Reader january19 2017

READER Sandpoint • Ponderay • Bonners Ferry • Clark Fork • Hope • Sagle • Priest River • Newport

January 19, 2017 |

FREE | Vol. 14 Issue 3

, m i h e t a h r o m i h e Lov

#45

Deputies recovering after shooting • Selle Valley planning meeting raises concerns Scott punishment provokes fallout • Mr. Rasmusson goes to Washington (and covers the inauguration)

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Taylor Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover), Lori Reid, Nth Power Music, Susan Drinkard, Wildwood Grilling, BCHS, Marlin Thorman, Cameron Rasmusson, NASA, BCSO, SASi Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Scarlette Quille, Ellen Weissman, Crystal Rosenau, Nick Gier, Brenden Bobby, Cate Huisman, Danya Rumore, Marcia Pilgeram.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

(wo)MAN compiled by

Susan Drinkard

on the street

Are you going to watch the inauguration? Why or why not?

“Absolutely, because I voted for him. I wanted someone who is not a politician, who is for the country, and because he cannot be bought.”

Jeri Done Caretaker Samuels

“Yes. I watch all the inaugurations because they are a part of history. I want to see it firsthand.”

Bashful Dan Young Deejay Kootenai

Subscription Price: $95 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 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

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

About the Cover This week’s cover features a photo illustration compiled by Ben Olson, featuring all 44 of the past and present U.S. presidents, as well as a drawing of our incoming 45th President, Donald Trump.

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You can really tell a lot about a person by where they decide to take their vacation. Personally, I’m planning to get out of the country for a whole month in March to visit Vietnam and Cambodia with my girlfriend - we’re getting as far away from cell phones, politics and angry Americans as possible. I can’t wait.

On the other hand, Reader editor Cameron Rasmusson has chosen to take his two weeks’ vacation in a wholly different environment. Some would even call it the “belly of the beast.” Yes, our intrepid editor has chosen to vacation in lovely Washington, D.C. to cover the inauguration of President-elect Trump, as well as the Woman’s March the following day.

With Cameron gone for a couple of issues, you typo-seekers might have to be a little more forgiving with me. If you thought this newspaper was hard to put together with just two of us in the editorial department, with just one in the office for two weeks, it should be downright entertaining. I’m hoping for the best and expecting the worse. Fair warning.

Fun fact: Two years ago today, a foolhardy man and his meager staff began resurrecting this newspaper from the dead. Yes, that’s right, the Sandpoint Reader turns two years old today. Like many two-year-olds, we’re loud, immature and mostly full of sh-t.

Just kidding (about being loud and immature).

I’ve learned so much in two years. I’ve learned how to be a member of a community. I’ve learned to put my ego in check whenever it gets out of control.

I’ve learned that people are hungry for another voice in town - a voice that speaks to the heart of issues that are often glossed over or wholly disregarded in other publications because it might be controversial or unpleasant to read.

Mostly, I’ve learned that no matter how hard you try, you can’t please everyone.

I remember one week, early on, when I received an email telling me we were too liberal, one telling me we were too conservative, and a third saying we were right down the middle. I shy away from labeling our publication as anything but an attempt to increase dialogue in a community full of views. While I always fault on the side of human rights and dignity, our news page will always be written with the utmost care and attention for journalistic ethics. It is never our goal to “change your mind” on an issue, but to provide you with information so that you may make your own choices. We hope to continue as long as you’ll have us.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

“No. I’m not into fiction.

I prefer non-fiction.”

Michael Spurgin Sandpoint

LIVE MUSIC Thursday Night Solo Series

“If I do I will watch it on HD television. I hope it all goes well. I have to pray sometimes because he’s a bit strong.”

Edward C. American Sandpoint

BRANDON WATTERSON 7-9pm

Third Fridays w/

DEVON WADE 7-10pm

HAROLD’S IGA 7-10pm

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

DEAR READERS,

“Yes. Basically because it looks like he can help the country.”

Linda Florea Retired truck driver Upper Pack River

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

255-4351

PERSPECTIVES

The Inoculant

by Lori Reid

New Year, New Excuses Another year has come. My time management skills being as they are, I haven’t made any resolutions. At this point my resolution is to make resolutions, and that’s not looking feasible at this point so...

Let’s be honest here—I have Christmas cards that still need to be sent. It’s not because I don’t want to be a normal person, with ridiculous aspirations and the ability to prioritize in a way that makes sense to others.

It’s just not part of my skill set.

Ask me to write a manifesto or ace a standardized test, I could do it in record time, but ask me to remember toilet paper and pay the water bill, and you will be waiting with a dirty ass and no water to wash it off with.

It’s not that I don’t care about other people’s asses, or schedules. It’s just I cannot decide what is more important in the moment: toilet paper, the cat video, the screaming kid or painting a picture. It’s called ADD, and I’m sorry, if I could change it I would.

It’s not an excuse, it’s just who I am. You may have to remind me to eat or sleep, but I can recall with a freaky amount of accuracy information I’ve read or heard. It’s complicated.

It’s very hard to explain this, and even harder to explain to those I’ve left with dirty asses. I am working on it and I’m sorry.

Society dictates that we apologize for inconveniencing others, and often times the apology is not enough we also have to come up with a reason for our missed deadline or late party arrival. This is awkward for someone in my situation because the truth is so ridiculous that it seems like an excuse.

Let me explain: I will tell you this with absolute certainty, I am late eight out of ten times

to any given function or responsibility because I have lost my keys. I cannot tell people this all the time, mostly because they already want to kill me and they are asking—no begging—me to come up with something better than “I lost my keys.” In reality, there is no one on earth more pissed at me for losing my keys than me. So I will say something neutral like: “my car wouldn’t start” and at least one of us can feel better.

I don’t want to do that anymore. I just want to say, “I’m late, I’m sorry,” and move on with my life. I don’t enjoy coming up with excuses. The truth is, one person can in fact lose their keys multiple times a week, a day and an hour. I am living proof. If any of my children would have been two inches long and fit into my pocket, I would have misplaced them as well.

Which brings me to other two out of ten times I am late: I have three teenage daughters and a six-year-old son. Managing the responsibilities that come along with these amazing creatures takes every bit of the responsible time management department in my brain.

Also, three teenage girls.

I should be able to say those three words and nothing else to any person looking expectantly at me waiting for my apology and subsequent excuse for anything anytime for the rest of eternity. I’m not going to sugar coat that shit anymore. The next time all three of them are simultaneously on their monthly exorcism I am going to text my boss the truth. It will read like this: ME: I am going to be late this morning. It’s a code TMS! (teenage menstruation situation) It’s Bagdad in my living room,

shots are firing, one of the insurgents borrowed the others pants with out asking. I’m going to wait until the bodies stop moving before I leave my safe room. Don’t worry – I knew war was eminent last night and rescued the boy, it seems as though he is unscathed by the carnage as he slept comfortably with his foot lodged in my ribcage and elbow resting on my wind pipe. Send back up if you don’t hear from me by 9 a.m.

The next time that I am late for a social engagement; my text will read as follows.

ME: Going to be a bit late.

The orca in the mirror snidely laughed at me, and then told me that my outfit of choice was a bad idea. I have now changed clothes 37 times and lost my keys. See you some time in the next 24 hours.

There is the truth, and then there is what people want to hear. It’s not the same thing. We all learn this when it becomes necessary to become gainfully employed, married or any other unholy union we decide to enter.

I suppose this is the part of the column where I resolve to become better at keeping track of my keys or peacefully resolving teenage warfare. But the truth is, I’d rather resolve to take up organized religion and lose 50 pounds. At least those options are obtainable.

Take off those judging pants unless you have successfully taken down a coven of teenage girls on a full moon with no car keys in sight.

Happy New Year Sandpoint!

Love me, late or never, Scarlette Quille

‘The Inoculant’ comic sponsored by: The

law firm of Elsaesser Jarzabek Anderson Elliott Macdonald.

Scott’s Behavior Erratic...

Dear Editor, As Ben delivered the Reader Thursday at Tango, a tagline on the bottom of the front page caught everyone’s eye. It stated, “Rep. Scott under fire for claiming female lawmakers only advance via sexual favors.”

I was shocked and saddened to see and then read the article on page 9. I did not vote for Heather and I did support Kate McAlister so I want to be clear on this before I continue. That being said, I resolved that in 2017 I would choose and use my words carefully in order to bring us together as neighbors and as residents of Bonner County. I am in hope that the people who are close to Heather, her loved ones, friends, neighbors will reach out to her and help her.

Several negative words were used to describe her recent be-

havior. Among these words were paranoid, aggressive, erratic, and persecution. The opposite of paranoid is balanced. The opposite of aggressive is amenable.

The opposite of erratic is dependable. The opposite of persecution is helpful. Think of what she could do for all of Bonner County and her constituents if she were balanced, amenable, dependable, and helpful. I am glad to see the leaders in Boise intervened on her behalf and removed her from some of her duties. It was time for an intervention. Unfortunately I believe, as legislators, they were limited in making a difference in Heather’s life. I hope she seeks help or her loved ones insist on it. Mental illness is often overlooked as we are witness to on a daily basis in the headlines of the news.

Marlene Petersen Sandpoint January 19, 2017 /

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COMMUNITY

Celebrities ...

Waldorf students lend a hand (and a shovel)

By Ellen Weissman Reader Contributor

The Sandpoint Waldorf School students learned a handson lesson by doing community service for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday by helping out area seniors.

In addition to going to the homes of area elders, the 4th through 8th graders shoveled huge berms at the Senior and DayBreak Centers parking lot.

