Reader December 31 2015

READER

year • in • review •••••• ••• • December 31, 2015 /

I Don’t drink champagne anymore.

The last time I did, I had a really bad experience

Hey! That was our wedding!

Oh... right.

FREE / Vol. 12 issue 50

More than a store, a Super store!

sports supplements our great supply of

s u o m a f d l r o w Try our tartar sauce!

476560 Highway 95 Ponderay, ID

rs a b es t u q ff o % 50

40% off

Christmas items 2 /

R

/ December 31, 2015

(wo)MAN compiled by

on the street

Ben Olson at Idaho Pour Authority

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?

“I think my most important resolution is to take more personal down time. I feel like I spread myself too thin this year.”

Laura Woodard H.S. Spanish Teacher Spokane, WA

DEAR READERS,

This has been the quickest year of my life. Running this newspaper has proven to be a worthwhile, yet daunting job. I can only hope that we’re giving you what you want in a publication.

I’m always interested to hear from you, our readers, how we’re doing. Is there something in particular you’d like to see us do differently? What are your favorite parts of the Reader? Do you have any ideas for how we can improve? Please let me know at ben@sandpointreader.com anytime.

2016 will see the Reader improve in many areas. We’re working on hiring another advertising salesperson, as well as an additional writer/designer to ease the workload and make this a better publication in every way.

My main goals for 2016 are to keep producing this paper with the highest quality possible, and to keep having fun doing it. After all, what good is a job if you’re not having fun while doing it?

Thanks for making this a banner year for Cameron and me. Happy reading!

-Ben Olson, Publisher

“I don’t. I feel they are overrated. You shouldn’t wait until the new year to do something.

If you want to do something, just do it.”

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover), Tamarack Aerospace, Angels Over Sandpoint, William G. Rosch.

Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Nick Gier, Scarlette Quille, Suzen Fiskin, Chris Balboni, Drake.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com

Tim Prummer Colorado Athletic Club Denver, CO (originally Spt.)

Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

“To graduate college while having the most fun possible.”

Advertising: Jen Landis jen@sandpointreader.com Clint Nicholson clint@keokee.com

Subscription Price: $75 per year

Jon Bradley Student, U of I Public Relations Moscow, ID (originally Spt.)

Web Content: Keokee

“I know I’m going to graduate college, so mine is to start a new crazy chapter of my life, no matter where it may be.”

Jenny Van Ooyen Student, St. Lawrence College Canton, NY (originally Spt.)

“To run in a marathon.”

Have you done anything like that before?

“I’ve run the equivalent of a half marathon.”

LIVE MUSIC

“In wine there is wisdom,

in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.

”

-Benjamin Franklin

d unwiin & k y r unco 5 to 7 da l

Sarah Coluccio Student, Seattle Univ.

Seattle, WA (originally Spt.)

“I’ve never made a new year’s resolution. I think they’re kinda pointless. Most people never even stick to them.”

Chris Woodard Student, Midwestern Spokane, WA & Glendale, AZ

turday Friday & Sa Beer Hall N ight @ t he BINGO WEDNESDAY @

Beer Ha ll

Thursay, Dec. 31 - doors @ 8pm

TENNIS!

New Years’ Eve Bash with Sandpoint’s favorite dance band

Friday, Jan. 1 @ 6:30-9:30pm

DEVON WADE

d e l l i f e b t i May , e r u t n e v d A h wit ! e v o L d n a y o J

BREWERY & BEER HALL 220 Cedar St. 209-6700 FAMILY FRIENDLY BREWPUB 312 First Ave.

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

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

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

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

Requirements: –No more than 500 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

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

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About the Cover This week’s cover designed by Ben Olson, who remembers drinking champagne while also chewing tobacco once. Let’s just say that’s not a good combination.

255-4351

info@thebernd.com December 31, 2015 /

R

/ 3

COMMENTARY The Genocide of the Hazaras:

By Nick Gier Reader Columnist “All Shias are liable to be killed. We will rid Pakistan of [this] impure people.

Pakistan means land of the pure, and the Shia have no right to live here.”

—The Chief of Lashkar-eJhangvi in Pakistan Since the beginning of this year in Afghanistan, 73 Shia Muslims from the Hazara community have been kidnapped

by Sunni militants. Earlier this month seven of them were beheaded, and on Nov. 10 their coffins were carried down a street in Kabul.

For the first time thousands of Sunnis joined grieving Hazaras in a protest against the current government, which has done nothing to protect the Hazaras from attack. Since 1993 more than 8,000 have been killed in Afghanistan.

Over the past 10 years, there have been 183 attacks on Harazas in Pakistan. Seeking refuge primarily in Iran and Pakistan, tens of thousands of Hazaras fled Afghanistan at the end of the 19th century after Amir Abdur Rahman’s armies reduced their population by 60 percent.

In Quetta, Pakistan, about

An appeal to reason redux...

Dear Editor, Most proposed gun control laws would not address the concerns in the Deutchmans’ letter of last week. State and federal background checks of firearms purchasers are done by licensed gun dealers, but we should require checks of private purchasers and better address the missing mental/ criminal records not currently available to such checks.

“Assault-type weapons” is such an all-encompassing term as to be useless and irrelevant.

DOJ statistics show “assault-type weapons” comprise less than 1 percent of criminal assaults in the U.S. every year.

Many definitions address only 4 /

R

/ December 31, 2015

Descendants of Genghis Khan fight for survival in Afghanistan and Pakistan

2,000 Hazaras have died, 4,000 have been injured, and 200,000 have attempted to flee the country. In February of 2013, the Asian Human Rights Commission issued a report declaring that a religiously motivated genocide against the Hazaras was being carried out. A second genocide of the Hazaras is now underway.

Most of world’s Hazaras live in Afghanistan (7 million), Iran (2 million), and Pakistan (1.5 million). As Shia Muslims, one would expect that the Hazaras in Shia Iran would be treated humanely. Many Iranians, however, persecute them as “barbari,” a Persian word carrying memories of ancient Mongol invaders. With their distinctive Mongolian features they are easily identified by those who wish to harm them.

The Hazaras claim to have descended from Mongol troops, who were left behind in present-day Afghanistan as the Mongols retreated from their failed invasion of India at the end of the 13th century. Over the centuries Tajiks and Arabic Sayeds joined the original Mongols through intermarriage.

Although some scholars initially disputed the Mongol descent theory, linguistic, blood type and genetic evidence is strong. The Mongol army was

organized on the basis of ten, and “Hazara” is Persian for the Mongol word for 1,000. The Hazara blood types are also distinct from Afghans, Tajiks and Uzbeks.

Genetic research has proved the Mongol connection in spades. Today Genghis Khan’s genes are carried by about 16 million men, eight percent of Asia males. Incredibly enough, two-thirds of Hazara males carry Genghis Khan’s Y-chromosome. This is significantly more than the men now living either in the Republic of Mongolia or China’s Inner Mongolia.

Discrimination against the Hazaras continued even after the Afghan Constitution of 1931. There was religious freedom for all citizens except the Shias. Hindus, Sikhs and Christians could celebrate their holy days, but Shia holidays were banned.

In pre-Taliban Afghanistan the worst atrocity against the Hazaras occurred in February of 1993, when over 1,000 were killed by direct orders of President Rabbani. With the rise of the Taliban the Hazaras were part of the Northern Alliance supported by the U. S. In May 1997 Hazaras joined Uzbeks in executing 2,000 Taliban prisoners. In August 1998 the Tal-

iban retaliated by killing 2,000 Hazaras in Mazar-I Sharif.

When the Taliban attacked and gained control over the Bamiyan Valley in September 1998, 500 Hazaras were liquidated. There, in 2001, the Taliban destroyed the world’s largest standing Buddhas, which the Hazaras had always viewed as their ancestral protectors.

The Hazaras pride themselves in emphasizing education, and even though many opportunities are blocked to them, they have achieved remarkable results. An Hazara student, Mohammad Qasim, was the highest scorer in the 2015 Kankor Examination. He scored 354 out of possible 360 marks from among 219,145 students.

It is important that the plight of these brave and resourceful people should be more widely known, and the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan

cosmetic features—almost all hunting rifles are much more deadly. Magazine capacity limits are easily circumvented with a little practice.

The U.S. does indeed have a violence problem, but it’s not a gun problem. Violence is multi-caused, including income inequality, racism, lack of pre/ post natal child care, lack of health care, education and employment opportunities for our poorest citizens. Religious and cultural ideologies of cults— Christianity included—cause much mayhem and violence.

