2 / R / January 18, 2024
DEAR READERS,
The week in random review By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Frog Springs
Every time I visit the digital archive of local newspapers, compiled by the Bonner County Historical Society and hosted online by the East Bonner County Library, I find something worthy of comment. My most recent discovery was of a mysterious place known as Frog Springs, alleged to have been located “a few miles below Bonners Ferry near the Kootenai River” and not just teeming with frogs, but reaching such numbers as to be indescribable. At least that’s according to a tale told by a man named C.S. Smith in the club rooms of the Pelican Club, and reprinted in the April 15, 1893 edition of The Pend d’Oreille News. Smith regaled his listeners with the story of the springs, “which flow living frogs the year around and in such numbers, too, that in places they have been piled many feet high on the sides of the streams running from the springs.” While admitting that listeners may not believe him, Smith gave his “word and honor that I’m telling the truth,” and went on to describe instances when he’d visited the place to find mounds of frogs both living and dead — all between a half inch and three inches in length — rising as high as two or three feet, “and the stench with arises from this decomposed animal matter is something sickening.” However, they “make the choicest of food.” Perhaps the most unbelievable detail in Smith’s account was of a time when he traveled on horseback from Bonners to his ranch, finding such “an unusually heavy flow of frogs” that they had covered the trail. However, as he and his horse approached, Smith said that he heard “a peculiar noise, something between a whistling and a buzzing, or rather a combination of both,” adding, “no sooner had I started across the hill than all the frogs in the trail had left it and had piled themselves on both sides of the trail, making an open passage way for me through live frogs the walls of which were four or five feet high.” Even more remarkable, Smith said that once he’d passed, the frogs made the same sound and disassembled their “walls” to lay again across the trail “between two and three feet thick on this occasion.” If anyone knows the whereabouts of Frog Springs, please tell. This is one local story that cries (or croaks) out for further investigation.
LIBRARY LOVE
I read a recent Wall Street Journal article that suggested people are giving up on posting to social media of all kinds, feeling that they’re seeing too many ads and otherwise lacking control over the content they encounter, while also becoming more protective about what they share about their lives online. Ultimately, “They also say the fun of social media has fizzled,” the article stated. I concur. However, I recently started following a Facebook group called The Librarianologist, which is nothing but people from all around the world posting pics of their home libraries. It might be the most wholesome thing I’ve ever encountered on FB; and, knowing that there are so many people out there curating personal book collections, it gives me some faith in humanity. (Though I should note that relatively few of them are from the U.S.)
It goes without saying that we’re experiencing some pretty serious weather around these parts. Just ahead of the severe cold snap that started on Jan. 11, the city of Sandpoint issued a winter weather advisory cautioning folks to keep an eye on their pipes — drip your faucets, cover your vents and keep the temperature up in your house. That said, be mindful of carbon monoxide levels and be careful with space heaters. Mayor Jeremy Grimm told me last week that the city’s utility supervisor, fire chief and procurement/contract manager were all prepared for possible water main ruptures and, “Our utility supervisor has informed me that they can typically stop and repair a leak/line rupture in under two hours. Their teams are on call.” To report a line break, call 866-482-4804. Meanwhile, temperatures have risen a little — to a balmy 18° Fahrenheit as of press time, compared to the -15° to -31° reported in some parts of North Idaho over the past weekend — but are still potentially hazardous. For people in need of warmth and shelter, go to the Community Resource EnVision Center’s self-help directory at crecidaho.com/get-help, call 208-920-1840 or email crec@crecidaho.com for assistance. No matter what, be safe out there.
— Zach Hagadone, editor
READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 208-946-4368
sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Soncirey Mitchell (Staff Writer) soncirey@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey (emeritus) Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Kelsey Kizer kelsey@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Teascarlet (cover), ICL, Thimo Pedersen, Woods Wheatcroft, Nintendo, Monica Mosqueda Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Clark Corbin, Emily Erickson, Kaleb Keaton, Lauren Necochea, Karissa Huntsman, Cameron Rasmusson Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $165 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 300 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: sandpointreader.com About the Cover
This week’s cover was painted by Teascarlet, an artist in Bonners Ferry. Please check out more of her work at teascarlet.com. January 18, 2024 / R / 3
NEWS
Sandpoint City Council takes up Comp Plan workshops, Russell Sports Center fund and fire services agreement By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The newly installed Sandpoint City Council — featuring incoming Councilors Pam Duquette and Kyle Schreiber, along with reelected Councilor Deb Ruehle and new Mayor Jeremy Grimm — conducted its first regular meeting after the Jan. 3 swearing in, with highlights including the establishment of a number of future workshops and other engagement opportunities related to some of the big-ticket issues facing City Hall. Grimm introduced a new feature at the top of the Jan. 17 meeting, instituting reports from department heads — a change intended to increase public awareness of projects that will feature on future agendas. Regarding future agendas, the council will get to work starting Thursday, Jan. 18 on identifying time, date and location details for at least one — and potentially more — public work sessions devoted to finalizing the long-delayed update to the Comprehensive Plan. “I’d like to see us work through the public comment that was received toward the end of the year on the Comp Plan and if any changes or redactions or additions are needed to the draft, work through that, and then bring it to the council — unless there’s material changes for consideration and adoption,” Grimm said, later adding that when he worked on the most recent Comp Plan — adopted in 2009, when he served as city planner — it required 22 meetings, in which the document was parsed word by word and chapter by chapter. “The goal is to reach consensus in this document so we can approve it unanimously,” he said. Ruehle said she’d be in favor of doing additional work on the plan — but only in one session — underscoring how long the plan revision has already been in the works and indicating that she didn’t want to “draw this process out.” What’s more, she said the major priorities should be addressing the wastewater treatment plant and taking up code changes related to 4 / R / January 18, 2024
downtown design guidelines and historic preservation. “We need to prioritize the code and the code is the document that really has the teeth in it that’s going to keep Sandpoint ‘Sandpoint,’ and I think that’s what the public is really asking us to do — they’re not asking us to dwell on the Comp Plan,” she said, later adding, “I think the code will better protect the public and inform the developers.” Grimm responded that the Comp Plan is needed to inform the code priorities, and, “If you can do it in one meeting, hallelujah. … Let’s set that aspiration.” More information on when and where that work session — or sessions — will occur is expected in the coming week or two. Under “old business,” the council took up an item that members voted to table at the Jan. 3 meeting related to the establishment of an endowment fund to support ongoing maintenance and operations of the James E. Russell Sports Center at Travers Park, which is currently about 27% completed. The council voted 3-2 to set up the James E. Russell Sports Center Endowment Fund through the Innovia Foundation, which will manage interest earnings on the Russell family’s $7.5 million gift to the city. While the monies from that gift are restricted to construction of the sports center and gateway plaza at Travers Park, the endowment fund will hold interest earnings in excess of that amount to “ensure perpetual funding towards maintenance and operations and capital improvements to the facility and associated gateway,” according to the city’s resolution. Innovia is a nonprofit foundation serving eastern Washington and North Idaho, which provides financial support and assistance to communities throughout the region, with a leadership council for Bonner and Boundary counties. The Russell endowment fund will generate annual income to be invested, reinvested and disbursed on behalf of the city, and will be
able to accept gifts in the form of cash, bonds, real estate and other assets from donors. Grimm opened consideration of the agenda item by cautioning councilors that “we don’t really know what the costs of this project will be,” and advising that, “it would be wise to await the project’s completion and revisit this opportunity.” Council President Jason Welker moved to approve establishing the fund with Innovia, seeding it with an initial transfer of $25,000 already collected from excess interest earnings on the Russell family’s gift. Additional dollars will be placed into the fund, drawn from any remaining interest earnings once construction of the center is concluded later this year. Councilor Justin Dick seconded that motion. Both Duquette and Grimm then asked Sandpoint Director of Finance Sarah Lynds to provide her analysis. Specifically, Grimm asked Lynds if it was within the city’s power to create its own restricted fund, rather than going through a third party, and, “Whether this is premature to create a fund to support maintenance and operations prior to the project being completed.” Lynds said that not only could the city set up its own internal fund, but, “in fact that’s what we normally do.” What’s more,
Lynds agreed that such a fund would typically be established after completion of a project. “I would caution you that we don’t know all the costs of this,” she told councilors, later adding, “now we’re going to tie up $25,000 — what happens if the project goes over budget?” and informing council that half of the funds for the sports center haven’t been encumbered yet and a second change order on the contract is already due to go before councilors at their next meeting. Ruehele suggested amending the motion to stipulate that the endowment fund would be created at the point of project completion, and determine at that time whether to partner with Innovia or establish an internal fund at the city. Grimm indicated his support for that amendment, though when it came time to vote, Ruehle and Dick voted along with Welker’s motion to accept Innovia’s offer to immediately create the fund. Duquette and Schreiber voted “no.” The final item on the agenda related to whether Sandpoint should continue being a part of the Selkirk Fire joint powers agreement, which establishes services in the Sandpoint, Sagle and Westside fire districts. Grimm stated that it was “unfortunate that we’re in this position,” later adding that he
Photo by Ben Olson. hoped “we can avoid a rush and a rush decision and that we might have the chance to pause and present the facts and perspectives on this.” Members of the JPA — including fire district commissioners and representatives of the firefighters union — agreed to extend their contract negotiations and hold off on any collective bargaining agreements until a public workshop could be held to discuss the intricacies of maintaining and improving the current arrangement, which was established in 2016. Union President Clint Frank — a 22-year veteran of local fire services — said he was “happy to hear that we’re going to put a pause on what’s a really important issue for the community,” going on to say that, “To move back to three individual departments … is probably a 15- to 20-year step backward.” Councilors voted 4-1 to direct Grimm to schedule a multi-party workshop on the issue — with date and time to be determined — with Ruehle voting “no.” Schreiber, who recently accepted the nomination to serve as the council representative on the JPA, said he takes his new responsibility “very seriously,” and “what I’ve found so far is opportunity.”
NEWS
BOCC alters standing rules, proceeds with fairgrounds audit By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff Before they could adopt the order of the agenda, an argument broke out among the Bonner County board of commissioners at their regular Jan. 16 business meeting, when Chair Luke Omodt moved to amend the 10 standing rules previously adopted on Dec. 19, 2023. “Recent events have led to the need for the original rules and language to be updated to conduct the business of Bonner County,” Omodt said, referring to the chaotic Jan. 9 business meeting that saw numerous angry breakdowns of communication, loud crosstalk and recesses that stretched the meeting from its 9 a.m. start until adjournment at approximately 3 p.m. He later motioned to make a minor change to the previously adopted fifth rule and add an 11th. Rule 11 states that, “After a motion has been made and seconded, voting will be confined to those in favor, ‘yea/yes’; those opposed, ‘nay/no’; or those who are neutral, ‘abstain.’ The chair may direct the clerk to proceed with the vote with all motions requiring two-thirds to pass. Attempts to filibuster a vote will be ruled out of order. Those who do not vote agree with the decision of the majority.” Williams opposed the motion as, according to her, legal counsel did not approve it, and she believed that it gave the majority
the power to alter a minority vote. Omodt later clarified that those abstaining will not have their vote altered to reflect the majority ruling, but rather their vote will simply not be recorded. Williams cited Robert’s Rules of Order, which the board adopted on Jan. 18, 2023, in an attempt to draw her fellow commissioners into a discussion. “There has been a misrepresentation of what deliberation is and what it is not. The open meeting law manual is quite clear when it states, ‘The term deliberation is also a defined term and means the receipt or exchange of information or opinion relating to a decision,’” Omodt responded. “Robert’s Rules of Order actually specifically discusses deliberation — it has to do with the exchange, and it says it has to be exhaustive and to the point,” said Williams, further arguing that her attempts to force deliberation do not constitute “filibustering.” “If you stopped trying to limit me, I actually will talk less because we would just do my point and I would be done, but now I spend time talking about all the things you guys put forward to stop me from talking,” she added. Omodt’s motion to adopt an 11th rule of conduct and alter the fifth passed with Williams dissenting. The revised fifth rule states: “Debate on all motions will be limited to twice per speaker and five minutes per turn [changed from ‘time’]; debate can be extended or limited by a majority
vote of the BOCC.” Omodt then moved to alter the order of the agenda by postponing six of Williams’ seven items, as she had not filed them with the proper memorandums for action items as stipulated by the BOCC Meeting Agenda Submission Procedure. Williams’ items included discussions about community issues, events, projects, open meeting rules, legal opinions and upcoming guests at her pre-business meeting “Commissioner Chats,” and would have taken the place of her usual commissioner report, which Omodt and Commissioner Steve Bradshaw voted to strike from the agenda in perpetuity during the Jan. 9 meeting. “There is no memo that’s needed for me to provide information to the community, you guys are just being unreasonably difficult,” said Williams, explaining that although she labeled her discussion items as “action items” on the agenda, they didn’t actually require a vote. According to her, commissioners label everything an action item in executive sessions as a “catch-all” in case discussion necessitates an unexpected motion. “Actually, discussing something is an action. Action is
discussion. It’s a verb,” said Williams. “What is the memo that you would anticipate seeing on [a] discussion regarding legal opinions. What am I motioning? ‘Will you please listen to me?’ There isn’t a motion for that,” she later added. The motion to postpone six of Williams’ items passed with her dissent. For the meeting’s final action item, Williams motioned that “the board of county commissioners, in compliance with [Idaho Code] 31-1701, move forward with a full and complete audit [going back an undetermined number of years] of the financial transactions of the county as it relates to the fair.” I.C. 31-1701 stipulates that “[t]he board of county commissioners of every county shall cause to be made, annually, a full and complete audit of the financial transactions of the county.” In a nod to objections raised by her fellow commissioners in past meetings — including on Jan. 9 — Williams acknowledged that the comprehensive audit will be an additional cost to taxpayers and may take more than a year to complete. “We are moving forward, finding what we need to do in the
future, but I believe there is an obligation of the board to address what didn’t happen in the past,” she said. Omodt seconded her motion, but argued that the board already voted to conduct an audit during its Oct. 24, 2023 business meeting. “Fact: The board has not done that. Fact: You suspended indefinitely the ability to do that. Fact: This rule says we should do it annually,” said Williams, referencing the board’s decision on Jan. 9 to indefinitely postpone her motion to send out a request for proposal for a forensic fair audit. “In order to have an audit for 2024, we have to bring the Fair Board into compliance for 2023 so that we have a starting point for audits. What happened prior to 2023 will be addressed after we get forward with the county business for the Fair Board,” said Bradshaw. William’s motion to audit the fair passed unanimously. With her discussion items removed from the agenda, Williams signed up to speak during the public comment section. Omodt bypassed her comment and successfully motioned to enter into executive session. “‘Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of a dictatorship,’” said Williams, repeating a quote widely attributed to young adult fiction author Bruce Coville, according to Goodreads and other sources.