They cleared the area where the benches and peace pole are by the “SASi Elder Tree” and cleared sidewalks and the ice by the wheelchair ramp.

What a blessing, especially clearing out the huge pile of snow by the entrance gate to the DayBreak Center! Even when they were exhausted, they kept going! They put Martin Luther King’s words into action!

Special thanks to Julie McCallan, SWS Education Administrator, and 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade teachers, Christopher Lunde, Sarah Shaffer, Kelly Kietzman, Elisabeth Tarsio, Yvette McGowan (respectively) and parent volunteers Meryl Kastin, Paul Johnson and Oliver Pratt and all the kids!

Letters to the Editor: Response to Mr. Meyer...

Dear Editor, In response to Stan Meyer regarding the creation of Scotchman Creek Wilderness area, there are a few statements which I wish to rebut. Following are the rules regarding Wilderness areas as set forth by the Wilderness Act. Recreational uses in wilderness include activities such as hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, backpacking, camping, nature study, photography, and climbing. Bicycles and other forms of mechanical transport are not allowed in Wilderness Areas, since they are prohibited by the Wilderness Act. The use of pack horses is allowed bearing in mind you need to be aware of narrow trails 4 /

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Top: It’s all smiles at the Sandpoint Senior Center after Sandpoint Waldorf School students help clear the center of snow buildup. Bottom left: SWS students clear a buried car from snow on Monday. Bottom right: Three SWS students put the finishing touches on the Sandpoint Senior Center’s snow removal project.

Photos courtesy of SASi. when you use large animals.

There is a huge area in Montana known as The Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. It was established in 1964 and encompasses over 1 million acres of land.

They have over 1,850 miles of trails for use by hikers as well as horseback riders. It is spectacular and well managed.

There is no danger with regard to rescuing an injured hiker. Vehicles can be used to affect a rescue of a person stranded/injured in a wilderness area and fires can be fought in wilderness areas if necessary to protect adjacent private lands/ homes. The current thought is fire is a part of nature’s balance so they may choose not to fight fires if they are not encroaching and endangering people.

All this being said, creating

the Scotchman Peak Wilderness Area is a great idea and I am in favor of it.

Marlene Petersen Sandpoint

Non-Partisan March...

Dear Trump supporters, I would like to cordially invite you to the Woman’s March on January 21 at 11 a.m. in the Panida Theater then to the Statue of Liberty. People voted for Trump for many reasons, the biggest one was they hated Obama and Hillary. That doesn’t mean they want a sexist, racist, polluted world where locals are locked out of their favorite hunting and fishing spots. If you believe in the ideals of our founding fathers, “That all are created

equal with certain inalienable rights…” show your support and joint us.

This march will be non-partisan, non-political and positive.

It will center around human rights and the protection of the environment. The stiff-armed salute and yells of “hiel Trump” do not represent most Trump supporters. This is your chance to show that you care about your neighbors and hear a new perspective.

This is a way to put America and Idaho above politics and start building bridges. Please come and join us, we promise to be polite to you, and only ask for the same consideration.

Mary Haley Sandpoint

Dear Editor; To the elite Hollywood celebrites: It’s time someone told you how most of the middle class Americans feel. It’s time to wake up now. Get this! The only reason you exist is for my entertainment. Some of you are beautiful. Some of you can deliver a line with such conviction that you bring tears to my eyes.

Some of you are so convincing that you scare the crap out of me. And others are so funny you can make me laugh uncontrollably. And others make music that makes my toe tap and my body sway.

But you all have one thing in common. You only exist and have a place in my world to entertain me.

That’s it. Nothing else!

You make your living pretending to be someone else. You play dress-up like a five-year-old. Your world is a made up one. It is not real. It doesn’t exist. You live for the camera and microphone, while the rest of us live in the real world.

Your entire existence depends on my patronage.

Therefore, I don’t care where you stand on issues. Honestly, your opinion means nothing to me. Just because you had a lead role in a movie about prostitution doesn’t mean you know what it’s like to be a prostitute. Because you show a breast at a halftime football show while singing off key, doesn’t make you a world spokesperson. Your view matters nothing to me.

I don’t care that you think BP executives deserve the death penalty. I don’t care what you think about the environment. I don’t care if you believe fracking is bad.

I don’t care if you despise Trump. I don’t care if you call for more gun control. I don’t care if you believe in catastrophic human-induced global warming. And I could care less that you supported Hillary for President.

Get back into your bubble. I’ll let you know when I’m in the mood for something pretty or scary or funny.

What was with all this “I’ll leave the country if Donald Trump wins?” Don’t you know how stupid that made you sound? What did you think my reaction was going to be?

I better not vote for Trump or we’ll lose Whoopi Goldberg? Al Sharpton?

Amy Schumer? Bruce Springsteen? or Barbara Striesand? And several more. Leave. I don’t care! And don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. Oh by the way, is Clinton returning any of the money you so generously donated to her election?

Cliff Katner Sandpoint

OPINION Point/Counterpoint: The Trump Inauguration

Give him a chance

By Crystal Rosenau Reader Contributor Inauguration day is quickly approaching. In this deeply divided left and right country (and I’m not talkin’ the East Coast-West Coast rap battle of the ‘90s), I am with the half that eagerly awaits the day with #adorabledeplorable bells on. I’ve actually never tuned in to an inauguration ceremony.

What’s different this time around is that the celebrities have influenced me to do the opposite of what they’re trying to do in hosting their Love-a-thon on Facebook Live at the same time. They claim it is “a modern telethon to raise money for organizations that will fight for our most marginalized communities—and democratic norms—over the next four years.” There’s certainly nothing wrong with that and perhaps that’s something I could even get behind. But I’m still not changing my original plans.

Some big names are backing the event, such as Jane Fonda, Jamie Lee Curtis and Judd Apatow. I assumed with the 50/50 nation and some celebrity hoopla, this Love-a-thon would be a big hit. However, out of curiosity, I had to know more about the Love-a-thon – or what the New York Times dubs as the “Anti-Inauguration.” I was (pleasantly) surprised to find out that at just 12 days prior to the event the official Facebook page for it only had 295 likes and 310 followers.

This just further proves that the celebrity’s swaying power isn’t as compelling as they like to think.

Sure, us regular people occasionally like to pick up magazines to see where these famous folks get their sushi, but this Love-athon isn’t going to stop Donald Trump from being our president.

Certainly, as voting American citizens, Hollywood celebrities are entitled to their political opinions.

But when they are outspoken for one side, by being explicitly against another side, they are alienating half of their potential fans. In the business of Hollywood, the celebrity is the product that is being presented and sold – they need these fans.

Most recently, Meryl Streep’s

Liar-in-Chief

By Nick Gier Reader Columnist sermon at the Golden Globes just further solidified this blatant disregard for much of her previously established fan-base. Her emotional speech deserved an award in itself. However, it was completely inappropriate for the time and place. Did she get the memo that the election is over? I sympathize with her, I really do – the other half of the country was in this boat eight and four years ago. But I still don’t feel compelled to run out to support her next film.

Trump’s inauguration festivities do not need these supposed A-list celebrities. It will encompass the classic all-American dance troop, the Radio City Rockettes. As expected, this isn’t without controversy because some of the members of this elite group refuse to participate. However, there are more willing Rockettes than unwilling, so who needs the naysayers? The 16-year-old “America’s Got Talent” contestant, Jackie Evancho is slated to sing the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Following the ceremony tradition marches on down Pennsylvania Avenue with a slew of bands, drill teams, color guards and motorcades – the whole shebang.

You can catch the Inauguration Ceremony on your favorite news channel, live streamed or in person (you can still make it if you felt inclined to take a 2,500 mile road trip). You can find the Love-a-thon on Facebook and participate from the comfort of your own home.

Whether you tune into the inauguration, participate in the Love-a-thon or mind your own business, be sure to do so in the Versace dress that one trendsetting celebrity wore to the grocery store. Seriously though, I wish the Love-a-thon success and I hope these celebrity megaphones wish Donald Trump success as well.

After all, it’s not wise to wish for our captain to fail.

Fun fact: Donald Trump will be 70 years, 7 months and 7 days old on his first full day in office (the day after inauguration day).

With those Lucky 7s, I’m willing to roll the dice and give him the chance he deserves.

“If Bush and Rove constructed a fantasy world with a clear internal logic, Trump has built something more like an endless bad dream.”

— Ned Resnikoff, ThinkProgress.org “We are rapidly becoming prototypes of a people that totalitarian monsters could only drool about in their dreams.”

—Robert Kreitner, The Nation In October 2004 former President Bush’s adviser Karl Rove declared: “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality.” Trump is so clueless and dishonest that he could not be as candid as Rove, but with his brazen disregard for truth, he is doing exactly the same thing.

The Bush Big Lie on Iraq had a certain internal logic, but Trump’s Big Lie about Everything is filled with contradictions. For example, he does not seem to realize that his charge of wide-spread voter fraud undermines both his and Hillary’s votes. As one commentator says: “Trump tells lies that are seemingly random, frequently inconsistent, and often plainly ridiculous.”

The GOP’s record of untruths was clearly evident in the 2016 campaign. On average the GOP candidates scored, according to Politifact, 52 percent true, mostly true, and half true. Bernie’s average was 70 percent in these categories and Hillary’s is now 75 percent. In stark contrast, Trump is lying to us 70 percent of the time.

I would invite anyone to read the in-depth analyses that are the basis for Politifact’s judgments.

I will be reading along and say to myself: “This is obviously false” or “This is obviously true.”

In all cases, however, caution is Politifact’s watchword, and many of their conclusions are “mostly true,” “half true,” or “mostly false.” The investigators reserve “Pants on Fire” for the most egregious falsehoods.