U.S. war “defense” dollars would be much better spent on truly universal, worldwide health and education, as well as saving the lives of our soldiers.

The Donald Trumps and

left/right wingers expose the darker beliefs of too many of our citizens.

People don’t need guns to suppress others’ freedoms, or impose their own ideology. My guns, including “assault-types,” have never threatened anyone.

A gun once saved my life, and I hope that need never again arises. Most gun control laws would have let me be killed.

this letter asking for funds for the Senior Center. The Center is a 501(c) non-profit corporation and if anyone has not already tapped out on their contributions for the year, we could sure use some help.

When I read this morning that Toys for Tots raised $50,000-plus this year, I am reminded of the generosity of this community. The Senior Center feeds between 20,000 and 25,000 meals per year between the meals served at the Center and the delivered meals.

Right now, we are in desperate need of funds to get us through the end of January.

We did not have a fundraiser this fall as we were redoing the parking lot. This lack of funding has resulted in our

Chris Mielke USMC 1974-8 Sagle

SASi needs your help...

Dear Editor, Thank you for your weekly publication. I so enjoy all the articles, photos, etc.

I would like you to publish

should do much more to protect their rights and stop the brutal attacks on their persons.

The conflicts between the Sunnis and the Shias offer an instructive parallel to the long history of interfaith violence between Protestants and Catholics, the most recent in Northern Ireland.

The U. S. invasion of Iraq allowed the majority Shias there to work out decades of resentment because of the Sunni minority rule initiated by the British. Sadly, Sunni militants led by ISIS and Al Qaeda are now fighting back with a vengeance.

Nick Gier of Moscow taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. This column is drawn from his keynote address at the Mongol American Association meeting on November 8, 2014.

Two Hazaras girls share a laugh. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.

immediate need.

If anyone can help, please send your donation (no amount too small) to Sandpoint Area Senior Center, 820 Main Street, Sandpoint 83864.

Thank you for your great publication. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Loris Michael Sandpoint

Letter Publication Policy: We are always interested in letters to the editor. Please make sure your letters are under 400 words and contain no profanity or libelous statements. Send letters to letters@sandpointreader.com.

PERSPECTIVES

Happy Freakin’ New Year I am always behind. The fact that another year has passed by, and we are on the brink of starting a new year will not hit me until mid-February. This really works out great for me because just when people are tearing that beautiful list of resolutions into tiny flammable shreds, I am full of hope and promise. Plus, I try to avoid setting myself up for disappointment.

If I do resolve to do anything, it’s to not do what everyone else does. I am about 86 percent successful at this.

Instead of lists, I think reflecting on the things we did that made us feel like shit and “resolving” not to do them again would make the world a happier place. A few Februaries ago, I gave myself permission to make my own choices. I resolved to quit trying to fix myself. If I was going to go through the rest of my life dropping F-bombs while sporting a muffin top, at least I would be free.

Since then, I’ve become a happier person. I have never read “Twilight.” I don’t have a Goldendoodle. The thought of eating kale anything pisses me off. I cuss a lot and it feels amazing. I drive slow. I shun structure. CrossFit and Paleo seems like a cult to me. And the most religious experience I have ever had was in a sweat lodge with a Native American shaman.

I am grateful that I get to have the sweat experience a

couple times a year, but I am not going to force it on anyone, nor am I going to post excessively about how enlightened I feel after one. Nothing turns me off more than assholes who constantly talk about how happy and spiritual they are while passive-aggressively attacking people who aren’t like them. I don’t care if other people eat organic and obsess over their Goldendoodle, but I’d rather eat fake food than be a fake person. That’s a choice I get to make, and weirdly, I am so much happier and skinnier than I was when I was drinking weird-ass shakes and running on a hamster wheel at the gym.

I make my own choices, including my dog breed selection: a Chihuahua. This dog breed is loyal, adorable, sneaky, courageous and vindictive. They’re a bit like your high school sweetheart. One moment this tiny lover is snuggling you and showering you with sweet angelic kisses while staring deep into your soul. The next moment they’re pissing in your shoes because they saw you look at that Great Dane walking down the sidewalk. In other words, the most successful owners of Chihuahuas should have some

experience with crazed lovers.

Chihuahuas prefer the company of other Chihuahuas, and they like to party.

My seven-pound Chihuahua, Otto, has a Chihuahua cousin Pepe, a teacup weighing in at about four

pounds.

These two always get into trouble when together. This is because Otto lives in the country and has a free range hippy lifestyle, whereas Pepe enjoys his city

life complete with consistency, rules, dietary restrictions and a selection of clothing larger than some people I know. Otto inevitably shares some of his delicious food stashes with Pepe, whose mother (my sister) always knows when he has consumed anything other than the vet-prescribed kibble.

This Christmas break, Pepe came over for a visit. Upon entering my home, he and Otto did the international Chihuahua hello dance and then scampered off to find something to get into. About five minutes later, they sauntered back into the room looking guilty. Pepe jumped into my sister’s lap, and Otto found Grandma. Within 30 seconds my sister squealed, “Pepe! What did you eat? OMIGOD, his breath smells like weed.”

She looked straight at me with a piercing glare.

I said, “What are you talking about?” She continued to claim her dog had somehow managed to find a stash of marijuana in my house and consume it.

Pepe was not doing me any favors. He was just reclining in her lap with glazed-over eyes and a half-smile. I tried to defend myself. However, my role

as the free-spirited artist of the family makes me an easy target for something like a pot stash. I told her I definitely didn’t have any pot laying around at Chihuahua-level. In fact, there was no pot at all, and if there was, I likely would have smoked it prior to her and my mother coming over, as opposed to giving it to my dog so he could share it with his dog friends.

Then I had to tell my mom I was joking and suggest maybe one of my teenagers was a pothead.

My 15-year-old catapulted off the couch, nearly putting her phone down in the process: “Are you kidding, Mom? I don’t do drugs.” She then ran around, sniffing and smelling every corner of our house, in order to clear herself of all blame. Finally, she found a lone leaf of a house plant, halfchewed on the floor. After my mother and sister sniffed and chewed the leaf and researched its potential for poisoning Chihuahuas, we were finally cleared of marijuana possession accusations.

After they left, my daughter, and I just sat breathing that long sigh of relief that one has after surviving a holiday family visit. Otto walked into the corner under my plants, and came back in a much better head space.

Maybe we should all resolve to be more like our dogs.

Happy new year.

Scarlette Quille December 31, 2015 /

R

/ 5

NEWS

Tamarack Aerospace winglet earns certification

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff The folks at Sandpoint company Tamarack Aerospace unwrapped a particularly great Christmas present last Wednesday with the certification of its winglet technology in Europe.

A moment long-awaited

by Tamarack officials, the certification by the European Aviation Safety Administration will allow Tamarack to sell and install its innovative active winglet technology on any European-certified Cessna CitationJet 525 aircraft.

According to Tamarack Chief Operating Officer Brian Cox, reciprocity agreements between the EASA and the Federal Aviation Administration means their technology will likely also be certified for sale in the U.S. within three to six months.

That’s exciting news for a company that has worked toward certification for the past several years. It will allow Tamarack to start earning revenue and work toward a potential that has excited local economic development experts.

“We already have 18 orders on the books,” said Cox. “That’s really impressive considering we haven’t been actively selling and marketing these.”

Indeed, the certification should have immediate effects on Tamarack’s workforce. Cox said company officials plan to add three to five jobs in the production side of the company as well as three or four new positions in engineering.

More high-paying local jobs is always exciting, but Tamarack has more than just locals buzzing about the possibilities.

Company officials believe their signature technology, the ATLAS active winglet, has the potential to transform the aviation industry.

Winglets are nothing new to airplanes. Traditional passive winglets reduce drag and improve the efficiency of airplane wings, which in turn reduces fuel use by a usual 3 to 4 percent. However, this in6 /

R

/ December 31, 2015

••••BRIEFS•••• Mayor Logan’s last actions to include refugee resolution

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

A mayoral proclamation welcoming refugees to Sandpoint will be among Mayor Carrie Logan’s last actions in office.