Idaho Chief Justice Bevan delivers State of the Judiciary to Legislature Reader Staff Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan delivered his annual State of the Judiciary address Jan. 17, focusing on the court’s efforts to support the rule of law both in and out of the state’s courtrooms. “Our branch is the embodiment of the American ideal that everyone answers to the law and answers equally,” Bevan told members of the Idaho Legislature at the State Capitol in Boise. The yearly speech to the
Legislature discusses the role of the courts, significant Judicial Branch projects and other matters important to maintaining Idaho’s “fair, timely and impartial court system,” according to a statement from the Supreme Court. The text of the speech is posted at isc.idaho.gov. A recording will be published when available at annualreport.isc.idaho.gov. Bevan went on to describe efforts by the Judicial Branch to improve support for jurors and court users alike, who include
individuals filing and responding to cases within state courts, but also users of court systems like the iCourt Portal, which makes available case information. The chief justice addressed the importance of stable funding to support court technology, given the role of such technology in providing access to justice. The Idaho Supreme Court is making changes to its hosting and delivery of technology services to improve security and support, and this session proposes state general fund dollars to ensure
those services are properly maintained going forward. Bevan called again for raising the wages paid to judges in order to reflect their education and expertise. “Idahoans deserve judges who are at the prime of their careers and at the top of their game,” he said. “But we don’t get there by making judicial service painful and undercompensated.” To run one of Idaho’s three branches of government, the Supreme Court’s 2024 budget
proposal amounts to a little more than 1% of current general fund expenditures. The Jan. 17 address was Bevan’s fourth, each of which focused on cooperation across the various sectors of state government to benefit Idahoans. “Each year during these remarks, I have shared my strong belief that working together, our branches can truly improve life for the people of this state,” he said. “The power to keep Idaho exceptional lies with us.” January 18, 2024 / R / 5
NEWS
BoCo Sheriff Wheeler announces GOP primary bid for fifth term Reader Staff Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler announced Jan. 15 that he would seek a fifth term, signaling his intent to vye for the Republican nomination in the May 21 primary. According to the announcement, since his first election as sheriff in 2008, Wheeler “has successfully changed the culture within the Sheriff’s Office, creating building blocks which in turn have transformed his office into a premiere law enforcement agency that employs staff serving Bonner County who are dedicated, courageous and trustworthy.” In addition, Wheeler’s campaign highlighted the sheriff’s move in 2009 to bring Crisis Intervention Training to the five northern counties in Idaho and his service on the Behavioral Health Board since its founding in 2014. Wheeler is also a past president of the Idaho Sheriffs Association and chair of the Legislative Committee, working on the passage of legislation related to public safety. He is also well known for his self-identification as a “constitutional sheriff,” using his office to stake out high-profile stances — often in contradiction with other units of government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wheeler called on Idaho Gov. Brad Little to bring the Legislature back into session to address response policies; though, when the governor did not act on his request, the sheriff refused to enforce lockdowns, vaccine mandates, business shutdowns and church closures in the county — all of which he described as “unconstitutional.” Wheeler has also made no shortage of headlines in recent years amid running conflicts with the current and former Bonner County board of commissioners over parcels of land at the Bonner County Fairgrounds that he maintains should be reserved for expansion of the justice complex, while some current and former commissioners have favored that land to accommodate further uses by the fairgrounds. 6 / R / January 18, 2023
Sheriff Daryl Wheeler. File photo. He also tussled with the BOCC over accepting COVID-era American Rescue Plan Act funds, as well as the auditing authority of the Individual Constitutional County Officers — an independent group that includes Wheeler and other elected heads of county offices — related to ARPA funds and (more recently) the financial records of the Bonner County Fair Board. Wheeler’s office has also made news by making public the results of an independent investigation commissioned by the Prosecutor’s Office into alleged fraud at the fairgrounds, which came to light in late 2022 and during which time then-Fair Board Director Darcey Smith apparently took her own life. According to Wheeler’s announcement, “His No. 1 goal for his fifth term is to keep Bonner County a safe place to live, work and play. Secondly, he will continue the fight to preserve the land on the Sheriff’s Complex, for a future Justice Center for Bonner County taxpayers.” Wheeler’s career has spanned over 38 years in law enforcement, 25 of which have been in Bonner County. He has been married to his wife, Diane, for 43 years and has four adult children and eight grandchildren. “It has been an extreme honor to serve as your sheriff these last 15 years, and I hope to earn your vote once again this May,” he stated.
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: The Biden administration is targeting $623 million, drawn from the bipartisan infrastructure law, for creating 7,500 more charging systems for electric vehicles (more than 1 million were sold last year). Currently the U.S. has 170,000 chargers. The Guardian reported that the EPA has announced $1 billion for grants to replace diesel-powered schools buses with electric and lower-emitting vehicles. According to CBS, Israel is on trial at the U.N. International Court of Justice. South Africa accused the nation of genocide in the Gaza Strip, and is asking for an immediate halt to Israel’s military operations. The U.K., Canada, Australia, Bahrain and the Netherlands have joined the U.S. in strikes against targets in Yemen where Houthi rebels have been attacking dozens of merchant vessels in the Red Sea. Initially, the Houthis launched missiles and drones at Israel. Those were shot down, so they began attacks on ships transporting grains, oil and liquified natural gas. Some media speculate that the Houthis are seeking power and more adherents to their ideologies. They are backed by Iran, as are Hamas and Hezbollah. A statement also signed by Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea said the goal is to “de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea,” including defense of lives and the free flow of commerce. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with leaders in the Middle East, with the stated goal of fostering conditions for peace and creating steps culminating in “peace and security” for a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel. Modernization at the IRS — courtesy of the Inflation Reduction Act — has resulted in the agency collecting close to half a billion dollars in overdue taxes from delinquent millionaires, ABC reported. Congressional Republicans want to shave off more IRS funds that enable the agency to collect those taxes. Car insurance rates have undergone their biggest jump since 1976, according to the Consumer Price Index. Prices are particularly high in states now experiencing more extreme weather, but insurers say weather is a less significant factor, and point to federal stats showing “riskier driving behavior.” Using words reminiscent of Hitler,
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
former-President Donald Trump recently claimed that undocumented immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” and promised that if elected president he would use the military to put undocumented immigrants into “camps.” In his memoir, Mein Kampf, Hitler used the specific phrase “blood poisoning” to describe what he believed to be the corrosive influence of non-“Aryan” peoples in Germany. Yet, according to the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, 86% of those convicted of trafficking fentanyl over the border in 2021 were U.S. citizens. A 2020 study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences also shows undocumented immigrants have “substantially” lower crime rates, as engaging in crime can get them deported. Meanwhile, the claim that undocumented immigrants are taking American jobs is contradicted by the national unemployment rate, which has been below 4% for two years, with a long-term average of 5.71%. Finally, the U.S. homicide rate has fallen more than 12% since 2022. Biden opponents say he doesn’t want to stop illegal immigration, but have blocked the president’s requests for border funding. More than 60% of Americans don’t think Trump should be immune from prosecution for actions he took while president, according to a CBS poll, though a majority of Republicans in the poll agree with immunity for Trump. In his civil trial last week in New York — over allegations of misrepresenting his wealth to gain better loan terms (saving him $168 million) — Trump was barred from delivering an irrelevant closing statement, but did so anyway, the AP reported. A judge will decide the case, since neither the state nor Trump requested otherwise. The judge’s verdict is likely to occur by the end of the month. Trump could be barred from business in New York state and pay damages of up to $370 million. In another recent Trump court case, the ex-president was ordered to pay $392,800 for legal fees from a 2021 lawsuit he brought against The New York Times, according to ABC. The paper had reported his tax records. Blast from the past: “As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression … we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of darkness.” — William O. Douglas, U.S. Supreme Court justice (18981980)
NEWS Revived ‘harmful to minors’ library materials bill advances in Idaho Legislature The Idaho House of Representatives to vote on replacement to last year’s vetoed library bill By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun
A new bill seeking to prohibit public and school libraries from making “material harmful to minors” available to children under 18 is heading to the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives for a vote. On Jan. 15, the Idaho Legislature’s House State Affairs Committee voted along party lines to send House Bill 384 to the House floor with a recommendation to pass it. House Bill 384 is a revived and tweaked version of last year’s libraries material bill, House Bill 314, which Gov. Brad Little vetoed. The new bill is similar to last year’s bill, with a couple of changes made by sponsoring Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa. Like last year’s legislation, this year’s bill prohibits school or public libraries from giving or making any materials available to minors that “depicts nudity, sexual conduct, or sado-masochistic abuse and that is harmful to minors.” The bill also prohibits libraries from making available any materials that depict “sexual excitement, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic abuse that, taken as a whole, is harmful to minors.” Finally, the bill also prohibits school and public libraries from making available “any other material harmful to minors,” which was a passage of the bill that opponents expressed concern with during a nearly two-hour public hearing on the bill Jan.15 at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise. How is this year’s library materials bill different from the 2023 version? Little vetoed last year’s bill, writing that ambiguous language in the bill could create unintended consequences for libraries and their patrons. Little also opposed a section of last year’s bill that would allow parents or guardians to file a $2,500 lawsuit for a violation of the bill, which Little said amounted to creating a bounty system that would increase libraries’ costs. In response to Little’s veto, Crane said he reduced the fine from $2,500 last year down to $250 this year. This year’s bill also creates new procedures before a lawsuit can be filed where a minor, parent or legal guardian who obtains the
“harmful materials” must provide written notice asking for the school or library to move the materials to a section of the library designated for adults within 30 days. Under this year’s bill, if the school or library board does not move the material as requested, the parent, legal guardian or minor could file a lawsuit for $250 plus actual damages and any other relief provided by law, including attorney fees. Crane told the House State Affairs Committee that the bill is designed to protect minors from harmful materials without banning or burning books. “You will not find the word ‘ban’ or ‘burn’ or anything of that nature in this legislation; this is a relocation bill,” Crane said during the Jan. 15 meeting “There is no book banning. There is no book burning. This creates a process that is fair for both parties. One side may want certain materials in the library and the other may not. “What we have to do is compromise, keeping all the material in the library is what this legislation does and just relocating it to its rightful location within the library is satisfying to all parties,” Crane added. Several librarians, teachers voice opposition to library materials bill During the hearing, 11 of the 19 people who testified about the bill were opposed to it. More than 100 people showed up for the meeting, filling a Statehouse hallway outside the hearing room. Staffers and security officers opened additional hearing rooms for overflow seating. Several opponents said libraries already have policies in place to handle parental concerns about library materials and they worried the language about materials “harmful to minors” was broad and could be interpreted in different ways by different people. Some opponents also worry the reduced $250 lawsuits would still place an undue financial burden on libraries because the costs of actual damages and attorneys fees allowed in the bill would likely greatly exceed $250. Robert Wright, who has served as director of the Idaho Falls Public Library for almost 20 years, said
libraries cannot afford to implement the bill. After meeting with the city’s attorney in Idaho Falls, Wright said he believes if the bill passes, the Idaho Falls Public Library would need to prohibit anyone under 18 from entering the upstairs floor of the library to set it aside for adults in an effort to comply with the bill. He said that would require locking elevators that staff cannot physically observe at all times and paying a staff member to stand at the ramp leading to the upper floor to prevent minors from entering the space. For smaller libraries with only one room and limited space, Wright worried they would be unable to comply with the bill at all. Plus, Wright said his library already has a policy in place for parents to challenge the appropriateness of materials in the library. “The practical part of implementing this bill is problematic,” Wright told legislators. “I work in Idaho Falls Public Library. We are one of the largest libraries in eastern Idaho. We cannot afford to do this.” Isabella Burgess, a college student and associate librarian for the Meridian Library District, said the bill targets LGBTQ+ people because the state’s definition of “sexual conduct” that is cited in the bill includes any act of homosexuality. “Representatives, the homophobia in this bill is blatant,” Burgess told the committee. “The bill’s definition of sexual conduct is incorrect and does not align with widely accepted definitions in any popular dictionary. Homosexuality does not equate to obscenity. It is your choice to sexualize children’s books. It is absolutely essential that we have books that represent every member of our communities, that are accessible to every age range.” Heidi Robbins, a teacher and librarian from Rigby, told legislators on Jan. 15 that the bill is effectively censoring books and targeting LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized communities. “This group of students already has some of the highest incidences of bullying and suicide and more,” Robbins told legislators. “Having literature where they are represented cannot only help them feel that they belong but can also teach their peers