Trump has now accumulated 62 of these whoppers, over three times as many as Mitt Romney’s 19 in the 2012 campaign. Obama

has a total of 9 Pants on Fire, 2 percent of all statements checked.

Trump worst lies account for 18 percent of all his pronouncements.

In stark contrast Hillary’s pant suits were aflame only 2 percent of the time for a total of 7. Her most egregious falsehood was that there was no classified information in her emails.

The editors of the Oxford English Dictionary chose “posttruth” as the Word of the Year 2016. Trust in experts and commitment to widely accepted facts have been waning for years. What we have now is Donald Trump, who, “like any autocrat,” according to Ned Resnikoff, “wins his followers’ blind trust by lying so often and so brazenly that millions of people give up on trying to distinguish truth from falsehood.”

In the 2004 election war hero John Kerry was “swift boated” by Bush supporters so successfully that Bush’s failure to show up for national guard duty in Alabama was ignored. In the same way, the worst liar in American politics has succeeded in labeling Hillary a liar.

Candidate Trump’s disregard for the truth was bad enough for the moral fabric of our country, but as president his rejection of economic and intelligence data will be disastrous. Trump received a two-hour briefing on Russian hacking (it was not delayed as he falsely claimed), and afterwards he refused accept the conclusions, which have been accepted by the most skeptical cyber security experts.

During the campaign, Trump said that the unemployment rate was actually 42 percent. Will he use that bogus figure as a benchmark when he boasts about his own administration’s success? Or will be forced to use the government figure of 4.7 percent and reveal the 42 percent as an outrageous lie?

At their peril—international agencies blacklist countries that cheat on their data—GOP leaders will buck the experts at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Trump’s lies will not stand within these tried and true parameters.

Nick Gier of Moscow taught philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years.

Bouquets: •Usually I open anonymous letters with some degree of anxiety since most of them are full of ignorant nonsense. Not this week, when I received a really kind letter from a woman/man who expressed thanks for our work and for standing up for those who deserve equality. Thanks so much, whoever you are!

Barbs: •Shame on Rep. Heather Scott for her vulgar remarks last week that female lawmakers have to “spread their legs” to get committee appointments.

Also, shame on her followers, who continue to lionize this disrespectful elected official to a startling degree.

It’s amazing that we have made so many advances in women’s rights and still deal with ignorant, divisive comments from people that are elected to represent all of us.

Whether you call it the Redoubt, the tea party, the alt-right or something else, this wave of angry rhetoric coming from the far right is getting really old. Sadly, I’m afraid it will get worse before it gets better.

In the meantime, I’m glad House Speaker Bedke took these complaints against Rep. Scott seriously and stripped her of her committee appointments. There is no need for that degree of unproffessionality (and paranoia) in the legislature. It’s not about “silencing” her voice, but sanctioning her decision to be vulgar and vindictive in her commentary.

Rep. Scott has been needing to be taken down a peg for some time. She has continually avoided participating in any democratic forums or interviews where her constituents would have the opportunity to ask her a question. Instead, she relies on posting her messages on Facebook and far-right blogs. This is not democracy, this is a rogue elected official attempting to control her message. I’m one of her constituents and I don’t feel represented. And I’m not alone.

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NEWS

Deputies recovering after shooting

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Two Bonner County Sheriff’s deputies who were shot while serving a warrant in Blanchard are recovering, according to a statement released by Kootenai County Sheriff’s department.

Bonner County Sheriff’s deputies Michael Gagnon and Justin Penn were each shot three times, but their injuries were not life-threatening according to Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. Both deputies underwent surgery at Kootenai Health on Monday and are expected to recover.

While Gagnon is listed in serious condition, Penn has been listed as fair condition.

The deputies were shot at approximately 11:30 a.m. Monday while trying to serve a warrant to a Adam Deacon Foster, 30, on Mountain View Road.

Foster was also shot and is currently listed in fair condition at Kootenai Health.

According to the Spokesman-Review,

a neighbor named Marsha Hanna happened to be walking her horses by when she heard the shots. Hanna, a former ER nurse with Holy Family Hospital, offered assistance to the deputies.

“My instincts kind of kicked in,” Hanna told the Spokesman-Review. “I was just helping out someone who was hurt.”

Hanna claimed both officers had been shot in the flank, and one of the officers had a bullet through his hand.

“One appeared that he might have taken a couple of rounds to his chest, but his vest stopped them,” she said.

The deputies were attempting to arrest Foster for two outstanding misdemeanor warrants for battery issued on Jan. 14, 2016 when Foster opened fire on them.

Law enforcement agencies offered their condolences and support for the injured deputies on social media Monday.

“Our thoughts & prayers are going to our #BlueFamily and the community in Bonner County right now. #TBL (Thin Blue Line),” the Spokane Police

Deputy Justin Penn. Courtesy BCSO. Department tweeted.

Sandpoint Police Department’s Facebook page was adorned with an image of a Bonner County Sheriff’s Office badge and the message, “In our thoughts & prayers.”

Scott punishment provokes fallout

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

It’s been a week of attacks and counterattacks in the Idaho House of Representatives following Rep. Heather Scott’s loss of her committee positions.

The Blanchard Republican was stripped of all committee assignments

by House Speaker Scott Bedke following her December comments that female legislators only receive leadership positions if they “spread their legs.”

The punishment dramatically lessened Scott’s ability to influence legislation before it advances to the House floor.

“Ultimately, the buck stops here,” Bedke told Boise reporters. “I don’t do these things lightly or in a knee-jerk way. No one likes things like this, but I did not set these events into action.”

The disciplinary action was as controversial as Scott herself. Many Tea Party-aligned conservatives were outraged at the diminishing of a District 1 legislative voice, with some describing Scott as “speaking truth to power.”

Scott’s critics, meanwhile, called the punishment warranted for the remark’s perceived crudity and sexism, as well as Scott’s history of favoring ideological 6 /

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pet projects over practical governance and constituent work.

The day after the disciplinary action, Scott set her sights on her critics. In a radio interview with Nate Shelman, she claimed she was punished while Rep. Christy Perry, R-Nampa, was promoted after a blogger alleged Perry was having an affair.

“We have a legislator that has an affair and she is promoted,” Scott said.

“You should not have to sleep around to get a committee chair.”

According to Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press reporter, Perry’s status as the chair of the House Local Government Committee is more likely a downgrade from previous assignments. The committee rarely meets and has negligible influence on meaningful legislation.

Scott blames Perry for her punishment due to a letter Perry wrote claiming Scott has exhibited a pattern of bizarre behavior. The letter alleges that Scott has traveled to other legislators’ districts to bad-mouth them in front of their constituents and is prone to giving snide looks while in sessions.

“The escalating pattern of behavior exhibited by Representative Scott has had a negative effect on many members of the caucus, particularly the female

members,” Perry wrote. “They do not feel safe working in her presence.”

The also alleges that Scott damaged the Capitol building in search of bugs, which she believed were planted by House leadership to spy on her. Scott denied these accusations in her radio interview, calling them slanderous and saying she is considering getting her lawyer involved. However, the Spokesman-Review reported Tuesday that Reps.

Caroline Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee, and Don Cheatham, R-Post Falls, both say they witnessed Scott cut into a device she thought could be a “listening device” but was in fact a fire suppression tool.

In addition to several District 1 conservatives, Scott has support from representatives who disagree with Bedke’s decision. Reps. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg; Karey Hanks, R-St. Anthony; Dorothy Moon, R-Stanley; Christy Zito, R-Hammett; and Priscilla Giddings R-White Bird asked Bedke this week that he strip them of their committee assignments until Scott regains hers.

The Bonner County Republican Central Committee recently passed a resolution demanding “in the strongest terms of civility” that Scott’s committees be reinstated.

Deputy Michael Gagnon. Courtesy BCSO.

Otter kicks off legislative session with sunny economic forecast

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter called for a $104.2 million boost to a five-year education improvement plan in his State of the State address last week.

The increase in Otter’s 2018 budget proposal brings education spending up to $1.64 billion. The increase includes $58 million for the career ladder teacher compensation model and $5 million for teacher training.

“Looking beyond the recent challenges that we’ve experienced with teacher evaluations, this training will help ensure that school administrators can professionally, thoroughly and meaningfully assess teacher effectiveness and help guide their professional growth,” said Otter.

Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, agreed with Otter’s call for increased state support for public education. She said that while she normally supports tax cuts—a proposal lawmakers are discussing given the recent tax revenue surplus—far too many Idaho school districts are reliant upon local property tax levies to finance education. “[State education funding] really is a form of tax relief,” she said Beyond public education, Keough is concerned about state infrastructure maintenance and repair, including the road system. And while Otter struck a largely optimistic tone in his address, Keough cautioned that some areas of the state are benefiting more from the economic rebound than others.

“I think the economy is looking good but it’s not for all of Idaho. Rural areas like ours continue to struggle to find good-paying jobs.”

NEWS

Sandpoint AG declines prosecution in Dem harassment case announces open house for downtown revitalization project

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden’s office said it will not file criminal charges after Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall asked them to review possible voter intimidation and interference prior to the November election.

Deputy Attorney General Paul Panther sent a letter earlier this week to Marshall announcing that he did not find evidence of malicious harassment or stalking.

“Our investigation and subsequent review has now been completed and I am writing to advise you that we are declining to file any criminal charges at this time,” wrote Panther.

The Idaho Democratic Party announced in November before the election that it had pulled a volunteer from campaign work in Bonner County after the volunteer was allegedly approached multiple times by people

he believed were followers of Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard.