According to Logan, the proclamation will occur at the beginning of the Jan. 6 council meeting. Afterward, councilman and mayor elect Shelby Rognstad will be sworn in as SandThe Tamarack testing aircraft makes its first flight with ATLAS winglets installed. Photo courtesy of Tamarack Aerospace. point mayor, and the council will vote on a resolution similar in content to Logan’s proclamacreases the bending load in the tion. wing, which the ATLAS active The text of the resolution winglet is able to minimize. The reinforces Sandpoint’s longbottom line is that Tamarack’s standing public commitment to technology can improve aircraft human rights and non-discrimfuel efficiency by an unheard-of ination. It then observes that 10 to 15 percent, Cox said. fear and paranoia have risen “The real reality for our since the terror attacks in Paris product is what this can do and San Bernardino, with some for the future of aviation,” he responses containing historically added. racist or xenophobic characterConsidering the enormous istics. costs of airplane fuel, 10- to “...Terror is caused by people 15-percent savings is an enticing of varied ethnic, religious and prospect for any company or pripolitical backgrounds,” the vate owner. What’s more, wideresolution reads. “...Thoughts spread adoption of active winglets In the above close-up of an Active Winglet (light grey triangular flap), you can see what sets them of Nazi Germany, Japanese incould save billions of pounds in apart from the traditional Passive Winglet, which is what every other winglet in the world is. By ternment camps, McCarthyism, greenhouse gas emissions. moving up and down, the TACS (Tamarack Active Camber Surface) relieves (dumps) wing load when and the Ku Klux Klan come to “This really is green tech- required (by turbulence for example), thus negating any need for hundreds (or in the case of the mind.” nology,” Cox said.

Boeing 767, thousands) of pounds of wing strengthening structure needed for Passive Winglets.

The resolution then concludes by reinforcing Sandpoint’s commitment to tolerance, non-discrimination and

By Cameron Rasmusson diversity and welcoming any Reader Staff properly-screened refugees into come to auditions.”

Planning is in full swing for the city. the 2016 Follies, the raucous, The Follies needs both people “...Although well-intenirreverent and R-rated entertain- with ideas for original acts and tioned, discussions of banning ment event and Angels Over performers to fill out existing groups of people due to their reSandpoint fundraiser. For the acts. To audition, call (208) 290ligion is counter to the Constitu7685 and schedule a slot, which coming show, planners hope to tion and the historical practices attract more residents to audiare available Jan. 8, 5-7 p.m.; of this country,” the resolution Jan. 9, 3-5 p.m.; Jan. 22, 5-7 tions and diversify the number states. of performers in each act. p.m. and Jan. 23, 3-5 p.m.

According to Logan, the “Last year we heard a few The Follies is the biggest proclamation and resolution fundraiser of the year for complaints about the fact that are, in part, a response to the Angels Over Sandpoint, which so many of our performers anti-refugee resolution passed does excellent nonprofit work were in more than one act,”

by Bonner County commissionsaid Dorothy Prophet, one of all year ‘round. So show your ers. While the proclamation is community spirit—and your the event organizers. “Unfora simple mayoral action, the wild side—by participating in tunately, that was the result resolution will require a majoriA couple of revelers enjoy last year’s Follies at ty council vote to pass. the craziest show of the year! of not having enough people

Follies planners seeking performers

the Panida Theater.

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW The stories that captivated us in 2015

By Ben Olson and Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Ben’s top stories of 2015

2015 was a busy year for us here at the Reader. In two more issues, we’ll have been back in publication for a full year. How did it pass so quickly?

As is customary this time of year, we’ve decided to take a look back over the past 12 months at some of the biggest stories and issues that have affected us. Enjoy!

Wildfire in North Idaho

Washington Post article.

In the Harvard-NortheastIt’s hard to ern study, mass shootings are imagine a forest defined as those in which four fire when we’re or more people are killed. The knee deep in FBI, on the other hand, defines fresh powder them as when three or more are and dealing with killed, excluding the shooter. sub-freezing A crowd sourced data site, temperatures, Shooting Tracker, recently but the summade waves when they claimed mer’s fire season there were over 350 mass was one for the A homemade sign outside a home in Cape Horn. Photo by Ben Olson. shootings that had occurred in record books.

2015 alone. Shooting Tracker With over 50,000 acres Mass shootings increasing defines any incident in which burned and more than 300 four or more people are shot as fires reported in the Idaho Looking back, it’s hard not a mass shooting, regardless of Panhandle National Forest, to think that 2015 was domwhether they were injured or 2015’s fire season was called inated by violence.

Though killed. However, some critics the worst since 1926 by the there is a running debate as have pointed to numerous enIdaho Department of Lands. to what exactly constitutes a tries that invalidate the claim, At one point during the season, “mass shooting,” it’s generally such as non-lethal incidents over 125 individual fires were agreed upon that the events involving kids using air rifles. burning simultaneously across North Idaho, taxing manpower showed a marked increase during 2015.

Perception of the Police and resources to the limit.

A study published by the “If we had the same acreage Harvard Injury Control Re2015 saw a change in the burning with just one fire, it search Center showed that perception of police officers would’ve been no problem,” mass shootings were on the across the U.S., mainly due to said Jason Kirchner, public rise, as opposed to instances of the increase in the amount of affairs officer for the U.S. domestic and gang violence. negative interactions caught on Forest Service. “But having to “Those [shootings] look body cameras, dash cams and respond to all those fires taxed like they’re ‘contagious’ much cellphone video. resources. more than the intimate partner We’ve all seen the videos.

At its peak, the season saw violence ones,” said Harvard Some of the most notable over 27,000 firefighters mobiT.H. Chan School of Public incidents seem to begin with lized in the panhandle.

Health’s David Hemenway in a a benign traffic stop or police “We reached a point where

contact that escalates quickly.

In April, North Charleston police officer Michael Slager stopped Walter Scott for a non-functioning brake light.

Slager ended up shooting the unarmed Scott in the back as he ran away.

Slager is currently being held without bail for the charge of murder.

In July, a man was killed by a University of Cincinnati police officer in what was called an “entirely preventable” shooting.

Chicago continues to see turmoil over the fallout of videos released of the Laquan McDonald shooting last year.

Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shot teenager McDonald 16 times as he moved away from police in the middle of the road holding a knife.

We’re no strangers to police shootings here in North Idaho, either. The shooting of troubled pregnant woman Jeanetta Riley last year brought the issue to our front doors. Though the officers involved in the shooting were cleared of any wrongdoing, the body camera video of the incident continues to haunt this small town.

Whether police shootings of unarmed suspects is increasing or not is hard to tell, but the ubiquitous presence of cameras brings the incidents to the eyes of the world.

As the New York Times noted, however,

A representation of the guns used in four mass shootings in 2015.

See REVIEW, page 9

there was nobody else to call,” said Kirchner. “We brought in firefighters from Australia, Canada, parts of Europe. They came from all over the world.”

The extreme fire season was due mainly to a dry, warm winter that left little snowpack in the mountains, followed immediately by a dry spring. By June, the forests were tinder dry, and the fire danger rating was listed at “Extreme” from Aug. 5 to Sept. 2, an unprecedented streak.

December 31, 2015 /

R

/ 7

Volunteer Spotlight:

Savannah Mort talks about how the Hoot Owl’s soup kitchen began

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Bouquets: •I’ve heard a few people complain about snowplow drivers over the past week. I’d actually like to give them a bouquet for helping us keep the roads clear during the last week of snow storms. They have a very tough job, and have to be ready to roll whenever the weather strikes, whether it’s Christmas morning or otherwise. Not only that, but the city plows must deal with cars that never move, hundreds of hidden driveways and all other sorts of obstacles.

Thanks for doing your best at keeping our roads clear.

•A bouquet to all of you who have sent me submissions for the new series, “Volunteer Spotlight.” I’ve received so many wonderful submissions from a variety of people who wanted to give someone a shout out for their hard work. Do you know someone who is a volunteer and may not get the recognition they deserve? Let me know at ben@ sandpointreader.com and I’ll track them down and give them the recognition they deserve.

Barbs: •I’m always amazed at the way people continue to drive like complete idiots when the roads are crazy icy. The other day I watched a guy pull out right in front of a car on Fifth Avenue and cause a near accident when he could’ve just waited ten more seconds for a real break in the traffic. One car slid sideways after slamming on the brakes to miss the guy.

Let’s all remember to put things in perspective; is it worth dying over being a minute late? Slow down and take your time on the icy streets.

Got a bouquet or barb you’d like to offer? Write me at ben@ sandpointreader.com with “BB” in the subject line.

8 /

R

/ December 31, 2015

Two years ago, Savannah Mort asked her husband what he wanted for his birthday.

She had no idea his request would end up launching a soup kitchen that fed the community every week.

“For his birthday, he wanted the whole family to volunteer at a soup kitchen,” said Mort.

“I got to thinking, ‘Let’s just start our own.’ We have this great community and there’s not anything like that on our end of town.”

