Reader_Feb23_2023

The week in random review

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

quotable

“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I’m free to choose that something. … My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.”

— former-President Jimmy Carter, 98, who it was announced Feb. 18 would suspend continued medical care and “spend his remaining time at home with his family” in hospice.

‘gobblefunk’

Just as Roald Dahl’s work seems to be enjoying yet another popular revival, with the smash-hit Matilda the Musical, the late-iconic British writer’s oeuvre is under scrutiny for including material considered harmful to young readers. Puffin, which publishes Dahl’s work, has apparently hired “sensitivity readers” to identify where and why some of the author’s prose is derogatory, racist or otherwise too distasteful. That’s caused a big uproar, with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak weighing in on Feb. 20: “When it comes to our rich and varied literary heritage, the prime minister agrees with the BFG that we shouldn’t gobblefunk around with words. I think it’s important that works of literature and works of fiction are preserved and not airbrushed. We have always defended the right to free speech and expression.”

deeper meaning

In a fascinating article published in January in Jewish Currents, historian Bench Ansfield digs into the 20th-century significance of the term “burnout” — specifically, in its original context, which was to describe the practice of landlords “burning out” low-rent properties in order to collect on the insurance. In Ansfield’s piece, titled “Edifice Complex,” they explore how the term’s evolution to describe the feeling of exhaustion experienced by 21st-century workers illustrates a fundamental reality of the economic system. “[T]hose torched buildings had generated value by being destroyed,” they wrote. “... [D]epletion, even to the point of destruction, could be profitable.” That said, applying “burnout” to the psychological state of overworked employees hides the term’s deeper history as “the disposability of targeted populations under racial capitalism — a dynamic that, over time, has ensnared ever-wider swaths of the workforce.” Find the article at jewishcurrents.org/edifice-complex.

The sun also rises (on Earth)

According to a recent piece in The Smithsonian — picking up on coverage in The Independent — researchers in China have broken the record for sustaining a nuclear fusion reaction at the country’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. Also known as “the Chinese Artificial Sun,” the project has been running since 2006, geared toward developing energy technology that could replace coal and natural gas by copying the internal mechanisms of the sun: “merging atomic nuclei to generate large amounts of energy into electricity.” Scientists were reportedly able to superheat plasma to 126 million degrees Fahrenheit (five times more intense than the core of the sun) and maintain the reaction for more than 17 minutes.

DEAR READERS,

Yowza, that was a fun storm that blew through earlier this week. Sometimes we take for granted that it’s still winter this time of year. Unfortunately I was unable to sneak away from work to get some fresh powder runs in at Schweitzer. Hoping you all left me some turns when I head up after delivering the paper today.

This week marks the second and final week of Sandpoint’s annual Winter Carnival. Check out Pages 14-15 for a complete rundown of Winter Carnival events, including the always popular K9 Keg Pull down Cedar Street in front of Eichardt’s Pub.

Whenever a cold snap hits like this, don’t forget to check on any elderly neighbors or family members who might need your assistance. Sometimes offering to make a quick trip to the grocery store or helping with a simple task around the house can mean the world for someone who might not be able to handle it on their own.

Wishing you all calm in a high-winds world.

READER

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BoCo commissioners reinstate use of Zoom on split vote

Commissioner Williams’ disclaimer states that streaming platform use is ‘at the risk of the user’

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

All but one of the action items at the Feb. 21 Bonner County commissioners’ meeting drew a unanimous vote in favor. That lone split vote marked the third time the board has considered the use of the Zoom streaming platform in county meetings, and also marked a tide change, as commissioners reversed a decision made earlier this month to end Zoom access.

Zoom has remained a contentious issue at Tuesday business meetings since it first appeared as an executive session item on the board’s Feb. 7 agenda. After a discussion behind closed doors — afforded by attorney-client privilege after consideration by a county lawyer — commissioners reconvened in public to cast their votes.

Discussion, particularly on the part of Chairman Steve Bradshaw and Commissioner Luke Omodt, revealed concerns about litigation should a constituent participating via Zoom have difficulty hearing a meeting or sharing testimony.

While Commissioner Asia Williams suggested a disclaimer on future agendas be considered to mitigate risk, that idea was not explored any further on Feb. 7, before Bradshaw and Omodt voted to discontinue the use of Zoom for the public in all county meetings.

While YouTube streaming remained in use, it didn’t allow for two-way interaction with members of the public wishing to ask questions or comment during the meeting.

The Zoom issue continued to dominate public comment at the board’s Feb. 14 meeting, where Williams proposed adopting a disclaimer that read, in part:

“Use of the Zoom link is not intended as a substitute for in-person or written participation in the proceedings of county business. It is possible to have technology issues with the Zoom link to include, but not limited to, difficulty hearing and being heard. If you have information to communicate to the county, please come in person or send your information in writing. … Use of Zoom is at the risk of the user …”

Williams said at the Feb. 14 meeting that county legal counsel had reviewed the disclaimer and verified that it would mitigate risk, though not entirely. She argued that Bonner County’s codified commitment to encouraging greater public involvement — combined with the risk of excluding elderly and disabled meeting participants — outweighed the risk of litigation related to technology failure.

Her motion Feb. 14 to accept the disclaimer died without a second, as did Omodt’s motion to table the item until he could hear from legal counsel himself.

In the face of sustained public pressure to reinstate Zoom, the issue appeared on the agenda once again at the board’s Feb. 21 meeting, this time as a proposal from Williams to reconsider the disclaimer and reinstate use of the streaming platform.

This time, Bonner County

Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson — the attorney who issued the opinion warning the BOCC against using Zoom, and who also gave Williams positive feedback on her drafted disclaimer — issued his own public comments on the topic.

“I raised this issue about a year ago, but it sat on the back burner until you guys took office,” Wilson said, referring to newly elected Commissioners Omodt and Williams.

He said that when a constituent suggested at a recent meeting that “any decision that had been made in that meeting was invalid because people couldn’t hear,” it “prompted the new emphasis on this topic.”

“I’m definitely happy to work with the board of commissioners to mitigate the risk … It really is just a choice between elimination of all risk and the consequences that

could come with that from the public not liking the decision, versus some middle ground,” Wilson said.

Omodt said he’d heard from several people “on both sides of this issue” — including his own mother, who is a proponent for reinstating Zoom. He said he had taken into consideration the Idaho Legislature’s continued use of the platform in its own hearings.

“If it’s good enough for the Legislature, I think it should be good enough for Bonner County,” he said. “I believe that Commissioner Williams has the right of it. I think that this is good for Bonner County …”

Bradshaw remained steadfast in his opposition to allowing future use of Zoom.

“Unfortunately, if this was to become a litigatious [sic] thing, it would not go before the Legislature — it would go before the courts,” he said,

adding later: “For me, having been sitting here for over four years now, I am reluctant to make any decision that my legal has advised me not to. That’s where I sit, because I’ve seen what happens when we ignore that.”

Use of Zoom in county meetings was reinstated with a disclaimer on a 2-1 vote, with Omodt and Williams in favor and Bradshaw against.

BOCC business meetings are held each Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Bonner County Administration Building, 1500 Highway 2 in Sandpoint. To access the meetings via Zoom or YouTube, find those links on agendas at bonnercountyid. gov/commissioners.

Bonner County Commissioners Luke Omodt, left; Asia Williams, center; and Steve Bradshaw, right. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey.

Sandpoint officially seeking applicants for downtown design competition

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Sandpoint City Hall issued the official solicitation notice for its Downtown Waterfront design competition Feb. 21, notifying prospective designers of the opportunity “to join us in transforming our city, from engaging the current synergies of private development, to honoring the wishes of our current community, while embracing the history of this place.”

The competition invites teams of designers to draft proposed concepts to redevelop the Sand Creek waterfront and City Beach, as well as inform the Comprehensive Plan update and future zoning and code changes.

A winning team will be identified in a three-stage selection process, which includes multiple submissions, presentations and reviews.

Submittals will be due by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21. A jury of experts and a panel of technical advisers will make recommendations to the council.

The city in its solicitation notice emphasized that design teams will be asked to create “a vision of what we can become,” though in a series of meetings in January and February honed in on a set of “deliverables” from the process that included estimated construction costs and timelines.

“City Council decided that a design competition is the method by which we will define

this VISION that will bind the downtown, the waterfront, and the community into a cohesive whole. We want to leave a legacy for the future of a small town that not only plans for responsible growth but also actively implements the plans, encouraging and supporting both public and private investment consistent with our community values and character,” the city stated in its notice. “Sandpoint has worked incredibly hard over the past 25 years to revitalize our downtown and create all the individual pieces to make Sandpoint extraordinary. We are reaching out to multi-disciplinary Design Teams to assist us in weaving the pieces together to help further define what this place is, and more importantly, what it can be.”

In a revised solicitation manual draft introduced and approved by the City Council at its Feb. 15 meeting, city staff stated that the initial development toward a full master plan would result from the design competition process “and completion of the full plan master plan would likely be a next step with the competition winner,” followed by full construction design of the waterfront as adopted by the council.

Qualified teams will have to provide documentation of “up to five projects” completed within the past 10 years — either collectively or as individuals — and have the professional “capacity necessary for the superb performance of the required services,” according to the manual. “It

Work commences on Memorial Field dock improvements

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Crews with local dock builder C.E. Kramer started work Feb. 20 at the War Memorial Field waterfront, staging equipment and preparing to get underway on Phase 2 of the long-running project to expand and improve the dock, boat launch and surrounding facilities at the park.

The work will include replacing and extending the 960 square feet of existing log float docks with 1,664 square feet of steel frame and floating docks, later installing a 200-foot-long log boom wave attenuator.

Parks Planning and Development Manager Maeve Nevins-Lavtar told the Reader that construction should take “two to three weeks max,” but spread over the course of the winter and spring, with everything buttoned up by mid-May, assuming all goes to plan.

“I believe about two weeks on the docks — that’s what they’re starting construction on this week — and about a week more for the new wave attenuator,” she said.

“That portion will be completed later this spring when lake levels rise, as a barge/crane will be required for the installation.”

City Hall is not anticipating any impacts to park users during construction on the project, which represents a significant milestone in a years-long series of improvements at Memorial Field.

Funded in large part by a 1% local option tax approved by voters in 2015, Phases 1 and 2 of work at the field included a new grandstand and infrastructure upgrades completed in 2017, followed by resurfacing of the field with artificial turf and upgrades to perimeter hard surfacing, parking, drainage and stormwater, lighting and landscaping, all completed in 2021 — after the city adopted its Parks and Recreation Master Plan in 2020.

Phase 1 of the dock facility work included boat launch improvements such as an accessible pathway, restroom, boat wash station, launch ramp, and kayak launch and dock, also completed in 2021, paid for with $512,336 from the fiscal 2021-’22 budget.

Phase 2 — including the dock expansions, wave attenuator and

a paved storage area intended to improve maintenance access to fencing at the field— had originally been allocated $450,000 in the 2022-’23 budget, but bids came in lower than expected.

The current construction total for Phase 2 comes to approximately $325,018, including pre-construction engineering and permitting, and funds were provided by a matching grant of $275,463 from the Waterways

must have a track record of past performance on contracts with public institutions and private industry, including quality of work and compliance with performance schedules. The team should have knowledge of the issues and unique requirements specific to the project.”