The worker claimed the followers of the far-right representative followed him to his rural residence in the middle of the night and photographed his vehicle’s license plate.

“I do not condone such behavior and I certainly would not direct anyone to do so,” wrote Scott in a statement.

During her campaign, Scott released a statement asking her followers: “If you see a Democrat sign go up in your neighborhood, please write down the house number and street name. We are trying to figure out which ‘Republicans’ may really be Democrats in disguise on the voter logs.”

In order to support a charge of malicious harassment, Panther wrote, “The State is required to prove that a person threatened to do certain acts ‘maliciously and with the specific intent to intimidate or harass another person because

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

potentially affect the flavor of this town forever,” said Tauber. “I think we’re at a turning point at what happens in this community indefinitely. What you’re going to see across the valley is if we don’t protect it, it’ll be just like the Rathdrum prairie.”

Tauber claimed that, though subdivisions weren’t allowed under the current Comprehensive Plan, landowners who want to parcel out their properties were able to apply for—and have been granted—special exceptions to do so.

“We want no more exceptions,” she said. “You don’t get any more subdivision in the Selle Valley, period.”

Landowner Roy Hansen echoed Tauber’s concerns, adding that he was dismayed with the current system which states that if you have smaller acreage that buts up against your property, you can petition to divide them into smaller lots.

“What bothers me especially is that all the neighbors around our property argued against it, but planning and zoning still approved it,” said Hansen. “At what point do they stop? The reason they start doing these planning and zoning maps is not to find out what the people want, it’s because they’ve had a lot of interest from contractors and subdividers. They want to increase the tax-based revenue.”

Ollerton claimed he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting: “We took away from that meeting some of

of that person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, or national origin.’”

While the Democratic organizer indicated that the alleged encounters caused him to “feel alarm, annoyance, or harassment” as well as “emotional distress,” Panther claimed that the investigation was unable to identify the individuals involved.

While disappointed at the outcome, Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Bret Marley voiced gratitude for the Attorney General’s office for investigating the charge.

“Idahoans – this is where you can help protect our voting rights,” Marley wrote. “I would encourage you to use your camera or your phone to record instances of voter intimidation. In fact, if our organizer would have taken a picture of Scott’s campaign supporters who were leaning on his car outside of work, then they would [have] had the evidence they needed.”

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

The City of Sandpoint is seeking public input on the construction phase of its Downtown Revitalization Project at an open house scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the second floor balcony of the Columbia Bank Building.

City staff and representatives from Century West Engineering, the engineering firm contracted to manage and design the construction project, will provide an update on the two-way downtown streets reversion to occur this spring and seek public input on options for the parking changes on Church Street.

Public input is requested on scheduling and design options for Phase I of the ideas that they have for the area,” the construction project to rebuild the he said. “They said they don’t want to see anything change and we’re trying to streets, sidewalks and other improvewrap our minds around that. What does ments on Cedar Street between Fifth and Second Avenues. Design concepts ‘no change’ really mean?” will also be presented for Farmin’s Residents requested a zoning map would to help illustrate the issue better at Landing, which is the City-owned shoreline between Bridge Street Bridge a future meeting, which Ollerton agreed to. Residents also voiced concern that the and the Panida Theater along Sand meetings weren’t publicized well enough Creek. Public input on project timing past word of mouth and small notices on and future phases will also be sought in order to minimize impacts to the downthe Bonner County website. They asked for more transparency and more outreach town businesses, community events and City Beach access. to the landowners.

The Downtown Revitalization Ollerton said that Selle Valley is one Project was initiated by the City of of four areas the planning department Sandpoint in December 2000 to engage hopes to revisit with the comprehensive plan—Sagle, Priest River and Blanchard the community in discussions about the future of its downtown. Efforts included being the other three. pedestrian crossing safety improve“We’re making positive progress,” ments, improved lighting, the plaza said Tauber. “It does appear that there is and splash fountain at Jeff Jones Town still a lack of general trust [for the planning department], though … the key is to Square, park improvements and the waterfront boardwalk and boat launch attend the meetings and stay vigilant on along Sand Creek. your comprehension of this issue. This A plan for future improvements will have a lifelong impact, a generationknown as The Downtown Streets Plan al impact and an economic impact.” and Design Guide was published in DeA second meeting has been procember 2012 after a significant commuposed for Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. at nity input process that took place over a Northside School though this date has two-year period. The construction phase not been confirmed at press time. of this plan is now underway.

For more information, please contact Gabby Metz contributed reporting to Jennifer Stapleton, City Administrator, at this article.

265-1483 or jstapleton@sandpointidaho.

Selle Valley meeting has residents concerned Over 150 residents attended a meeting held by the Bonner County Planning Department at Northside School on Tuesday night. The meeting’s intent was to gather input from Selle Valley residents regarding land use and zoning that may be affected by a revisit to the Comprehensive Plan.

According to Gabby Betz, residents repeatedly raised concerns that neighboring properties are already being subdivided into 5- and 2.5-acre plots.

She said residents were concerned that the valley was on its way to being overdeveloped and may lose its rural and agricultural feel.

“We’ve not made any decisions or talked at great length about what the area should look like,” said Bonner County Planning Director Milton Ollerton. “That’s why we went out to have the community meetings—to gather the vision of the area from the community.”

Landowner Cassie Tauber claimed the vast majority of landowners in Selle Valley were pushing to keep the zoning the same, with no changes or exceptions.

She said changes could ultimately lead to the over-development of not only Selle Valley, but Bonner County as a whole.

“The reason that this particular subzone change is critical is that it could

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Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist If 2016 bummed you out, we’re going to start 2017 out right with an uplifting article about one of the most inspirational humans to ever walk the Earth.

Have you ever had someone tell you that you can’t do something? Usually once you’ve finished trying it for the first time? Feels pretty crappy, doesn’t it?

How often do you think that happens in your life?

Imagine that, now imagine being an African American woman born in 1956 Alabama, while segregation was still a thing.

Meet Mae Jemison. She’s what you might call a collector of titles, honors and awards; a maker of history. Her accolades are so plentiful that I’m honestly stuck here wondering where in the world I’m going to start talking about this incredible woman’s life.

Might as well start at the beginning.

She was born in Decatur, Ala. in 1956. When she was just three years old, her parents decided to move the family to Chicago, where the education and jobs were better.

This was a brilliant idea, but it didn’t remove the stigma of being a black girl before the Civil Rights era came into full swing. Fortunately, Mae had a powerhouse of a personality.

She once recalled a conversation she had with a teacher in kindergarten, where she stated that she wanted to be scientist when she grew up. Her teacher thought that was a cute pipe dream, and attempted to correct her by replying “Don’t you mean a nurse?”.

She replied thusly: “Now, there’s nothing wrong with being a nurse, but that’s just not what I want to be.”

I don’t know about you, but 8 /

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Brought to you by:

mae c. jemison

I’m pretty sure that while I was in kindergarten I was gluing my hands together and pretending to be a sticky dinosaur, and if my teacher corrected me I was expected to fall in line. I very much admire that about this woman—she knew what she wanted and she wouldn’t let anyone stop her.

Mae Jemison was a born explorer, and the very definition of a renaissance woman at heart. As a teenager she took up dancing, all kinds of professional dancing from all over the world from Jazz and Swing to traditional Japanese dancing. She even tried out for the part of Maria in “West Side Story,” you know, one of the most prolific musicals the world has ever seen.

She graduated high school and went to Stanford University at the age of 16.

If that sentence doesn’t impress you, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, because that’s huge for anyone, especially someone that society has stacked the deck against. She went on to achieve a Bachelor’s in Science in chemical engineering while also achieving the requirements for a Bachelor’s in the Arts for African and Afro-American studies.

She received her doctorate in Medicine at 28 from Cornell, and went out to travel the world to provide medical assistance to people from impoverished countries on every hemisphere.

Most people feel as though they’ve accomplished their dream by this point. This is where they’ll settle into a specialty and live high and proud atop their accomplishments for the rest of their days.

Mae Jemison decided to double down like a BOSS. She served in the Peace Corps., then took a leap and applied to become an astronaut with NASA. She was accepted,

one of the lucky and skilled few out of over 2,000 other applicants. She was selected for launch support at first, but made history on September 12, 1992 when she became the first African American woman in space.

She’s worked as a professor for Cornell University and Dartmouth College and is a major advocate for racial diversity in STEM fields. She even got to make an appearance in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (which is a huge deal when she cited Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura in The Original Series, as one of her heroes.), something that everyone who hasn’t been in “Star Trek” should be hugely jealous of.

I’m not even scratching the surface of this woman’s lifelong achievements. There is no way I could accurately convey how freaking awesome she is even without a number crunch.

What I hoped to share most in this article was the inspiration I felt reading about her life.

When people tell you that you can’t do something because of your gender, because of your race, because of your personality, because of your background, because of your family, because you are you, show them how totally wrong they are to assume that you can’t achieve greatness.

Show the world that holding you down only makes you push up harder. Break social convention and inspire others. It will be hard, and it sure as hell won’t get handed to you, but if you put in the work you will achieve anything you set out to achieve. While I could tell you this all day, she proved it many times over. Let her hard work and limitless achievements be all the proof you need that putting your mind and your back into something, no matter how difficult, will get it done.

Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space. NASA file photo.

Random Corner Don’t know much about Planet

earth?

We can help!

• All middle age scholars believed that the Earth is spherical. The myth that people in the middle ages thought that the earth is flat appears to date from the 17th century as part of the campaign by Protestants against Catholic teaching.

• The ancient Greek astronomer Eratosthenes of Cyrene, proved that the earth was round in 240 B.C. He also came up with latitude/longitude and was able to calculate the earth’s circumference, which is off by less than 2% from the modern value of 40,041 km.