It was out of her husband’s request that the Hoot Owl’s weekly soup kitchen was born.

“I asked my mom [Hoot Owl owner Wendy Sater] if we could use the restaurant on Monday nights,” said Mort.

“We’ve been doing it ever since.”

Offered every Monday evening from 4 to 7 p.m. since February 2013, the soup kitchen serves anywhere between 60 and 100 people every week.

Mort, who serves as the “soup kitchen coordinator,” organizes the gathering every week, utilizing both donations from the community, as well as from the Hoot Owl. “I have a group of people and we make Crock-Pots of soup at home, or casseroles and bring it in,” said Mort. “The Hoot Owl donates a pot of soup every Monday and my mom will usually make up a big dessert.

We get a lot of people bringing in soup and volunteering, as well as financial donations, and I just want to make sure they know we appreciate it.”

Mort was quick to point out that her mom Wendy Sater, the owner of the Hoot Owl, does so much for the community and deserves to be recognized.

“She always tells me, ‘You do all the work and I get all the credit,’” said Mort.

“But she deserves a lot of the credit, too.”

One such event that the Saters host at the Hoot Owl is the annual spaghetti feed, which raises money for the

Sandpoint Lions Club’s Toys For Tots program. This year, the event raised over $1,400 for Toys For Tots.

When asked if there are any restrictions or eligibility requirements for who can attend the soup kitchen, Mort said it is open and free for everyone.

“It’s an open kitchen, for everybody,” she said. “There are people that come in and really need the soup, and there are people who are just lonely at heart who want to find a fellowship. We get people from all walks of life.”

After spending nearly two years feeding the community every week, Mort has come to appreciate the gravity of the issues of homelessness and poverty in North Idaho.

“I feel like [homelessness] is kind of a hush-hush situation,” she said. “Nobody wants to talk about it and address it.

Somebody needs to address it.

If we had the resources right now, we’d open up a shelter.

There are so many people who could benefit from that.”

One example Mort recalled that warmed her heart was an older gentleman who had been living in a tent and attending the soup kitchen every week.

“It was starting to get cold,” said Mort. “Every week I asked him how it was going, how he was doing. We ended up providing him with

Wendy Sater, left, and daughter Savannah Mort, right. Photo by Dan Young.

some resources. Eventually he found a home and is doing well. There are a lot of stories like that, and it warms my heart to hear them.”

Mort considers her role at the soup kitchen a necessary duty for her community and her faith.

“I really feel like God told us to do it and put it in our hearts,” she said. “It’s important for my kids to be aware, and I want them to have hearts and compassion. That’s where my heart is at. There are people who genuinely need the food, but also some of the

people just need someone to know their name, that they exist in this world. Our world is so broken, if we can bring any light to it, we’re doing something good.”

If anyone is interested in volunteering at Savannah Mort’s soup kitchen Monday nights, please call the Hoot Owl at (208) 265-9348. If you’d like to attend the soup kitchen, it is free and open to all every Monday night from 4 to 7 p.m.

These photographs were taken by William G. Rosch as part of a series on soup kitchens. He generously allowed us to print the photos without compensation.

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW REVIEW, con’t from page 7

videos “that show respectful, peaceful interactions do not make the 24-hour cable news.”

attracted a significant minority of voters dissatisfied with the status quo at City Hall.

More than any other topic, the Same-Sex Marriage question of whether officials maintained sufficient transparOn June 26, 2015, the Suency and encouraged public preme Court ruled to legalize participation in city business same-sex across the U.S. once defined the election. and for all. The court ruled that On the one hand, the elecstates cannot ban same-sex tion generated high interest marriages, handing gay rights ad- compared to previous years, vocates their biggest victory yet. prompting vigorous discusThe landmark decision sion online and in communicomes nearly half a century af- ty forums. On the other, the ter a riot at New York’s Stone48-percent voter turnout is only wall Inn ushered in the modern impressive when considered gay rights movement. In the against other recent local elec5-4 ruling, Justice Anthony tions. What’s more, far fewer Kennedy wrote an opinion that residents decided to campaign spoke eloquently of the most for office, resulting in only fundamental values of love, two mayoral candidates and all family and liberty. three City Council incumbents “No union is more profound running unopposed. than marriage, for it embodies If the 2015 election was the highest intriguing, it’s ideals of only an appelove, fidelitizer to what ty, devotion, awaits in 2016. sacrifice and With several family,” wrote key state legisKennedy. “In lative seats on forming a marthe line, local clerk Kim Davis was arrested for ital union, two Kentucky contempt of court after failing to issue marriage Republican people become licenses to same-sex couples. partisans are something greater than they hurtling toward what could be once were.” a bruising primary election.

The ruling has continued to Meanwhile, with District 1 come under fire from critics, representative seats filled by including the prominent case far-right politicians Heather of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, Scott and Sage Dixon, Demowho refused to issue marriage crats might have an opportunity licenses to same-sex couples to sway moderates to their side. even though she was legally Suffice it to say, 2016 is shapobligated to do so. Davis spent ing up to be a fascinating year five days in jail for contempt of in Bonner County politics. court and emerged still defiant of the ruling.

Sandpoint hires a city administrator Local officials’ decision to

Cameron’s top stories of 2015 Local elections

The city of Sandpoint’s 2015 elections were revealing in several respects, showing divided attitudes toward local government. While mayoral candidate Shelby Rognstad carried the day with 1,116 votes versus opponent Mose Dunkel’s 618 votes, Dunkel

Sandpoint’s new City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton. Photo by Ben Olson.

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Remember when you used to ask your parents a question and they said, “Look it up.”

That used to involve combing through Encyclopedia Britannicas for the right entry, reading a bevy of useless information before finally (maybe) finding the answer you were looking for. My, how things have changed.

Now that we have Google, finding answers has become almost instantaneous. It’s actually a little scary, all this information at our fingertips.

What do we do with so much power? We ask inane questions like, “Can Jesus microwave a burrito?” and plea for help with such requests as, “Help, I accidentally built a shelf.”

Discounting the big four adult search terms “porn,” “free porn,” “sex,” and “porhire a city administrator was tangentially linked to the 2015 election. That’s because for some, it was emblematic of a lack of public engagement, the issue that characterized the Dunkel campaign. The controversy of the new position and its six-figure salary aside, however, it represents a transformative change in city gov-

no,” (which, by the way, far outweighs any other search terms by an alarmingly large margin), you can often deduce what a region deems important by finding out what they search for the most.

The online real estate site Estately.com recently compiled a list of the top search terms each state asked Google in 2015. Want to know what Idaho searched for the most?

More than any other state, Idaho searched for the term “vaccines.”

That actually makes sense, since Idaho had the highest rate of families choosing to opt out of getting their children vaccinated in the 2014-2015 school year, according to the Center for Disease Control.

There were a few other issues that Idahoans were interested in more than people living in other states. The terms “refugees” and “gun control” ernment, alleviating the mayor and department heads of some managerial responsibilities in favor of a top-down approach.

The biggest question that dogged the city administrator hiring process was whether or not the city allowed for sufficient public input. Calls for a public forum where residents could meet and question

were also searched quite a bit.

Also, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2” got quite a bit of attention for us here in the Gem State.

We should feel good, however, compared to some of our neighbors’ search terms.

Washington searched a lot for “Leonard Nimoy” who played Spock on “Star Trek” and passed away in 2015, as well as the terms “Super Bowl,” and “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Oregon searched a lot for “Syria” and “Iran,” but also for “Nicky Jam” (a musician) and “Shakira.”

It may not surprise many that Montana’s top search term was “wolves.” In fact, I think that was the only term they searched for in 2015.

Utah’s top search was the term “transgender” with “man bun” in a close second place.

What a strange, informed world we live in. candidates came in letters to the editor and Internet posts.

However, Mayor Carrie Logan instead formed a selection committee to choose the final candidate.