that they are not a demographic to be feared or shunned. They are human beings who contribute to society like anyone else.” Supporters say bill will make libraries safer for children, families On the other side of the debate, supporters of the bill argued — often without providing specific examples — that today’s children are being “hypersexualized” and regularly exposed to harmful graphic sexual materials in libraries. A couple of people who spoke in favor of the bill held up books they said they obtained in Idaho public libraries that contain inappropriate or graphic sexual material. But they didn’t say what several of the books were or what each of their objections were. Instead, one woman who carried an armload of books to the House hearing on the bill passed written summaries of the material she objected to to legislators. Karen Jackson, a Twin Falls resident who provided remote video testimony Jan. 15, told legislators the problem is widespread without providing specific examples. “I have personally engaged in research delving into many books, likely hundreds, widely accessible in our public school and libraries across Idaho, not just in one isolated area,” Jackson said. “These materials seek to influence the minds of children with explicit sexual content. The abundance of objectionable material is considerable. And I, for obvious reasons, I cannot quote any specific content within my own testimony here. Regardless of the intention of the authors, the content of these authors pervert the minds of our children, normalize behavior which would hurt the children severely if acted upon and substantially increase a child’s vulnerability to sexual predators.” Jackson did not provide evidence that accessing material in libraries makes children vulnerable to sexual predators. In support of her testimony, Jackson cited Tim Ballard, who has said children who are intended for sexual trafficking are “conditioned” through exposure to pornography to make them more compliant. Ballard is the former CEO of an anti-sex trafficking organization who stepped aside from his group
Operation Underground Railroad following an investigation into claims of sexual misconduct, Vice News reported. Jennifer Holmes, a parent and former public school teacher from Post Falls, testified that once when her kids were looking for books, she noticed a DVD in a local library that featured a cover with two men kissing. Holmes told legislators she moved the DVD out of view, placed it on the top of a shelf and asked the library to remove the video. Holmes told legislators she was told it was her responsibility to monitor her children. Holmes said her family doesn’t go to that library anymore and eventually stopped going to the library altogether. She urged legislators to pass the bill. “I believe [House] Bill 384 will be a blessing to parents, especially those who have more than one child,” Holmes said. “This bill will cause the library to be a safer place for children to explore without having their parent with them every second.” Idaho Democrats opposed the library materials bill but were overruled by Republican supermajority All 11 Republicans on the House State Affairs Committee voted Jan. 15 to advance the new library materials bill, while both Democrats opposed it. Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, made an unsuccessful attempt to delay the committee’s vote until Tuesday to allow members of the public who were not called to testify on an opportunity to submit written testimony to legislators. Instead, Republicans on the committee voted against Gannon’s motion and then voted to advance the bill. If a majority of members of the Idaho House voted to pass the bill, it will be sent to the Idaho Senate for consideration. Last year, the Idaho House voted 40-30 to pass House Bill 314, the new bill’s predecessor. 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. January 18, 2023 / R / 7
Idaho child care crisis leads to economic losses…
Bouquets: GUEST SUBMISSION: • Once again, kudos to the linemen of Northern Lights and Avista who braved the bitter cold and blasting winds to keep our homes lit and warm. Unsung heroes! — Ted Wert GUEST SUBMISSION: • A deserving bouquet goes to the young couple who spotted my truck on Upland Drive with its right side stuck in the roadside snow. They asked if I could use some help and I said yes. They said they would return with a tow strap and did. Shortly thereafter my truck’s four wheels were back on the road. I thanked them and they took off! Judging by their actions there still is hope for humanity. — Carl Thomas Zmuda Barbs: It shouldn’t need repeating, but Idaho libraries are not porn shops. Yet, in a case of deja vu all over again, here we are not two weeks into the 2024 legislative session and we’re already confronting a bill aimed at censoring library collections of so-called obscene media. Yeah, yeah, yeah, supporters of the bill will throw up their hands in mock outrage at the term “censoring,” as they will with words like “banning,” “homophobia” and “bigotry” — and they will do so with volume increasing in intensity the closer it gets to the mark. “It’s to protect the kids,” they’ll say, but House Bill 384 is a watered-down variation of HB 314, which Gov. Brad Little vetoed in 2023, triggering a failed attempt at an override from hard-right lawmakers. Last session’s bill empowering individuals to sue libraries over housing materials they may deem “harmful to minors” was itself a retread of HB 666 (aptly titled, even according to Idaho Senate Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise), which failed to gain traction in 2022 for the same reason that its successor bill met with a veto on Little’s desk: It’s garbage legislation. It’s not just a solution in search of a problem, it’s a problem masquerading as a solution. Here’s a big fat barb to the censorious, book-banning, homophobic bigots — both in and out of office — who are behind this repeated offense against Idahoans’ intellectual freedom. You can read more about it on Page 7. 8 / R / January 18, 2024
Dear editor, Idaho Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, recently argued that women are doing the nation a disservice by not producing enough kids for the workforce. Blaming women is easier for Chuck than taking responsibility for the policy decisions of his own party. Republicans have been in power in Idaho for decades. Blame must fall squarely at their feet. For example, Chuck and his friends refused to accept $38 million in federal grant money to help expand child care because they did not want to “make it easier for women to come out of the home.” They didn’t want women in the workforce. Apparently, they’re only interested in their (male) offspring. According to Idaho Voices For Children, the lack of affordable child care costs our economy $525 million each year because parents must refuse jobs due to child care issues. The Republican-led Legislature could fix the child care crisis so more parents could work. They could increase workforce housing, so more workers could afford to live here. Idaho could stop criminalizing doctors for saving women’s lives, so doctors could stay and young people would want to work here. The policy choices made by Idaho’s Republican-controlled Legislature have created a labor shortage. Their policy choices could fix it. To Chuck Winder: 1. stop blaming women for poor policy outcomes and 2. forced pregnancy is not the answer to our problems, economic or otherwise. Linda Larson Sandpoint
Power for electric vehicles has to come from somewhere… Dear editor, The subject of electric cars and mandates has dominated the news lately, but we can’t transition to all-electric vehicles until we provide an energy source. Electricity is not a source of energy; it has to be created from nuclear, fossil fuels, windmills, solar panels, hydro-electric dams, etc. Once created it is passed along to vehicles, lawnmowers, etc., so it is simply a conduit between an energy plant and a car. An electric car does not pollute while you’re driving it, but it does when you recharge it. Trading a gas-powered vehicle for an electric
one just moves the source of pollution from your car to the energy plant. For example, Kentucky and West Virginia produce more than 90% of their energy from coal, so an electric car there is essentially coal-powered. Electric cars in other states pollute less to varying degrees, determined by the energy source where they recharge. The push for electric cars is well-intentioned (or political), but it’s not possible at this time to create enough electricity to power them all. It would require additional energy from nuclear plants, coal plants or other fossil-fuel plants, and no one wants one of these plants in their backyard. Wind farms and solar panels contribute a small percentage of our energy needs, but until the entire country is blanketed by these ugly things we’ll need to keep consuming fossil fuel. Dave Mundell Sandpoint
‘Omodt snubs The People... again’…
Dear editor, Once again, Bonner County Commissioner Luke Omodt disrespects The People. In the egregious Jan. 9, 2024 BOCC meeting, Luke Omodt declared two recesses (90 minutes, and two hours), because he did not like the dialogue that was occurring. After the 90-minute recess, the meeting resumed only to have him declare a five-minute recess and then enter Executive Session. After Executive Session, the meeting resumed until Luke declared a twohour recess. As a result, a meeting that began at 9 a.m. did not end until after 3 p.m. Luke obstructed the public comment of two citizens who were calmly reading their statements, and he disrespected the lieutenant sheriff who was present. There were several statute and ordinance violations, and at least three separate Bonner County citizens have filed complaints with our prosecuting attorney for action. Watch the meeting on YouTube to see for yourselves, and I invite you to attend future BOCC meetings (Tuesdays at 9 a.m.). Jennifer Cramer Sagle
Herndon’s campaign finance bill is a grab for donor data… Dear editor, This SB 1218 action by Herndon needs to look past the obvious [Senate Bill 1218 would amend campaign finance law to require that all con-
tributions to candidates be reported with the donor’s name and address, regardless of the amount given]. As a 2020 candidate, I ran a grassroots campaign against Sage Dixon. I purposefully strategized to not accept any more than an affordable $50 from anyone, the $2,000 or so raised allowed me to keep donor names private — $2,000 is hardly a threat to any incumbent candidate. Here, the unseen motive is doing the business of “Fight Club” — the church organization that door knocks for Herndon’s Senate campaign; the organization that has taken over 100% of the BCRCC executive officers; 85-90% of BCRCC membership through appointments; and, most importantly, unconstitutional “Christian” vetting of candidates seeking a BCRCC endorsement. It is also alleged from research that “Fight Club’s” founding member and family have scrubbed their personal online information, as they seek to record and create data files on all kinds of private and public officers and other persons. This metric might not appear significant, but it removes the grassroots strategy to keep very small campaign donations private, permitting “Fight Club” to expand their data gathering operations on small-dollar donors. This is neither a liberty action nor a conflict of Idaho Codes. The Herndon explanation is a disingenuous lie, as the 1994 law (I.C. 676610), effectively changed the 1974 law (I.C. 67-6614) to allow anonymous contributions of $50. There is no conflict between I.C. 67-6610 and 67-6614, as Idaho doesn’t remove outdated law from the books. Herndon seeks total control of campaign funding, a fascist act against 30-year protections of grass root candidates, and increases the ability of Fight Club to seek greater data storage on donors. Dan Rose Samuels
‘Mob mentality’ at work in Bonner County…
Dear editor, In my 60 years as a local political junkie, I could never have dreamed the day would come when someone threatened to sue an elected official because of the “way” he “looked” at them. There will always be disagreements among elected officials and criticisms from the public. However, the vitriol being spewed by a handful of county residents tops anything I’ve ever seen locally. Have you ever been bullied, baited or set up, or witnessed it happening to others? If so, you will recognize what is happening at our commissioners’ meetings. Unfortunately, the baiting worked on one regrettable occasion and the consequences continue to have a negative impact on conducting county business. This uncivilized behavior can only discourage qualified candidates from running for office. I was one of many who asked Luke Omodt to run for commissioner. I’m thankful every day for his knowledge and his intelligent and reasoned attempts to tend to county business. He follows the laws and policies that are intended to make our government work. A mob mentality is at work here. Don’t buy into it! A group of people appears intent on removing Luke from office. The ugliness you see now is what you will get if they ever have only their own people at the table. Preventing this from happening will require the vigilance of every voter who values respectfulness, common sense and a desire to see our county’s business conducted in the way it is intended to be. Helen Newton Sandpoint
PERSPECTIVES
Emily Articulated
A column by and about Millennials
How about this weather? By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist
I never used to understand why everyone talked about the weather. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, quippy weather observation was the small talk go-to ahead of, “How are you?” and, “How’s school going?” — spearheading the conversations that spanned the moments between errands; between familiar, but seemingly distracted, friends and neighbors. In Wisconsin, “Any black ice out there?” and “Damn this windchill,” was as intrinsic to social nicety as the nod and wave. And I hated it. I wanted people to talk about more interesting things, deeper things. As a kid, I wanted to ask what their favorite color was that day, and what materials they preferred for their snowman’s nose. As a teen, I wanted to know about their adventures from far-off places and the things that scared them, but that they were daring to try anyhow. I wanted to ask, “What’s the last thing that made you belly laugh?” “Why do your eyes look tired today?” and “What’s just one thing on your mind that doesn’t involve a snowplow?” I chafed against what felt like empty words (I still do, I suppose), with questions asked that didn’t really want for answers. I sought out and connected to the people who plunged through surface chatter, leaned into experiences that transcended day-to-day niceties, and was in perpetual pursuit of the “good stuff” — those moments in which shared
Emily Erickson. vulnerability collides with emotions, emerging as a better understanding of each other and ourselves. More often than not, I was met with, “This humidity today!” I think, in part, the reason everyone starts nearly all of their conversations with weather commentary in places like where I grew up is that weather events loom large and frequent — with temperatures spending months in the frigid, frostbitten, wind-chill-warning ranges between zero and negative 40° (something we can acutely relate to from the past few days). Conversely, high temperatures can shoot up to 100, with humidity thickening the air to a nearly rain-like kind of moisture density. Thunderstorms boom into flash floods, high winds whirl into touch-down tornadoes and cicadas emerge in clouds akin to biblical damnation. When the conditions are extreme, it becomes obvious conversation kindling. But I also wonder if something else was lurking behind the weather quips that I missed in my youthful brazenness. Perhaps, mixed up in the small talk, was a nod to shared identity and a
cracked door to easy, honest connection and kindness. Last week, when my phone flashed with a winter storm warning, with Wisconsin-cold temperatures predicted in the weekend’s forecast, the part of me that is confident in handling weather events clicked on. I dragged out the extra blankets and my warmest wool sweater and made sure there was plenty of wood stacked in the box next to the stove. I asked my partner about the condition of the pipes, and stocked up on extra food and water (and other non-essential essentials, like puzzles, books and art supplies), just in case we were properly frozen in. I felt bolstered by being the kind of person hardy enough to handle a few frosty days and a sense of identity in being a “winter person,” equipped to hack it in less-than-ideal conditions. And in my small exchanges — on coffee runs and take-out pick-ups — I sought out that same hardiness in others, connecting to people through questions about their pipes and how they were managing to get their pets safely out to pee. The sentiments weren’t vulnerable or grand, but they were shared and, in a way, intimate. Weather has a way of leveling us — reminding us of the things we have in common at a time when we’re used to being pulled apart. A snowstorm transcends political affiliations, opposing sports teams, newcomers and locals, and generational gaps, providing an easy avenue for people to connect to and show up for one another. In lending a hand with a
shovel (or, even better, a snowplow), pulling a stranger out of a ditch, salting the sidewalk beyond the squares in front of our own front door and checking on our neighbor’s water supply, we’re sharing something. And in bundled-up waves, and exclamations of, “I hope you’re staying warm,” maybe, there’s a piece of the “good stuff,” that also says, “I see the resolve in you, too,” and “I’m glad you’re
here — in this experience — with me.” So, I guess, how about this weather, after all? Emily Erickson is a writer and business owner with an affinity for black coffee and playing in the mountains. Connect with her online at www. bigbluehat.studio.
