also purchased a Prinoth Bison winch snow cat and a new Techno-Alpin T8 snowmaking machine. “The new technology makes it more efficient to make snow,” Chrismer said. “Water is a precious resource, so the better the machines and the newer the technology, the better we are at efficiently making snow.” Schweitzer also did some feng shui work on the Outback and Lakeview lodges, with a partial enclosure of the deck at the Outback. The resort also transformed the area beneath the Taps Bar deck to provide more seating. A new snowsports yurt will serve as a warming hut and focal point for kids’ pro-
grams near the Musical Carpet and a larger awning was built to protect guests at the main ticket windows. Finally, flooring at the Lakeview Lodge was upgraded and the rental department acquired a new fleet of adult Rossignol rental skis. “I can’t wait to stand at the bottom of Cedar Park and talk to people about what they just skied,
An updated 2019 trail map, with the new lifts in the center. Courtesy SMR. all that new terrain,” Chrismer said. “Just looking at the pictures and being out there this summer, I can say the mountain is the best it’s ever been. Now we just need the snow!”
ICL artist in residence show features the landscapes of Carl Rowe By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
ple-hued hollows and lush stream sides — not only communicating the spell-binding effect of light and form, but evoking the sense of The beauty of Idaho is tough to quiet mystery that anyone who has put into words, let alone capture traveled through Idaho has felt in on canvas, but Boise-based landthe presence of these places. scape painter Carl Rowe has made According to the Boise Open his career doing just that. Studio Collective Organization, His work, which has spanned which counts among its members 24 years and earned him some of some of the finest Idaho artists the highest artistic honors in the from a multitude of media, Rowe’s state, is simultaneously ethereal work has been honored with the and abstract while capturing the Governor’s Award for Excellence rich solidity of the Gem State’s in The Arts, the Mayor’s Award natural places. for Excellence in The Arts and the Rare among Culture and Conlandscape artists, Celebrating Idaho servation Award by Rowe manages the Land Trust of to go beyond the with Carl Rowe the Treasure Valley. representation of Wednesday, Dec. 11-ThursHis pieces hang the land to convey day, Dec. 12; 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; in more than 550 the warmth of high FREE. The Longshot, 102 S. public and private desert plains and Boyer Ave., longshotsandpoint. spaces, including in rolling, rock-studcom. See more of Carl Rowe’s the city of Boise’s ded hills as they work at carlroweart.com. Chronicle Collecplay with cool pur-
tion and the home of former Idaho Gov. Phil Batt. See for yourself what makes Rowe’s pieces so special with a two-day showing of his work Wednesday, Dec. 11-Thursday, Dec. 12 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at The Longshot, 102 S. Boyer Ave. Hosted by the Idaho Conservation League and Pend Oreille Arts Council, the exhibition highlights Rowe as the 2019 ICL artist in residence — an honor that has sent him on a statewide tour sharing his body of work, which tells a visually stunning story of Idaho’s
One of Rowe’s paintings: “Out Standing in its Field.” Courtesy image. many-faceted land in ways utterly unique to his vision. The show also doubles as ICL’s holiday celebration, set for Thursday, Dec. 12 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Hear a recap of the organization’s accomplishments over the year, get clued into what’s happening with ICL now and in the future, and enjoy appetizers and drinks while Rowe shares stories from his travels around the state.