That candidate ended up being Jennifer Stapleton, who was approved by the City

See REVIEW, page 14 December 31, 2015 /

R

/ 9

event 2016 Good Food Awards Winner (2-Time) Top 3 America’s Best Coffee House, Coffee Fest Portland Daily Bee’s “Best Coffee in Bonner County,” 2016, 2015

t h u r s d a y

31

f r i d a y

1

s a t u r d a y

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

R

/ December 31, 2015

3 4

t u e s d a y

5

w e d n e s d a y

6

t h u r s d a y

10 /

2

7

f

Live Music w/ Ron Criscoine 5-9pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Playing an eclectic mix from the ‘60s to prese Criscoine’s covers are peppered with originals a obscure tunes you haven’t heard in a long time Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip New Y 7-9pm @ La Rosa Club Partie Talus Rocks in the New Year “Trumbo” Film kids ( 3:30pm @ Panida Theater (5:30, 7:30pm) 6:30pm @ Talus Rock Retreat (291 Stella The film follows the story of Dalton Trumbo, Syringa Heights Rd.) party who in 1947 was Hollywood’s top screen- A gourmet dinner is served at 6:30 writer until he and other artists were jailed p.m., followed by live music and New Ye dancing with the Albeni Falls Celtand blacklisted for their political beliefs.

6pm @ ic Dancers, and capping off with a The 3rd Live Moments w/ Bright Moments Jazz hot tub soak. $119 per person. Visit be celeb 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub TalusRockRetreat.com or call 208starting Featuring special guest Maya Goldblum 255-8458. brate w Live Music w/ Chris Lynch vres, de Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 6pm - 9pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante an incre 7pm @ La Rosa Club a photo Free First Saturday Live M 10am-2pm @ Bonner County History Museum 7:30pm All are welcome to visit the museum free of charge, made possible by Ring in generous local supporters. BonnerCountyHistory.org. 208-263-2344 Brother Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub DJ Cakebread at the Niner 9pm @ 219 Lounge Ring in the new year with DJ Cakebread

Live Music w/ Josh Firshi 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority A must-see guitar player with a wide variety of music and vocals Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am. All are welcome “Trumbo” Film 3:30pm @ Panida Theater

SARS Northwest Cup All day @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort Schweitzer Mountain Resort hosts the Nor west Cup ski racing event on Zip Down. Sc weitzer.com. 208-255-3081 Game Night at the Niner 9pm @ 219 Lounge Come down and play some board games wit Racheal... Jenga, Cards Against Humanity, e

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub First Tuesday 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Monthly music event with featured guest, hosted by Jake Robin

Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6pm - 9pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante “Trumbo” Film 7:30pm @ Panida Theater

Seniors Day – 9am - 12pm @ Bonner Mall Walk the mall, listen to speakers, learn health tips, enter drawi bingo and enjoy free refreshments. Sponsored by Bonner M chants, Life Care Aging Better In Home Care, and Comfort Ke Trivia Night 7pm - 9pm @ MickDuff’s

Bingo Night 6:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Bingo, beer, popcorn, friendly bartenders, a nice courtyard. Seriously, what else do you need?

Charley Packard & Friends 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Come on down and see the one, the only, Charley Packard. He’s back, baby!

Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry Monarch Open Mic 6-8pm @ Monarch Mountain Coffee House Held on the first and third Thursday of every month, open to all

B 6 B fe

“The KPND Ski and Board Party 5pm @ Connie’s Cafe and Lounge 7:30p Featuring prizes, specials and fun The m World ly has journe

ful

Dec. 31, 2015 - January 7, 2016

to present, riginals and g time

Reader recommended

Live Music w/ the London Souls 9pm @ The Hive Come down to the 2nd Annual New Year’s Bash with NYC-favorites The London Souls.

The rock duo have been making a huge splash on the scene since their formation in 2008, with music that reminds you of Led Zeppelin, Cream and the White Stripes. Tickets $40

New Year’s Eve at Schweitzer Parties for all ages at Schweitzer, including the all-ages tubing party, the ever-popular ‘tween party for the kids (ages 6 to 11), and the rockin’ Stella New Year’s Eve celebration for partygoers ages 21 and older. The Stella party is held at the Lakeview Lodge and features live music with The Rub - North Idaho’s favorite party band - plus drink specials, free late-night snacks, party favors and a special cider toast at midnight Live Music w/ Tennis 9pm - 1am @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall New Year’s Eve Gala at the Pearl The Beer Hall has limited space and tickets will go on pre-sale 6pm @ Pearl Theater (Bonners) The 3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Gala will soon for $8. Come out for the tenth anniversary of Sandpoint’s be celebrating the New Year in Eastern Time, favorite dance band starting at 6 p.m., so come early and cele“Casablanca” the film brate with us! Ticket includes hors d’oeu8pm @ Panida Theater vres, desserts, no-host bar, champagne toast, A screening and champagne toast of one of the an incredible dance mix, a fortune teller, and greatest films of all time a photo booth. Tickets $25 Live Music w/ The Divided Side 9pm - 1am @ Roxy’s Bar Live Music w/ The Flying Dookie Brothers Live Music w/ Marty Perron & Doug Bond 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Ring in the new year with rock band the Flying Dookie 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Brothers, with opening band Shiny Jim starting at 7:30 p.m.

esort s the NorthDown. Sch-

SARS Northwest Cup All day @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort Schweitzer Mountain Resort hosts the Northwest Cup ski racing event on Zip Down. Schweitzer.com. 208-255-3081

games with umanity, etc.

nter drawings, play Bonner Mall meromfort Keepers

he y!

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

Singles Meet and Greet 5:30-7:30pm @ Talus Rock Retreat Single and feeling “sorta lonely and tired of doing things alone?” Come together for a fun “meet and greet” gathering and perhaps find a new friend in the same boat. No age limit. What to bring? If your last name is A-L: Bring a bottle of wine to share. Last name M-T: Bring an app or dessert to share. Last name U-Z: Bring a bottle of juice to share. Free. 208-255-8458 Karaoke Night 9pm - Midnight @ 219 Lounge

Bike Movie Night 6pm @ Greasy Fingers Bikes n’ Repair Bike Movie Night is held each Wednesday in January; feel free to bring your own refreshments.

“Theeb” film ge 7:30pm @ Panida Theater n The movie is set in the Ottoman province of Hijaz during World War I, where a young Bedouin boy experiences a greatly hastened coming of age as he embarks on a perilous desert journey to guide a British officer to his secret destination

Jan. 8 Contra Dance at Spt. Comm. Hall

The Zebra herd wishes everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Fun-Filled New Year!

208-263-2178

Jan. 9 Winter Trails Day at Schweitzer - free nordic trail access, plus, learn to cross country ski for free!

Jan. 9 Nu Jack City at the Panida Theater Jan. 12 Open Mic Night at MickDuff’s Beer Hall Jan. 15 Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness 11th Anniversary Party at Little Panida Theater

121 N 1st AVE • DOWNTOWN SANDPOINT • (208) 263-0707 December 31, 2015 /

R

/ 11

To submit your own pet photos, please send a photograph and a little bit of information about your special friend to ben@sandpointreader.com.

Please put “PET PHOTOS” in the subject line.

-amyA trip to the store 12 years ago this month brought home both butter and an 8 week old mixed lab and border collie pooch from the Shelter.

In this picture, I think she looks like a seal. She leaps from the dock and can retrieve two balls from the water.

This special, social dog has stolen our hearts. She runs to the kitchen when I’m chopping as she loves carrots, celery, cabbage, apples and even lettuce. She’s never met a stranger and announces our company with excitement, running around in circles to announce friends are here.

We love this girl.

Loris Michael Sandpoint

weekdays from 6am - 10am

12 /

R

/ December 31, 2015

Changing Your Mind

By Suzen Fiskin Reader Columnist

5 tips and tricks for tipping the scales in your favor in 2016

What is it about the dawning of a shiny new year that makes us hunger to be a better version of ourselves? Our compulsion for do-overs gave rise to that vexing tradition of New Year’s resolutions. These promises to ourselves feel so good when we jot them down and so crappy before February hits the calendar. Could there be a better way?

Maybe I can help. In working with clients to make life changes for a helluva long time, I’ve noticed that success leaves behind a trail of clues.

Here are five tips and tricks for tipping the scales in your favor for making lifestyle shifts that stick.

1. Focus on what you DO want, and keep going in that direction in ways large and small.

Zero in on what gets you to feel good about making that shift, and word it positively. Instead of feeling crumby looking at yourself in the mirror and saying, “I don’t want to be a fat slob who’ll never get lucky again,” you might want to reframe it to something more like, “I know I’ll be happier, healthier and a feel whole lot sexier when I’m thinner.”

Unlike resolutions of old with specific and time-locked goals, the secret here is to make sure that you keep headed in the direction of what you want. Give yourself strokes for the baby steps you make towards your goal along the way.

Didn’t eat that last few bites of cake?

Good on you!

2. Limit your focus to one or two shifts.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re trying to stay on top of a laundry list of personal shortcomings. Painful, too. By concentrating on one or two things (max), you’ll get some success under your belt, and feel good about yourself and the progress you’re making. This will give you the oomph to

keep on keeping on.