The full solicitation manual is available online at bit. ly/3xHOG1U. Registration will be required in order to view the manual.

“We are ready to collaborate and innovate as you proceed with your design exploration. Help us in ENVISIONING PLACE, weaving together the downtown, waterfront and community of Sandpoint, Idaho,” the city’s notice stated.

Improvement Fund awarded in 2021 but extended to 2023, as well as $49,555 in matching dollars from the Parks and Rec. Capital Improvement Fund.

City officials had anticipated finishing Phase 2 of the dock project in 2022, but Nevins-Lavtar said work had been delayed due to supply chain disruptions during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the fall of 2022, and

throughout the winter of 2023, City Hall has been working on developing the design and raising dollars for even more park improvements, including a dog park and more waterfront access.

A conceptual drawing of the upcoming renovations to the Memorial Field boat ramp and dock. Courtesy image.

Idaho House votes to prohibit use of student IDs to verify identity for voting

After party-line vote with all Democrats voting against it, legislation now heads to Idaho Senate for consideration

Bits ’n’ Pieces

From east, west and beyond

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

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wants a “national divorce” — separating conservative “red” from progressive “blue” states. Former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney tweeted: “Our country is governed by the Constitution. You swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Secession is unconstitutional. No member of Congress should advocate secession, Marjorie.”

Greene says “everyone” she talks to supports the “divorce.” But Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called Greene’s rhetoric destructive, wrong and “honestly, evil.”

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun

The Republican-controlled Idaho House of Representatives voted along party lines Feb. 20 to pass a bill that would remove student IDs from the list of types of identification accepted to vote at Idaho polls.

Rep. Tina Lambert, R-Caldwell, sponsored House Bill 124, saying it would help prevent fraud at the polls — without citing any specific instances in Idaho where student IDs were used to commit voter fraud.

“The problem with student ID cards is that they are not secure,” Lambert said on the House floor. “Proof of identity is not required in order to get one. Some are going to say that this bill will prevent young people from voting. That is certainly not the goal. The goal is simply to ensure that only qualified people are voting in Idaho elections.”

It is already a violation of federal election laws to use a student ID or any other means to vote in multiple states in the same election.

Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, debated against passing the bill, saying removing student IDs basically amounts to a poll tax by forcing students — particularly young people who don’t drive or have a driver’s license — to obtain another accepted form of identification to cast their ballots.

“There is nothing more important than people voting,” Gannon said in his floor debate. “I want to encourage people to vote. I want to make it something they can do, that they want to do and

that they can participate in.”

Gannon said his position on the bill might change if the Idaho Legislature had passed a bill that would provide a no-fee state-issued ID card that could be accepted at the polls. Providing a no-fee state ID card is one of the provisions included in another bill, House Bill 126, that was introduced Feb. 14 but has not yet made it out of committee.

If the bill removing student ID cards is passed into law, the only acceptable forms of identification for voting in Idaho would include:

•An Idaho driver’s license or ID card issued by the Idaho Transportation Department;

•A passport or photo ID card issued by the U.S. government;

•A tribal photo ID card;

•A license to carry concealed weapons or an enhanced license to carry concealed weapons.

In the end, House Bill 124 passed 59-11, with every Democrat voting against it. The bill heads next to the Idaho Senate for consideration. For the bill to become law, it would have to pass the Idaho Senate and be signed into law or allowed to become law by Gov. Brad Little.

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

It costs $17.74 to produce the highly effective COVID-19 treatment molnupiravir, but it’s sold to the government for $712, according to Harvard School of Public Health and King’s College in London. Federal agencies spent $29 million on the drug’s development, leading Knowledge Ecology International to state that the public should have rights to the drug “under reasonable terms.”

The Dominion Voting Systems vs. Fox News Corporation defamation lawsuit indicates Fox News opted to say what viewers wanted to hear about the 2020 elections, including statements about Dominion Voting rigging the election, to avoid viewers abandoning the network.

Materials filed by Dominion in the case include numerous instances of Fox personalities saying off-air there was no evidence of “widespread voter fraud.”

Tesla has voluntarily recalled 362,758 vehicles with experimental driver-assistance software, saying the software may cause crashes.

A train derailment this month in Ohio released toxic fumes and contaminated waterways, including the Ohio River, which is the water source for 5 million people Human health complaints have included nausea and headaches. Reputable media report vinyl chloride was released, a known risk for various cancers. The controlled burn of the derailed cars’ contents released phosgene, used in WWI as a chemical weapon, and hydrogen chloride, linked to chemical burns, respiratory failure and death.

The politics regarding the catastrophe: examining fallout from corporate pressure (including big donations) on various government administrations, determining who allowed lax safety standards, and reviewing profit-maximizing measures (including stock buybacks) that led to exhausted railroad employees. Two workers’ concerns about the train were dismissed. They said there was advanced recognition the train could be dangerous.

Several environmental groups may take the U.S. Department of Transportation to court for

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

long-term failure to act. The Lever reported that then-President Donald Trump had undone a 2015 Obama-era rule requiring better locomotive brakes, but the Biden administration has failed to reverse Trump’s actions.

Evolutionary biologist Rob Wallace stated that current corporate agriculture practices hasten the next pandemic. Speaking to The Nation, Wallace pointed out that flu from birds and swine easily cross over from crowded corporate farms, whereas wild animal virus spillovers come from overcrowding of humans who interact with nature. Pinpointing the economic sources of viruses has not favored Wallace’s rise as a scientist: Universities that protect certain Big Ag practices that Wallace finds problematic have avoided hiring him. He now has a blog, Farming Pathogens, and has written Big Farms Make Big Flu. The solution to Big Ag approaches, Wallace says, is agroecology.

Former-President Jimmy Carter opted for at-home hospice care. At 98, he is the longest-living U.S. president. His most memorable campaign statement: “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president.”

At the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Vice President Kamala Harris said the U.S. has determined that Russia’s military actions in the Ukraine are war crimes, NPR reported. That includes murder, torture, rape and forcible deportation, and targeting of children — many of whom have been taken to Russia for adoption and “re-education.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was also at the conference, and promised that U.S. Republicans would not abandon Ukraine.

President Joe Biden recently visited Ukraine, close to the war’s one-year anniversary since Russia invaded, the AP reported. Biden stated that Russia had aimed to “wipe Ukraine off the map,” adding that Russia’s aggression has resulted in its economy struggling and a brain-drain from those fleeing. Current Russian billboards proclaim, “Russia’s borders end nowhere.”

PEN America, a free speech advocacy organization, says more than 1,600 books were banned during the 2021-’22 school year.

Blast from the past: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

— Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel Peace Prize winner, 1928-2016. A high-school principal in Pennsylvania recently ordered the school librarian to remove a poster with that quotation

Idaho Rep. Tina Lambert, R-Caldwell, listens to action on the House floor at the State Capitol in Boise on Jan. 9, 2023. Photo by Otto Kitsinger.

A law meant to save lives of Idaho mothers is on the chopping block — will lawmakers keep it?

Idaho maternal mortality review committee ends in July unless Legislature renews it

By Audrey Dutton Idaho Capital Sun

A special committee that was created four years ago to study maternal deaths in Idaho will end in July if the Idaho Legislature does not pass a bill to remove or change its sunset date.

The Maternal Mortality Review Committee is tasked with studying Idaho deaths during pregnancy or within one year of giving birth, and with finding potential solutions that can prevent more deaths.

Idaho Rep. Dori Healey, R-Boise, sponsored a bill that would remove the sunset date, allowing the committee to continue indefinitely. The committee’s budget comes from the federal government; it requires no state funds.

But after an unexpectedly long hearing before the House Health and Welfare Committee this week, Healey decided to pull the legislation.

She told the Idaho Capital Sun on Feb. 17 that she is “trying to decide the best path forward” for legislation that would continue the maternal mortality review committee’s work. “It’s not necessarily done yet,” she said.

The committee’s latest report showed a rise in preventable maternal death in 2020.

What happens if Idaho Legislature doesn’t renew Maternal Mortality Review Committee?

If the Idaho Legislature chooses not to renew the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, the law authorizing the work by its members — who are doctors, other health care providers and a coroner — would end in July.

That means the committee would not review or issue any reports on deaths among pregnant women and new mothers

in the wake of Idaho’s near-total abortion ban.

Rep. Josh Wheeler, R-Ammon, seemed to reference the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and its effect on reproductive rights in Idaho. He asked Healey if “the change in both the national and the state regulatory environment” since 2019 “would be another reason that this study ought to continue.”

During the hearing, House committee members asked a range of questions of Healey and of the public health and medical professionals who testified. Committee members asked whether the information generated by the MMRC is available through other sources, for example. Healey explained that the MMRC can analyze data available elsewhere; but it is the only entity that creates those analyses.

The committee has special authority to review records — while adhering to privacy laws — and study whether a pregnant or new mother’s death could have been prevented.

Legislators asked why it was important for Idaho to review deaths of Idahoans, as opposed to looking at what other states and national studies find.

“Thus far, it’s demonstrated that all deaths were determined to be preventable,” Healey told the Health and Welfare Committee.

“The most common underlying causes of death were mental conditions, related to suicide, substance use disorder or overdose.”

Health and Welfare Committee members questioned its necessity.

Rep. Mike Kingsley, R-Lewiston, said he voted in favor of creating the committee back in 2019. But now, after reading the reports it has issued, “they all seem to identify the same thing: substance abuse, mental health. So, I think this has served its purpose,” he said.

Doctors advocate for bill, while Idaho Freedom Foundation opposes it

Dr. Suzanna Hubele, of Weiser, testified on behalf of the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians. She was one of several doctors to testify in support of the bill.

“As a family medicine doctor practicing [obstetrics] in rural Idaho, I can personally attest to the need for this review and process,” she said. “We had a recent case within the last couple of years, where a young woman, mid-20s, fifth pregnancy, was deemed to be high risk and established care. Unfortunately, she was unable to hook up with high-risk physicians and ultimately ended up delivering somewhere else.”

The woman developed a blood clot in her lungs and was seen by a couple of doctors — in the emergency room and then with her primary care provider. She ultimately ended up back in the hospital and died.

“This is just one case where, if we had had a comprehensive review of all the people involved in the case, we can look back and see if there was anything we could have done to prevent this death,” Hubele said.

Fred Birnbaum, a representative of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, spoke to oppose the bill.

He argued that it was designed to increase government spending and cause more low-income pregnant and postpartum Idahoans to be covered by Medicaid, to ensure they have health care.

Birnbaum suggested that the maternal deaths may not be numerous enough to warrant scrutiny.

Each of the deaths reviewed by the committee “leaves a child without a mother,” Healey said earlier in the hearing.

Birnbaum took issue with that, saying that when Idaho has 22,000 live births, 10 or 11 women dying in pregnancy or shortly after childbirth is “dealing with small numbers.”

Birnbaum also seemingly endorsed the committee’s recommendations to prevent maternal deaths, saying the proposed solutions are “very obvious” and that “you don’t really need a committee to say some of these things.”