STAGE & SCREEN
Big adventure on the big screen
SOLE hosts annual Backcountry Film Festival to benefit local youth
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
States. The 10 films featured in this year’s lineup chronicle the adventures of mountaineers, skiers, rafters, splitboarders, mushers, Let’s admit it — backcounartists and conservationists as they try winter adventures are not for everyone. But watching incredible navigate backcountry as treacherfeats of exploration play out on the ous as it is beautiful. As per tradition, Sandpoint’s big screen while knowing you’re helping local youth access outdoor Backcountry Film Festival will also feature raffles and silent education opportunities? That’s auction items, including a custom pretty hard to pass up. ShotzSki, a reclaimed original Those who attend the BackSchweitzer Ski Chair, and a snowcountry Film Festival on Friday, board and helmets from 7B BoardDec. 6 at the Panida Theater have the chance to do just that as Selkirk shop. Goods from Steamboat Outdoor Leadership and Education Springs and Big Agnes will also be up for grabs. hosts the event in Funds raised at an effort to raise Backcountry Film the Backcountry money for its Festival Film Festival will SnowSchool ExpeFriday, Dec. 6; doors at 6 p.m., go largely toward riences program. show at 7 p.m.; $12 advance the SnowSchool Produced by general admission, $15 day Experiences the Winter Wildof show, $20 VIP donation program, which lands Alliance, the ticket include VIP pre-event SOLE Executive 2019 Backcoun5-6 p.m. The Panida Theater, Director Dennison try Film Festival 300 N. First Ave., 208-263premiered Oct. 25 9191, panida.org. Buy tickets Webb said is an award-winning and in Boise and has at Evans Brothers, Alpine nationally recogsince been touring Shop, Eichardt’s, The Hive or all over the United online at soleexperiences.org. nized curriculum
using E-STEM principles — environment, science, technology, engineering and math — to teach kids about the outdoors in their backyard. “We partner with NASA and our students get to do real science in the field,” he said. Webb said that over 50% of the children SOLE serves live in poverty and over 70% of those kids said the first time they learned about the Selkirk Mountain ecosystem and Greater Lake Pend Oreille Watershed was through the SnowSchool Experience program. “With over 80% of our fresh-
West-side Washington comics coming to the 219 By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
A trio of comics are coming to the 219 Lounge for a must-see show Saturday, Dec. 7. Top of the bill is Seattleite Nate Jackson, an alum of MTV improv show Wild ‘N Out and winner of the 2010 Bay Area Black Comedian Competition. What’s more, he’s opening Nate Jackson’s Super Funny Comedy Club in Tacoma in 2020, “joining the less-than-10-people-long list of black-owned comedy clubs in the country,” as he said on superfunnycomedyclub.com. While all stand-up comedians use their voice, Jackson really works his — singing, gleefully shouting and contributing his own infectious laugh to the uproar in his audience. With material touching on black culture, regional quirks, sex and dating, his wordplay and body language combine to make Jackson a
by his comic you want to Stand-up featuring Olympia” local newsweeklaugh with. Nate Jackson Joining him ly. “That looks will be Olympian Saturday, Dec. 7; doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.; $20 adpretty good for Sam Miller, who vance, $25 at the door; 21+. me and super has made a name 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., bad for Olymfor himself with 219.bar. Get tickets at the bar his self-referential, pia,” he says in or call 208-263-5673. a 2017 bit. “All self-deferential I did was stop style — which, stealing people’s bikes.” even though he often goes to Finally, veteran road-dog dark places, touching on his comic Morgan Preston hosts the recovery from drug and alcohol 219 show, bringing addiction — comes off as genuhis own inimitable inely warm-hearted. brand of outspoMiller has performed at ken, in-your-face The Washington Center for humor to what’s the Performing Arts and sure to be a helBumbershoot, took part in luva good time. the 2016 Seattle International Comedy Competition and was voted “Best Local Hero in
Nate Jackson. Courtesy photo.
A scene from A Climb for Equality about ski mountaineer Caroline Gleich who documented a water coming from our snowclimb of Mount Everest. Courtesy photo. pack, we believe it is essential to provide a novel educational setting where our community’s travel skills, and develop sound youth can develop a sense of conservation literacy.” belonging to their wildlands,” It’s seeing that education in action, Webb said, that inspires Webb said. “Simply put, without SOLE to continue hosting the SOLE’s SnowSchool Experience Backcountry Film Festival. program, hundreds of rural youth “Our board works very hard to in Bonner County and beyond put a great event on every year,” he would not have the opportunity said. “My favorite part would have to explore and learn about snow science, winter ecology, avalanche to be watching their hard work pay off in more ways than one.” awareness, outdoor living, and
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FOOD
The Sandpoint Eater
Boxes and biscotti
By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist
’Tis the season for time honored traditions, when we set the ladder and reach high into the rafters seeking out the holiday boxes, brimming with carefully wrapped ornaments, childhood Christmas crafts and other objets d’art. Over the past few years, I’ve sorted and culled the collection I’ve amassed, giving my kids their favorite holiday treasures for their own homes and traditions. Along the way, in my efforts to downsize, I’ve also pitched or donated an odd remnant or two. I’ve carefully ranked and numbered the remaining boxes, so it’s easy to pull down what I need according to the type of Christmas on my horizon: a full-blown extravaganza, a small gathering of solo friends or traveling with no decorating required. Opening these boxes stirs up myriad memories, some poignant and tender, a few bittersweet (my youngest, Casey, still longs for her missing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ornament, heartlessly discarded by me years ago). But mostly the memories are sweet and heartwarming recollections of my small children, taking joy in Christmas preparations. There’s even a foggy memory or two of my own distant youth. Regardless of unfolding plans, one box comes out every year. It includes my Christmas card list, holiday CDs and my coveted collection of a dozen holiday issues of Gourmet (RIP), Bon Appetit and Cook’s Illustrated magazines, reconnecting me to culinary projects that date back to my Montana ranch days. My favorites are the two oldest: Bon Appetit from De22 /
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cember 1984 and Gourmet from December 1986, respectively. Every year, I greet them like old friends, ritualistically curling up in my worn leather chair with strong, hot coffee in hand to pour over every single page. Sometimes the familiar and worn pages take me back to a specific time, like the brilliant moment in 1984 when I discovered I could adapt a recipe for white chocolate ribbons (which adorned a cake featured on the 1984 Bon Appetit Christmas cover) into edible clay for the children, now a holiday staple for my little adorables. The ads still intrigue me, too. One that always caught my wishful eye with every issue was the Oster Super Pot Cooker. Though I longed for this new “wonder”
pot that was a steamer, rice cooker and deep fryer, I knew that my well-meaning but ranch-practical mother-in-law, Monah, would deem it a superfluous appliance for a ranch kitchen. There were all kinds of ads for various goods but no internet for placing your orders so, instead, if you wanted “Julia on Video,” you clipped the coupon, chose BETA or VHS, enclosed a check for $29.95 and before long you were learning to fold a French omelet at your own pace, instructed by the affable Julia Child. There are lots of other intoxicating ads, too, and I always intended to purchase the mouth-watering citrus fruits that would arrive in time to grace my holiday table; but, between small children and big ranch chores, I
never got around to sitting down and writing a check. I did, however, always find the time to try an alluring recipe or two. Unfortunately, it took me a few years to learn to avoid these projects when Monah was present. I recall the first time that I made Italian biscotti, which is first baked, log shaped, then carefully sliced thin with a serrated knife before being baked again to a crisp and crunchy finish. There’s a knack to slicing the logs without breaking the edges, and with my mother-inlaw watching over every slice, it was even more daunting. Monah thought it was a complete waste of time to bake something twice. Once, while slicing through a warm log,
I shared my newly-acquired magazine authority about the history of biscotti and the purpose of twice baking these gems. Biscotti, I explained, came from ancient Roman times, and, back then, they required foods that could be packed up for wars and long journeys. It was not uncommon to bake goods twice, to prohibit the growth of mold. To which she replied, “my cookies never lasted long enough to mold.” Touché, Monah. This year, I’m spending Christmas in Chicago, so the boxes won’t come down. My baking is nearly done (including lots of triple chocolate biscotti), which leaves me some extra time for my annual pilgrimage: the thrift store ornament search. Wish me luck.
Triple Chocolate Biscotti
Makes approx. 4 dozen (depending on thickness)
This dough is versatile. You can add toasted, chopped nuts or dried chopped fruit. Just don’t over mix and don’t overbake!
INGREDIENTS: • 2 cups all purpose flour • 8 oz semisweet chocolate chips, divided • 4 oz milk chocolate chips • 2 tsp baking powder • 1⁄2 tsp salt • 1 stick (1⁄2 cup) butter, melted • 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • 2 tsp espresso powder • 1 cup sugar • 3 large eggs • 1 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS: Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse flour, 4 oz semisweet chocolate chips, baking powder and salt in food processor until chocolate is finely ground. Stir espresso and cocoa into melted butter. Cool. In bowl of stand mixer, beat sugar and eggs 1 at a time, add vanilla. Add cooled butter mixture. Beat in flour mixture. Add milk chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips. Divide dough in half and, using metal spatula or wet fingertips, form two logs, 10” by 2”. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake logs until tops are dry to touch, about 25 minutes. Cover with barely damp kitchen towel and cool 10 minutes (covering will facilitate a moist top, to
ease slicing). Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. With a serrated knife, firmly hold log while gently slicing into 1⁄2 to 3⁄4-inch-thick slices. Arrange half of slices, cut side down, on baking sheet. Repeat with other log on separate
baking sheet. Bake biscotti 8-10 minutes. Turn over, bake an additional 8 minutes. Cool on sheets. If desired, drizzle with melted chocolate or dip end in chocolate and coat with nuts or shaved chocolate.