Retroactive
By BO
January 18, 2024 / R / 9
Mad about Science:
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pokemon By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist
“This is it. This is the idea I’ve been waiting for.” — Hiroshi Yamauchi, former Nintendo president. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I was a Pokémon kid. Shocking, right? The guy who paints toy dragons as an adult was into digitized monsters as a child. Before you roll your eyes and turn the page, there will be some interesting science facts tucked away in the paragraphs of this article — things unrelated to difficult-to-pronounce names or weird geometric shapes intended to vaguely resemble an organic creature. If you’ve ever been curious about how a multi-billion-dollar gaming franchise gets developed, this is the article for you. Also, it’s for Pokémon kids. Pokémon is a lot of things; for the sake of brevity, we’ll be exclusively talking about the original roleplaying game for the Nintendo Game Boy. Development began in 1990, but the game was not released to the public until 1996. This kind of timeline is considered brisk by modern AAA game industry standards, as we’ve waited nearly 13 years and counting for a sequel to Skyrim; but, in the 1990s, a six-year development period was development hell — a term gamers have used for doomed products. Technology was rapidly advancing throughout the ’90s, making the eventual 1996 release of Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green in Japan a miracle. At the time of the game’s release, the Game Boy was nearing the end of its life cycle and the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color
10 / R / January 18, 2024
were about to sweep the world. Worse yet, after six years in development, the Pocket Monsters games received a cold reception and faced dissolution into obscurity — that is, until Mew was showcased in the monthly manga magazine, CoroCoro Comic. Pokémania hit in full force. To fully appreciate just how insane and impossible that stroke of luck was, we need to look into how the game was developed, and why Mew was important. The Game Boy seems like an archaic tool to us now — something ancient farmers may have used to dig in their fields or read signs of the star, and not just in Harvest Moon. It was essentially half a computer, equipped with a display screen, a CPU and controller inputs. On its own it was a brick tied to a pack of batteries. Game cartridges were the other half of the equation — limited packaged digital storage units that often had a small battery and some form of memory, called read-only memory (or ROM). Some game cartridges used static random access memory (SRAM), which is similar to the RAM you have in your computer now. This allowed the program to “remember” your progress, which was important in a 20-hour campaign you wanted to set down in order to sleep or eat. If the battery in the cartridge died, so did your save file. Today, all of the components required to run a game are built into the console. Another stark difference in how the original Pocket Monsters games were designed in relation to current titles is the coding. Most games out today are written in high-level programming languages, often C#. The Pocket Monsters games were written in Z80 Assembly, a low-level pro-
Photo by Thimo Pedersen. gramming language that interacted directly with the hardware of the device. This was imperative when a cartridge had 32 kilobytes of ROM. Every piece of code mattered — if developers ran out of space, there was no recourse. That being said, ’90s Pokémon kids are still haunted by a name whispered around campfires in fear of conjuring the great evil that would devour your save. Missingno. Missingno is an abbreviation of “missing number.” Each Pokémon species was assigned a hexadecimal value between 0 and 255. This value was called by the computer when certain parameters were met to initiate combat. If you were walking through grass in a certain area, it would pull certain values based on where you were, the letters in your name and other factors. This ensured things remained thematic, so that you’d encounter specific creatures in specific areas reliably. Missingno exists 39 times in this data; and, when encountered under a certain set of conditions, can completely trash your game. It’s been discovered that most of the Missingno appearances were creatures the developers had started to create but abandoned partway through the process. These creatures were later added to Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Gold with new names and appearances. Eight-year-old Brenden can finally rest — it was just rushed programming! So how does this fit into Mew? When the game reached a stage the developers deemed “complete enough,” they removed the debugging tools. One of the creators went rogue at this point by programming a new monster into the newfound 300 bytes of free space.This creature
was Mew. Mew was unobtainable unless you managed to glitch the game in a very specific way. As we learned earlier, the game almost flopped until CoroCoro Comic covered Mew. This led to an explosion of people in Japan buying up every copy they could to try and capture the elusive pocket monster. This led to the developers coming up with an idea to host a contest in which players would write in, and they would select a handful
of winners that would send their cartridge and have Mew unlocked personally by the creators. They received more than 78,000 submissions and replicated the process in the U.S. a year later, while Pokémania was sweeping the globe and a young Brenden was mischievously torching his Game Boy by exploiting the Old Man glitch in pursuit of Missingno. Whoops. Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner t time? Don’t know much abou
• Some believe that the language you speak affects your perception of time. For example, English speakers describe time as being in front or behind them, as a horizontal line moves left to right. Mandarin speakers envision time as a vertical line where down represents the future, while Greeks tend to view time as a three-dimensional entity that is “big” or “much” rather than “long.” • Canadian professor Holly Andersen, of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, warns that when we lose our sense of time, it could also force us to lose our sense of self, believing it’s not possible to have consciousness — or even a personal identity — without the passage of time. • There is no such thing as a clock with 100% accuracy. Even atomic clocks, which are incredibly accurate, are not perfect. No clock on Earth is entirely “correct,” because the process of defining what time it is right now is based on a lot of clocks, all keeping time around the world. National labs send their timekeeping to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in
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Paris, which then creates a weighted average. Time, therefore, is a human construct. • We don’t actually live in the “present.” As you read these words, it’s easy to assume that “now” is now. But it’s not. When a person speaks with you from across a table, the movement of their lips reaches your eyes before the sound of their voice gets to your ears because light travels faster than sound, but our brain syncs them up to make them match. So, even though “now” feels like the present, it’s actually slightly in the past. • A lot of cultures don’t use the Gregorian calendar and, for them, it’s not 2024. In the Nepali Bikram Sambat calendar, it’s actually the year 2080. In Myanmar, it’s 1384. In Thailand, it’s 2566 and in Ethiopia it’s 2016 where the year lasts 13 months. Finally, the Islamic calendar marked the arrival of the year 1445 last July. • The Moon is drifting away from Earth by about 1.5 inches every year, which has caused an Earth day to increase by about 1.09 milliseconds per century since the late 1600s.
PERSPECTIVES
Taking on the snow By Kaleb Keaton Reader Contributor
Here we are Sandpoint; snow is back in town! To many, snow is alluring with the potential it has for recreation or to get out of school. To others, it can be an intimidating factor in which we stress over its removal. And then there are those, such as myself, who have found a way to blend it all together. Snow removal is not only a pain in the ass, but a passion project as well. I love every minute of it. I wanted to share my thoughts on snow removal culture and hopefully give you some crucial insights on how to approach a snow monster the next time it shows its intimidating face. A critical step in preparing yourself for taking on the snow is intel. You need to be prepared for what kind of snow is coming your way. Unfortunately, this is
not always as easy to ascertain as one would think. The weather app on my iPhone always has a slightly varied description of projected weather compared to what Google weather says. Sometimes they’re a few degrees off. Sometimes one has a dark cloud while the other has a lighter one. I’m not sure if they use different radar systems or simply have to distinguish themselves from one another to be cool. Either way, you have to make a call on what brand you’re more comfortable with. It’s kind of like picking between a Mac or a PC. Just don’t go off Schweitzer’s Snow Report. It always has a positive spin on it, therefore you can’t really trust it. I love you Schweitzer, but you could sugar-coat a cat turd and refer to it as a promising pow day. Once you’ve decided to trust one corner of the internet, the next thing to do is set up tomorrow’s gear. If it’s going to be wetter snow, be sure that you’re
accounting for it by picking out water-resistant gear. At the same time, you don’t want to compromise your body temperature, so make sure that you have enough insulation as well. And if you have a blower that uses mixed gas like my old man, know that whatever you wear will soon reek of the toxic fumes it shoots out in addition to the snow. When in doubt, just go with an old plaid work coat, leather gloves and a hat with ear flaps. It may not be as effective in the weather as other gear, but at least you’ll look the part. Outside of attire, the biggest decision you’ll have when refining your snow removal technique has to be the mechanism of your choice. Do you hit it old school with shovels or are you going to upgrade the mechanical advantage and use a blower? For the record, you’ll always be getting more respect with a shovel, but respect doesn’t
The power and passion of ‘snow removal culture’ mean much when you’re dealing with a throbbing back. My suggestion is that even if you do own a blower, be sure to have a shovel on hand to address the trim. That way a pedestrian walking by will at least momentarily catch you looking as badass as you can be. So we’ve prepared to the fullest and it’s the night of. What’s left to do? The obvious answer is sleep, however, before we can do that we have to keep talking about and obsessing over the upcoming snow. We have to keep getting weather updates that change little if not at all. We have to bug our friends and family, who eventually get sick of our comments about what a doozy of a snow storm is on the way. Pronounce this with a prolonged sigh followed by muttering “this is going to be brutal” in a way that is tastefully subtle but also loud enough for those around you to hear. Unfortunately not everyone understands the pain and commitment required to take on the snow, but if we complain and gain enough attention for it, maybe we’ll eventually earn some well-deserved apprecia-
tion for our sacrifices. Finally, after a restless night, the morning has come! Much like other activities in Sandpoint, such as fishing, skiing and waiting in line for the Festival, there’s a certain sense of pride in being the first one to it. Snow removal is no different. The sooner you’re out and tackling the snow, the better it looks, so for Godsakes don’t hit that snooze button! Throw some whiskey in the coffee for a little added warmth and comfort and get out there. Remember, it’s not the first one done with the driveway, it’s the first one to hit the snow. That’s what counts. In fact, the longer it takes you, the more you get to bitch about it later with the aforementioned annoyed friends and family, so don’t rush it. Cherish the crunch of the shovel hitting the white stuff. Feel the pride of putting in labor at the break of day. Relish the hardships of living in North Idaho. Get out there and take on that snow. Kaleb Keaton is a Sandpoint lifer and a self-proclaimed expert on snow removal culture.