The recommendations include expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage, giving pregnant women priority for subsidized housing, increasing social services funding and

support, and expanding access to the opioid overdose treatment naloxone.

“Idaho is a state that cares about mothers and babies,” said Elke Shaw-Tulloch, the administrator for the Idaho Division of Public Health. “We want them to receive the best health care from prenatal care through delivery and the postpartum period. The work of the MMRC helps improve these services for Idaho moms and babies but also to (ensure) whole and healthy families.”

Shaw-Tulloch noted that the committee has “no fiscal impact” on the state budget.

Its funding comes from the public health division’s “ongoing, longstanding maternal-child health block grant, which has maximum flexibility for us.”

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

Rep. Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, questions Rep. Dori Healey, R-Boise, about the bill. Photo courtesy of Idaho In Session.

Bouquets:

•One of our 90-year-old readers called to point out two kind acts she experienced recently. The first was in Super 1 around Valentine’s Day. She remarked to another shopper how pretty the bouquets of flowers were before both went on their separate ways. “We didn’t know each other, but later in the produce aisle, she came trotting up and handed me one of the bouquets and told me to have a nice day,” the caller told me. “I was so touched by that nice gesture.” A few days later, while shopping at Yoke’s, the caller said she parked in front of a big puddle and laughed about her luck with another shopper in the lot. Later, in the store, the shopper recognized her and asked if she needed help carrying out her groceries and water jugs. “Here’s one stranger who gave me flowers and another helped me carry my things. Those two people lifted my spirits and helped make my day great, so I’d like to say thanks to them.”

Barbs:

• This week’s Barb goes out to Idaho lawmakers Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, and Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, for their disastrously stupid HB 154, which states, “A person may not provide or administer a vaccine developed using messenger ribonucleic acid technology for use in an individual or any other mammal in this state.”

In other words, if the bill passes, it would make it a misdemeanor to administer a COVID-19 vaccine. There are a lot of people out there who believe that vaccines have microchips in them, or alter your DNA, or contain human stem cells, cause infertility, make your testicles swell up the size of grapefruits or make you sing like Ethel Merman — all of which is false. It’s bad enough that we have elected lawmakers who traffic in such misinformation, but now we all have to suffer second-hand stupidity as they cram these dangerous bills in our faces. As one reader put it last week in an email, “Just in case you had some doubts, it’s been firmly established that at least a portion of the asylum is now controlled by the inmates.”

Dear editor,

The proposed Alfieri bill to limit absentee voting was a topic of discussion, consternation and concern at our weekly prayer circle. We range in age from 70 to 95 and take our right to vote very seriously. Our fathers, grandfathers and some of our husbands fought in wars that had every bit to do with freedom and democracy. The right to vote is the keystone of any democracy.

We were very concerned about the restrictions of absentee voting, which serves thousands of citizens: the elderly, physically impaired, those without transportation, those with fragile health, snowbirds, etc. All these folks will be stripped of their right to vote.

Alfieri pitched the bill saying it closes the door to fraud. According to the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, the 2020 election was executed with a roughly 0.1% margin of error. That margin opens the door to fraud?

Alfieri claims absentee voting “cheapens the voting process.” Really? Does restricting absentee voting make it more worthy? He also claims the bill “will make the clerks’ job a little bit easier” and for that reason Alfieri wants to make the lives of thousands of others more difficult.

This bill is senseless and dangerous to democracy. Such flimsy reasons for pitching this bill are a smokescreen. Alfieri wants a cleansing of the roles to restrict voting representation.

Democracy is only successful if it’s for the good of all. It’s time we pull the curtain back on those in charge and reveal who’s pulling the strings.

As wisdom elders, concerned with democracy, we will not be silent on voter suppression. Not on our watch. Not while we still have a voice and our right to vote. We hope other groups and individual citizens will join our protest of this blatant elimination of our right to vote.

Women’s Circle members

Jeanelle Shields, Karen Lanphear, Lois Miller, Gaea Swinford, Jackie Knechtges, Peggy Sardowski, Jeanne Ball Bonner County Dear editor, Another brilliant think tank in Sandpoint. The city has decided to hold a killing of migratory geese at

City Beach — the best solution they could come up with regarding the goose feces on the beach.

Twice over the past few years, former-Parks and Rec. Director Kim Woodruff thought it was a good idea to capture and relocate geese. Within two weeks and $3,000 of taxpayers money, the geese returned. This barbaric action was devastating to the birds and a waste of time and money.

These decision makers thought that by “relocating” geese would alarm the others not to return to that area. What an idiotic thought.

City officials in December 2022 stated they’ve tried everything possible to keep the birds away from the beach. That’s false. They have not bothered to google “goose deterrents,” because, if they did, they would have seen several solutions.

There are solar-powered geese deterrent light beacons that Woodruff said would not even be considered and offered no reason why.

The lights placed in sand and water are non-toxic; however, geese find them offensive and leave.

With $6,000 spent to violently and unsuccessfully remove geese, this system could have been put into place. Instead, this group has chosen to have a hunting spree in the city park.

Included in this subject is the possibility of E. coli in the water at City Beach. Perhaps looking into the farms north of town lining the waterways emptying into Lake Pend Oreille might be a good place to start instead of blaming the wildlife.

Sandpoint is a somewhat progressive small town supporting organizations like the Panida and Food for Our Children. In other respects it has failed miserably. Shooting geese in their own natural habitat is a prime example. What a disgrace.

Janice Simeone Sandpoint

Dear editor,

At a meeting at Priest Lake Elementary, when the cold water bypass was discussed, I brought a jar of rock-snot from the stretch of the Priest River where I live to show people how warm water and sediment loading has damaged the river. An aggressive woman who knew my name — but refusing to identify herself — interrupted me and Chip Corsi, of Idaho Fish and Game. She barked, “We don’t care about the river!” and stormed off. This poem

is inspired by Martin Niemöller, who wrote “First they came”:

First, I heard about the warm temperatures, rock-snot, invasive bullfrogs and fish kills on the Priest River. I did not speak out — because I don’t care.

Then I heard about the Cyanobacteria blooms (blue-green algae) in lower Priest Lake, and I did not speak out — because I don’t care.

Then I heard about the manmade phosphorous plume at Kalispell Bay, which can be seen by Google Earth. I did not speak out because I choose not to believe what I don’t want to hear and I don’t care.

Then I heard that Kalispbell Bay and Coolin’s sewer districts had coliform bacterial counts, most likely from human feces, that can make their way into Priest Lake. I did not speak out because if I did, I might have to do something and I don’t care.

Then I heard about 29 of the rivers that feed Priest Lake are impaired, as well, but I did not speak out because I don’t care.

Then I took my grandbabies to the lake at my cabin to swim and there were rotting dead fish, rock-snot and coliform bacteria where they were swimming. I hope someone will clean this up… but no one cares.

Betty Gardner Priest River

Some thoughts on freedom…

Dear editor,

Definition: The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views. — Oxford Dictionary

Some quotes:

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”

— Abraham Lincoln

“You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man’s freedom. You can only be free if I am free.” — Clarence

Darrow

“Only the educated are free.” — Epictetus

“The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.” — John

Stuart Mill

“The First Amendment is often inconvenient. But that is besides the point. Inconvenience does not absolve the government of its obligation to tolerate speech.” — Justice Anthony

Kennedy

“It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and the prudence never to practice either of them.” — Mark Twain

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” — Nelson Mandela

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” — Benjamin Franklin

Does any of this sound like this year’s Idaho Legislature?

Ken Thacker Sagle

Adults needed in Bonners Ferry government…

Dear editor,

Last week, two special Bonners Ferry City Council meetings were held to discuss a “Local Option Tax” and “Land Use Planning Map.” Both items were significant and urgent. Council scheduled these meetings, in advance, knowing some members found attendance at an Oregon golf event a higher priority.

It is no secret that the city of Bonners Ferry, at this point in time, is in crisis. They’ve had to deal with a staffing crisis, a budget crisis, a community drug crisis, policy stalemates, growing conflict between neighbors,and a sour political climate only stoking division — all in the face of officials who deem recreation more important than the business at hand.

The second meeting delved into a spirited policy discussion, with P&Z commissioners and city staff struggling. Only the bare minimum quorum of three councilors were present. The meeting was never formally called to order, and it ended with no motion to adjourn. One councilor retorted, “I guess we are adjourned.” The frustration of nearly all present was apparent.

I ended last week with a deep feeling of sadness. It seems as if the only folks that matter are old high-school classmates, student athletes and the perennial “squeaky wheels” within the county. This is compounded by officials who do not take their duties seriously. We need adults, in the prime of their life, to step up and run for office to take charge of our future. It’s no wonder we have elected officials who can’t remember yesterday! WTF?

Gerald B. Higgs Bonners Ferry

Who benefits from voter suppression?…

City Beach goose hunt is ‘a disgrace’…

‘I don’t care’…

PERSPECTIVES

For a second, we worried that we were a tree service without a crew.

For a second, we worried that my politics might be the problem. Alas, it’s not true. But we worried.

We’re trying to hire new employees, our former ones having left Sandpoint over the winter for greener pastures. Plus, I’m largely stepping back from the day-to-day of slaying trees in order to focus on the unremitting flow of paperwork and myriad creative projects. Essentially, Tyler is now the lonely star around which a whole new constellation must form.

Bless him.

The pool of qualified applicants proved shallow, so upon finding a candidate we liked last week, we lunged for him. Like starving hyenas. Like our lives depended on it. Because they kind of do. Or, at least, our livelihood. (The two are so easily confused.) We conducted the interview and offered a job mere hours later. Tyler made the overture to the man’s voicemail; the candidate didn’t answer. And days later, he still hadn’t called back.

With silent phone in hand, Tyler said to me, half in jest, “Maybe he found out about The Pro-Voice Project. Or that you’re The Lumberjill.” Shit. Maybe.

While some see my creative endeavors as worthwhile — or at least entertaining — to others, I am a femi-Nazi who enjoys watching half-formed babies die. Full stop.

Who would want to work for that nasty woman?

In the past, political lean-

ings mattered little on our crew. We’ve simply known not to broach certain topics nor respond when employees bring up opinions at odds with our own. Our more progressive views were a private affair. In fact, it took me several years to warm up to the idea of putting a “Love Lives Here” sign in our yard, so concerned was I about alienating employees and clients (as if the prayer flags didn’t already give it away).

Now, thanks to this column and other forms of activism in our community, my political leanings are not a private affair.

I have a Sandpoint-sized megaphone, and I’m using it.

This is new territory for me.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve called Wyoming, Utah and Idaho home. That’s essentially the holy trifecta of Western Redness, the bulwark against encroaching purple and blue. My chosen political candidates rarely win.

As the blue sheep grazing in crimson fields, I’ve learned to

moderate some of my views and remain silent regarding the ones on which I’m unwilling to compromise. This is a combination of self-preservation and pragmatism. It’s worked well.

Thanks to this strategy, I’ve befriended and attended church with a ranching family. A jovial Mormon crane operator offered to marry Tyler and me because he liked us and wanted to relieve himself of the burden of daily prayer for our sinfully cohabitating souls. I’ve learned about firearms from card-carrying NRA members, annihilating bottles and cans under their guidance. And I’ve attended the Blue Collar Comedy Tour — with a self-described redneck — giggling at all the riffs on my kind.