• The asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs was powerful enough to send Earth rocks to Mars and even Europa. As a result, if we ever find life on those worlds it may actually have originated on our own planet.

• Soviet scientists tried to dig a hole through the Earth’s crust in the 1970s. The Kola Superdeep Borehole reached 40,318 feet deep (more than 7.5 miles!) before they stopped due to higher-than-expected temperatures of 356 degree Fahrenheit making the project infeasible. It is still the deepest borehole humans have ever dug.

• Even with the extremes of Mt. Everest and the Mariana Trench the Earth has less deviation from an idealized spheroid than a billiard ball.

• If everyone on earth lived like a resident of the United States, we would need the resources of 4.5 planet Earths for sustainable supply.

• There were four mass extinction events before the one that killed the Dinosaurs. The most severe killed a staggering 97% of all species. All life on Earth today is descended from the 3% that survived.

FEATURE

The Trump Transition: Idahoans head to D.C.

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Not long after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, Sandpoint resident Travis Thompson started prepping to attend the inauguration.

A self-described conservative associated with several motorcycle social groups, Thompson worked with the National Park Service (NPS) to secure permission for the thousands of bikers expected to travel to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Thompson described the process as putting together a puzzle with some pieces that just don’t fit.

“There will be plenty of groups [in Washington] that have strong, differing views,” he said.

Thompson said he and the NPS have the same priority: to ensure the transition of power is a peaceful one by creating buffers between opposing groups—but it’s a task easier said than done.

A war of words is already raging on social media, with the bikers’ Facebook group 2 Million 2 DC declaring it will “stop the libtards from ruining the welcoming event,” while Act Now to Stop War and End

Racism intends to take to the streets for “a real political revolution” under the hashtag #InaugurateTheResistance.

Thompson said the bikers he knows aren’t violent or aggressive. They are “good, salt-of-the-earth” people unfairly branded as criminals when, really, they organize around shared veteran status or church affiliation. However, he added, good intentions have yet to mend the bitter divides carved out during the 2016 election cycle, prompting security concerns for the inauguration. The New York Times reported three dozen security agencies have been added to what will already be a strong law enforcement presence at Trump’s swearing-in, which will take place Friday, Jan. 20 in D.C. Meanwhile, Idaho Republican Party Chairman Steve Yates is looking forward to the festivities. He had already been planning to travel to the capital for the GOP National Committee winter meeting regardless of the outcome of the election.

“It cer-

tainly would be an entirely different atmosphere if we had lost,” Yates said.

It would, but victories in the White House and both chambers of Congress have emboldened Republicans. Yates said he anticipates the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, a reduction of business regulations and a new approach to national security and immigration.

“We’ll also have an administration that speaks in ways very respectful of the Tenth Amendment and state sovereignty,” Yates said.

The all-Republican Idaho congressional delegation has also spent the past several weeks preparing for the new administration. U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) has either met or talked privately with several of Trump’s cabinet members to establish working relationships.

“The legislative and executive branches have an exciting opportunity to work together as a unified government under the Trump administration,” said Risch Press Secretary Kaylin Minton. “Sen. Risch looks forward to advancing priorities important to Idahoans, such as reforming our broken regulatory system, tax code and addressing the costs associated with health care.”

Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) was briefly considered for the position of secretary of the interior but, on Dec. 15, Trump announced he had selected Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) for the role. Nonetheless, Labrador Press Secretary Dan Popkey said his boss has established a good rapport with Trump during a series of vetting interviews.

“United government presents an

historic opportunity to keep the promises Republicans made to get elected, including reducing our crushing national debt; repealing and replacing Obamacare; immigration, tax and regulatory reform; and giving localities and states more say in the management of federal lands,” Popkey said.

The Women’s March on Washington, set for Saturday, Jan. 21, will shake up the political mix in the city even further.

A reaction to Trump’s misogynistic and racist statements, the march will be attended by people from every corner of the U.S. One marcher is Sandpoint resident Krista Eberle, who is traveling to Washington with her daughter. She said she was astonished by Trump’s rhetoric and policy proposals and disheartened by the outcome of the election.

“I’m going in part for myself, but it’s not just about me,” Eberle said. “I’m worried about my current and future grandchildren.”

While she opposes Trump, Eberle also wants to engage with Trump supporters to learn how they came to their decision.

“I think we’re all fearful, and we’re fearful of the same things, but we see them differently,” she said. “I’d like to have a dialogue.”

It’s a desire echoed by Thompson. He wonders where the respect has gone between political rivals and,

The U.S. Capitol. Photo by Cameron Rasmusson.

while he believes Trump’s election represents a positive cultural trend, he thinks people put too much stock in the presidency.

“It seems like we live and die by who the president is, and that’s a mindset that needs to change,” he said. “Our attention needs to go to the legislative branch.”

As for Yates, he said he’s too familiar with the experience of being disappointed on previous inauguration days. In particular, he recalled being in Washington, D.C. when President Barack Obama was sworn into office in January 2009.

Eight years later, as the capital braces for what may be the most contentious inauguration in modern history, Yates said he hopes some Trump opponents will embrace unity.

“Inauguration is an event for the country, not for an individual and not for a political party,” he said. “Peaceful transfer of power is one of those great American miracles.”

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Downtown Revitalization Project

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craft beer store

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Phase 1 Public Open House

Thursday, January 19th 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

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2O8.597.7O96 | IDAHOPOURAUTHORITY.COM

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOR UPDATES

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Project discussion topics include: two-way traffic revisions for April 2017, project timing, Farmin’s Landing design concepts, streetscape options, Church Street parking options, and Phase 1 reconstruction of Cedar Street from Fiih to Second Avenue.

We value your input for the project, please plan to aaend!

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Information & Inspiration

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event

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Third Fridays w/ Harold’s IGA 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Indie folk rock trio Live Music w/ Scott Taylor 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

m o n d a y t u e s d a y w e d n e s d a y

Sandpoint Chapter of the Idaho Writers League 9-11am @ Sandpoint Library Live Music w/ Breakout Session 8pm @ Ol’ Red’s Pub Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

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Banff Mountain Film Festival (Jan. 19-21) 7pm @ Panida Theater

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Third Fridays w/ Devon Wade 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Country night at the Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Ben and Cadie 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Multi-instrumental duo

Live Music w/ Mobius Riff 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub World jazz fusion

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am. All are welcome

Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

Game Night at the Niner 9pm @ 219 Lounge Games, booze, good times

Live Music w/ Devon Wade 9pm @ 219 Lounge Sandpoint’s country artist Devon Wade will be performing inside the 219 Lounge.

Smoke free! 21+ No cover.

Carousel of Smiles Open House 10am-2pm @ Granary Warehouse Come visit the antique carousel ponies during an open house at The Granary (near Evans Brothers Coffee). The Carousel of Smiles project is a unique effort: to restore an historic antique carousel to its former glory, repurpose it with a newfound mission, and bring smiles to new generations. TheCarouselofSmiles.org.

Computer Class: Basic Microsoft Word 8:15am @ Sandpoint Library Learn the basics of Microsoft Word. Pre-registration is required by calling 263-6930 Cedar St. Bridge Public Market 10am-2pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Come enjoy indoor shopping on the bridge spanning Sand Creek

Learn to dance Salsa 7pm @ Sandpoint West Athletic Club With instructor Diane Peters. 610-1770

Jan. 27 Friends of Scotchman Peaks 12th Memory Cafe 3D Printing Workshop for Adults Karaoke at the Niner Anniversary 2-3:30pm @ Kokanee Coffee 5pm @ Sandpoint Library 8pm @ 219 Lounge This casual gathering provides socialization, interaction, and This beginner class explores the potential of 3D party @ The Little fellowship for persons diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other printing and designing a 3D printable object. Panida Theatre related dementia and their care partners. Free and open to all Pre-registration required by calling 263-6930 Jan. 28 Live Music w/ Brandon Watterson Fatty Flurry Fest Bike Movie Night 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Crafternoon - Cute & Owly @ Round Lake 6pm @ Greasy Fingers Bikes n’ Repair Fun originals and cover songs 2pm @ Sandpoint Library Wednesday nights in January will be Bike Movie Night, feaState Park turing bike-related films. It is always free and always fun! Magic Wednesday Feel free to bring your own chair (although there will be 6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s Mexican Restaurant some) and your own snacks/beverages With resident magician Star Alexander

Enjoy free family fun making owl crafts to take home

Jan. 29 The Nth Power @ The Hive Dollar Beers!

Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip Feb. 8 Woodland Empire Ale Craft 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub 7-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall POAC presents: Brewing release party Good until the keg’s dry Part of Thursday Night Solo Series Alasdair Fraser 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Sandpoint Weavers Art Opening Featuring 6 unique delicious hand crafted and Natalie Haas Learn to dance the Country Two-Step 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority beers from this eclectic Idaho brewery @ The Panida 7pm @ Sandpoint West Athletic Club Complimentary appetizers and some very Theater With instructor Diane Peters. 610-1770 unique locally made art on display and for sale

READER

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Reader recommended

Bonner Co. Democrats Community March 11am @ Meet at Panida Theater This free event is a call to get involved! The purpose is to provide opportunities for action in our community. Organizations will be there to share their mission and recruit volunteers. We support protection of the environment. We support human rights and women’s rights. We support economic and social justice. We want to build a welcoming and charitable community. The event is open to all ages, genders, persuasions, and is non-partisan. It is a grassroots community event. Meet at the Panida Theater at 11 a.m. and at noon we’ll march to the Statue of Liberty at City Beach. More info: 265-7251 READY! for Kindergarten Registration is now open for the free winter 2017 READY! for Kindergarten early childhood literacy workshops for parents, grandparents and primary caregivers of children from birth to age 5 (before kindergarten).