FOOD
Heart healthy
Heart Bowls offers loads of healthy eating options... oh yeah, they’re all delicious By Ben Olson Reader Staff There is a misconception that healthy food sacrifices taste for nutrition. Let’s agree to dispel that myth — especially after eating from the menu at Sandpoint’s unique food truck, Heart Bowls. Katie Adams and Jamie Terry started the business with a mission to build a happier and healthier community by sharing plant-based menu items structured around whole foods and so-called “superfoods.” Superfoods are mostly plant-based foods that are nutritionally dense and thus good for one’s health. Blueberries, kale, acai and salmon are popular examples. One goal of Heart Bowls is to get rid of the obstacles in the way of eating right. “There are a lot of hurdles to eating well, whether they’re financial, psychological or just convenience,” said Terry. “If we can lower or eliminate those hurdles, why not?” Adams and Terry champion the return to a diet from before convenience eating became popular. “What’s happening now is we’re going back to the ’30s, when grandmas had their gardens and we eat our vegetables,” Terry said. “It’s not complicated. People just got really confused about what food is.” “Now people are starting to realize you can have health and convenience,” Adams added. The menu at Heart Bowls spans from hot to cold, sweet to savory. Starting with cold options, one of the most popular choices — and one that earns a badge for being different than anything else in town — is a smoothie bowl, of which they have a half dozen varieties. This unique item, which can double as breakfast or lunch, features fruit-based smoothies prepared with special high-speed blenders and topped with granola, fresh berries, bananas, chopped nuts, coconut flakes, natural peanut butter drizzle and more. Most bowls cost $7 to $8, with various boosts available for a small extra
Top left: Owners Katie Adams, left, and Jamie Terry, right. Top right: The Southwest rice bowl. Bottom right: Two colorful smoothie bowl options. Bottom left: The exterior of the Heart Bowls food truck. Photos courtesy Heart Bowls. charge. Those interested in just smoothies can buy 24-ounce portions without toppings for $8. Adams first incorporated the smoothie bowl into her personal diet when she and her husband started traveling and eating healthy. “I was experimenting with a raw vegan lifestyle and smoothie bowls are extremely prevalent in that lifestyle,” she said. “I discovered that blending whole foods preserved the nutrients and fiber, while juicing removes the nutrients and fiber. This bowl, in my mind, is one of the more perfect, nutritious foods to eat.” Adams said the secret to a good smoothie is simple: put fruit in a good blender. “You need a good blender,” Adams agreed. “The first thing my husband and I possessed and owned when we moved was a Vitamix. We literally didn’t have
anything else, just our Vitamix. It’s the most valuable thing in my life.” Another cold drinkable is the “mylkshake,” which is dairy-free and made up mostly of frozen bananas and a small amount of vanilla soy milk, as well as other natural flavorings. Most flavors go for $5.50 each. “It’s a real whole food shake,” Adams said. “One of the more heartwarming pieces of feedback we get is, ‘I can eat this and it tastes good, but I can actually enjoy it because I know it’s not bad for me.’” “There’s no guilt,” Terry agreed. Rounding out the cold side of the menu, Heart Bowls offers N’Ice Cream, which is also banana-based “ice cream” with toppings that make this sundae guilt-free and delicious. N’Ice Cream Bowls cost under $7, with a small extra charge
for extra toppings. Heart Bowls also has a nice selection of warm bowls for the cold winter days. Popular rice bowls include the Hawaiian, Southwest and Medeterranian options on top of a bed of brown and white rice. Regular sized entrees are $8 while the large costs $12 and can easily be split between two meals. Oatmeal bowls have similar topping options as smoothie bowls, but feature a hot oatmeal base and average about $6. Finally, the newest addition to Heart Bowls’ menu is the pancake “taco” bowls, featuring thin pancakes made without white flour or sugar. “Our batter is made out of whole oats, applesauce and water,” Adams said. “We grind our own flour and it goes right on the griddle. It’s really like an oatmeal pancake.”