In short, I like hopping the perceived fence. My life is expanded for it. Over there, my views don’t go unchallenged.

However, all of this happened in the BTE years — Before the Trump Era — when it felt easier to be a person rather than an amalgam of political views. Where once my politics were ancillary to casual relationships, now they seem to be the primary indicator of a relationship’s functionality. MAGA adherents need not apply in my world. And my abortion-brandishing self need not show up in theirs (except in demeaning Facebook posts, I suppose).

I now feel the tug of competing impulses. On the one hand, I do not want to contribute to further polarization in a county and a country already rent wickedly at the seams. Instead, how much would I love to set political stances aside and break bread with someone who hates

my opinions but is open to my humanity? Do you know how much I want to learn what makes that person tick? How much I want to see one another as humans in the round?

A lot. I want that a lot.

On the other hand, there has never before been a time where I’ve felt so compelled to scream the state Legislature into submission. How can I not speak out when institutions I wholeheartedly support — libraries, reproductive rights, voting rights, civil rights, education, Medicaid, the regulation of militias — are all under attack? How can I stand idly by and pretend to be apolitical when the rights of my child — to be herself, to learn, to think critically, to make family planning decisions, to vote, to feel safe and free — are all on the chopping block?

My worries about proclaiming that Love Lives Here now seem trivial. The bigger worry today is that the conservative minority in Idaho is running roughshod over our state’s longstanding ethos of Live and Let Live. What happened to you doing your thing and me doing mine? More importantly, what happened to, upon being done with our respective doings, us meeting up for a beer and a laugh?

That used to be Idaho As Fuck. Now, we’re IAF when we make national headlines for doxxing young rape victims, comparing women to dairy cows and ousting kindly library directors.

For better or worse, I’m done with silence. I feel a moral and parental imperative to speak out and make change. But, you know what? So does every per-

son driving past me on Highway 95 sporting a Let’s Go Brandon sticker. We’re all doing the same thing — and for the same future-saving reasons — just in different lanes. And where once those lanes ran side by side, now they appear to be merging, creating head-on ideological collisions daily.

I once sought to insulate my business from my politics, but no longer. What does that mean for the future of the business? If qualified potential employees are turned off by all the signifiers of my progressivism, what then? If clients are turned off, what then? Is it better to stay mum and support one’s family? Or is it better to crusade for a better world for that family, damn the consequences?

Our golden candidate did eventually call back. It was an issue of a broken iPhone, not problematic politics. But being spooked by the possibility warrants a deeper look.

So far, my outspokenness has not impacted our business. It may never. Yet, in a time and place where people are so often punished for their political beliefs — via threats, trolling, misinformation campaigns and more — I remain vigilant, watching for proverbial (and, in this case, political) chickens coming home to roost.

Jen Jackson Quintano writes and runs an arborist business with her husband in Sandpoint. Find their website at sandcreektreeservice.com. See more of Quintano’s writing at jenjacksonquintano.com.

Jen Jackson Quintano.

Science: Mad about

Bubonic plague in america

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

It’s easy to look at our cars, homes and electronic devices, and think that we’re so much more advanced as a species than we were a hundred years ago. Taking a brief trip back through time, and we might see that very little has actually changed regarding our behaviors.

The bubonic plague came to North America in 1899, traveling here first from Honolulu, Hawaii. Honolulu was a major trading port between North America and East Asia, and it supported a large Chinese population. This also coincided with the third bubonic pandemic, which had been raging throughout eastern Asia since at least 1880. Much of India and China, which were under British rule at this time, served as the epicenter of the pandemic. British attempts at reining in the disease through force had actually caused more infected people to move elsewhere and broaden the reach of the plague.

Hong Kong became a nexus for the plague, as travelers and refugees brought the disease with them and their cargo through the inadvertent transportation of rats and fleas. Ships bound for Honolulu were prime real estate for the infected rodents.

Doctors at that time did not have a tremendous amount of knowledge surrounding Germ Theory, or the ability of the Yersinia pestis bacteria to jump between different hosts. Screening at ports was performed exclusively on humans.

Infected rats traveled to Honolulu first and rapidly reproduced, causing a number of infections in Honolulu’s Chinatown. Officials at the time believed the only method for containing the disease was

through quarantine and torching buildings that may have been exposed. Effective fire control wasn’t a strength of communities in the early 1900s, and Chinatown burned, displacing more than 6,000 people in the process and doing nothing to contain the plague.

The plague traveled from Honolulu to San Francisco aboard the steamship the S.S. Australia. The ship arrived in port in January and, by the end of February, the plague claimed its first victim — a Chinese immigrant living in the basement of the Globe Hotel.

In March, the city of San Francisco enacted a quarantine of Chinatown, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving the area, effectively sealing off 35,000 residents from the rest of the city. It’s suspected that much of this quarantine was racially motivated, supported by the harsh way the San Francisco police dealt with the residents of Chinatown just two days later, once the quarantine had been prematurely lifted.

The Board of Health, in conjunction with the San Francisco police, inspected every building within Chinatown. Often, the police resorted to violence and intimidation, which was not uncommon at the time, but was most certainly the primary factor behind the continued resilience of the plague.

As Chinese-Americans became fearful of violence and retaliation by the police, they hid family members who were showing signs of any sickness, even if the symptoms didn’t match the plague.

Mere days after this, Dr. Joseph J. Kinyoun confirmed suspicions of the bubonic plague when a number of rodents injected with material gathered from the victims grew ill and died.

This is when events started to sound eerily familiar to what we’ve recently experienced.

After confirmation of the plague on U.S. soil, California Gov. Henry Tifft Gage went on the offensive.

Gage first denied the existence of the plague and launched a campaign to publicly discredit Dr. Kinyoun, while also trying to get him removed from his post at the Marine Hospital Service. The governor feared that news of the plague would cause quarantines, which would slow business. Gage had serious concerns about this, as it was generally accepted that he was effectively a mouthpiece for the Southern Pacific railroad company. This was reflected in a number of the San Francisco papers printed at the time echoing both Gage’s and Southern Pacific’s rhetoric denying the existence of the plague. Paired with general anti-Asian sentiment from white Americans at the time, this turned San Francisco into a powder keg primed to blow.

As all of the efforts of officials were spent on covering up and denying the presence of the disease, it continued to spread unfettered into portions of the city populated primarily by white Americans.

Gage demanded that the federal government intercede, with the intention of having officials oust Dr. Kinyoun. This backfired, and instead a task force of three individuals was formed after the federal government confirmed the severity of the outbreak. Almost immediately, the governor shifted to decrying the federal government for overreaching its authority, all while brokering a clandestine deal with Washington, D.C. behind closed doors. The deal was that the feds would kick Kinyoun out of San Francisco, and Gage would secretly allocate resources and manpower to help stamp out the plague in the city.

Gage didn’t uphold his end of the bargain; and, in fact, he went on to attempt ramrodding

a number of censorship bills to bar the media from talking about the plague at all — a few of them even stuck, hampering the medical community’s ability to deal with the disease.

In the end, Gage’s attempts to protect his allies at Southern Pacific were the very measures that undid his governorship and nearly brought the state to a grinding halt when other states began threatening to block all transit from California.

Eventually, the plague was brought under control through quarantine, study and a bounty system placed on rats that helped bolster suffering communities financially while culling infection vectors.

Unfortunately for San Francisco, its 20th century nightmare was just beginning, as an earthquake and fire virtually leveled the city in 1906.

Stay curious, 7B.

Corner

•Sunday is named after and dedicated to the Sun. The word “Sunday” is derived from the Old English word Sonnendaeg, which translates to “Sun’s Day.”

•In Roman culture, Sunday was the day of the Sun god Sol. In Paganism, the sun was the source of life and giver of warmth and illumination to mankind. There was even a popular cult among the Romans who would stand at dawn on a Sunday to catch the first rays of sunshine as they prayed.

•In some Slavic languages like Polish, Ukrainian, Croatian and Bulgarian, the word for Sunday means “no work.”

•Many countries in Europe — like France, Sweden, Germany and Belgium — choose to hold their national and local elections on Sunday, either by law or tradition.

•In most Middle Eastern countries, Sunday is the first day of the working week.

•Months that begin on a Sun-

day always have a Friday the 13th in them.

•There is an outdated law in Salt Lake City, which states you can be fined up to $1,000 for whistling on a Sunday.

•The Sunday roast is a common meal in the U.K., consisting of roasted meat and potatoes, as well as a variety of side dishes, which are usually roasted, too.

•The ice cream sundae was invented to substitute for ice cream soda when it became illegal to serve soda on Sundays in Illinois.

•U2’s song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” refers to the 1972 incident in Derry, Northern Ireland, where British troops shot and killed 13 civil rights protesters, also injuring 17.

• Black Sunday refers to the worst dust storm in U.S. history. On Sunday, April 14, 1935, the storm ripped through the U.S. Midwest, destroying homes and crops and leaving hundreds dead. Hundreds of thousands of people were also left homeless.

GOP Medicaid repeal must be stopped

By Rep. Lauren Necochea, D-Boise Reader Contributor

Access to quality, affordable health care transforms and saves lives. Idahoans understand this. It’s why we overwhelmingly passed a ballot initiative to expand Medicaid in 2018 and why we must now oppose Republican-led efforts to repeal it.

For years, GOP politicians obstructed efforts to assist Idahoans who fell into the coverage gap. These Idahoans earned too much to qualify for Idaho’s restrictive Medicaid plan but not enough for tax credits that make the insurance exchange affordable. This left working Idahoans — substitute teachers, nursing assistants and small business owners — one medical emergency away from financial ruin.

Today, more than 145,000 Idahoans depend on Medicaid expansion for health care. A new mother with postpartum depression can access medication and counseling. A construction worker can take his cholesterol medication to prevent life-threatening heart disease. A grandmother can get screenings that catch cancer early, improving her survival chances.

Medicaid expansion not only keeps Idahoans healthy, but it is also arguably the best financial deal around. For every $1 the state puts in, we draw down $9 in federal funds, bringing our tax dollars home.

This wise investment eliminated costs we incurred because Idahoans lacked

coverage. Our county indigent and state catastrophic care funds helped cover the cost of unpaid hospital bills at taxpayer expense. Taxpayers covered court-ordered treatment programs and other behavioral health services that were crucial for suffering Idahoans, but only reached a handful of those who needed them.

Most of these expenditures are now covered with Medicaid, but with taxpayers leveraging the 90% match instead of covering the cost in full. In fact, Medicaid expansion is such a great deal that repealing it would cost the state $10 million more than keeping it in place.

The Republican-backed plan to roll back Medicaid expansion is fiscally irresponsible

Angels Over Sandpoint Community Grants spring cycle open

By Reader Staff

Community nonprofit organization Angels Over Sandpoint is inviting local charitable and educational groups to apply for its 2023 spring grant cycle, with applications accepted until Wednesday, March 15.

The grants, which range from $250 to $2,500, are supported by donations from the community. Applicants must serve Bonner County residents, and applications can be found on the Angels Over Sandpoint website: angelsoversandpoint.org, under the “grants” tab. Instructions and a complete description of the grant are under Community Grants.