Workshops are held the morning of Jan. 21; take home free, fun and educational toys, games, books, activities to use in play with a purpose. Free childcare. To register, go to ReadySandpoint.org or call 208-263-7040

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

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

Banff Mountain Film Festival (Jan. 19-21) Live Music w/ Brandon Watterson 7pm @ Panida Theater 7-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall The festival features an exciting collection of mountain films on ad- Part of Thursday Night Solo Series venture, culture, sport and environment. Please note that some films Lego Club have adult content. Advance tickets are $16 (each night), available at Dollar Beers!

2pm @ Spt Library Eichardt’s, Burger Express (Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry), Outdoor Kids of all ages are welExperience, and the Alpine Shop. While this festival usually sells 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub out, any extra tickets will be sold at the door on the night of the show Good until the keg’s dry come to come and create

Banff Mountain Film Festival (Jan. 19-21) 7pm @ Panida Theater

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Girls Pint Out 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Cool Chicks! Great Beer! No Dudes!

Vicki will be talking about Stout Beer and their different flavors and aromas Learn to dance the Country Two-Step 7pm @ Sandpoint West Athletic Club With instructor Diane Peters. 610-1770 Live Music w/ Patrice Webb 5:30-8:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Patrice Webb’s music swings, cries the blues and tells stories in a way that only American Folk music can do

ful

January 19-26, 2017

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The other voice in the community.

Don’t fall for the imitations.

FEATURE

The future of oil trains redux

By Cate Huisman Reader Contributor

A year ago in these pages, I wrote about a hearing in Spokane at which hundreds of inland Northwest residents protested the proposed construction of an “energy distribution terminal” (a facility for transferring fossil fuels from train cars to ships) in far-off Vancouver, Wash., near Portland. The trains that would provide this facility with oil would all come through Sandpoint, as well as through the other towns in the “funnel” that routes hundreds of trains from the interior through Sandpoint to Spokane.

At that time, numerous terminals were in the works down the tracks from Sandpoint. According to a report commissioned by the City of Sandpoint, if all them were built, by 2022, we might see up to 20 trains/day of oil and another 63 trains of coal coming through town. We were concerned that their passage would cause air and water pollution and increased vehicle wait times at crossings (up to five more hours daily, according to the report). In addition, there was always the possibility of a derailment with associated contamination of air, land and water, as well as the risk of fire and even explosion.

In the intervening year, plans for most of these terminals have been scuttled. After numerous local protests at hearings like the one last January, many local governments have moved against the construction of terminals in their communities. Indian tribes’ assertions that terminals interfere with their fishing rights have also interfered with some of the plans.

But the decisions were also affected by a drop in market demand––and related prices––

An oil train passes by Sandpoint’s Amtrak Train Depot. Photo by Marlin Thorman. for coal and oil, which made the projects poor business propositions. In 2013, closer to when some of these projects were first proposed, oil was running close to $120/barrel.

In contrast, by January of 2016 it hit a low of $28/barrel. In China––the primary market for coal to be exported from the proposed terminals––coal consumption peaked in 2013 and then fell for the next two years.

Although no one seems to have definitive counts of the number of coal and oil trains coming through town now, the general sense is that it has probably decreased. In addition, our ability to respond to a spill or derailment has improved, thanks to training and supplies provided by Burlington Northern Santa Fe last summer. We now have emergency responders trained to respond to a spill of hazardous materials on land and water, along with a trailer full of materials to get started in mitigating the spill. Both of these developments sound like good news.

But change is on the hori-

zon. We’re about to inaugurate a new president who has promised to increase resource extraction jobs. Whether his administration is able to counter the headwinds blowing against coal and oil has yet to be seen.

Market movements within the past year may help him out.

Coal prices more than doubled in the first half of 2016, although they began to fall again in November as a surge in domestic production in China helped ease shortages there. Oil prices had recovered to about $57/barrel at the close of 2016.

A shift of government support away from renewables and toward fossil fuels, along with these market movements, could make shipping coal and oil by rail more economically viable in the future.

So concerns remain about the number and safety of fossil fuel trains passing through Sandpoint. Last summer, a train full of Bakken crude like the kind we get through town derailed in the Columbia River gorge. Sixteen tank cars hopped the tracks, spilling

47,000 gallons of oil into the Columbia River. The cars that derailed in the gorge were the newer CPC-1232 cars that are theoretically safer than the previously standard DOT-111s, but three of them caught on fire and burned for 14 hours, and smoke from the blaze closed nearby Interstate Highway 84.

The CPC-1232s are supposed to be replaced with cars that meet a new standard called DOT-117, but rail carriers have until 2025 to remove all the older cars from service. That leaves eight more years of opportunities for derailments and disasters.

Although our ability to respond to a spill is better than it was a year ago, we still have neither enough manpower nor enough materials to go beyond an initial response. If we had a spill like the one that happened at Mosier last summer, we would need to call in assistance from neighboring counties and states. The longer we have to wait for it to arrive, the longer a fire could burn, the more rail cars could be set afire, the greater the opportunity for an

explosion, and the more pollutants could leak into our lake.

If train numbers increase again, extraction companies, rail car makers, and railroads stand to increase their profits.

They have shown reluctance to limit these profits by investing immediately in safer tank cars or adding to shipping time by covering coal cars to limit the escape of pollutants. As their profits increase, is it fair for our community—and other communities down the funnel—to bear the increasing risks that come with their increasing profits?

Even if the answer were yes (and I don’t think it is), I continue to believe that if we are to invest in creating and distributing energy, we’re better off putting our efforts into renewables. Evidently our new president disagrees with me on this, so I’ll be watching.

It may be necessary to head to Spokane again.

Cate Huisman is a freelance writer and editor who lives and works in Sandpoint.

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COMMUNITY / Op-Ed

Project 7B: opportunities to keep Bonner Co. special

By Danya Rumore, Ph.D., University of Utah Reader Contributor Bonner County is a special place—and like many regions throughout the west, it faces development and growth pressures that could threaten the qualities that make it a wonderful place to live, work and recreate.

This is why a group of locals formed Project 7B. Project 7B’s mission is to engage Bonner County residents in constructive dialogue about land use planning and to facilitate land use and planning-related collaboration among local entities. The group does not advocate for particular outcomes or policies; it advocates for processes that inform and engage citizens and support entities working together.

To guide their efforts, Project 7B asked our Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) Program to help them understand perspectives in Bonner County and how Project 7B can assist municipalities, county government, and other regional entities making progress on tough countywide issues.

The EDR Program promotes collaboration, mediation, and stakeholder engagement as a means to address environmental and public policy challenges throughout the mountain west.

We are based at the University of Utah and are currently working with a number of rural western counties to help them manage growth pressures, maintain vibrant economies and communities and preserve the assets that make them special.

We recommended a Situation Assessment as the first step and secured a grant to support the study. A Situation Assessment is the initial stage of a collaborative process. It involves in-depth interviews with stakeholders representing a diversity of groups and perspectives. It allows us to “take the temperature” of a commu14 /

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nity and to “shine the mirror” on a situation, revealing areas of agreement and disagreement about issues, as well as illuminating opportunities and challenges for collaboration.

A Situation Assessment is not a public opinion poll; it is a snapshot of perspectives on an issue and shows potential paths ahead.

Our EDR Program interviewed 30 diverse Bonner County stakeholders during summer and fall of 2016 and summarized the findings in a Situation Assessment report, which lays out areas of agreement and disagreement; opportunities and challenges related to growth, land use and planning throughout the county. The report is on Project 7B’s website (http://project7b.org/).

I encourage all Bonner County residents to read it.

Despite talk about how divided people in the county

are regarding land use and planning-related issues, the assessment revealed that people seem to share similar visions and priorities. Folks generally agreed that they (and other county residents) value—and want to protect and enhance— the county’s community feel and cohesion; rural character; water quality and water bodies; and green space, natural beauty and opportunities for hunting and recreation. They agreed that they, and others, want Bonner County to be affordable for people in all stages of life to live, work and play. Most also to want a vibrant economy, as well as to develop in a thoughtful, intelligent, orderly and responsible way that preserves the things that make this area such a wonderful place to live and visit.

In other words, people are much less divided than we sometimes assume.

My overall takeaway is that there is surprising agreement about where people want to go, but some differences about how to get there, particularly pertaining to private property rights, land use planning and policy. Interviewees felt that differing perspectives on private property rights, personal responsibility and the desirability and inevitability of growth—as well as strong ideological divides—create tensions in Bonner County. The good news is many regions and communities have successfully worked through similar differences to protect, preserve and enhance the things residents value such as; affordable housing, diverse and sustainable economic opportunities and open space and clean water.

The Situation Assessment also revealed that folks in the county see value in communication, coordination and collab-

oration among local governments and entities.

Project 7B and I will be working with stakeholders in the next months to explore pathways forward for countywide land use and planning-related collaboration. We hope that residents will participate.

Watch for information about how you can get involved – and read the Situation Assessment—on Project 7B’s website (http://project7b.org/). You can also follow Project 7B on Facebook.

Danya Rumore is Associate Director of the University of Utah’s Environmental Dispute Resolution Program, which promotes collaboration, mediation, stakeholder engagement and other alternative dispute resolution techniques to address environmental and public policy challenges throughout the mountain west.

MickDuffs offering Wildwood Cedar Planked salmon

By Reader Staff Local restaurant and brewing company MickDuff’s recently added a new menu item featuring two local companies.