January 18, 2024 / R / 11
PERSPECTIVES
For the love of Idaho winters
Being responsible recreationists — from travel plans to climate change
By Karissa Huntsman Reader Contributor
As we all look to the skies hoping for more snow, we need to consider the responsibilities that come with being winter recreationists. From minimizing our physical impact on the natural environment, to being involved in local policy making, to considering the implications of climate change, these responsibilities come in many forms. After years of collaboration among a diverse group of stakeholders, the Idaho Panhandle National Forests recently approved a winter recreation plan for the Kaniksu National Forest. This includes the Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint and Priest Lake ranger districts within the traditional territories of the Kootenai, Kalispel, Salish and Coeur d’Alene peoples. Travel management planning processes began following the 2005 federal Travel Management Rule. This rule mandates national forests and grasslands to develop a system of roads, trails and areas for motorized travel, extending to snowmobiles and other “over-snow vehicles.” Facilitated by the National Forest Foundation, the group that collaborated for this plan included representatives from government agencies, snowmobilers, backcountry skiers, conservation groups, outfitters, guides and hunters. After being subject to public comment, the draft plan received final approval in December 2023. Maps of the plan will be available by next winter. Under the plan: • •
•
About 155,000 acres will be open to over-snow vehicle access from Nov. 16 to May 31; 267,000 acres will remain closed to over-snow vehicle users all winter to secure areas for wolverine, lynx, mountain goat, elk and caribou (if caribou are ever reintroduced in the Selkirk Mountains); The remaining acreage (approximately 578,000) will be open to snowmobile use only until April 1, to minimize disruptions to grizzly bears as they emerge from hibernation.
The plan strikes a balance between the demand for snowmobile and backcountry 12 / R / January 18, 2024
skiing opportunities, and the needs of wildlife. It also shows what can be done through collaboration. By following the winter travel plan, recreationists can minimize their strain on soil, vegetation and wildlife habitats — protecting our public lands for wildlife and people alike. Recreating responsibly extends beyond how you recreate and act outdoors. The most responsible recreationists — and lovers of public lands — are also advocates. And for those who love winter recreation, that means being a climate advocate. Idaho’s climate is changing, affecting land and water, industries and communities across the state. Temperatures have risen almost two degrees Fahrenheit since 1900 (some areas are already above that), equating to fiercer storms, increased intensity of wildfires and a change in our water regimes. If you are a lover of winter recreation in Idaho, that last change should make your ears perk up, because it means a reduction in snowpack. Mountain towns across Idaho have enjoyed white winters for decades. But as we prepare for the continued effects of climate change, what does the future hold for winter sports and outdoor adventures? Under projected climate changes, we will likely see increasing single precipitation events in the winter and early spring, but mainly in the form of rain instead of snow, as well as decreasing summer precipitation. An increase in rain on top of snow events is also likely, which is important to note for winter recreation and tourism at resorts like Schweitzer. In the past 40 years, our Western states have seen snowfall decrease by 40%, which translates into about 35 fewer recreation days. If that sounds like a bummer for you ski bums (because it is), then also think about the impact on our communities that rely on winter recreation. Resorts are opening later in the season, which we’ve seen locally, and entire communities are feeling the financial strain caused by shorter winters. How did this happen? These changes in rising temperatures, the timing of snowmelt and declining mountain snowpack are due to burning fossil fuels like gasoline, oil and coal. When these fuels are burned for energy, manufacturing and transportation, carbon dioxide (CO2) enters the atmosphere in ever-increasing
Photo courtesy of ICL. amounts. This builds up CO2 around the Earth, increasing the heat-trapping blanket and causing both air and water temperatures to warm. Ski resorts around the country are taking steps to reduce their contribution to climate change and find ways to adapt — after all, their business depends on it. Alterra Mountain Company, which acquired Schweitzer, has ambitious climate goals, aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 50%, use 100% renewable energy and achieve carbon neutrality all by 2030. Time will tell what that will look like at our local mountain resort. These goals deserve recognition — and you can do so by telling Schweitzer that you support them in protecting forests and environmentally sensitive terrain, taking policy positions that support the environment by reducing traffic and emissions, and conserving water and energy. If we are going to tackle climate change, ease its most dire effects and protect our future winter recreation opportunities, then we need to work together. Whether your winter adventures are on skis, a board, snowmobile or snowshoes, the future of these experiences relies on taking action today. For the love of Idaho winters, let’s all recreate responsibly and become advocates for our natural resources. Karissa Huntsman is community engagement assistant for the Idaho Conservation League.
PERSPECTIVES
Governor’s school proposal too ‘Little,’ too late Rep. Lauren Necochea, D-Boise Reader Contributor
If we truly valued our children, we would ensure they spend their days in safe school buildings. But decades of neglect have caused Idaho schools to slide into a shameful state of disrepair. Raw sewage leaking under a cafeteria, collapsing roofs and freezing classrooms illustrate the dire condition of school facilities across the state. Most frighteningly, a fire destroyed much of a Pocatello high school after faulty electrical wiring went unaddressed. In his State of the State address, Gov. Brad Little touted a long-overdue investment in facilities that made headlines. But when we read the fine print, we see he is largely continuing to kick the can down the road. In the coming year, as schools face more than $1.3 billion in facilities
taxpayers to foot the bill. needs, they would receive Second, we need to end just $200 million. And the two-thirds majority rethat’s if this proposal can quirement for passing school make its way through the bonds. This has tripped up Republican supermajordesperate school districts ity, which has the same like Boundary, where reterrible track record in cent bonds garnered a clear supporting school inframajority of the vote, but fell structure. short of the threshold. The In addition to increased state is letting a minority state investment, there of voters deny our students are two obvious policy Rep. Lauren Necochea safe school buildings. Even solutions GOP lawmakers have rejected that would put schools on a threshold of 55% or 60% of the vote would ensure that more projects with firmer ground: strong public support can proceed. First, we must allow school districts How we got here is a lesson Idato charge impact fees on new develophoans cannot afford to forget. As our ments. Local governments regularly schools have long gone underfunded, charge developers for the new roads, Little and his GOP colleagues have sewer lines and other infrastructure bragged about record budget surplusthat new housing developments necessitate. By making the same allowance es, manufactured by the neglect of our core duties. They repeatedly doled out for school infrastructure, growth can enormous rebates and permanent revepay for itself instead of asking existing
nue cuts to the wealthiest while schools crumbled. His overdue acknowledgment of the problem is a small step toward redemption, but it’s no cause for a victory lap. For more than 20 years, Little has held office in the Republican supermajority that created this crisis. Idaho Democrats have tirelessly fought for increased investments in Idaho schools while the GOP underpaid our educators and let our schools fall into disrepair. Little is right when he says we can do better. It is a shame that it took him more than two decades in public office to realize this. Rep. Lauren Necochea is the House assistant Democratic leader, representing District 19 in Boise on the Environment, Energy and Technology; Resources and Conservation; Revenue and Taxation; and Ways and Means committees.
January 18, 2024 / R / 13
COMMUNITY
Candid canine connection By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff Monica Mosqueda, a certified professional dog trainer from Pend Oreille Veterinary Service, and her dog Logan Wolverine will visit the East Bonner Library Sandpoint Branch on Monday, Jan. 22 from 2 to 2:45 p.m. to teach a class on reading dogs’ body language. This educational program is an opportunity for kids to practice kindness and empathy while learning to interact safely with man’s best friend. “We frequently invade animals’ personal space and engage in what is very rude behavior to them, and then we get upset when they try to stand up for themselves or if they act in a way that we weren’t expecting,” said Youth Services Librarian Suzanne Davis, who organized the event. “I want kids to learn to be safe and to show respect to other species.” According to Forbes, dogs are the most common pet in the U.S. and belong to 65.1 million households.
Harvard Medical School even published a special report titled “Get Healthy, Get a Dog,” which demonstrates that dog owners have lower blood pressure, healthier cholesterol, lower risk of heart disease, and report fewer instances of loneliness, anxiety and depression. Mosqueda emphasizes that the keys to a healthy bond with a pup are understanding, respect and trust. “The absolute most important aspect of learning dog body language is safety. Not only for all humans, but for dogs too,” she said. “We can change our human body language when approaching a nervous dog, which then helps that dog feel more comfortable and gain confidence because we understood what he was saying and feeling.” Mosqueda’s class will teach students to read dogs’ tails, eyes, ears, and body tension and positions to anticipate their moods and act accordingly — that way dog owners can better de-escalate aggressive behavior and ensure that everyone has safe, fun interactions with their pups. “These initial indicators are key to understanding the emotional states that the
KNPS rings in its 25th year with the Lois Wythe Grant
Learn to “speak dog” at the Sandpoint library
dog may be in and whether or not they are the type of dog who might bite if I make a certain move. … It is our human responsibility to take the time to fully understand this animal that we chose to bring into our home,” said Mosqueda.
Logan Wolverine channels his inner Hugh Jackman on the open road. Photo by Monica Mosqueda. Attendees must be ages 8 and older and register by Sunday, Jan. 21 at ebonnerlibrary.org/events/hsp-learn-tospeak-dog/. Class will be held at 1407 Cedar St., Sandpoint.
PINE ST. SLED HILL OFFICIALLY REOPENS TO THE PUBLIC
Applications remain open until Feb. 29
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society recently opened applications for its Lois Wythe Grant, honoring the organization’s founder by funding local community members and groups that promote the awareness and appreciation of native plants. Wythe was involved with the Panhandle Environmental League, Master Gardeners and Sandpoint Farmers’ Market, and spurred the creation of the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum in Lakeview Park. Over the past 15 years, KNPS has used the $500 grant to finance projects like Kaniksu Land Trust’s ReWilding the Playground at Kootenai Elementary and the publication of the story and coloring book Busy Buzzy Bombus Bee, can you color what I see? by Patty Ericsson, Mary 14 / R / January 18, 2024
Toland and Hannah Combs. Visit nativeplantsociety.org/loiswythe-grant or email grant@nativeplantsociety.org to apply for the Lois Wythe Grant. Submissions are due by Thursday, Feb. 29, and winners must submit a report on the results of their project by the end of 2024. KNPS will also hold a meeting titled “Exploring Results from the Arboretum Survey: Pathways to the Possible” on Saturday, Jan. 20 to discuss the future of the organization’s beloved arboretum. The slice of nature in southwestern Sandpoint has been a staple of the community since work began in 1999, and the organization is now looking toward its next 25 years. Stop by Sandpoint Community Hall (204 S. First Ave.) at 9:30 a.m. to snack on complimentary tea, coffee and treats, and help support North Idaho’s native plants.