To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• An organization holding a current tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3), (4), (6) or (19) of the Internal Revenue Code;

• A recognized government entity: state, county or city agency, including libraries and law enforcement or fire departments that are requesting funds exclusively for charitable purposes;

• A pre-kindergarten to grade 12 public or private school, charter school, community/junior college, state/private college or university;

A church or other faith-based organization with a proposed project that benefits the community at large; or

A children and/or youth program.

“The Angels Over Sandpoint looks forward to your wonderful ideas on how to enhance the life of our children, seniors, veterans and all Bonner County citizens,” the organization stated in an announcement of the grant cycle. “Each request will receive careful consideration.”

and cruel.

Before Idaho voters closed the coverage gap, there was a tragic case of a woman in Idaho Falls who couldn’t afford her asthma control medication. She came home from work one day and, with an asthma attack coming on, asked a friend to drive her to the hospital. She stopped breathing on the way and ultimately died. Her story represents the estimated 76 to 179 Idahoans who died each year because they fell into the coverage gap.

Idaho voters sent a clear message at the ballot box: They support expanded coverage that saves lives and millions of dollars. Why then, are some Republicans determined to repeal it? Because they think they can get away with it. It’s why they continue to put ideological and personal interests over the interests of Idahoans.

Idahoans must send another clear message: We will vote you out if you mess with Medicaid expansion.

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

Rep. Lauren Necochea. File photo.

Legislative update

By Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint Reader Contributor

It’s been said this legislative session has had a slow start. There have only been a few bills passed by the Legislature and delivered to the governor. However, the speed of activity changed last week. We have five to 10 bills to debate and vote on almost every day now.

You can follow along daily by going to the Idaho Legislature website and clicking on the House Reading Calendar (legislature. idaho.gov, bottom-right screen).

I’m planning to return to Sandpoint for my first round of meet-and-greets this weekend. I will only have one day to host meetings in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint and Priest River on Saturday, Feb. 25. As I write this, the weatherman is calling for light snow. I’ll be driving and have just one day; so, hopefully, the weather cooperates and I’ll be able to meet with many of you.

I can share what’s been going on in Boise, but my primary interest is in hearing from you. With several upcoming bills about property taxes (House Bills 77-79), we can spend considerable time speaking about that. Look for an ad in this newspaper for the times and locations of the meetings.

We legislators have been spending most of our voting time considering policy and agency bills. Policy bills cover issues like the governor’s program recommendations

or changing how committees may operate. Agency bills are generally about revising existing state law.

All bills enter the legislative system through a relative committee and must first pass an introduction (a.k.a. “print”) hearing — essentially this establishes the bill as something worthy of a hearing. The hearing is a separate meeting and is at least a few days after the introduction. The time delay allows the members of the committee to consider the legislation and develop questions for the hearing as the introduction is often the first time the legislators have seen the actual bill.

Fentanyl has been a horrible problem for our country for the past several years.

Greetings from Boise — and a homecoming

It is attributed with being the No. 1 cause of death for young American adults. Most recently, we held a bill hearing in the Judiciary and Rules Committee that would have added fentanyl to the list of problematic drugs (like heroin and methamphetamines) that carry a mandatory-minimum incarceration sentence for incidents involving drug possession by traffickers (amounts that exceed those of the typical drug user).

To be sure, I understood the issue and the bill. I spoke with the Boundary and Bonner County sheriffs, the police chiefs of Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint, and the Bonner County prosecutor. They unanimously supported the bill and added it was a necessary tool to push back against the drug trade in our district. Sadly, the bill didn’t get a good reception from the majority of the representatives on the committee, and they voted to hold the bill. I voted against the majority. I supported increasing penalties for fentanyl drug trafficking.

Meanwhile, there is considerable talk about the concept of school choice in the Legislature this year. You may have already read about it online or in the newspaper. It’s important to look into this issue and to develop an understanding of what “school choice” involves.

Idaho has one of the best school choice programs in the country. Our students and families can pick between an array of public, charter, career tech and online public schools. In many areas there are private and

parochial schools. Public and online schools can and do offer assistance to families choosing to homeschool.

Last week, the school choice bills (Senate Bill 1038) started being introduced in the Legislature. The first bill of this type was heard in the Senate Education Committee and passed its hearing. The bill now heads to the full Senate.

There is considerable attention on this bill, as it offers parents of K-12 students the ability to request $5,950 annually to use for tuition, supplies, etc. The program is open to students already in private schools and/or in homeschools. The total request is for State funding of $45 million for the program’s first year, with $40 million for student costs. Up to $3 million is additionally budgeted for administering the program, plus $2 million for a digital platform to support the program.

Several more school choice bills are reportedly in the process of being developed. I hope to have more information to share with you on these bills and the new ones as they are presented to us in the near future. Here’s to clear roads and smooth sailing this weekend. I hope to see you Saturday, Feb. 25.

Rep. Mark Sauter is a first-term Republican legislator from District 1A. He serves on the Agricultural Affairs; Education; and Judiciary, Rules and Administration committees. Contact him at MSauter@house. idaho.gov.

Inaugural Pine Street Woods Race a big success

By Reader Staff

The Sandpoint Nordic Club Youth Ski League kicked off the inaugural Pine Street Woods Race on Feb. 15 with an impressive field of young participants.

“We were excited to bring the annual race from Schweitzer — we are so thankful for their support the last six years — to PSW this year,” stated SNC President ReNee Nigon.

In the fall of 2019, Kaniksu Land Trust opened the 180-acre Pine Street Woods to the public. The community raised $2.1 million to purchase the original 160-acre parcel from the Weisz Family, and an additional 20 acres were donated to KLT by L.E. Krause. Trails are maintained by Sandpoint Nordic Club and Pend Oreille Pedalers.

The Outdoor Recreation Center at Pine Street Woods is managed by SNC, which offers ski and snowshoe rentals, classes, events, and other information on winter fun and etiquette. SNC grooms the wide trails in the winter and POP maintains the narrow trails and the Syringa Trail System.

In its first race at PSW, the youth competed in

1K or 3K races. The Youth Ski League is split into four teams: Little Steppers, Recreation Classic, Skate, Development and Race ski teams.

Participants numbered more than 80 this season, ranging in age from 6 to 18. On a bluebird day, they embarked on a race competition on the Meadow, Homestead and Outhouse Nordic trails. The skiers blew through the courses while family, friends, community members and other racers cheered each other on. Olympian Rebecca Dussault served as emcee for the awards ceremony.

The race was the culminating event after seven weeks of training for skiers to test their skills. This season, skiers are able to ski the trails at PSW for the full eight weeks of the program.

“This event could not happen without the hard work of all the coaches, trail groomers and family volunteers,” SNC stated in a news release. “The group is excited with the possible addition of the Sled Hill for a real big hill climb for next year’s race — stay tuned.”

For more information on next winter’s Youth Ski League, including how to join and access scholarships to participate, contact sandpointnordic@gmail.com.

The youngest racers take to the 1K course at Pine Street Woods. Courtesy photo.

Rep. Mark Sauter. File photo.

Top right: The Sandpoint High School Bulldogs return to Sandpoint victorious after winning the state title for state 4A girls basketball championships in Nampa. The Bulldogs had played in title games four times in history, each time finishing runner-up. This win marks the first state 4A title for a team from North Idaho since 2003, and the first state basketball title for any Sandpoint boys or girls team. Photo by Jim Howes.

Bottom left: Photographer Donna Musacchia said she watched this showdown between Lola the dog and a snarky cat on the fence for 15 minutes. “Lola was going crazy, happily wagging her tail, but still a lot of fuss!” Musacchia wrote. “The cat, content with a situation, barely gave her the time of day except for a few sideways glances, then putting her nose in the air and looking the other way. We could learn a lot from cats, couldn’t we?”

Bottom right: “After a great day of powder skiing at my favorite central Idaho spot and on my way to the lodge for an apres ski beverage, something caught my eye in the trash can near the ticket window. Nestled in amongst the ticket debris was the current issue of the Sandpoint Reader! Lucky me! Best of all, the crossword puzzle was left untouched!” Photo courtesy Chris Park.

Top left: A calm winter day on Lake Pend Oreille looking toward Scotchman Peak and the Cabinet Mountain Range. Photoby Jim Howes.

Winter Carnival 2023: Week 2

Send off February with live music, big air and a doggone good time

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Each year for the past half-century, Sandpoint has hosted a Winter Carnival with the hopes of highlighting the town’s charms during arguably the grayest month of the year. This year, hosted by the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and Schweitzer, marks the 50th opportunity to get out and enjoy the town’s February offerings.

Last week brought a parade, afterparty, fireworks and more. This week, look forward to a brand new slate of events from the streets to the mountain.

Thursday, Feb. 23

Raffle Kick-Off Party w/Endless Switchbacks at MickDuff’s Beer Hall

This Spring Raffle Kick-Off Party benefits Project 7B, a local nonprofit advocating for responsible land use. The raffle is for a guitar signed by Billy Strings. The party is set to run 6-8 p.m. and will feature live mu-

sic from local bluegrass greats the Endless Switchbacks. Head to the Beer Hall at 220 Cedar St. See below for more details.

Friday, Feb. 24

Pierce Auto Chili Cook-Off

Head to Pierce Auto (30 Gun Club Road in Sagle) and bring your best chili for a chance to win prizes and earn some serious street cred. Entries will be accepted starting at 3 p.m. Judging begins at 4 p.m. Call 208263-4212 with questions.

Activities at Schweitzer

Live music, big air jump practice and more. Head to schweitzer.com for details.

Live music w/Ron Kieper Trio at Pend d’Oreille Winery

Hit up the winery (301 Cedar St.) for some sleek, professional jazz numbers from 5-8 p.m.

Live music w/Justyn Priest Trio at Eichardt’s

Eichardt’s Pub (212 Cedar St.) will be the place to be for groovy roots tunes starting at 7 p.m.

International Wildlife Film Festival at the Heartwood

Some of the world’s best wildlife films will be on display at 615 Oak St. as the Heartwood Center hosts a fundraiser for local students who are traveling to the

Dominican Republic to work on coral reef restoration projects in June. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Read more on Page 21.

Saturday, Feb. 25

Samuel Adams Air & Apres at Schweitzer

The action kicks off at noon with a big air demo and continues all day with live music, an athlete meet-and-greet and, of course, the main big air show at 6:15 p.m. More details at schweitzer.com.

Live music w/Jake Rozier and the Implication at 219 Lounge

A little blues, a little new grass and a lot of story. This Spokane band will get toes tapping at the Niner (219 N. First Ave.) starting at 9 p.m. Find more info on Page 21.

Live music w/Mike Johnson Trio at Pend d’Oreille Winery

Folk, jazz and Americana on tap at the winery from 5-8 p.m.

Live music w/Carter Hudson Band at Eichardt’s Singer-songwriter to take the pub stage at 7 p.m.

Sunday, February 26

K9 Keg Pull

The Winter Carnival’s traditional send-off, the K9 Keg Pull, will be held downtown on Cedar St. with registration at 10:15 a.m. and races at 11 a.m. All proceeds benefit Better Together Animal Alliance. More information on Page 15.