The Cedar planked salmon dish features grilling planks from Wildwood Grilling, and Alaskan wild-caught salmon from Thunder’s Catch.

The salmon is served on the plank with lemon-dill butter and a side of sautéed vegetables.

MickDuff’s has a commitment to using local vendors, as well as serving natural and sustainably sourced food.

Wildwood Grilling is a local manufacturer of grilling planks, smoking chips and other wood smoking products. All of their products are sustainably sourced and manufactured right here in Sandpoint, Idaho. Their prod-

ucts are sold all over the country and even internationally.

Thunder’s Catch has done commercial fishing in Alaska for 4 decades. Their mission is

to provide all-natural, sustainably-caught salmon.

The item can be found on MickDuff’s Big Plates menu for $20.

The cedar planked salmon dish now offered at MickDuff’s Brew Pub. Photo courtesy Wildwood Grilling.

Dark History

A story of prostitution and attempted murder in old Sandpoint

Part two

An aerial view of Sandpoint, circa 1905. The cribs began popping up on the left, or west side of Sand Creek. Photo courtesy of Bonner County Historical Society.

By Ben Olson Reader Staff This article is meant to be a companion of the Bonner County History Museum’s current exhibit: “The Dark Days of Sandpoint,” which is well worth a look if you haven’t seen it yet. Murders, unsolved mysteries, ladies of the night— we had it all back in the day.

For this second installment in the Dark History series, we’ll travel back to February, 1904 when a jealous husband attempted to kill his wife, a “soiled dove,” or prostitute, and ultimately turned the gun on himself.

Vengeance The headline of the Northern Idaho News was especially urgent on February 19, 1904: “JEALOUSY AND REVENGE CAUSE BLOODY TRAGEDY” it read, with the sub-headline announcing: “Roy Murphy Takes Summary Vengeance Upon His Wife, an Inmate of a House of Prostitution. Murphy Upbraided Woman for Her Scarlet Life and Then Poured a Leaden Volley Into Her.” “Escorting his wife from the dance hall in the Owl resort to an upstairs-room, Roy Murphy of Tekoa, Wash., Monday night poured three shots into the wom-

an’s head and body, and then turned his revolver upon himself and blew his brains out,” the story began dramatically.

The 25-year-old woman, who goes curiously unnamed throughout the entire article, had recently moved to Sandpoint from Spokane to enter the Owl Resort under the assumed name of Bonita Carson. In other words, she moved to Sandpoint to began a life of prostitution.

The Owl was a notorious prostitution den located on Railroad Avenue on the east side of Sand Creek (probably a little north of Trinity’s current location).

Three weeks before the incident, a man showed up at the Owl and the woman acknowledged him as her husband. They made a trip to Spokane to “fix up some matters” involving guardianship of their children, and returned to Sandpoint where the man drank and danced with his wife at the bar.

It was Monday night when the music struck up a waltz and Murphy danced the number with his wife. The two then retired to an upstairs room, where shortly after, pistol shots were heard.

“Upon going into the woman’s chamber,” read the article, “Ben Wingard, the proprietor of the place, and Marshal Harry Sawyer, who was in the resort at the time, found Murphy and the woman lying

on the floor of her apartment weltering in their blood.”

Murphy was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but the woman was still breathing. She was conscious and able to tell the Marhsal her story.

According to her, Murphy was “upbraiding” her about her life of shame. When she retorted that if she was doing wrong he had driven her to it, he pulled a .38 Harrington & Richardson five-shooter and fired into her.

One shot entered at the lobe of her right ear and came out at her cheek bone. A second shot entered the right side of her head just below the ear and lodged in her neck. The third bullet, fired at her when she lay upon the floor, entered her back and passed through her body to lodge in her right breast.

From Dance Hall to Death Marshal Sawyer claimed to have been present at the Owl on Monday night with the intention of ordering Murphy out of town. Sawyer had become aware of the relationship and “he thought it would be as well if [Murphy] was not hanging around,” read the news report.

When Sawyer pushed open the woman’s door after the shooting, “The sight ... was most sickening,” claimed the news report. “Murphy’s pistol was still smoking and was clenched in

his right hand. Some of the brain tissue had oozed forth from the hole in his head and lay upon the carpet which was drenched with his blood.”

Upon searching Murphy’s pockets, the Marshal found notes that read names of relatives to notify, as well as receipts showing that he had paid taxes on his property in Tekoa. The notes, as well as Murphy’s suspicious actions the night before at a prize fight at the Owl, convinced Sawyer that the murder was premeditated.

The Woman Still Alive Even after two “fearful” wounds in her head and the ball which entered her right lung from the back, the woman survived the encounter. The attending physician, Dr. Goddard, claimed that she “stood an excellent show for recovery,” though it would be necessary to soon take her into Spokane to probe for the bullets.

The wom-

an’s father, J. T. Campbell, arrived a few days after the shooting when he had received a telegram informing him of the tragedy.

The news report sums up Murphy with the last paragraph: “That the taint of madness and insanity runs in the Murphy family, and that Murphy may have been insane when he perpetrated his own destruction and attempted the murder of his wife, is attested by the fact that one of his sisters committed suicide and that his father died in the Medical Lake asylum.”

In next week’s installment, we’ll take a look at the changing face of prostitution in Sandpoint, when downtown shifted to the west side of Sand Creek and brothels were relegated to the east side of the creek.

A photo of a .38 Harrington & Richardson revolver used in the attempted murder/suicide. Courtesy photo.

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater Taking Stock

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist

It’s been an eventful beginning to the new year already. I’d barely stashed the Vegas juicer before my January calendar brought one of my favorite Diana Ross melodies, “Stop in the Name of Love,” to the front of my mind. I’d promised myself a gentler and more thoughtful outlook for me 2017. You know, more time for yoga and meditation (and a beauty regiment that went deeper than washing that red wine stain from my lips before bedtime).

While I had every intention of slowing down, life just keeps happening. My girls have often said I have two speeds (not only when driving but also for life in general): high and low, and low is for reserved for parking (or sleeping). So while I had good intentions, there is much to be done: the Women’s March this Saturday, a Valentine’s Day cookie class to organize, a baby shower to plan and host, a week-long business trip to Seattle and a trip with Ryanne, to Florida, to check in on an ailing relative.

I mentioned to Ryanne that I am planning to prepare a big batch of healing Bone Broth to bring along on our trip, to which she immediately countered, “Seriously, Mother, you just had a huge issue with a chunk of cheese on a recent flight, please don’t bring food.” I reassured my oldest child (and the one with the least amount of faith in me) that it will be stashed away in my checked luggage. She didn’t even think that was a good idea, but she forgets that I spent years as a private chef, flying across the country with partially-prepared meals, rarely 16 /

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with incident.

I’m not lying when I say I miss most of the exhilaration of life as a private chef (but not flying into unfamiliar cities, late at night, spending the next two to four hours lost, while challenging the validity of the navigational device installed in the rental car). I’d spend whole days shopping in specialty markets, finding roasts with perfect ribs for capping with frills, five kinds of onions for a French stew and exotic fruits, free from blemish, to garnish the morning pasty tray.

Usually my days would begin at 5 a.m., preparing homemade scones, cinnamon rolls or a brioche, and by 8 a.m. I’d be spooning perfectly poached eggs over salmon hash. Then it

was on to prep work for a two or three course lunch, followed by a much anticipated two- or three-hour break (that too often turned into a market run). By 4 p.m., I was back in the kitchen (or train galley) making hors d’oeuvres while simultaneously stirring, whisking and tasting everything that would become a five to seven courseplated dinner. Once dessert had been artfully plated and served, I’d move onto breakfast prep for the following day, and about midnight I’d fall into my fancy Frette linen-covered bed for a four-hour respite from food. Then I’d get up and repeat the process.

Usually these assignments lasted about a week to ten days (my longest stint was 22 straight

days) and that’s about all a body can take. It may sound like a brutal schedule, but the job came with some real highs (travel, huge tips, and great pantry staples) and a few lows (holidays and second wives).

Though I’ve gotten used to a softer, more community-centric life, if it weren’t for all the little people who adore my holiday presence, I might still be a private chef. For the past few years that life had mostly taken a back-burner until a recent phone call from a favorite past client, with a newly-built family estate in NW Montana.

Would I come and cook for a week this summer, he inquired?

I couldn’t say yes fast enough!

It’s close enough to make the logistics manageable and

Bone Broth Recipe

mentally, I’ve already started planning the menus. Not even Ryanne’s incredulousness that I would take a coveted weeks’ vacation from my real job to go and cook for sixteen hours a day has quelled my enthusiasm. And I realize it’s more than the menus or money. Preparing foods for others is my truest passion and the greatest gift I can share.

Now it’s time to write my proverbial letter to TSA. Because I’m taking stock. You needn’t travel any farther than from the stove to the refrigerator with yours, but do take the time to make a batch of Bone Broth. It’s good for what ails you or anyone else on your love list.

Yield: 2 ½ Quarts of Stock

It’s worth the time and effort – don’t skip any of the three steps: blanch, roast and simmer. Produces a wonderful rich stock/ starter for all your favorite soups (especially French Onion). Marrow and knuckle bones will produce the richest stock.

INGREDIENTS: • 4 pounds beef bones • ½ bunch celery, coarsely chopped • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped • 1 head of garlic, peeled • 1 bunch of fresh herb stems (such as parsley, cilantro, and/or thyme) or a dried bouquet garni

DIRECTIONS: •Add bones to large stockpot.

Cover with cold water and bring to a rolling boil. Drain well (this step removes a lot of the foam that comes when making stock).