While pancake bowls can be eaten traditionally with fork and knife, Heart Bowls has options to stuff them with whole food ingredients and sell it as a “taco” that sells for around $6. At the heart of it all, Adams and Terry have created a unique eatery that proves taste does not get sacrificed for nutrition. With a prime location next to The Longshot, diners can compliment Heart Bowls with their favorite coffee or tea. By eliminating all or most of the dreaded triad of empty calories — salt, oil and sugar — Heart Bowls has lived up to its mission to promote a healthier community. Added touches make it even more successful, like offering only compostable, plastic-free bowls, as well as keeping prices low and portions large to help entice more people to consider a healthier option. They also have a selection of baked goods made without any butter or oil. It’s possible Adams and Terry are using some sort of magic inside that food truck on Boyer, but it probably makes more sense that they just care about good food that’s good for you — and they want to share the fruits of their labor with others. “I know how much [eating well] changed my life,” Adams said. “I know how much better I feel eating good food that is benefiting the planet and not destroying it. That feeling was so powerful, I couldn’t help but give it back to our community.” “Because of loss early in my life, I became very aware of our time here, that it’s shorter than we want it to be,” Terry said. “In the time we have, deep down I believe we all want to make an impact, and it’s a lot easier to do that when we have our health. It’s the first thing we take for granted and when it goes, it’s the only thing we want.” Heart Bowls is open seven days from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., located at 102 S. Boyer Ave., just east of The Longshot at the intersection of Hwy 2 and Boyer. If you haven’t tried it yet, take this reporter’s advice: Everything is amazing. December 5, 2019 /
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MUSIC
A feeling and a sound World-class Irish trio Affinití brings A Celtic Christmas to the Panida By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
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Celtic interpretations of Christmas tunes have become a staple of holiday season playlists, but rarely are they performed with the sheer talent, pedigree and affinity of Affinití, the trio of violin, soprano and harp artists Mary McCague, Emer Barry and Teresa O’Donnell. All award-winning and classically trained at prestigious institutions including Affiniti will play the Panida Theater Dec. 10. Courtesy photo. the Royal Irish Academy, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and the English National Opera in LonAsked why Celtic music resonates so don, the members of Affinití bring their worldmuch during the holidays, McCague said class repertoire and style to the Panida Theater, “it’s to do with storytelling. The Irish are kicking off the group’s fifth U.S. Christmas tour renowned for their storytelling.” Tuesday, Dec. 10. “I think as well with people they have The show, titled “A Celtic Christmas,” such an affinity with Ireland — especially brings with it a full slate of favorite Christmas in America, there was such a diaspora,” songs, including Affinití’s rendition of “O’ she said, adding that the group is met with Holy Night” — which topped the Irish downwarmth by audiences across the country load charts during Christmas 2014 and has who are eager to talk of their Irish ancestors drawn more than 1 million views on YouTube and their former homes on the Emerald Isle. — as well as Irish standards such as “Danny “It’s a feeling and a sound,” McCague said Boy.” No less than Howard Crosby, the nephof the attraction of Celtic music. “[There’s a] ew of legendary singer and former Spokane timelessness, particularly in Christmas time, resident Bing Crosby, will join Affinití on when people are thinking of home.” stage, including for a duet of “White ChristThe trio draws its name from a feeling, mas,” made iconic by his late-uncle. as well, playing on the often-referred to In a phone interview from Affinití’s home“affinity,” which McCague said is what has base in Ireland, McCague told the Reader that kept them together for nearly 10 years. the trio has toured the States with Christmas con“We find ourselves saying [we play togethcerts since 2014 — an idea spurred by Crosby. er] on account of our affinity According to McCague, for each other, so why don’t A Celtic Christmas Affinití connected with Crosby we call ourselves Affinití?” through a mutual friend when Tuesday, Dec. 10; doors at The twist, of course, is 6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m.; they were both performing at the “i” at the end, featuring $19.25. Panida Theater, 300 the National Concert Hall in the Gaelic long accent — a N. First Ave., 208-263-9191, Dublin. Crosby happened to nod to the deep Irish roots get tickets at panida.org. Rehear their performance from maining tickets available at the that infuse their music. The offstage. Afterward, he apdoor. Listen at affinitimusic.com. other significance is more proached the group, expressed of an inside joke, McCague how much he’d enjoyed the said, referring to the three show and noted that they even had a CD track group members. in common. “There’s no ‘i’ in team, but there are “By the end of the evening he was saying three ‘i’s’ in Affinití,” she said. he was going to take us on tour in America,” The Panida show is family friendly, McCague said. with children welcome, and will play out Soon after, Affinití was on a plane to “in very much a concert format,” McCague Texas, continuing to Washington, New York, said, with harp violin and soprano on stage Oregon, Chicago and Boston. at all times. As Affinití states on its website, this debut “It’s all storytelling and song,” she addlaunched an “‘affinity’ with the American ed. “It’s not a big fancy production; it’s a audience” that now brings it to Sandpoint for feel-good concert for the holiday season.” the first time. / December 5, 2019