Complimentary hot cocoa at Creations

Head to the Cedar St. Bridge to enjoy a complimentary hot cocoa bar.

The Sandpoint Shopping District will host Winter Carnival sales through Sunday, Feb. 26. Visit individual businesses for more details.

Learn more about Sandpoint’s annual Winter Carnival at sandpointwintercarnival.com. For even more events happening around Sandpoint this weekend, head to Page 18 to peruse the Reader calendar or head to sandpointonline.com.

Project 7B throws party to launch online raffle

By Reader Staff

Live music, beer and door prizes will be on offer at Project 7B’s Spring Raffle kick-off party, scheduled for 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 23 at MickDuff’s Beer Hall (220 Cedar St. in Sandpoint).

Local “newgrass” Americana band Scott Taylor and the Endless Switchbacks will perform, showcasing a Fender guitar autographed by Grammy-winning guitarist and performer Billy Strings. The guitar is one of several featured prizes in the Spring Raffle fundraiser.

Other raffle prizes include a chartered sailboat outing on Lake Pend Oreille, a cruise for two with Lake Pend Oreille Cruises on the Shawnodese tour boat and a handcrafted wooden watch. Raffle tickets can be purchased online at bit.ly/3lcnHsb and at the event. A final drawing is

scheduled for Thursday, March 9.

Those attending the event also will be eligible to win a door prize, either with the purchase of door prize tickets or by entering the raffle. Door prize drawings will occur periodically during the party.

Project 7B is a local nonprofit that promotes responsible land use planning through education and public involvement in local land use decisions. The small organization has kept busy in recent years, watchdogging decisions that direct how growth occurs in Bonner County.

Organizers of the party hope the event will help raise money and introduce the public to Project 7B, which has put more energy and resources into its work than self-promotion.

For more information about Project 7B, visit its Facebook Page or website at project7b.org.

Scott Taylor and the Endless Switchbacks will play Project 7B’s Spring Raffle kick-off party from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23 at MickDuff’s Beer Hall. Courtesy photo.

As fast as their paws can go

The Winter Carnival’s annual K9 Keg Pull will benefit the Better Together Animal Alliance

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Just imagine it: The starting line is set. The racetrack before you is made of fresh, fluffy snow. There are cheers of anticipation all around. Best of all, your favorite person is absolutely amped, ready to lead the way to victory.

You are a dog, and this is the 2023 Winter Carnival K9 Keg Pull in downtown Sandpoint, which will take place Sunday, Feb. 26.

Dogs of all sizes are invited to take part in this year’s event, during which they’ll be fastened to an appropriately-sized keg — from large barrels to empty beer cans — and tasked with running their little hearts out down a snow course trucked from the freshly covered mountains and landscaped over Cedar Street between Second and Third avenues.

Registration begins at 10:15 a.m. and races start at 11 a.m. Cost to participate is $10 for two runs and $5 for each additional run.

Spectating is also a big part of the event, so people without dogs should feel welcome to come cheer on the pups at the K9 Keg Pull.

The event is part of the annual Sandpoint Winter Carnival, organized each year by the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and Schweitzer. The K9 Keg Pull — which has been a Winter Carnival staple for more than 20 years in various forms — is hosted by Eich-

ardt’s Pub, EzyDog and Selkirk Press, with funds raised supporting the Better Together Animal Alliance in Ponderay.

“Those three sponsors really do all the legwork to put it on and they have the proceeds benefit us,” said Andrea Nagel, BTAA’s director of Storytelling and Partnerships. “We are there the dayof to help facilitate [the event], but they really do the heavy lifting.”

BTAA, formerly Panhandle Animal Shelter, continues to shelter animals but is also committed to supporting community members who need a little help keeping their pets at home.

“What we are working on right now is expanding and providing more access to medical services for the community,” Nagel said. “We provide help to not only the animals that are in-house here — dogs [and] cats that become available for adoption here, they all get spayed and neutered, microchipped and vaccinated before they go home — but we also offer a lot of community resources and programs that we work to fund so that we can expand as many services and help as many people and their pets as we can.”

Dogs currently up for adoption at Better Together Animal Alliance: Timber, top left; Balto, top right; Ringo, left; and Luca, right. Call or stop by BTAA to inquire about taking one of those lovely companions home. Photos courtesy Allison Turcotte Photography.

BTAA offers a helpline that anyone seeking medical help, access to pet food or anything else related to pet ownership can call at 208-217-4453.

“If there’s any way that we can provide service to those pet owners and help them keep their pet at home with them, we will absolutely do it,” Nagel said. “That’s anything from spay and neuter vouchers to participating community veterinarians, to providing in-house services, or food from our pet food bank.”

BTAA will have an information tent set up at the keg pull, where people can learn more about what their financial support funds.

“I would love to encourage people to come down and check it out even if they’re not planning on participating,” Nagel said. “Just come watch and come by our tent and say ‘hi.’”

COMMUNITY

Ponderay Rotary seeking donations to fund annual scholarship drive

By Reader Staff

Attending college or any other higher education usually requires some financial assistance. Ponderay Centennial Rotary Club’s focal point is aiding students continuing their education and adults wanting to go back to school, but it also offers scholarships to graduating high school seniors.

To support that mission, the club is seeking donations to fund its annual scholarship drive, aiming to raise $16,000 in order to help ease the burden faced by many local students and residents due to the high cost of higher education.

“It is difficult for students to focus on school when work demands and financial pressures dominate their thoughts,” the club stated. “We intend to decrease some of that pressure by offering financial assistance through scholarships to students of all ages who are serious about achieving their higher education goals.”

Club scholarships are not limited — they can be used for a variety of educational purposes such as college, trade school, beauty school and more.

Currently, the club is halfway to its 2023 goal; though, this scholarship drive is only one part of the club’s overall fundraising efforts. Last year, Ponderay Rotary gave out more than $26,000 in financial support and, over the past 16 years, the club has distributed more than $168,000 in scholarships to local graduating seniors and residents continuing their education.

“We are trying to help close the gap between cost and the ability to get an education for local students,” said Ponderay Rotary Treasurer Kari Saccomanno. “We want to ensure greater social mobility for future generations, and to encourage these students to do the same for others later.”

Any donation or sponsorship is appreciated. The club’s sponsor levels and benefits can be found on its website at ponderayrotaryclub.com. Donations are tax deductible.

Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 813, Ponderay, ID 83852. Donations can also be paid through the club’s website, ponderayrotaryclub.com. The drive ends Saturday, April 15.

Former owners return to run The Paint Bucket

Harold and Liz Stephenson are back behind the counter, doing what they know best

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”

— Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, in The Godfather: Part III

Harold and Liz Stephenson first opened the doors to The Paint Bucket in Sandpoint on Jan. 27, 1987. After 33 years, they decided to sell the business, which happened on Jan. 27, 2019. On Jan. 27, 2023, the newly retired former owners are back running The Paint Bucket.

“That’s when everything came together,” Harold told the Reader. “Everything good or bad happens on Jan. 27, I guess. This year, we’ll either buy a lottery ticket or hide [on that date].”

When the new owners from Coeur d’Alene took over The Paint Bucket in 2019, the Stephensons threw themselves into restoring the adjacent property — former home of the Pine Street Bakery — where they planned to eventually retire. But the cosmos had more colorful plans for them.

“We carried the contract on the business and also rented the business to the [new owners], but they missed their payments, so we were forced to evict them,” Harold said. “Now we’re back.”

Regular customers have been coming into the familiar paint store for a few weeks, startled to see Harold and Liz back behind the counter, their familiar smiling faces greeting them.

“I had forgotten how much I missed people and color,” Liz said.

On a recent Monday morning, one customer came into the store and stopped suddenly with a smile on his face when he saw Harold.

“You again? What the hell are you doing back here?” the customer said, shaking hands happily with an old friend.

“Oh you know, we just can’t stay away,” Harold shook his head with a grin.

It’s the regular customers who have made their return to working life that much more enjoyable.

“It’s been so fun coming back and seeing our regular customers again, who we’ve interfaced and interacted with for 30 years,” he said. “We’re involved with their projects again, whether commercial projects downtown or working on their houses, it’s always made this job worthwhile. …

“That was the most difficult part of retiring, actually, because our customers became our family,” Harold added. “It was our family life and social life, and we became so ingrained with their projects. It made work so much more enjoyable for us. Now, every time someone comes through the door with their jaw dropping, telling us they’re glad to see us back, it makes us feel really good.”

Liz said returning to the paint store was, “kind of like when you find out you’re going to have your grandkids come over for the weekend and you’re surprised and it’s just a blast.”

Meanwhile, the home restoration project next door has been put on the back burner while teh Stephensons get everything back up to speed at The Paint Bucket.

“Right now we’re working seven days a week, putting the paint store back together and putting everything back in place,” Harold said. “We want to do it right and have everything nice and operational.”

As part of the updating of the store, Harold said they are offering cans of paint on sale to help reduce the inventory they don’t want to keep carrying in the store.

“We’re running paint out of here as fast

as we can, at ridiculously low prices to clear out stuff we don’t want to carry forward with,” Harold said. “Liz is the ultimate at cleaning out stuff she doesn’t want. She does it at home, too, but it’s usually my stuff.”

Liz also wanted to mention how grateful she and Harold are to her sister Bev Kee and her husband Andy Kee for restructuring the business and helping them forge ahead.

The Paint Bucket will be open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.noon on Saturdays. They will be closed Sundays.

Looking forward, Harold and Liz are setting their sights on retiring for good to live in the home next door, which has quite a history in Sandpoint. While pulling up boards on the front porch, Harold found the date “April 27, 1908” carved into one. It was also the childhood home of former-District 1 Sen. Jim Woodward.

“While we were here making paint, it was three Mexican restaurants, the Red Martin Cafe and three bakeries,” Harold said. “It’s a beautiful house with good bones.”

As far as The Paint Bucket goes, the

Stephensons haven’t decided on their next steps.

“We’re still trying to figure it out,” Harold said. “We’re looking into staying as a paint store, or leasing it as another business, or possibly selling the building. We’ve had interests in all of those. We haven’t started advertising yet, but we’ve had people come in and say they’d like the building as a restaurant or this or that. It’s a good piece of commercial real estate, and there’s more interest than we expected.”

For now, Harold and Liz are happy to continue doing what they love, serving the customers they care about.

“It keeps a smile on our faces,” Harold said.

The Paint Bucket is located at 714 Pine St., in Sandpoint. For more information, call 208-263-5032.

Liz and Harold Stephenson came out of retirement to run The Paint Bucket, which they started on Jan. 27, 1987. They sold the business Jan. 27, 2019 and took it back over Jan. 27, 2023. Someone buy these guys a lottery ticket next Jan. 27. Photo by Ben Olson.

events

February 23 - March 2, 2023

Check Page 14-15 for a full listing of Sandpoint Winter Carnival events!

THURSDAY, February 23

Project 7B Raffle Kickoff Party

6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

With live music featuring Scott Taylor and the Endless Switchbacks. Win a guitar!