Just in time for the epic burst of extreme winter weather over the past week, the Kaniksu Land Trust announced the official reopening of the Pine Street Sled Hill to the public. The project has been years in the making, and included a successful community fundraising effort to protect the hill and continue its decades-long legacy of serving as an iconic community playground. The final step necessary to open the hill came with Dover’s recent approval of a low-impact use permit, clearing the way for kids and adults alike to break out their sleds Jan. 17 for a snow day off from school. There are some rules to using the hill under the permit, including a 20-vehicle limit in the parking lot, refrain from parking on Pine Street and no tubes allowed. Sleds will be available for loan for those who don’t have one. Go to kaniksu.org for more info. — Reader Staff, photo by Woods Wheatcroft
FEATURE
Hot springs people
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Hot Springs People. If you know, you know. While there aren’t any natural hot springs in our immediate region, drive a couple hours in any direction and you’ll find options. We’ve gone to Symes Hot Springs in Montana for years. While it isn’t “primitive,” a stay in Symes is like traveling back in time or, rather, far into the future after a serious calamity. This charmingly dilapidated place is just as entertaining as it is relaxing, and does somewhat resemble a post-apocalyptic fever dream. The facility is aged and unpretentious, with cheap rooms that remind you of staying overnight in some kind of old-timey health sanitarium. While they make occasional improvements, there’s nothing presumptuous about Symes. Sometimes the rooms have a bare bulb swinging from a chain in the middle of the room. Mismatched furniture and dressers clash with one another next to beds without night stands. Once, when asked to open the bathroom window to let in some fresh air, I grabbed the window yanked the entire thing out of the frame. I stood there, smiling and holding the window with plaster crumbling around me. “I love this place,” I said, carefully placing the window back into the hole. I do love that place, perhaps like a parent would love a wayward child. There are no rich snobs at Symes. No influencers or swanky bachelorette parties. It’s a simple place that, frankly, attracts some of the weirdest people I’ve ever seen. It’s like watching a Tennessee Williams play on acid, but only if the playwright spent a decade in the boontoolies of Montana taking careful notes of the demographic. Here are some of the most iconic Hot Springs People that have caught my attention over the years. The lonely ones There’s always a person who posts up in the hot pool and waits for new soakers, like a snake
clinging to the mouth of a bat cave at dusk. People arrive and step into the water, exhale that mighty sigh and, like clockwork, the lonely ones start in with their questions: “Where are you from?” “Isn’t this divine?” “What do you do for work?” They talk, they question, they tell stories. The soakers eventually leave and are replaced by more, and the lonely ones pick up right where they left off. Once, I watched a lonely one talking to a couple that gave each other the eye and stepped out to find a quieter pool, but the lonely one just kept right on talking to no one in particular for another five minutes until a new couple of soakers stepped into the hot water and wound up in the conversation mid-stream. Motormouth soakers Kissin’ cousins to the lonely ones, motormouth soakers are the ones who just can’t stop talking. From the instant you step into the pool, they assault you with observations, anecdotes, stories and nonsense. They have no ability to read body language, so it doesn’t matter if you shut your eyes, turn your back, wave your hands up in front of your face or downright glare at them, they’ll still tell you the lengthy story about that one time they got kicked out of a casino for telling the waitress, “If I were younger, you and I would have sex,” and then wondering why nobody could ever take a joke anymore. Or they’ll tell you a long, intricate story about their hiatal hernia until you inch away from them and run to the next pool. The Russians In the dozens of times I’ve been to Symes over the years, I can’t remember a single trip where there wasn’t a group of
Image created using generative AI.
An aquatic bestiary
Russians soaking in the pools. Most come from Spokane, where there is a Russian community, and since hot springs are ubiquitous in Russia, soaking has become a prevalent cultural hobby. There is a bit of a surreal quality to soaking in a pool on a cold winter’s morn surrounded by a dozen hairy, gesticulating men speaking Russian on the plains of Montana. The drunks As the sun goes down, the drunk soakers emerge like flowers that only bloom at night. They’re loud, boisterous and seemingly have no ability to moderate their volume — or behavior. They tell loud, inappropriate stories and the entire pool complex has to listen to them. They laugh and splash one another. They’re the main characters in their own play; we’re all just extras, apparently. Two wrinkly thumbs down. The Bluetooth speaker people Last time we went to Symes, my partner observed a new classification of soaker: the Bluetooth speaker people. I know these people exist in other aspects of life. Apparently it has almost
become accepted to hear people blast horrible music in public spaces. Perhaps because they’re allergic to headphones or politeness, these people find nothing wrong with playing their speakers for everyone to hear. The offending couple at Symes was actually playing a religious broadcast full of fire and brimstone, which was emphasized by the actual smell of sulfur coming from the mineral water.
The damn kids There are always kids running around the pools, squawking and shrieking as they splash from one pool to another. Their parents either check out completely, letting them run wild like goats in the yard, or shout curses and admonitions to them. Recently, we watched one family with some amusement as the mother kept badgering the kids to “be careful,” as they ignored her completely, running erratically around the pools. This was during the first real snowstorm of the year and there was ice everywhere. I couldn’t completely relax, seeing these small children out of the corner of my eye slipping and sliding all over the place. One woman, a salty local, said, “You all won’t be smiling when he busts his head open and bleeds in the pool so they have to close it down and clean it.” I don’t know whether she was more concerned with having to exit the pool early than having a 7-year-old child split open their head, but I agreed with her with a silent nod. The PDA couple Bow-chicka-bow-bow. Randy PDA couples at the hot springs are always a bit awkward. They sit, staring longingly into each other’s eyes, caressing each other and
whispering sweet nothings into their wet, hard-boiled egg-smelling ears. They gently massage each other’s necks and cuddle, cooing words of love and foreplay. They wrap their legs around one another and smooch little kisses. It doesn’t exactly make me feel uncomfortable to see this, but I do feel like I should put a dollar bill in their bathing suits sometimes. The heavy sighers It’s almost involuntary to let out an exhalation of relief when first dipping into a hot pool at Symes, but the heavy sighers take it a step too far. Every few seconds, you’ll hear the emission of their deep sighs — bordering on moans — rubbing their faces loudly and shaking their heads like dogs after swimming in the lake. I feel a bit like Larry David being annoyed with another person’s sighs, but sometimes I just want to yell, “Come on already, enough with the sighing. We get it, it’s hot water.” Those are called intrusive thoughts, though, so I’ll have to be content sitting and listening to their groans of pleasure. The quiet normal ones Finally, rare as a three-legged ballerina, there are the quiet, normal people who just come to the hot springs to soak and breathe. If they talk to one another, they whisper. They aren’t concerned with sharing their conversations with others. They don’t ask the people sitting next to them where they’re from, what they do or the airspeed of an unladen swallow is. They tell no stories about running from the police or injecting Adderall into their neck. They just chill out and soak. It’s a wonderful thing. It’s truly another world at Symes Hot Springs. If you don’t come for the hot water, come to watch the parade of weirdos in mismatched bathrobes, trudging to and from their rooms to the hot pools, ready to tell you everything. January 18, 2024 / R / 15
GAMING
Dice games for the people
Four ways to pass the time
By Ben Olson Reader Staff If I had my way, every drinking establishment in America would have a set of dice behind the bar. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve passed the time throwing dice in bars, on the side of the road while hitchhiking, waiting for noodles to arrive in Vietnam and on airplane tray tables, winging across some expanse of ocean at 30,000 feet. My partner Cadie sews little pouches with six dice tucked inside, and always has a set on her when we’re out and about. We stayed up at Schweitzer over Christmas and found ourselves shooting dice on Christmas Eve at the St. Bernard, making new friends and having a blast. Dice are the oldest gaming implements known to man, with archeologists finding traces of misshapen animal bones from 7,000-5,000 B.C.E. and six-sided bones by 3,000 B.C.E. Early humans used knucklebones, sourced from the ankles of hooved animals. Ancient Norse people cast chips with runes on them and made prognostications depending on how the runes lay. Early dice were likely used for this same purpose, with many believing the dice fell a certain way due to some divine intervention. It wasn’t until the 16th century when concepts of randomness were conceived that dice falling a certain way became more of a mathematical probability instead of the whim of supernatural forces. Today, as we throw the bones, we aren’t just trying our luck at the casino or passing the time, we are connecting with our ancient ancestors over the millennia. Here are a few games that have served me well over the years. 10,000 Some call this game Farkle, but not at my table. You roll six dice and check for ones and fives, three-of-a-kinds, straights or “boxcars” to earn points. Set aside any scoring dice that you want to save and reroll the remaining dice to try and score more points during your turn. You can end your turn by choosing to stop and adding the points you’ve accumulated to your total. If no dice score, your turn ends and you get zero for the round. If you roll all six dice and score, pick them all up and continue rolling. The first player to 10,000 wins the game. 16 / R / January 18, 2024
Above: Ancient dice found in Greece made from knucklebones from 500-300 B.C.E. Right: The perfect roll in 1-4-24. Courtesy photo. A single five is worth 50 points and a single one is worth 100 points. Three-of-akinds are worth the face value times 100. For example, three twos is 200 points, three threes is 300, three fives is 500. The only variance is rolling three ones, which is worth 1,000 points. If you roll four-of-a-kind, the points double; so four threes is 600 and four fives is 1,000. Five-of-a-kind is doubled again, and so on. A straight from one to six earns you 1,500 points and a “boxcar” is three pairs, such as two-two, three-three and six-six, which is worth 2,500. You have to have one dice set aside to stop your turn and take the points. The hurdle is you have to earn 1,000 points in one turn to start scoring for the first time. After that, you can take as many or as few points as you like to climb up to 10,000. Sometimes, we play “stealsies,” but you have to agree upon this variation with your fellow players or there might be fisticuffs. In “stealsies,” when you leave dice unrolled and take your points, the next player has the option of picking up those dice and rolling from the amount that you banked. So if you take 350 points after rolling four ones and one five (in separate rolls), there are two dice left over. The next player can either take all the dice and start at zero, or roll just those two and start at 350. If they roll a single one, their score is 450, which they can bank, or continue rolling. You have to reach 10,000 exactly to win. If you go over, or have dice that still score, you bust and return to your existing score until your next turn. So if you’re at 9,800, you have to roll 200 points exactly. If you roll two ones and a single five, your score is 250 and you bust back to 9,800 and give up your turn.
1-4-24 This is a great game my friend Tim taught us while having a beer at the Captain’s Table one sunny afternoon. It’s a perfect game for when you don’t have a pen and paper to keep score. You use six dice and the goal of the game is to roll a one, four and four sixes for the perfect score of 24. You need to roll a one and four to score, and the remaining dice are counted to reach that score. You must remove at least one die on every roll. If the first player rolls a one, four, six, three, two and four, a good starting point would be to take the one and four so you can score, then the six because it’s the highest. Pick up the three, two and four, and reroll. If the final roll is one, four, six, six, four and five, the score would be 6 + 6 + 4 + 5 = 21. Then you pass the dice and your opponent(s) try to beat that score. If they tie, it’s a roll-off. In one turn of however many players, whoever gets the highest number wins a point. First to three points wins the game. Dead Man’s Dice Bonus points if you play this one on the water with a pirate’s hat on. You roll six dice for this one. You don’t want fives or twos. If any fives or twos are in your roll, remove them and score zero, then continue to roll. If you roll and none of the dice are fives or twos, count up the points and continue rolling. Roll until you are left with one die, which adds to your score until you roll a five or two and go out. Write down your score and pass the dice. First player to 50 or 100 wins. Two Mouth Dice This is our own invention, which we created while back-
packing at Two Mouth Lakes. There was a perfect flat piece of granite in the sun and we sat around in a circle to play, only to find we only brought two dice. Instead of giving up, we created our own game and it’s a pretty good one, if you ask me. You roll two dice, three times. You can remove one die and reroll it, but only once per three rolls. You count up the dice on each roll and your final score is the cumulative of all three turns. You receive two bonus points at the end of your three rolls if you don’t remove a die and reroll it. For example, if your first roll is four and six, your score is 10. If your second roll is one and five, your score would be 16 (10 + 6). Finally, if your third roll is two and five, your final score is 25 (10 + 6 + 7 + 2 bonus points because you didn’t reroll). The second scenario is just the same, with the first roll of four and six giving you 10 points. Second roll is one and five, but you elect to reroll the one, which falls as a four, making your score 19 (10 + 9). Third roll is two and five, giving you a final score of 26 (10 + 9 + 7 = 25). You receive no bonus because you rerolled. If you roll snake eyes, you get to add the two points to your score and earn a free reroll. If you score the same as one of your opponents, you go to a rolloff in which you roll one die at the same time. Whomever’s is the highest wins. We usually play first to win three games takes the cheese.
Left: Snake eyes, normally a poor roll in most dice games, actually earns the player a free reroll in Two Mouth Dice. Courtesy photo.