MUSIC
A shindig for the season
3rd annual Jack Frost Fest serves as a welcome to winter
By Ben Olson Reader Staff When Robb Talbott and his wife, Tasha, lived in West Virginia, they frequented an annual event at a ski touring center meant to celebrate the changing of the seasons and welcoming winter with open arms. When they moved to Sandpoint a few years ago and started Mattox Farm Productions, Talbott decided to combine the concepts from that beloved West Virginia event with his knack for putting on concerts. “The purpose was to get stoked for winter, and get everybody together and get excited for the season,” Talbott said. “[Then we] had the idea to bring in music and have a sort of music festival in the wintertime.” Sandpoint’s third annual Jack Frost Fest is Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Heartwood Center from 5 p.m. until the party dies out. With four live bands, a raffle and beer tasting, the event is quickly becoming an early-winter community mainstay. Jack Frost Fest is also family friendly during the earlier hours, featuring yard games, facepainting and the addition of cookie decorating this year thanks to Creations — one of the many nonprofits also making an appearance at Jack
Frost Fest. Others include Selkirk Outdoor Leadership and Education, Schweitzer Avalanche Rescue Dogs, Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center, Sandpoint Nordic Club and Music Bridges Borders, all there to raise awareness for their missions. Talbott said proceeds from the raffle and beer tasting are split between the nonprofits. Bringing the tunes to Jack Frost Fest this year are singer-songwriter Kevin Dorin, local indie rockers Harold’s IGA, Spokane-based Americana rock band Trego and Runaway Symphony — an alternative rock band known for emotional and energetic live performances. Runaway Symphony, fronted by Bonners Ferry native Daniel Botkin, played Mattox Farm shows in North Idaho last November. Botkin said he was so sick that he could barely sing. “It was like one of those weird dreams where you suddenly realize you’re in public and your clothes have vanished,” Botkin said. “But I am definitely looking forward to coming back and getting a second chance to sing our songs with a healthy voice.” Talbott said Runaway Symphony’s 2018 Pearl Theater show as one of the best he’s ever seen, recounting the way Botkin’s bandmates picked up the slack for him.
“You could really see their common styles. The result will be relationships and love for the music more “flow” during the evening, come out,” Talbott said. “A lot of Talbott said. people have been asking to bring “I didn’t want it to be too much them back.” of the same thing,” he said, “but Runaway Symphony is currently also to not have as much contrast.” in the process of recording its third This year, Mattox Farm is also full-length album. producing a show in Bonners Ferry at “I’m a little biased, because it’s the Pearl Theater the night before Jack still the honeymoon phase, but I Frost Fest. Hillstomp, an American think this is the best collection of punk blues duo from Portland, will songs we’ve ever put together,” play the Pearl Friday, Dec. 13, and Botkin said. “You can catch a sneak those looking to attend both nights peak of some of the can purchase a new songs when we Jack Frost Fest 2019 special combo ticket come up.” Saturday, Dec. 14; 5 p.m.; $20 at mattoxfarm.com The current in advance, $25 at the door, for $30. Talbott said schedule for Jack it’s Mattox Farms’ $10 for youth and FREE for Frost Fest — which those 5 and under. The Heart- way of flirting Talbott said is with the idea of a wood Center, 615 Oak St. Get tickets at Eichardt’s, Evans Friday-to-Saturday subject to slight Brothers, 7B Grooves and change — sees music festival, which Dorin on the Chapel online at mattoxfarm.com. could be the future of Hall main stage at 5 Jack Frost Fest. p.m., Harold’s IGA As Jack Frost at 5:45 p.m., Runaway Symphony at Fest has evolved over the past three 7 p.m. and Trego at 9:30 p.m. to par- years, Talbott said it’s all been in an ty out the night. During downtime effort to create an event that reflects between Chapel Hall sets, Dorin the desires of its attendees. will play in the Grove Room. “It’s changing so much each Unlike past years, when Jack year. The development of it is my Frost Fest featured genres varying favorite part,” he said. “This started from the down-home sounds of as an idea that Tasha and I had to Moonshine Mountain to the funky bring something we love to this grooves of Shakewell, this year’s community we love, and it’s been event features artists with more influenced by that community.”