Cribbage League • 7pm @ Connie’s Lounge

This is an ongoing league with nightly prizes

Early Instrument Sampling at MCS

6-7pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint

Step back in time and explore early instruments you may have never heard

FriDAY, February 24

Live Music w/ Mobius Riff

4:30-7:30pm @ Barrel 33

Live Music w/ Ron Kieper Trio

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Live Music w/ Justyn Priest Trio

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

International Wildlife Film Festival

7pm @ The Heartwood Center

Come check out some of the world’s best wildlife films. Raffles, silent auction. $20

Live Music w/ Joey Anderson

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill

6-8:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.

Country and classic rock

Pierce Auto Chili Cook-off

3pm @ Pierce Auto (Sagle)

Sign up for entries at 3pm, judging starts at 4pm. Cash prizes and open judging

Samual Adams Air and Apres

All day @ Schweitzer

A big air show with great beer, music, fireworks and an after party on the hill

North Idaho Philharmonia presents: ‘European Postcards’ (Feb. 24 & 25)

7:30pm @ Panida Theater

A night of beautiful classical music. Special 2pm show on Sunday, Feb. 25

SATURDAY, February 25

Live Music w/ Jake Rozier Band

9pm @ 219 Lounge

Live Music w/ Mike Johnson Trio

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Folk, jazz and Americana

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill

6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Sandpoint Chess Club

Live Music w/ Double Shot Band

7-9pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Live Music w/ Carter Hudston Band

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Old-Time Fiddlers Assoc. jam session

3-5pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center Free and open to the public. 208-263-7234

SunDAY, February 26

9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee

Meets every Sunday at 9am

Annual K9 Keg Pull 11am @ Cedar St. in front of Eichardt’s One of the most endearing Winter Carnival events. Come watch dogs in three size categories take over the streets as they pull kegs for glory. Cost to enter your pooch is $10 for two runs, $5 additional

monDAY, February 27

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Pool League • 6-9pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Every Monday night

Group Run @ Outdoor Experience

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

Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s “Stories of Creation”

ThursDAY, march 2

Wild and Scenic Film Festival • 7pm @ Panida Theater

Join Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness for their annual curated collection of independent films about wild places and people working to protect them. General Admission tickets $15. Reserved seating packages also available. Also a raffle!

Inspiring adventure at home and abroad

Wild and Scenic Film Festival to benefit Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

For the fourth year, local conservation nonprofit Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is hosting the Wild and Scenic Film Festival — a collection of 10 films focused on wild places and the people who aim to keep them that way.

Topics represented in the 2023 films include female pilots, stand-up comedians who fly fish, scientists battling microplastics and representation in the world of outdoor recreation.

“The theme of this year’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival — ‘Inspiring Adventure’ — appeals to folks from all backgrounds,” said FSPW Executive Director Phil Hough. “Inspiring, entertaining and thought provoking, the WSFF helps us to bring together a community of people passionate about our area’s wild lands.”

The Wild and Scenic Film Festival will screen Thursday, March 2 at the Panida Theater, 301 N. First Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m. with films starting at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $15. There is also a ticket option for “Super Star

Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Thursday, March 2; doors at 6 p.m., films at 7 p.m.; $15 at the door or online. Panida Theater, 301 N. First Ave., 208-263-9191, panida.org. Call FSPW at 208946-9127 for more info. Get tickets at scotchmanpeaks.org/ event/wild-scenic-film-festival.

Supporters” — for $200, these attendees receive two tickets in reserved seating, access to a VIP pre-showing event at Eichardt’s Pub and $30 in raffle tickets.

Gear from Six Moon Designs, a springtime flyover of the Scotchmans, baskets from Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters and Outdoor Experience,

and original artwork will all be up for grabs in the raffle. According to organizers, money raised through ticket and raffle sales will go toward funding trail building, outdoor education and “helping to keep our local wildlands open for hikers, hunters, anglers and everyone else looking to explore our rugged backyard.”

Hough called the FSPW Trail Ambassador Program, in particular, “hugely successful.” As part of the program, volunteers sign up to hike the trail on certain

days and engage fellow hikers in conversations about how to admire the peaks’ mountain goats from afar. The goal is to avoid any human-goat confrontation, which has been known to shut down the trail in years past.

“Every summer the ambassadors talk to 1,000 or more hikers,” Hough said, “providing important information to keep them safe around mountain goats. This helps keep the mountain goats wild and the Scotchman Peaks summit trail open for all.”

The 2023 Wild and Scenic Film Festival is made possible, in part, by local business sponsors including Idaho Forest Group, Blue Sky Broadcasting, Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters, KRFY 88.5 FM and more.

To learn more about Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness’ mission and other upcoming events, visit scotchmanpeaks.org

Stills from selected films: All That Breathes top left; Bear Witness: Subarctic, top right; Breaking Trail, bottom left. Courtesy photos.

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

Last week was abuzz with activities in Sandpoint. Of course, the Winter Carnival was a highlight for many, and my favorite — the annual Feb. 19 countdown to 2:19 p.m. at the 219 Lounge — was the icing on my fun-activity cake. But when fellow 219 revelers revealed that our hometown state champion Lady Bulldogs basketball team would soon pass by with a police escort, my oldest child, Ryanne, was adamant that we take to the street to cheer on her alma mater.

It was worth the half-hour wait to witness the parade-like affair. We weren’t many, but we were mighty, cheering the motorcade of a dozen police escorts, the Northwestern Stages motorcoach filled with our local champions and their mighty proud coach, Will Love. They were followed by a string of cars filled with a whole lot of equally proud parents.

Elsewhere in the world, there were other celebrations taking place. For example, in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, the Carnival of Ivrea celebrates the locally famous Battle of the Oranges. It involves thousands of townspeople, divided into nine combat teams, who throw oranges at each other — with considerable violence — during the traditional carnival days: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

The carnival takes place in February (occasionally in March), ending on the night of Shrove Tuesday with a solemn funeral and silent march — after which, the ceremonial “general” discharges the combatants with the phrase, Arvedse a giobia a

The Sandpoint Eater Layers of Lent

‘n bot, which means, “We’ll see each other on Thursday at one.” The statement, delivered in local dialect, refers to the day when the next year’s carnival festivities will recommence.

Seriously, if you as inclined to learn more (as I was) and want to plan for 2024, check out the festival at this link: carnivaland.net/ivrea-carnival.

Elsewhere, throughout the world, pre-Lenten activities often include less violent food-related activities, such as pancake races. Shrove Tuesday is traditionally when Christians use sweet or fatty foods to prepare for Lent fasting before Easter, with pancakes as a quick and straightforward solution.

The market town of Olney

in Buckinghamshire, England, lays claim to the oldest annual pancake race in the world, dating back to 1445 CE. Folklore says the Olney tradition started in the 15th century when a harassed housewife, rushing to attend church on Shrove Tuesday, ran to the service with a frying pan still in her hand. The race is open to the “ladies of Olney only,” but maintains a friendly rivalry with a small city in Kansas. Besides pancake races, there are many other fantastic pancake stories to sink your teeth into at the Guinness Book of World Records’ website: guinnessworldrecords.com. Learn about the world’s biggest pancake, the most pancakes ever stacked, the most pancakes ever flipped, and other

astonishing feats and records related to the sweet flapjack.

I grew up in a practicing Catholic household, and I don’t recall this kind of fun-withfood leading up to Lent. Still, I remember Leftover-Thursday, when my mother would search the refrigerator for all the bits and pieces of the past week’s meat meals and whip up some stew or goulash. Then, we’d start meatless Friday with a clean refrigerator (and souls), and fish sticks, paving our way to pureness during the holy Lenten season. But, of course, it was easier back then when more restaurants seemed to cater to practicing Catholics.

Invariably, the only time I remember it’s a Lenten Friday is

Eggplant caponata

when I bite into a juicy hamburger at Sweet Lou’s, which is ironic because about half of my clan is vegetarian. Nowadays, it’s not that uncommon for meatless meals at my house.

I made a big batch of eggplant caponata this past weekend, and both of my girls agreed it was the best batch I’d ever cooked. Even my 2-year-old, caper-loving granddaughter Runa devoured it. The recipe originates from Sicily, about as far south as you can get in Italy from the orange-tossing area of Ivrea.

You don’t need to be a vegetarian or observing Lent to add this toddler-approved, perfectly piquant eggplant dish to your culinary repertoire.

Caponata is a tangy and tasty vegetarian dish that originates from Sicily. Serve it as an appetizer or salad. It’s delicious warm, cold or room temperature. You can make it a couple of days ahead and store it in the fridge in a tightly sealed storage container, but it’s best warmed up a bit, served on baguette slices or topping some fresh greens.

INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:

• 1 large eggplant (about 1 ½ pounds, cut into 1-inch cubes)

• Sea salt

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 yellow onion chopped

• 1 red bell pepper cored and chopped

• 1 green bell pepper cored and chopped

• 2 small celery stalks (pull strings and slice thin)

• 1 15 oz-can diced tomatoes with juice

• Coarse ground pepper

• 2 tablespoon capers, rinsed well

• ¼ cup pitted green olives roughly chopped

• 2 tsp sugar

•1 bay leaf

• ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar

• ¼ dry white wine

• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the eggplant cubes in a colander, sprinkle liberally with salt. Leave in colander for 20 or 30 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Rinse well, place on sheet pan and pat dry with paper towel. Drizzle with 3-4 tbs of olive oil and toss gently on sheet to coat cubes. Roast the eggplant in the heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the onions, bell pepper and celery. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Gently stir/toss with wooden spoon until tender, about 7-8 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, capers, olives, sugar, bay leaf and crushed pepper flakes. Pour in the vinegar and white wine. Stir to combine. Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thickened

Stir in the roasted eggplant and stir gently. Cook about 5 more minutes. Let it cool down a bit, and finish with fresh parsley. Serve warm or refrigerate for later.

STAGE & SCREEN

A fundraiser for a better world

International Wildlife Film Festival supports teen trip to restore coral reefs, mangrove forests

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Anyone worried about how our next generation will take care of the environment should be pleased with the Sandpoint Area Students Outdoor Adventure Club.

The club is raising funds to send its teenage members on a trip to the Dominican Republic to help with coral reef restoration, as well as planting mangrove forests to improve coastlines.

The club is hosting the International Wildlife Film Festival on Friday, Feb. 24 at the Heartwood Center, with proceeds going toward the teen volunteers. The doors will open at 6:15 p.m. and the films will start at 7 p.m.

Group leader John Hastings — a retired local science educator — said that though it might seem weird for a group of teenagers in North Idaho to spend their time improving ocean habitats, it’s a heartwarming sign that we’re all connected.

“Coral reefs make up only 1% of the world’s ocean area, but are home to 25% of the ocean’s biodiversity,”

3 billion people around the world rely on fish as their primary source of protein. If reefs are gone, fish populations will collapse.”

Hastings said watching coral reefs that have been around for more than a million years be nearly destroyed in a couple of decades is a bitter pill to swallow.

“We’ve seen the extinction of species, but to see the collapse of an entire ecosystem — in this case, primarily from human activity — is unprecedented,” Hastings said. “Obviously climate change is what we look at the most, as it both warms the seawater and acidifies the ocean.”

The trip has been planned for a few years, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted efforts for the original group of teens.

in and begin restoring reefs by building metal structures and attaching coral fragments that have fallen off in a process called microfragmentation. Another method is referred to as “assisted evolution.”