GAMING
2023 game of the year: Baldur’s Gate 3
Screenshots from ‘Baldur’s Gate 3.’ Courtesy images. By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Contributor I never played any Dungeons & Dragons as a kid, but I always wished I did. When I rolled that famous 20-sided die for the first time, I was already in my 20s, and D&D was on its now-famous fifth edition — the world’s most popular tabletop roleplaying game. But that was hardly my first adventure using the iconic game system. A full decade earlier, I learned the rules, concepts, races and classes of D&D — then still running its Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition system — through BioWare’s Baldur’s Gate trilogy of PC games. One of the most acclaimed and influential role-playing video game series of all time, Baldur’s Gate set a high bar following the release of its climactic third chapter, Throne of Bhaal, in 2001. Critics praised the trilogy for its exceptional writing, compelling storytelling and clever adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons rules. And it’s easy to underestimate the difficulty of that last achievement. How do you take a game system as big as the human imagination, with the potential to tell any story and accommodate any player choice, and impose the limitations of a video game on it? As it turned out, BioWare’s Baldur’s Gate trilogy pulled it off quite well. So it’s all the more remarkable that Baldur’s Gate 3 — released 22 years later by a different development team at Larian Studios — does it even better. Who would
have thought that a classic computer RPG, played primarily from an isometric top-down perspective with turn-based combat, would be rightly acclaimed as the best video game in the Year of Our Lord 2023 — a year packed with excellent titles, no less? So what makes Baldur’s Gate 3 so extraordinary? For starters, it ditches the cumbersome real-time combat system of the original trilogy, which often devolved into a chaotic mess despite the ability to pause the action and issue orders to your party. In its place is an elegant turn-based system rich with tactical possibilities. It also represents Larian’s commitment to its game design vision. Turn-based gameplay, with player and enemy action order determined by initiative dice rolls, is truer to the Dungeons & Dragons experience, but it’s a design choice most corporate game studios have rejected as commercially unpopular. But the simple replacement of a combat system wouldn’t be enough to explain why Baldur’s Gate 3 is an unparalleled success. Hell, Baldur’s Gate 3 offers options to avoid many of its fights. And that is a part of why Baldur’s Gate 3 is such an achievement. Put simply: It’s a role-player’s dream. To date, I’ve played three Baldur’s Gate 3 campaigns: one with a single-player party, a multiplayer party with my friends, and another single-player party built with different characters and classes. Every one of those three campaigns has played out in remarkably
different ways. Baldur’s Gate 3 might be the most reactive game to player choice I’ve ever played. Nearly every story beat, whether integral to the main plot or not, permutates based on decisions both big and small. And nearly every obstacle or challenge permits several ways to overcome it. Maybe a good persuasion skill and a lucky D20 roll will help you talk your way out of it. Or use the robust stealth system to sneak your way around it. Have a high strength ability score or a spell that improves your jumping ability? Perhaps you can avoid the situation entirely with one titanic leap. Failing all that, you can always carve through it with cold steel. It’s impossible to capture the labor of love that is Baldur’s Gate 3 in 600 words. I haven’t even touched on the magnificent writing, storytelling, characterization or faithful recreation of D&D 5th Edition’s primary races and classes, all of which change your characters’ appearances, dialogue options, and capabilities and are reflected in the game’s innumerable cutscenes and dialogue sequences. Baldur’s Gate 3 is the ultimate adaptation of the tabletop role-playing experience, and that’s probably the highest praise one can give it. The game might not be as infinite as the human imagination, but it feels like it could be. Cameron Rasmusson is editor emeritus of the Sandpoint Reader. January 18, 2024 / R / 17
events
January 18 - 25, 2024
Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com THURSDAY, January 18 Sip and Shop for FSPW 4-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery A percentage of proceeds will be donated to Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness
Letters Aloud 7:30pm @ Panida Theater From humble beginnings to adoring fans to looking back on achievements, chart the course of fame through correspondence from people like Stephen King, Andy Worhol, Elvis, Tom Hanks and more. $10/$35
Game Night 7pm @ Tervan Tavern Bingo Night 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
FriDAY, January 19
Live Music w/ Devon Wade Live Music w/ Sheldon Packwood Live Music w/ Heat Speak 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Sandpoint country artist Live music, BBQ & beer, the perfect trio A global, indie-folk sound Live Music w/ Mike Wagoner Live Music w/ Headwaters Karaoke Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs and Utah John 5:30-8pm @ Matchwood Brewing 8pm @ Tervan Tavern 7-9pm @ Baxter’s 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Banff Mt. Film Festival Live Music w/ Runaway Symphony 7pm @ Panida Theater 8:45pm @ The Hive The Banff World Tour celebrates amazing achievements in Folk rock. No cover outdoor storytelling and filmmaking worldwide. Enjoy this Live Music w/ Jake Robin fresh collection of touring films. Tickets at panida.org. 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
SATURDAY, January 20
Live Music w/ Mason Van Stone 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Rock / alternative Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 5-8pm @ 1908 Saloon Karaoke 8pm @ Tervan Tavern
Banff Mt. Film Festival 7pm @ Panida Theater Tickets at panida.org Live Music w/ Kosh 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Pop, classic, rock
Live Music w/ Jason Perry 5-8pm @ Barrell 33
KNPS Meeting 10am @ Sandpoint Community Hall What pathways should the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum take? Presentation and membership meeting for the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalepeño’s Up close magic shows at the table
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “The Matrix of Jesus” Tipsy Trivia Tuesday 5:30-7:20pm @ The Back Door First glass regular price, second $5
Open Mic Night 6pm @ Tervan Tavern
Game Night 7pm @ Tervan Tavern 18 / R / January 18, 2024
Live Music w/ Steven Wayne 7-9pm @ Baxter’s
Live Music w/ The Hot Cheetos 6pm @ Idaho Pour Authority The Forge Artisan Pizza Pop-up 4pm @ Smokesmith BBQ Wood-fired pizzas topped with smoked meats. Beer/wine pairings with each pizza.
SunDAY, January 21
Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am
Live Music w/ John Firshi 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Live Music w/ The Groove Black 9pm @ 219 Lounge
Banff Mt. Film Festival 6pm @ Panida Theater Tickets at panida.org
monDAY, January 22
Outdoor Experience Group Run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome
Karaoke 8pm @ Tervan Tavern
Trivia Night 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
tuesDAY, January 23
wednesDAY, January 24
The Paradise Paradox Documentary Film 5:30pm @ Panida Theater A documentary film that deals with mental health in mountain towns. FREE.
Live Piano Music w/ Bob Beadling 5-7pm @Pend d’Oreille Winery
ThursDAY, January 25
Bingo Night 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Search for raptors and track other wildlife in the Sandpoint area By Reader Staff
A group of cold-weather adventurers will gather Saturday, Jan. 20 for a Sandpoint area backcountry class on searching for raptors and tracking other animals. The class will meet at 9 a.m. at the southwest corner of the parking lot of the Samuel’s store and gas station (located 12 miles north of Sandpoint at 486260 Hwy. 95), then proceed inside to the Blue Heron Cafe, where attendees will have coffee and go over the basics of searching for raptors, as described in the winter 2024 edition of Sandpoint Magazine article, entitled “Winter Raptor Ramblings.” Participants will be scoping for waterfowl, woodpeckers, songbirds and shorebirds. In addition, they will discuss what organizers call the “essence of animal tracking and sign interpretation.” After a session of about 30 minutes, the class will begin its field exploration with road tours, short walks and stops at convenient observation points. The class wraps up around 3 p.m. Participants should come prepared with full gas tanks, proper layered winter clothing, winter boots, water, lunch, snacks, bird and track field guides, binoculars, spotting scopes and a good sense of humor. Snowshoes and ski poles are optional. Organized into small groups, the class will seek to enhance individual attention by the instructor and facilitate hassle free parking, though some participants may be asked to truck-pool in four-wheel-drive vehicles. The class is reserved for adults only, and no pets are allowed. The physical activity will be “light to moderate,” with senior citizens in “average condition” welcome, according to organizers. All participants must register to attend, and can do so by emailing b_baxter53@yahoo. com or calling guide Brian Baxter at 406-291-2154.
GAMING
2023 game of the year: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
The mark of an incredible game is the ability to return to it in different moods and stages of life and have the experience be as exhilarating as the first time it was played. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has just that. The open-world fantasy game is the crowning jewel of Nintendo and the Zelda franchise, which began in 1986. The protagonist, Link, journeys across the land of Hyrule to stamp out evil and solve the mystery of scientist and fellow-adventurer Princess Zelda’s disappearance. Along the way, players must solve hundreds of puzzles, battle monsters and make allies among seven unique peoples. Also, there’s a fair bit of arson involved. The size of the open world is a feat in itself. Players soar between floating islands; explore the cities, ecosystems and hidden caves, tunnels, sandpits and whirlpools of the main map; and lose themselves in an alien underworld reminiscent of Journey to the Center of the Earth. Combining nearly endless adventure with gorgeous music and graphics and a plotline that breaks your heart and inspires you to pummel the 10,000-yearold embodiment of evil in a fit of rage at four in the morning — ahem, not that I’m speaking from experience — Tears of the Kingdom is a game people will be playing until the inevitable heat death of the universe. Nintendo released TotK’s predecessor Breath of the Wild in 2017; and, given the game’s popularity, it didn’t take long for rumors of a sequel to spread. It wasn’t until 2019 that the first teaser trailer dropped, and TotK finally took over the world in May 2023. It was technically finished in 2022; however, Nintendo delayed the release to perfect it. I spent six long years — half of high school and all of my undergraduate degree — feeling anticipation akin to someone scratching off the final number
on a winning lottery ticket. TotK did not disappoint. CNN estimates that it takes between 50 to 60 hours to complete the main quest, and more than 100 hours to experience everything the game has to offer. After too many weekends spent munching gummy worms and foregoing things like food, water and sunlight, I can say that that’s a conservative estimate. I still find hidden gems in Breath of the Wild, and I’m sure TotK will be the same. Part of the longevity stems from the player’s ability to build almost anything. Link can collect and combine everything from planks of wood to flamethrowers to create traps, motorcycles and flaming, laser-filled airplanes of destruction. I reiterate: arson. Fans have used this new power for evil, spending hundreds of hours creating elaborate death-traps for Koroks — cute forest spirits scattered around Hyrule that periodically ask for a lift to visit their friends. Players must also use common sense — or not — to create their own weapons by adhering precious stones, monster parts or food to any branch or rusty sword they find lying around. Rubies give weapons fire powers, while mushrooms make them bouncy, which isn’t helpful at all. Rolling Stone said, “Addressing every complaint leveled at its predecessor, turning up everything else to 11, and tripling down on the core philosophy of discovery, Nintendo has created what might be its magnum opus.” TotK sold more than 10 million copies in the first three days of its release and likely increased Japan’s gross domestic product by 2.8%, according to Mainichi Shimbun via Forbes.
Metacritic, which consolidates critics’ reviews, stated that TotK received “universal acclaim.” Thus far, it’s won seven coveted awards from institutions like the Golden Joystick Awards, and was declared “Game of the Year” by the likes of IGN, Edge, Game Informer, Giant Bomb, Destructoid, ComicBook.com and Polygon. Five of their additional 18 nominations remain pending. Such is the beauty of Nintendo — anyone over 10 and under 200 years old will love Tears of the Kingdom. It won’t be tossed aside as technology advances; because, when the novelty of its innovative gameplay and animation wears off, its core philosophies of exploration, experimentation and the importance of community will still speak to players the world over.
Princess Zelda investigates the evil “gloom.” Image courtesy of Nintendo. January 18, 2024 / R / 19
COMMUNITY
Kaniksu Community Health announces new behavioral health clinic By Reader Staff
Kaniksu Community Health is adding to its local offerings with the announcement Jan. 16 that it will create a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic program. Paid for with a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the new clinic will serve Bonner and Boundary counties. The program is designed to expand the range of mental health and substance use services KCH already provides — especially geared toward individuals who have the most complex needs. According to KCH, Idahoans report more frequent days of poor mental health than the average for residents in other states, and have the
20 / R / January 18, 2024
fifth-highest suicide rate in the nation. Meanwhile, Bonner and Boundary counties report the second-highest rate of suicide in Idaho, and both are designated as “official mental health provider shortage areas” — a shortage that has only grown with rapid population increases in recent years. “Our goal is to lead the charge in providing comprehensive mental health services for our community. This project is guided by nine service elements, including crisis mental health services; patient-centered treatment planning; psychiatric rehabilitation services; intensive mental health care for active and retired military; and peer support, counseling and family support,” KCH CEO Kevin Knepper stated in the announcement.
“Most importantly, the program will improve access to mental health services in our community, provide a new level of care and raise the bar for what high-quality, evidence-based care looks like,” he added. The expanded services will be made available to patients whether they are insured, underinsured and regardless of their ability to pay. Noting the shortage of women’s health services in the community, KCH will also leverage the program to focus on meeting the medical and mental health needs of pregnant women and women of child-bearing age, focusing on substance abuse, anxiety, depression and suicide. “We recognize that this four-year project will be challenging,” stated
Knepper, “and our first challenge will be finding the right talent to help us make a difference. Of particular need is filling the shortage of qualified behavioral health therapists. Our hope is that by building this new program, we will be able to attract knowledgeable and experienced staff to help ensure the success of the project.” KCH has begun hiring staff, working with community partners to determine needs and designing space for the needed expansion. Current available positions include behavioral health (LCPC and LCSW) and substance abuse providers, certified medical assistants, case managers and other roles. Get more info on open positions at kchni.org/careers.