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Del Parkinson, Dec. 6, Hope Memorial Community Center A grand piano is a vessel for magic when played by the right hands. When Del Parkinson plays the piano, that magic is alive and well. Idaho-raised Parkinson boasts a doctor of music degree from Indiana University and a postgraduate diploma from the Juilliard School, and now serves as a piano professor at Boise State University. Parkison travels the state performing free piano concerts in partnership with the Idaho Humanities Council. After his classical Christmas concert at the Memorial Community Center in Hope, attendees are invited to stick around for Christmas cookies and beverages. — Lyndsie Kiebert 6 p.m., FREE. Memorial Community Center, 415 Wellington Place, Hope, 208-264-5481, memorialcommunitycenter.com.
Honey Bee, Dec. 7, Panida Theater
Twin sisters Deby Benton Grosjean and Pamela Benton lead this talented Celtic fusion ensemble called Honey Bee. The duo fuses many of the musical genres they’ve been classically trained in over the years. With eccentric electric violin and traditional Celtic rhythms intermixed with folk and subtle rock influence, Honey Bee plans to celebrate the sounds of the season at this special afternoon concert at the Panida Theater. The show will feature Grosjean and Benton, as well as Taylor Belotte on drums, Joel Wilson on bass and Tyler Coulston on guitar. Tickets are available for $15 in advance at Evans Brothers and online at Panida.org or for $18 at the door. — Ben Olson 3 p.m.; $15 advance, $18 at the door, all ages. Panida Theater, 201 N. First Ave., 208-263-9191, get tickets at panida.org. Listen at pamelabenton.net.
This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone
READ
Reading through the incredible digital archives of the East Bonner County Library is a riveting trip back in time through the pages of local Sandpoint newspapers dating to the 1890s. Containing more than 300,000 pages of material taken from about a dozen North Idaho publications, the contents are keyword searchable and remarkably well digitized. Go to eastbonner.advantage-preservation.com and prepare to devote some time to time travel.
LISTEN
Honeysuckle might be a Boston band, but Holly McGarry remains a pillar of the Sandpoint music scene. She and bandmate Chris Bloniarz recently swung through the old hometown for a stellar concert with Shook Twins and John Craigie at the Panida. It was a bonus that we could hit up the merch table for a vinyl pressing of Honeysuckle’s 2019 release Fire Starter, which would be a smoking deal at any price. Order at honeysuckleband.com/ merch.
WATCH
It’s easy to forget how much George Lucas was influenced by Westerns when he created Star Wars. But that pedigree is clear with The Mandalorian, which was recently released on Disney+. The episodes have the look and feel of quick-hit gunslinger dramas, complete with a Sergio Leone-esque soundtrack, as the titular bounty hunter/mercenary flies through space defending the weak and blowing away the baddies — all while never taking off his helmet.
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HOROSCOPE
The Real Folk Horoscope Musings of a mad astrologist
From Northern Idaho News, Dec. 12, 1941
WAR NEWS BREAKS HERE SUNDAY NOON Listening to war bulletins Sunday that war had been forced upon us by the Japanese Empire, Sandpoint people accepted the news with a severe shock. Eagerly they gathered around radios to listen to later developments, some residents reporting that they stayed up all night to hear the broadcasts. Reports Monday that one enemy air force was coming from the Aleutians while another appeared hovering near the California coast only intensified the eagerness of the people to keep tuned to the latest developments. However, coast blackouts and the silencing of broadcasting stations east of the Cascades, including those of Spokane were silenced. Merchants agreed that they might better have closed their stores Monday and listened to war news, for the day was light for business. Throughout the city people gathered and compared notes on the latest developments of the war in the Pacific. PLAN NATIONAL GUARD Claude Spangle, who heads the sale of defense stamps in Bonner county, made an urgent plea that people buy stamps and bonds to their best ability: “With war coming to our own shores, our government is going to need money and lots of it, to battle Japan.” He said that plans are under way to form a home guard here soon and that a meeting will be held Monday night at the home of Caryl Wilson, Spanish-American war veteran. All persons interested in perfecting the guard are asked to attend. 26 /
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/ December 5, 2019
By Cody Lyman Reader Columnist
Sagittarius
Due to the interstitial flux gradient of the bipolar fractal fracture around the synchronistic tendencies of the nine nearest pulsars, and in accordance, of course, with the shift of tessellation in the osmoidial resistance of the undulate tissues around the local nodule of our space-time field’s resonant metamorphosis capacities, you will be on the cheery side this month.