“Some animals cannot adapt fast enough to the way we’re making the world change,” Hastings said. “So we use assisted evolution through breeding programs, identifying fragments that have been able to survive and breed them with one another.”

International Wildlife Film Festival

Friday, Feb. 24; doors at 6:15 p.m., show at 7 p.m.; $20 suggested donation. The Heartwood Center, 615 Oak St., 208-263-8699.

Hastings told the Reader. “It’s a nursery for fish, where all baby fish are born because it’s more protection from predators. About

“Last summer, we got to go to Belize,” Hastings said. “We helped out some Indigenous farmers plant native fruit trees to increase their yields, and we did get two days of snorkeling on the reef, but no restoration. Part of that is because Belize is the leader in the world for coral reef restoration. They have been protecting their reefs years before it was the cool thing to do.”

Working through the Explorica tour company, Hastings and teenagers in the club will literally dive

Aside from outplanting and cleaning the reefs, Hastings said the teens will plant mangrove forests in coastal areas. The dense roots of mangroves help bind and build soils, stabilizing coastlines, encouraging deposition of sediments and reducing erosion.

“They’ll also plant oyster beds, because oysters are great filters of the water,” Hastings said.

While a group of 10 made the environmental trip to Belize last year, Hastings said 20 will be traveling to the Dominican Republic. Each teen must cover their own costs to cover travel, food and lodging, which averages about $3,000 per traveler. But, Hastings said, proceeds from the film festival will help offset a portion of the costs, along with earnings from the silent auction held at the event. Films shown at the International Wildlife Film Festival, based

in Missoula, Mont., will include one of particular interest to the teens, as it is a documentary about a woman who is working on the very same coral reef restoration as the students will be in the Dominican Republic.

Other films look at how backcountry skiing has affected the bighorn sheep habitats, the curious migration of tadpoles, films on wolverines and porcupines, and one on fungi and molds, to name a few. Admission is by a suggested donation of $20 and Eichardt’s Pub will have refreshments available for purchase. Those interested in donating items for the silent auction can drop them off at All Seasons Garden and Floral in Ponderay.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Joey Anderson, MickDuff’s Beer Hall, Feb. 24 Jake Rozier and the Implication, 219 Lounge, Feb. 25

Spokane is a long way from Florida, but Joey Anderson has brought his St. Augustine roots with him to the Inland Northwest, where his genre-spanning rock-country sound has found a welcoming home. Case in point: Anderson has collected a total of six Inland Northwest Country Music Association Awards in just the past four years — including Top Newcomer, Top Solo Act and Top Songwriter — and released three self-produced albums since 2020. His honeyed Southern-infused vocals come through

clear and smooth — as effective on hip-shaking, toe-tapping rock-country tunes as contemplative, heart-felt ballads — which will be on display Friday, Feb. 24 at MickDuff’s Beer Hall.

It’s safe to say this Floridian is not only a popular performer in his adopted hometown, but a pillar of the regional scene.

— Zach Hagadone

6:30-9:30 p.m., FREE. MickDuff’s Beer Hall, 220 Cedar St., 208-209-6700, mickduffs.com. Listen at joeyandersonmusic.com.

Spokane singer-songwriter

Jake Rozier and his band — the Implication — are billed as a Delta blues outfit, boasting its own spin on rockabilly and new grass. Also key to Rozier’s style is the storytelling tradition of Americana, perfectly exemplified on the most popular track of his 2022 album Hard to Kill a Ghost: “Gravedigger I.”

Rozier’s baritone vocals, complete with a vibrato dripping with both old-school class and new-age confidence, tell the unfortunate story of a lost love at the hands of

a stupid friend. The artist is able to make the far-fetched tale one the listener won’t forget.

Hard to Kill a Ghost is peppered with similar gems, each with a distinct, bluesy tone. Rozier’s live show is the chance to enjoy that art in its purest form.

— Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey

9 p.m., FREE, 21+. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208263-5673, 219.bar. Listen on Spotify.

Full disclosure: I have only read the introduction, first chapter and a few pages of Chapter 2 in Spare, the recently published tell-all memoir/400-page sustained Windsor family diss published by estranged Prince Harry, formerly of the U.K., now of Southern California. Ghostwritten by J.R. Moehringer, I can tell you from my limited experience, that it is one of the weirdest, most incendiary things ever written by a “royal,” and will be a godsend to future historians of the monarchy.

I recently spent about a week torturing myself with trying to identify a certain song I overheard while eating lunch at Eichardt’s, and had all but given up when it suddenly played on Publisher Ben Olson’s Spotify playlist in the office. Lo and behold, it was “Blood Red Sentimental Blues” by Maryland-based indie folkster Cotton Jones. Do yourself a favor and get infected by this earworm.

READ LISTEN WATCH

The best mockumentary on the scene right now is Cunk on Earth, which deflates the trope of the self-serious (especially British) “big history” film series via blundering, tragically misinformed and often apathetic host Philomena Cunk (played with deadpan perfection by Diane Morgan). Cunk’s guileless incompetence often arrives at blunt truths, spiced with subversive digs at everything from ancient Rome to the Cold War. Stream all five episodes on Netflix.

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

Members of the Sandpoint Area Students Outdoor Adventure Club plant mangroves in Belize. Courtesy photo.

From Northern Idaho News, February 17, 1920

WE MAY BATHE IN LAKE PEND D’OREILLE

Mountjoy, King, Gibson and Hitchner were the only members of the council present at the meeting Monday evening.

The recommendations of the Woman’s Civic club with respect to skating on pavement around Central school building for the pupils, the parkings project and the bath house project, were discussed. The roller skating concession was refused on account of possible danger from traffic on the streets, the parking question was left to the city attorney to look up the law in the case, and the bath house proposition is to be investigated with a probability that several hundred dollars will be spent in providing ample accommodations. The council is very favorable to such a public enterprise.

In regard to the proposition of the Civic club and the Sandpoint schools to employ a school and community nurse and have council assist in payment of the salary, council left the matter in the hands of a committee to arrange and will agree to pay one-third of such salary provided the schools will pay a third and the county on the other third. Miss Jupe, a sister of the nurse who was here last summer, is an applicant for the position.

The city clerk read the water report for last year, which gave a very creditable showing. Receipts were $18,834.95 expenses leaving a net profit of $5,856.96.

The street commissioner was instructed to look after the porch of Wilson & Foster’s warehouse, which threatens to fall down.

Cesspools, sewers and alleys are to receive attention and the fire chief is authorized to order these businessmen who have cluttered up back premises to clean up.

BACK OF THE BOOK

The pesky public

From the Statehouse to City Hall, Idahoans are slowly being pushed out of participating in government

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

In an ideal democracy, a government serves at the behest of its people, not in spite of them. We are oceans away from anything resembling an ideal democracy in our nation, especially here in Idaho where lawmakers cry “We the People” at campaign rallies and suddenly forget those very people the moment they walk up the Statehouse steps.

From the Idaho Capitol to City Hall, there has been a concerted effort to distance the public from participating in government.

Leading up to the 2018 election, the grassroots organization Reclaim Idaho successfully led a signature drive to place a Medicaid expansion initiative on the general election ballot, which aimed to provide coverage for those who fell through the gap. The measure proved successful, passing with a 61% vote and ultimately providing Medicaid coverage to 145,000 Idahoans. The following year, the knives came out from Republicans, bitter that the lowly public dared to actively get involved with their government.

District 1 Rep. Sage Dixon led efforts during the 2019 legislative session to severely restrict the signature gathering requirements, making it much tougher for citizen-led initiatives to find their way onto the ballot. Despite very little public support, the House and Senate sent the legislation to Gov. Brad Little’s desk, where he vetoed it after public outcry. Dixon reintroduced his measure broken up into four separate bills, but, as Boise Democratic Rep. Ilana Rubel put it, “A turd sandwich cut into quarters is still a turd sandwich.” That effort failed, then failed again. Another attempt crossed the finish line in 2021, only to have the Idaho Supreme Court rule that the law raising

initiative signature requirements violated Idahoans’ constitutional rights.

Now, another Republican lawmaker has again taken up the issue, this time aiming to amend the Idaho Constitution itself to make it harder to get initiatives on the ballot.

Another bald attempt to limit public discourse happened in January, when Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, banned those under 18 from testifying in his committee. He later amended the ban to allow minors to testify with their parents present after 30 teens attended a committee meeting in protest, some holding signs reading, “Let us speak.”

Closer to home, at the Board of Bonner County Commissioners meeting Feb. 7, Commissioners Steve Bradshaw and Luke Omodt both voted in favor of eliminating the public’s ability to participate in weekly meetings via Zoom. They claimed BOCC had no legal obligation to continue allowing the public to participate remotely. The sole dissenting vote was Commissioner Asia Williams. After pushback from the public, the BOCC reversed course two weeks later, with Omodt changing his stance and voting in favor of allowing Zoom participation.

I understand public testimony can be painful. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, public meetings around the nation became dumping grounds for extremists to unload conspiracy theories, issue threats and generally pound the nearest table. But there is nothing more American than a shabbily-dressed citizen in muddy duck boots, holding a folder full of “research” and petitioning their local government. It’s not pretty, but it’s who we are, and those who wish to do away with pesky public testimony have forgotten who elected them.

Finally, at the city level, efforts are being made to keep the public at arm’s length with the “Couplet” plan, which would see a five-

Sudoku Solution STR8TS Solution

lane highway running down the Highway 2 corridor through Sandpoint. In the early 2010s, when the Sandpoint City Council killed off the precursor to this plan called the “Curve,” the city officials relentlessly polled the public to get an accurate idea of what people thought about the plan.

The people hated it — as they do now — and the council voted it down only to see it resurrected a decade later, even though most everyone agrees it’s not needed for another 30 years. The Feb. 1 council meeting ended with motion to table an amendment to the Multimodal Plan related to the portion of the “Couplet” that included someday bulldozing Dub’s Drive-in for a North-South Boyer connection across U.S. 2.; but, at the Feb. 15 meeting, City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton outlined a plan to hold a workshop that wasn’t in fact open to public input, but rather, an “informational meeting” between city staff and council members.

“After council has that information and if there will be further actions, we can discuss that at a future council meeting,” Stapleton told councilors.

Gee, thanks.

What is everyone so afraid of? That the public won’t like the plan and we’ll have to scrap it? That their jobs will be made harder? So what? It’s clear that those in power — whether elected or not — view public input as an annoyance rather than a guiding hand.

We hold the power, not bureaucrats and politicians looking to enrich themselves. If we could ever band together at the ballot box, we might just be able to vote out those who wish to silence our voices. Then, we might live up to those ideals uttered by a behatted skinny man in Gettysburg, Penn., some 160 years ago: “... and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Crossword Solution

Laughing Matter

Solution on page 22

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

Solution on page 22

Word Week of the

retcon /RET-kon/ [verb]

1. to later revise an established element of a fictional story

“Though the first season showed the doctor naming the family spaceship after her favorite Norse god, later seasons retconned this and gave all the ships that same name.”

Corrections: Nope!

For me, the worst thing about having King Kong walk down your street is that kids could look up and see the giant genitalia.