3. Rehearse your success every day in mental movies.

World-class athletes and other cando people run mind movies of their future victories over and over until it feels like a done deal. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what you tell it is real.

By visualizing your wins, you literally rewire your brain to get what you want.

Let your imagination run wild! Feel how good you’ll feel, see what you’ll see, and hear what you’ll hear. Make the pictures closer, bigger and brighter; pump up the volume of the soundtrack; and let the pleasure of those positive emotions spread throughout your entire body . . . You deserve it!

4. Plan for some suffering and backsliding . . . oops!

Most people don’t include discomfort and screwing up as part of their plan (I wonder why!).

The first time they feel withdrawals from nicotine and mooch a smoke from a co-worker, or scarf a cupcake in a single gulp, they feel like a failure and give up way too soon. Gift yourself with a couple of “Get Out of Jail Free” cards, shake it off and get back on track.

Remember to tell yourself what a good

job you’re doing when you do feel those hunger pains or can hardly move after working out. Good on you!

5. Find new ways to get the benefits that the old behavior gave you.

One big reason people fail at making changes is that they don’t have alternative ways to get the perks that they got the old way. For example, people who drink say that it makes them feel relaxed. What else can you do to get those same feelings besides booze?

Meditation? A long walk? A hot bath? A lusty romp?

In working with clients to stop smoking, I encourage them to take non-cigarette breaks where they step outside and take long, deep breaths that they hold and release—it gives them many of the same sensations and sense of peace without the cost, stench or toxins. It works!

I hope these tips help you double down on your success. Happy New Year to you all!

Since 1992, Suzen Fiskin has been a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Master of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and life coach. She’s also the author of “Playboy Mansion Memoirs.” SuzenFiskin@ gmail.com December 31, 2015 /

R

/ 13

REVIEW, con’t from page 9

Council on Dec. 16. She brings with her almost 20 years of administrative experience and is motivated by a longtime desire to live in Sandpoint.

Community deals with tragic losses

This year saw the world and our country absorb tragedies aplenty, and Sandpoint was no exception. Several recent suicides among local youth forced Sandpoint students to grapple with some difficult questions and overwhelming grief. This prompted several Sandpoint High School students to form the Ten Seconds of Kindness movement, which aims to inspire selfless acts of generosity and secure help for students struggling with depression.

Several influential community members also died this year, some quite unexpectedly.

In July, community activist, frequent political candidate and prolific volunteer Laura Bry passed away suddenly, prompting shock and sadness from local residents.

After a long and dynamic life, Dr. Forrest M. Bird died in August at 94 years old. The inventor of several lifesaving respiratory technologies and a legendary aviator, Bird’s death was noted by national media outlets across the country and drew a large crowd to the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center for his memorial service.

In a shocking and tragic turn of events, Pam Bird, the wife of Forrest Bird, died weeks later along with her friends Tookie and Don Hensley in a plane crash. An industrial adviser, advocate for inventors and a writer, Pam Bird was en route to visit family when her plane crashed on Round Top Mountain.

Local landmarks receive second life On a happier note, 2015 also saw some beloved Sandpoint locations preserved for the future.

In June, the newly renovated Sandpoint Train Depot was formally dedicated for public use once again. The celebration 14 /

R

/ December 31, 2015

capped off a long construction process and an even longer negotiation with BNSF Railway and Amtrak, in which local officials and history enthusiasts fought to preserve the venerable depot. The result is an aesthetically pleasing and functional monument to Sandpoint’s history as a train town.

Voters also approved a local option tax measure in November that will allow for improvements to Memorial Field and the reconstruction of its aged grandstands. The setting for innumerable athletic events, graduations and three decades of the Festival at Sandpoint, Memorial Field has seen more than few cherished memories spring up on its grounds. According to the city of Sandpoint, the five-year tax means that tradition will continue for future generations.

Predictions for the Future It’s hard to predict the important news stories in the future, but we’ll give it a shot anyway. Just for luck, here’s our Reader crystal ball: Elections The year 2016 will be a big one for Idaho elections. On the national level, Sen. Mike Crapo’s term is up, as are those of representatives Raul Labrador and Mike Simpson.

In state elections, Idaho Supreme Court justices Jim Jones and Roger Burdick will be on the ballot, as will Court of Appeals Judge Molly Huskey. All three District 1 legislators—Sen. Shawn Keough, Rep. Heather Scott and Rep. Sage Dixon—have seats up for election.

The county elections will see Bonner County commissioners Todd Sudick and Cary Kelly’s seats open for election.

Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler and Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall’s offices will also be on the line.

The Sandpoint train depot was rehabilitated and officially re-opened for passenger service in June. Photo by Ben Olson.

Magistrate judges Debra Heise lot. If they succeed, voters will Sandpoint has always been a and Lori Meulenberg will be on have the chance to usher Idaho city of one-way streets. For the ballot, and all precinct com- in as the next state to legalize those a little longer in the tooth, they remember how mitteemen will be determined medicinal usage of cannabis.

Currently 23 states in the the city used to have two-way in the primary election. [CR] traffic along the downtown nation allow medicinal usage of cannabis, while Washington, corridor.

New Approach Idaho Oregon, Colorado, Alaska and In the fall of 2016, the change to two-way traffic in The Boise-based organizaWashington D.C. currently allow recreational use of marithe downtown corridor will tion New Approach has been gathering signatures all year to juana. [BO] certainly affect daily life in Sandpoint. support legalizing medical use Downtown streets will Cedar, First, Fifth and Pine of marijuana in Idaho.

The grassroots organizaswitch back to two-way will all go from one- to twoway traffic, perhaps making tion has already gathered the possible the first time in recent minimum number of signatures It’s almost a daily occurrence to see an out-of-town history a situation where locals required for District 1, but are still working to gather the relicense plate driving the wrong drive worse than tourists. quired total of 47,000 statewide way down a one-way street. to put the initiative on the balFor some of you out there,

Those we lost in 2015

We lost some good people this year. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, here are a few of the notable Sandpointians who left us in 2015.

(Top Left) Community activist Laura Bry passed away suddenly in July. In a Facebook post just days before her death she wrote, “I came here to raise a son in a small town that had copious natural beauty and recreation. I have had opportunities to leave, to make more money, to live in a more progressive community. I stay here because of my original reasons and because I live with the most good-hearted, generous people I have ever known.”

(Above)Dr. Forrest M. Bird passed away in August at the age of 94, and his wife Pam Bird died weeks later with friends Tookie and Don Hensley in a plane crash near Hope. The couple is photographed here together. Photo courtesy of the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center.

(Bottom Left) Dr. Bob Carlson passed away in September. Anyone who enjoys the many bike and pedestrian trails around Bonner County owes Dr. Carlson a debt of gratitude.

Instrumental in organizing and motivating North Idaho Bikeways, Carlson’s influence is felt on 11 completed bike trails totaling 10.3 miles.

He was also a key player in turning the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail into a public treasure.

2015 FILMS IN REVIEW Top 5 Films of 2015

By Chris Balboni Reader Film Contributor

It’s just after Christmas and I have yet to see “The Force Awakens” because, despite my being a huge fan of “Star Wars” since childhood, there are roughly zero theaters in the wild world of small-town Montana where my holiday fun was located. There. Now that we have that out of the way, here are what I consider to be the best films that 2015 had to offer: 5. “Ex Machina” A computer programmer is invited to view the world’s first artificial intelligence in the form of an android created by his billionaire employer.

“Ex Machina” asks heavy questions about what it means to be alive and selfaware, making no conceits and holding no hands along the way. Combined with a minimalist approach to set design and characters (there are essentially three in the entire film), “Ex Machina” ends up being an incredibly satisfying character drama steeped in science and philosophy, and one of the most thought-provoking science fiction films in recent memory.

4. “It Follows” Something stalks you. It appears human, but isn’t. It moves slowly, and you can get away, but it never stops coming for you. What makes “It Follows” one of the best films of the year isn’t that premise, but the execution. It is utterly drenched in atmosphere and relies on an endless sense of dread rather than a series of scary moments (though there are several of those), a task accomplished by using almost entirely wide angles and long takes that never fail to make you wonder “Is that ‘it’ back there?

Is it getting closer?” With a gorgeous soundtrack and a surprisingly talented cast of unknowns, this is psychological horror at its finest.