•Preheat oven to 450°. Roast bones on a heavy baking sheet for 45 minutes, carefully remove from oven, drain fat and cool (there will be a lot of HOT fat, and bones, use caution here).

•Transfer bones to a large pot and cover with 3 qts cold water. Add all vegetables, herb stems, bay leaves, and pepper, bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming any residual fat and foam from surface, until caramel colored and flavorful, about 3 hours.

Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on solids; discard solids.

•Stock can be made 3 days ahead.

Let cool; cover and chill, or you can freeze for 3-4 months.

STAGE & SCREEN

Viggo film and Q&A raises nearly $15k

By Ben Olson Reader Staff It’s official: Sandpoint loves Viggo Mortensen. Last week, both nights sold out at the Panida Theater during the special screening of “Captain Fantastic” and the Q&A that followed. During the discussion, Mortensen gave insights into his role in the film, his method as an actor and other questions given by members of the audience.

The event was a joint fundraiser for KRFY 88.5 FM Panhandle Community Radio and Team Autism 24/7.

According to Suzy Prez at KRFY, the event raised a total of $14,700, which will be split between the two nonprofit organizations.

Viggo Mortensen answers questions after Friday’s screening of “Captain Fantastic” while KRFY’s Jim Healey looks on. Photo by Ben Olson.

Friday, Jan. 27 @ 6pm

friends of scotchman peaks wilderness 12th anniversary

little theatre

celebrate a dozen years of working for wilderness in the Scotchman Peaks

jan. 27 @ 7:30pm | Jan. 29 @ 3:30pm

“Certain Women” film

Three strong-willed women (Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Michelle Williams) strive to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest

little theatre

Saturday, Feb. 4 @ 7:30pm

Comedy for a cause

Tuesday, Feb. 7 @ 7pm

NY film critic series: “Wayne’s World” With live Q&A with actors and director

Wednesday, Feb. 8 @ 7pm POAC Performing Arts Series PRESENTS:

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas

Fraser, long regarded as Scotland’s premier fiddle ambassador, and the sizzlingly-talented young California cellist Haas once again unleash their dazzling teamwork and passion for Scottish music.

Friday, Feb. 10 @ 7:30pm

Sadie Sicilia in the spotlight Formerly sadie wagoner coming soon: mcmanus in love, hidden figures & La la Land

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This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

READ

Whenever I want to read a book that takes me away to a pleasant place, I re-read Paul Auster’s “Timbuktu.”

Written from the convincing perspective of a dog, this novella follows along with “Mr. Bones,” a dog coming to terms with the fact that his homeless master is dying.

Among other important concepts, Auster’s novel touches on existentialism in a humorous, touching way.

LISTEN

Last year, a Michigan band called Frontier Ruckus opened for Blitzen Trapper at the Hive.

I’ve followed Frontier Ruckus for years and have been drawn to front man Matt Milia’s touching songs about suburban life.

They’re coming out with a new album in late February, but if you’d like an introduction, try “The Orion Songbook.”

Fun story: When they stayed with us after the show last year, I photographed the band as they were bathing in the lake.

They still use the photo for their promotional stuff.

WATCH

I don’t stay up to date with a lot of TV, but when I do watch a show I enjoy, I try to spread it along.

I just caught a few episodes of “Orange is the New Black,” and really enjoyed what they were doing with the show.

A Netflix original series, “Orange” follows the memoir of Piper Kerman’s experiences in a minimum security federal woman’s prison.

The show is well-made for a Netflix original, with exceptional storytelling and hyper realism, plus a lot of comedy to keep everything moving along nicely. Taylor Schilling gives a great performance as the main character Chapman.

MUSIC

Funk to the Nth Power

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Combining several genre influences into one unique sound, The Nth Power is not a band that plays to conventions.

What they do play to is a sense of human harmony and goodwill. They’re bringing that positive spirit to Sandpoint this month when they play The Hive Sunday, Jan. 29. We spoke to band guitarist Nick Cassarino about the band’s recent projects, their unique formation story and how they keep a positive vibe during discouraging times.

SR: Hi Nick, thanks for talking to us. For those unfamiliar with The Nth Power, tell me how you would describe your music.

NC: It’s really an amalgamation of several different genres. There’s a lot of heavy folk influence, a lot of heavy funk influence, gospel influence, soul influence.

It’s a lot of those types of genres. We like to think of Earth, Wind and Fire and Dave Matthews Band: If those two bands had a baby, it might be us.

SR: You have a new project out, the live album “To Be Free.” Can you tell me about that and the process of making it?

NC: We decided to do a live album because we wanted to showcase our live show. We just decided to do it then booked studio time. We chose a venue in New York where we brought in our own studio equipment. We wrote songs for it and basically took it right up to the wire.

The day of, we were still writing songs, but we thought it was important to get that music out and talk a little more about the stuff that is happening in our country.

SR: Are social and political themes a major influence on your work?

NC: It hadn’t until now, but now we’d like to make that a major part of what we do. For me personally, it was the realization that I have a microphone and shit is hitting the fan in this country. It’s nothing new, you know. I’m not doing anything new here.

SR: It’s certainly something I’ve heard from other artists. A lot of them are taking some comfort in the idea that great art is often made during difficult times.

NC: Yeah, right on, man.

SR: I understand The Nth Power has an unusual story about how you formed up. Care to share that with our readers?

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Members of The Nth Power. Photo courtesy of The Nth Power Music.

NC: A mutual friend, Jennifer—I played in her band for years—she put together a one-night gig during the jazz festival in New Orleans in … I think it was 2012. We were playing in The Maple Leaf from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. Basically, all four of us were playing behind Jennifer, and we looked at each other and realized that this was something special.

SR: How did you take that experience and turn it into something lasting?

NC: It was a little tricky to get everything together, but we basically just started writing. That was in April or May of that year, then we came down and recorded what we had written. That was it, really. We kept writing, kept getting gigs and people started making it more of a priority.

SR: Here in Sandpoint, you’ll be playing at The Hive, which— NC: —I love The Hive!

SR: That’s right, you’ve played here once before.

NC: [The Hive owner Jeff Grady] is the man! When we first played there a couple years ago, he let us rehearse there all day the next day that we had off. It was so nice and generous of him. We love that guy and we’re really happy to be coming back.

SR: I’m sure Sandpoint audiences remember you from that first show, but for those who didn’t make it, can you tell me a little about the style of your live performances?

NC: The Nth Power mission is all about the healing power of music. We’re

about spreading a message of love and goodness and healing through the music. Everyone in the band gives life to this, so musicians will love it, but we also write songs with stories that have meaning that everyone can relate to.

In terms of the show, we’ve crafted it in a way that’s exciting and that moves people. So we really want it to be an escape from the day-today life and the day-to-day grind, the necessary things that we have to do to survive.

SR: I’m sure that’s something that people can really use these days. Thanks again for taking the time to talk to us!

The Nth Power plays The Hive on Sunday, Jan. 29. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. The show is restricted to ages 21 and up, and IDs will be checked at the door.

Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door.

Buy tickets online at www.livefromthehive. com or pick them up locally at Pucci’s Pub, Eichardt’s Pub, 7B Boardshop, Evans Brothers Coffee or at the door on show night.

Crossword Solution

w o N & Then compiled by

Ben Olson

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

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

O.K. Rubber Welders Tire Shop was located at 502 North Fifth Ave in Sandpoint.

This photo is looking north on Fifth and Alder St.

The same view today. Nu-Way Wash-O-Mat is currently located on this corner.

2017 Woorf tdhe Week

plonk

/plongk/

[noun] 1. Chiefly British. inferior or cheap wine.

“No plonk shall be served at the Reader office, period.”

Corrections: In the DUI news story last week, I wrote “severally” when I really meant “severely.” Several of you noticed it, but only one was severely pissed off. Oh well. -BO

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

c. 1950

ACROSS 1. Dash 5. A type of cold water 10. East Indian tree 14. Dwarf buffalo 15. Extraterrestrial 16. Alleviate 17. Allowable expense 19. Naval jail 20. Beer 21. Rental agreement 22. Cougars 23. Answer 25. Keno 27. Estimated time of arrival 28. Hard brittle cake 31. Indian prince 34. Vocalization 35. Nigerian tribesman 36. “What a shame!”

37. A long narrow estuary 38. Flat-bottomed boat 39. Japanese apricot 40. An evil spirit 41. Tribes 42. Transparent 44. “Eureka!”

45. Herbaceous plant 46. Flight attendant 50. A woody place 52. Cars 54. Regret 55. Attraction 56. Indifferent 58. Terminates 59. Inscribed pillar

Solution on page 181 60. College girl 61. Toward sunset 62. Plateaux 63. Makes a mistake

DOWN 1. Radiolocation 2. Anoint (archaic) 3. Cyphers 4. French for “Water” 5. Series of connected ideas 6. Homeric epic 7. Brothers and sisters 8. Notoriety 9. In song, the loneliest number

10. Expose while ridiculing 11. Mouth organ 12. Largest continent 13. Small casks 18. Fabric 22. Rate 24. Legumes 26. Every single one 28. Hollowed out 29. Black, in poetry 30. Not highs 31. Incline 32. Away from the wind 33. Criminals 34. Self-appointed law-bringer

37. Central points 38. Shredded cabbage 40. Shrub 41. An ancient board game 43. Most recent 44. Makes amends 46. Grave marker 47. Pergola 48. King 49. Accomplishments 50. Took flight 51. Graphic symbol 53. Applications 56. Belief 57. Frozen water

Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don’t know what your rights are, or who the person is you’re talking to. Then, on the way out, slam the door.

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