Capricorn
It’s not always as bad as it seems. In fact, it’s often times worse.
Aquarius
Sail that ship — before it sails you.
Pisces
Sometimes looking for evidence of love in loved ones (not to mention potential loved ones) is like searching for signs of life on Mars. At which juncture you’ll be met with what’s among the most difficult decisions in all of Life: keep searching indefinitely, or put your resources elsewhere. Needless to say, either way, the search is endless. Whatever you choose to do, it will be more than a calculated action — mostly a natural, likely uncontrollable response, leaving you saying, especially to yourself, “Nothing to see here.” No matter what happens, it will seem like you always knew the way it would happen all along.
Aries
Is it just me, or does it seem cruel
that the word “lisp” should contain the letter “s”?
Taurus
You must look out for yourself above all else. You are, after all, your own worst enemy.
Gemini
Stab around in the dark. The worst that’ll happen is you might strike a nerve.
Cancer
New traditions begin as a way of avoiding less-new traditions. For example, people go to the movies on Black Friday to avoid the crowds in shopping malls and department stores and other giant boxes of the sort; and, eventually, a select few during those movies will be daydreaming up ways to avoid the crowds at the movies next year come Black Friday. And so on and on and on.
Reeeeeeeeeeaaaach... so that your arms are already out in front of you, to break your fall.
Scorpio
You will have a happy New Year, whether you like it or not.
Crossword Solution
Leo
Nothing is coming to me for you this month, which must mean there is a rapture approaching and you, I can only presume, my dearest Leos, and your pride, will be the chosen ones.
Virgo
My mother used to tell me that I was so full of shit my eyes were brown, and I believed her. I thought my eyes would turn brown for split seconds whenever I tried to lie, even though my eyes are blue.
Libra
You’ll have to reach out.
As the snow started to fall, he tugged his coat tighter around himself. Too tight, as it turned out. “This is the fourth coat crushing this year,” said the police sergeant as he outlined the body with a special pencil that writes on snow.
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
CROSSWORD ACROSS
Woorf tdhe Week
corybantic
/kawr-uh-BAN-tik/
[adjective] 1. frenzied; agitated; unrestrained.
“She danced a corybantic shake after drinking too much booze at the party.”
Corrections: We had a date snafu in the story about the prohibition party in the Nov. 27 issue. The party is Thursday, Dec. 5 and we erroneously wrote “Friday.” Apologies. -BO
1. Napped 6. Grumble 10. Corrosive 14. Stogie 15. Smell 16. An abandoned calf 17. Devotee 19. Algonquian Indian 20. Grant 21. Precious stone 22. Wander 23. Killed 25. Mobile phones 26. Twirled 30. Old person 32. Asserted 35. Impassive 39. A framework of steel bars 40. Breakdown 41. High level of respect 43. Impulse 44. Heavy 46. D D D D 47. Deli item 50. Not outer 53. God of love 54. Eastern newt 55. Kleenex 60. Relating to aircraft 61. Instructions 63. Fraud 64. Frosts 65. Finally (French)
Solution on page 26 12. Something to shoot for 13. Considers 18. A wise bird 24. Contribute DOWN 25. Spasmodic 1. Anagram of “Cabs” laryngitis 2. Vitality 26. Droops 3. Auspices 27. ___ du jour = Meal 4. Agreement of the day 5. Threesomes 28. Forearm bone 6. Bamboozle 7. Slowly, to a conductor 29. Causing irritation 31. “Smallest” particle 8. Rats 33. A thin porridge 9. A formal high 34. Tropical American school dance wildcat 10. Recognized 36. Provisions 11. Christmas song 66. Story 67. T T T T 68. Hockey footwear
37. Chills and fever 38. Not more 42. Building 43. Hotel 45. Main course 47. Monster 48. Betel palm 49. Small goat antelope 51. And so forth 52. Rituals 54. Modify 56. Drop down 57. Couch 58. Module 59. Feudal worker 62. S December 5, 2019 / R / 27