3. “Inside Out” “Inside Out” tackles the topic of human emotions by making them anthropomorphic characters living inside an 11-year-old girl’s head as she struggles with moving to a new city. Making topics of psychology into a film enjoyable for all ages sounds impossible, yet Pixar

wildly succeeds. More than just turning abstract issues like joy and sadness into likeable characters, “Inside Out” makes them protagonists in a story about the loss of childhood innocence that just about anyone can relate to.

2. “The Martian” “The Martian” is without a doubt the best science fiction film of the year, and possibly of the last ten. Between Matt Damon’s spot-on, intense-yet-humorous portrayal of astronaut Mark Whatney (left for dead on Mars after a botched expedition) and the script’s steadfast adherence to real science, we’re left with a compelling drama set on another planet that is absolutely believable and enthralling from start to finish.

1. “Mad Max: Fury Road” There is nothing like “Fury Road,” not this year or any year. The original “Mad Max” trilogy pales in compar-

ison, as does every other attempt at an action film this year (looking at you, “Age of Ultron” and “Jurassic World”). It’s a lean and fast film with no excess; every scene is paramount, every shot crammed with details about the exceedingly bizarre, steam-punk western world that never stops moving and engulfs you for two straight hours.

There’s little overt CGI and cleverly subdued performances from Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, but what makes

“Mad Max” the best of the year is under the hood: Masked in the spectacle of modern action is a film about gender equality, a feat of filmmaking that never once feels heavy-handed. It’s the unlikely beating heart of a movie that also features a man in a onesie playing a flame-throwing guitar while strapped to a semi-truck barreling through the desert. “Mad Max” is a wild, intelligent ride that everyone should take.

thursday, Dec. 31 @ 8pm

“casablanca”

Classic Movie and Champagne Toast!

Friday, Jan. 1 @ 5:30pm Saturday, Jan. 2 @ 7:30pm sunday, Jan. 3 @ 3:30pm

“trumbo”

This star filled cast is sure to be an Academy award nominee, as TRUMBO is filled with commanding performances.

Jan. 7 & 8 @ 7:30pm

“theeb”

In the Ottoman province of Hijaz during World War I, a young Bedouin boy experiences a greatly hastened coming of age as he embarks on a perilous desert journey to guide a British officer to his secret destination

Saturday, Jan. 9 @ 8pm

Nu Jack City in concert Banff tickets on sale now on our website!

December 31, 2015 /

R

/ 15

The Straight Poop:

By Drake the Dog Reader Pet Columnist

o ah Id th or N in es ss ne si bu ly nd ie fr gdo The quest for

Where am I taking my humans today? Here are some paws-up clues: •Aficionados spend 2,555minutes waiting in line for this item annually.

•This product was originally chewed.

•Beethoven enjoyed this product daily and was extremely particular about its preparation. He insisted that this item contained exactly 60 units.

•This product is second only to oil, as the world’s most valuable commodity •Annual global consumption is about 12 billion pounds.

•It’s a fruit!

•This product has over 850 flavor compounds.

•This business was the official host of the FIRST Yappy Hour, and the tradition continues every year.

•Frank Sinatra sang a song about it.

•The Mister and Missus have this product everyday, sometimes twice!

Paws up … anyone? Here’s three more: 1. Top three winner of America’s Best Coffee House Competition in Portland, 2015 2. 2016 and 2013 Good Food Awards winner, San Francisco 3. Home of my BFD, Roxy You guessed it! Evans Brothers Coffee, located at 524 Church St. We open the door, and the smell of coffee is amazing—just like home. We are 16 /

R

/ December 31, 2015

greeted by Roxy, my BFD, the official shop dog, and brothers Rick and Randy Evans. Roxy is somewhat of a mystery; she may be part Shepherd, part Sheba Innu and part Yoda from “Star Wars.” Four years ago, Rick adopted her from the Panhandle Animal Shelter.

She already had four or more owners (not her fault— dying, jail, etc). She visits with every customer, and is more comfortable at the shop than at home.

She even has her bed here! We started our friendship rockin’ to KHQ’s Sean Owsley’s band, The Blue Mustangs at Oktoberfest, and now we enjoy coffee weekly in the Evans Brothers living room.

Evans Brothers’ passion is to bring the best and highest coffee to their customers daily.

They recently added some dog day morning and afternoon comfortable leather chairs, sofa, tables, woodstove, and a coffee bar. Everyone is drinking amazing coffee, reading and conversing. It is so great to see so many of my four-footed friends in the local living room.

I love this place in the summer too. We are able to enjoy the summer sun outside on the patio.

As the Missus and I talked to Rick, we learned the shop has been here for almost seven years. Rick and his brother Randy moved to Sandpoint to raise their families in a nurturing community, and Sandpoint offers the best of everything, including skiing.

Evans Brothers stands out among the rest of local coffee shops because they source exceptional raw beans. The owners want to know about the origin, the farmer, the cultivation, processing and storage. Randy and Rick are seeking relationships with producers who share their beliefs and passion for providing the best coffee. They will travel to faraway places in efforts to cultivate those relationships. And here’s the Straight Poop –Evans Brothers will be unveiling a new coffee

from Brazil soon!

Rick says, “Coffee is exciting because we get to be a part of the tremendous, impactful world of specialty coffee. It’s a fascinating business, connected to so many inspiring people, including not only our producer and importer partners but our customers as well. I enjoy every day at work. For example, we have learned to ‘cup’—a technique that involves slurping and spitting a tablespoon of coffee to analyze the aromas and flavor. This is similar to wine tasting. We will ‘cup’ countless samples before we purchase a single bag of coffee. Then we roast and ‘cup’ that coffee at the shop until we have created the optimal roast: a perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, body and aftertaste.”

I’m all into that slurping technique, as I have mastered the Evans Brothers water bowl!

The team offers customer ‘cup’ demos, which are led by Randy and Daniel Gunter. Let’s go slurp!

Evans Brothers is my home away from home. These guys make dog lovers and their owners feel welcome. Coffee and dogs: What a winning combination! But wait, there’s more. Just as we were leaving, our friend John Hatcher, owner of EzyDog, brought us some coffee and some special news.

Starting with this issue, all of our featured Straight Poop business owners will receive a new leash and collar for their ‘shop dog.’ EzyDog also provides each shelter dog with a collar when adopted. A pawliday for a safe 2016! Thank you EzyDog! When you visit Evans Brothers, take time to smell the coffee, and: 1. Leashes and collars are optional—if you behave.

2. Slurpping ‘a cupa’ is ok.

3. Relax on the rug by the woodstove.

4. Share treats with Roxy.

5. Do not interfere with the non-dog owners enjoying their coffee experience.

Rick Evans with Drake (left) and Roxy (right).

6. Take some coffee home for your friends and family 7. Coming soon—grain free dog treats.

YUMMO! Look for the PAW sticker in the

window of the following dog friendly businesses: •Cedar St. Bistro •Sunshine Goldmine Company •The Alpine Shop (Sandpoint and Schweitzer Mtn.) •Flying Fish Co. •Taylor and Sons Chevrolet •Eve’s Leaves •Evans Brothers Coffee ... and more on the way!

Dance classes offered

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Have you ever wanted to learn how to dance? It’s easier than you think, folks.

Diane Peters has announced her January dance schedule, which includes instruction of both Salsa and Country TwoStep.

The classes will be offered during the month of January, every Monday and Thursday night at Sandpoint West Athletic Club (SWAC).

Mondays, Peters will be teaching Salsa. The fun dance features hot, fun, easy footwork and great lead and follow patterns to learn. Classes will be held on Jan. 4, 11, 18 and 25 at 7 p.m.

Thursdays are for the Country Two-Step, a fun, feel-good dance that gives a nice, gentle aerobic workout. It’s fun even if you don’t particularly like country music. Classes wil be held on

Jan. 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 7 p.m.

Members of SWAC receive a discount, but membership is not required to attend the dance classes.

To register, please call SWAC at 263-6633 and indicate which dance you’d like to attend. Sign up for a whole month’s worth of dances, or attend just one class.

Peters is also available for private instruction for a number of different dance styles.

2015 Albums of the year New Years' Eve

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

“Carrie and Lowell” by Sufjan Stevens Every now and then, a piece of art sneaks up on you and sucker punches you right in the emotional core. You get the feeling it was made specifically for you. A few years back, I experienced this with the graphic novel “Blankets.” I felt it again with Terrence Malick’s film “The Tree of Life.” Early this year, it happened a third time with Sufjan Stevens’ album “Carrie & Lowell.”

Both Ben and I are big Stevens fans and have written a few times about “Carrie & Lowell” in the Reader already.