MUSIC
What do Led Zeppelin, Leonard Nimoy and Joni Mitchell have in common? J.R.R. Tolkien’s influence on the music industry
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
The experienced cinephile, or anyone who was a teenage girl in 2013, will be familiar with Howard Shore’s astounding soundtracks to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, as well as Ed Sheeran’s hit “I See Fire.” Setting aside the hours of music written specifically for adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, Middle Earth has inspired generations of musicians to write fantasy instrumental, classic rock and even heavy metal songs. The drug-fueled ’70s — the same decade as Tolkien’s death — saw a massive spike in Middle Earth-related music. Perhaps the most famous songs are a trio off of Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album: “The Battle of Evermore,” “Misty Mountain Hop” and “Ramble On.” All three reference iconic figures like the creature Gollum and the Ringwraiths — though, frankly, the latter is the only one in which Robert Plant doesn’t sound like he’s whining about a stomach ache. Sorry to all the diehard “Led heads.” According to The Rough Guide to Led Zeppelin by Nigel Williamson, “Misty Mountain Hop” uses imagery from The
Hobbit to sing about a 1968 rally to legalize marijuana in the U.K. “Ramble On,” on the other hand, asks the question: What would you do if your girlfriend ran off with a toothless, half-naked man? Meanwhile, Black Sabbath was recording “The Wizard” for its first album — which Geezer Butler based on Tolkien’s Gandalf, according to Rolling Stone. If he conflated the kindly wizard with the band’s dealer, well, they say, “Write what you know.” Five years later the rock band Rush penned the ballad “Rivendell” about the fictional elfin city, which proved to be an underwhelming addition to its second studio album Fly by Night. Though one could argue that the Orcs of Mordor and young, rebellious hobbits would listen to rock, artists like Joni Mitchell produced music that blends stylistically with the idyllic landscapes of Middle Earth. While introducing her song “I Think I Understand” at a 1969 concert, Mitchell revealed that the elf-queen Galadriel inspired her delicate musings on fear and hope. “When the travelers came to her kingdom before they had to venture off into very dangerous places and everything, she gave them a vial of light and she said,
‘Take this vial and whenever you’re in a dark place take it out.’ Well, being into metaphors a lot myself I decided that what she probably was giving them was a memory of a beautiful time and with that interpretation and her hope and her memory,” said Mitchell, according to her official website. Unlike Led Zeppelin, Mitchell only borrowed the phrase “the wilderland” from Tolkien, rather than making more explicit references. Pink Floyd got in on the action when Syd Barrett — who later left the band due to psychedelic drug use and probable mental health issues — wrote a two-minute song titled “The Gnome,” about a gnome named Grimble Grumble. Though it doesn’t make explicit reference to Tolkien, many have speculated that the song takes inspiration from The Hobbit, which likewise depicts a small, food-loving man who goes on a grand adventure. Is it a stretch? Maybe, but it’s undoubtedly worth a listen. Last and certainly least is the 1968 song “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins,” performed by Mr.
Leonard Nimoy performs “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” on the variety show Malibu U. Courtesy image. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy. The painful novelty song details the entire plot of The Hobbit, beginning with the lines “In the Middle of the Earth, in the land of Shire / Lives a brave little hobbit whom we all admire.” In the documentary For the Love of Spock, Nimoy’s son reveals that the actor wanted to show a different side of himself, separate from his reserved character on Star Trek. It certainly shattered that illusion. Musicians continue to draw inspiration from these groundbreaking fantasy novels, though in more melodious and less hilarious ways. I can only hope for a resurgence akin to the ’70s, wherein Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga release new, psychedelic interpretations of Tolkien’s legendarium.
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint The Ronaldos, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Jan. 26 Blues, jazz and rock duo The Ronaldos are on a mission to spread love throughout their community with positive original music. Guitarist and vocalist Ron Criscione joined the Spokane music scene in 1978, bringing a sophisticated sound to his unique compositions, as well as covers from more than 100 different artists. He plays alongside bassist, guitarist and vocalist Ray Younker, whose
background in jazz and R&B has seen him through a successful, 40-year career in the industry. With over 80 years of combined experience, this refined duo curates the perfect atmosphere for a relaxing evening spent sipping wine. — Soncirey Mitchell 5-8 p.m., FREE, Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St., powine.com.
Mason Van Stone, MickDuff’s Beer Hall, Jan. 20 Some musical acts seem to defy geography. Mason Van Stone is based in Spokane, but for some reason has the feel of a Sandpoint local. Meanwhile, his sound is a blend of easygoing alternative folk-rock and soul mingled with R&B and given a reggae inflection — all while clearly bearing an Inland Northwest pedigree. Call it mountain town rasta? We don’t really know why or how, but it just sounds like it belongs here. And that’s to say nothing of just how smooth and polished Van
Stone’s sound really is. For real, any of his tracks seem like they could be ready for big-time airplay any day now. Some people call him “up and coming” — we agree, and are even happier that he’s coming to Sandpoint for a set at MickDuff’s Beer Hall on Saturday, Jan. 20. — Zach Hagadone
6-9 p.m., FREE. MickDuff’s Beer Hall 220 Cedar St., 208-209-6700, mickduffs.com. Listen at masonvanstone.bandcamp.com and at soundcloud.com.
This week’s RLW by Soncirey Mitchell
READ
The legend of haunted houses dates back at least to Pliny the Younger and the early days of the Roman Empire. Despite the long history of these harrowing stories, no one captures the essence of the trope quite like Shirley Jackson in her novel The Haunting of Hill House — and no, the movies and TV show don’t hold a candle to it. Published in 1959, Jackson’s gothic masterpiece embodies the then-controversial evolution of women’s role in society from ’50s housewives to the relative freedom of the ’60s. Don’t read this one after dark.
LISTEN
Singer-songwriter Remi Wolf has taken the genre of “bedroom pop” — also called lofi music — blended it seamlessly with a dash of funk and made her own psychedelic, technicolor dream-sound. My favorite songs are undoubtedly “Sexy Villain” and “Liz,” but listen at your own risk. These earworms had me hitting the replay button a few hundred times and inspired spontaneous, embarrassing dancing.
WATCH
I’m a sucker for light-hearted detective shows, and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is one of the best. Phryne Fisher is a wealthy socialite with keen powers of observation and a golden, pearl-handled pistol — a scandalously modern woman for 1920s Melbourne, Australia. Inspired by a tragic past and her years spent working as a nurse during WWI, the lady-detective and her found family solve Australia’s most puzzling murders with the reluctant help of straight-laced Detective Inspector Jack Robinson. Stream it on Amazon Prime. January 18, 2024 / R / 21
BACK OF THE BOOK
Sister of Eve From Northern Idaho News, January 19, 1912
FINLANDER KILLED BY FLYING LOG Henry Smith, a Finlander in the employ of the A.C. White Lumber company of Laclede, was struck in the head by a log and instantly killed as he walked by the side of the log chute near Camp No. 2 early Saturday morning. The body was shipped to this city Saturday evening and was taken care of by Undertaker Brower. Early Saturday morning Smith and four other companions from Camp No. 2 were instructed to take shovels and go by the way of the “towpath” to the logging railroad where they were to clear the snow off the tracks. Instead of obeying instructions the men started for the railroad by the way of the logging chute, in single file, Smith in the rear. When the men had gone some distance one of them happened to notice that Smith was not in sight. After waiting for a few minutes for their companion to show up they turned back to find him. Life was extinct in Smith’s body when it was found by the side of the chute. He had been struck in the head by a log which had jumped the chute and death must have been instantaneous. The accident occurred shortly after 7 o’clock in the morning. A search was made of the personal effects of Smith in order that some knowledge of the whereabouts of his home or relatives might be learned, but the deceased had no papers which gave the desired information. Smith had been in the employ of the A.C. White Lumber company just 14 days. 22 / R / January 18, 2024
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff Nana made our clothes until her hands couldn’t hold the thread. She dedicated her downstairs living room to the craft: pins and needles scattered across three tables, streams of colorful fabric cascading down shelves and her, there, in the center. The cloudy white curls of her hair shone as they floated through the whirlwind of color. My family wore the skill of her artistry like a living gallery, which traveled to jobs and schools and park benches. She was everywhere; she was a housewife; she was everywhere. Even after she passed, the colors of her fabric shone in the rose petals that fell from our grieving hands. Nana taught me that the best place to buy fabric is a women’s clothing store. When I walk through the racks of Eve’s Leaves, I can hear the clatter of coat hangers from when she used to pile shirts, pants and dresses into my arms. “Guh,” she would say when she found the perfect one. “This dress has the most awful waistline, and Nana needs all the help she can get there.” On the wall outside, a mural of a tree with a single, solitary apple extends from sidewalk to roof. It can’t be plucked — it already was, in the beginning, and so Eve sewed her first clothes with the sweet taste between her teeth. Crematoriums burn bodies with their clothes still on — usually the clothes the dead arrive in, but sometimes in outfits specially chosen for the occasion. Nana died in a one-size-fits-all hospital gown and was burned in a cardboard box. I don’t know if they clothed her in mod-
esty and somber tones like Mother Mary quietly awaiting her ascension. If they did, she felt relief when the fire consumed the costume and left her body naked, as Eve had been in the beginning. She had always been a sister of Eve in a world that only valued Mary’s son. When the religion of her husband told her to love and obey, she became a housewife who refused to learn to cook. She couldn’t watch her artistry descend into the dark of a stomach; instead, she stitched pride into every article of clothing, and it was well deserved. At Nana’s funeral, the pastor stood before a church of mourners and reminded us that it is because of Eve we are all fallen and undeserving of redemption. “You will see Nana again if you accept the Lord.” He dressed Nana in the language of his religion like ill-fitting clothes made from a pattern for all dead women over 80. He talked about the two husbands that she “cherished in life” with generic and tasteless charisma. He didn’t mention the abuse the family endured at the hands of the first. There was no acknowledgment of the homemade shirts that covered bruises of purple, yellow and green, which mocked the joy of the fabric. He certainly never said that the second man to share her home wasn’t her husband at all — but, of course, he might not have been told that Nana chose financial independence over holy matrimony. Throughout the service, all I heard was Nana making fun of the picture they chose to represent her on stage. “Who’s that old woman and where’s all her hair gone?” the 92-year-old would ask. Silently, I said, “How does the urn suit
STR8TS Solution
Sudoku Solution
your waistline, Nana?” We both agreed that it was wonderfully slimming. Her son didn’t attend the ceremony. He said his goodbyes a month before to a mind lost to Alzheimer’s and a body lost to infection. Before he left, he told her he loved her the only way he knew she’d understand. “Mom, you’re a lousy cook.” She breathed her last as laughter fell from cracked lips. They carved the name “Elene” into the stone of her grave. Elene, sister of Effie and Edna and Eleanor and Erna, daughter of Ernest. If I put Eve’s name among them, will Nana smile from her haunt beside the discount rack? In the downtown mural, the sunshine strips the color from the apple, the rain carries paint chips to the gutter and, little by little, the image fades. The tale of a lost, naked perfection fades with it, leaving behind the clothing to be made and remade.
Crossword Solution
Warning to all outer-space guys: You can capture me and put me in your “space zoo” if you like, but I will sit way in the back of my cage, where it’s hard to see me. And when I do come out, I won’t be wearing any pants.
Solution on page 22
Solution on page 22
By Bill Borders
en masse /ahn MAS/
Woorf tdhe Week
[adverb] 1. all together; as a whole.
“After the paper is sent to the printer, the Reader staff moves en masse to the 219 Lounge for after-work drinks.” Corrections: Zilch.
CROSSWORD
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
Laughing Matter
ACROSS 1. Quizzes 6. Alliance 10. Farm soil 14. Earth tone 15. Teller of untruths 16. Abbey area 17. Courtroom event 18. Initial wager 19. French for “Head” 20. Litheness 22. Journey 23. Durable wood 24. Cloudless 26. Germinate 30. Direct 32. Legal setting 33. Economics expert 37. Mimicked 38. Go-between 39. Double-reed woodwind 40. Beleaguering 42. Parenthetical comment 43. Sound of any kind 44. Goods gone overboard 45. Monk’s monotone 47. Distant 48. Voucher 49. Precisely 56. Hindu princess 57. Playthings 58. Leg bone 59. Therefore 60. Ages
Solution on page 22 61. Enlist 62. Biblical garden 63. Declare untrue 64. Rock
DOWN 1. Kiddies 2. Beige 3. Boat 4. Snare 5. No tickets left 6. Empty 7. Queue 8. Horse feed 9. Curved shape
10. Most recent 11. Drama set to classical music 12. Daisylike bloom 13. Docile 21. Consume food 25. Fifth sign of the zodiac 26. Sign of healing 27. Catholic head 28. Regrets 29. Religious promotion 30. View 31. Chinese dynasty 33. Sponsorship 34. Nile bird
35. Fizzy drink 36. Abound 38. Excited 41. Anagram of “One” 42. Oxygenates 44. Cookie container 45. Large-leafed beet 46. Door pivot 47. Fastidious 48. Algonquian Indian 50. The central part 51. Greenish blue 52. Hue 53. River in Spain 54. King of the jungle 55. Harvard rival
January 18, 2024 / R / 23
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COFFEE ROASTERS
3 TIME GOOD FOOD AWARD WINNER & 2024 FINALIST