Perhaps that in itself is indicative of its enduring quality. A rumination on the death of his mother and the emotional and spiritual crises that followed, Stevens’ album is a vulnerable and frank

meditation on grief and despair.

It’s certainly not an album you’ll turn to for bouncy road trip music. But if you’re like me, you’ll find beauty in Stevens’ simple melodies and instrumentation, his incisive songwriting, his invocation of vivid childhood memories and, perhaps most of all, his bold honesty.

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

“I Love You, Honeybear” by Father John Misty

In his second studio album released after departing the critically acclaimed Fleetfloxes, Josh Tillman (aka “Father John Misty”) scored big with “I Love You, Honeybear.”

Tillman’s themes are at the same time universal and murky. His irony is thicker than hipster snot, as Tillman pokes just the perfect amount of fun at sacred cows like love and modern life dominated by social media. It’s as if “Honeybear” is the swan song of the American Dream.

Living in harmony with Tillman’s fantastic songwriting, his melodic sensibilities are as spot on as Father John Misty as they were in his time with the Fleetfoxes.

I really enjoy a song that forces me think about how it makes me feel. Especially in this modern era of overt bubble gum pop and too-serious indie folk, Tillman’s balance between sadness, ridiculousness and intimacy is spot on.

The New Years’ Bash at the Hive with the London Souls This rock duo has been making a huge splash on the scene since their formation in 2008, with music that reminds you of Led Zeppelin, Cream and the White Stripes. Not only is the music great, but the venue is guaranteed to please with a great party atmosphere. The best part is, the show is a fundraiser for the Angels Over Sandpoint. Tickets $40, with VIP booths available. The doors open at 9 p.m. and the show starts at 10 p.m. Check out www.LiveFromTheHive.com for more information.

Tennis at MickDuff’s Beer Hall The three-piece dance band will be rocking the house at the Beer Hall starting at 9 p.m. Tickets at the door are $10 while space is still available.

Tennis has been playing music in Sandpoint for 10 years, and have been well-known for their fun, catchy originals and spot-on covers. Call (208) 209-6700 for more information.

Schweitzer rings in the New Year The Stella party is held at the Lakeview Lodge and features live music with The Rub­—North Idaho’s favorite party band—plus drink specials, free late-night snacks, party favors and a special cider toast at midnight The Flying Dookie Brothers at Eichardt’s Party with rock band The Flying Dookie Brothers at Eichardt’s, with openers Shiny Jim starting at 7:30 p.m. Call (208) 263-4005 for more information.

The Divided Side at Roxy’s Bar Celebrate a dive bar new year with The Divided Side with special guest Tipsy.

By Patrice Webb Reader Contributor

“Strangers Again” by Judy Collins

I am a child of the ‘60s, so when a ‘60s icon comes out with a new album, I am first in line to give it a listen. Enter Judy Collins, perhaps one of the classiest of the singers of the ‘60s folk rock era with her new release “Strangers Again.”

This album of duets features the talents of Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, Don McClean and Jimmy Buffett. It transports to a time and place when folk music meant melodies with meaningful lyrics.

Collins has impeccable taste in not only her choices of songs but also in how she chooses to perform them. Her duet with Willie Nelson on the late songwriter Dave Carter’s “When I Go” is one of the standouts of the CD, pairing of Nelson’s world-weary voice

Music Line-up

against Collin’s more pristine soprano. Another standout is the stately “Belfast to Boston,” a duet with Marc Cohn that is sung with a heartbreaking tenderness. Tracks such as “Bring in the Clowns” and “Someday Soon” are well-trodden ground for this singer but shine nonetheless.

“Strangers Again” proves for me that ‘60s folk can still shine.

DJ Cakebread at Niner Come down to your favorite five star dive bar and listen to DJ Cakebread spin some tunes.

Crossword Solution

This week’s RLW by Cameron Rasmusson

READ

What characteristic helped homo sapiens become the dominant species on the planet? That’s the question behind “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari, who offers theories that could reshape the way you view human history. The book’s central idea is that our ability to collectively believe in fictions—imagined ideological, economic or p o l i t i c a l realities—gave us the edge for mobilization and cooperation. Both comprehensive and accessible, “Sapiens” is a sweeping and intellectually heady work.

LISTEN

I’m excited for the Jan. 22 release of “Jet Plane and Oxbow,” the latest album from one of my favorite bands, Shearwater. To make the wait less painful, I’ve been listening to the band’s past albums. The 2008 release “Rook” still strikes me as Shearwater’s best work. It’s an album that alternately whispers and roars, carried by the powerful voice of band frontman Jonathan Meiburg.

WATCH

Between documentaries like “The Jinx” and podcasts like “Serial,” this has been a big year for the true crime nonfiction genre. The 10-episode Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer” entered the fray this month with the fascinating story of Steven Avery, a man imprisoned and later exonerated for sexual assault. When a body turns up on his family property after his release, Avery is yet again arrested and charged with murder. Take my word for it: This stranger-than-fiction documentary series will enthrall and perplex you.

December 31, 2015 /

R

/ 17

w o N & Then compiled by

Ben Olson

Each week, we feature a new photograph taken from the same vantage point as one taken long ago. See how we’ve changed, and how we’ve stayed the same.

Historical information provided and verified by Bonner County Museum staff and volunteers. The Museum is located at 611 S. Ella — (208) 263-2344.

The J.C. Penney store on Cedar Street at the corner of First Avenue. The woman second from the right is Nellie Powell

1920

ACROSS

The same view today. The building is the former site of Snow River (now with a great Carabou mural on the west side of the wall). Storm Sports consignment store is to the right.

2015

probity

Woorf tdhe Week

/PROH-bi-tee/

[noun] 1. Integrity and uprightness; honesty.

“The probity of politics today is seriously in decline.”

Corrections: Nothing to report. Go have a glass of champagne and stop trying to find mistakes!

18 /

R

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD

/ December 31, 2015

1. Twin sister of Ares 5. Competent 9. Religious splinter group 13. Typeface 14. Perch 16. Operatic solo 17. Visage 18. Aroused 19. Adolescent 20. Sound of contempt 22. Youths with shaved heads 24. Hotfooted 26. Besmirch 27. Be uncomfortably hot 30. Not these or those 33. Lurched 35. Mountain crest 68. Generous slice of the pie 37. Citrus drink 69. Where a bird lives 38. Aqualung 70. Cease 41. Spy agency 71. Views 42. A forehead dot DOWN 45. Bettors 1. F F F F 48. Smells 2. A soft sheepskin leather 51. Get worse 3. Unable to express 52. Hops yourself 54. Nothing (British) 4. Germless 55. Paving material 5. Genus of macaws 59. Tattles 6. Fronts of ships 62. Humdinger 7. Glances 63. Wear away 8. Inuit 65. Beige 9. Meal provider 66. Anagram of “Sage” 10. Component of urine 67. Wall uprights

Solution on page 17 11. Misled 12. Bronzes 15. Basic belief 21. French for “Head” 23. Laugh 25. Lairs 27. Anagram of “Cabs” 28. Gulleys 29. Record (abbrev.)

31. Container 32. Mixes 34. Excavated 36. Convenience 39. Tavern 40. Ends a prayer 43. Repel

44. Writing fluids 46. An indistinct shapeless form 47. Anarchical 49. Toys with tails 50. Athletics 53. Muzzle 55. Custard dessert 56. Olympic sled 57. Beers 58. Cocoyam 60. Scottish hillside 61. U-boats 64. Clairvoyant’s gift

In the first castles, I bet a common mistake was putting the torture room next to the master bedroom. Boy, you’re just not going to get the good sleep that way.

Seniors Veterans Families Homeless Teens Are you

experiencing hardship?

Get Help.

Contact Sandpoint Community Resource Center to find relief 208-920-1840 Scheduled office hours M-F from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. or by appointment

Serving Bonner and Boundary Counties

231 N. Third Ave., Ste 101, Sandpoint

www.sandpointcommunityresource.com/get-help

ads@sandpointreader.com

BONNER

T AXI

festivities in Sandpoint

Inc.

... the safe& reliable ride New Owners, Autry & Joel ph. 208.263.7626 txt 208.597-FINE www.bonnertaxiinc.com

GET A PUNCH CARD: Fifth Ride is FREE (within 10 miles)

Enjoy

We now have 2 cars to serve you

b u t c a ll u s f o r a safe ride home

208.597-FINE

Spokane Airport rides Call ahead for a reservation

December 31, 2015 /

R

/ 19