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PEOPLE compiled by
Susan Drinkard
watching
“How concerned are you about the fires and threat of fire?” “I am very concerned because I have asthma and I have a hard time breathing in the smoke.” Marcia Krebs Priest River
READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724
www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Doug Jones (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, USFS, Bill Borders.
“Not all that much because we take care of our forests here and pick up the dead wood, unlike California. If you manage the forests, it’s not that bad.” Fred Schubert Retired oral surgeon Kaniksu Shores
“I am pretty concerned about the fires. I actually bought a new air purifier early this year because I expected this year’s fire season to be bad.” Meggan Gunter File clerk Sandpoint
“I’m pretty concerned because it’s been the driest and hottest year I’ve lived through. I am a native and have been here 26 years. I’m glad it’s not in the 100s any longer.” Jon Alarcon Manager of YMCA Sandpoint “We have a lot of smoke in Bonners Ferry. I’m concerned about the safety of the firefighters, animals, homeowners, and the loss of land.” Anne McClintock Clinical supervisor of Developmental Disabilities Movie Springs
Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Marcia Pilgeram. Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $135 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 300 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers. Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook. About the Cover
This week’s cover features a very nostalgic cartoon map of Sandpoint drawn by Doug Jones in 1983. Any longtime locals will remember this map well. July 15, 2021 /
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NEWS
Trestle Creek Complex Fire exceeds 200 acres Stage 2 Fire Restrictions enforced in North Idaho
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Fire risk remains high in North Idaho, with dry and hot conditions persisting into the near future. In Bonner County, fires continue to burn in mountains above Hope — a conflagration started by lightning July 7 now known as the Trestle Creek Complex. As of July 14, authorities reporting on the complex shared the containment percentage for each burn, sharing that of six fires, one is 27 acres and 50% contained, four remained less than 10 acres and are 100% contained, and the largest blaze — Trestle Creek No. 6 — was sitting at 210 acres and 0% contained due to lack of accessibility. “Efforts to contain fires and line construction mop-up continue,” authorities reported. “Scouting and planning for potential opportunities to engage in suppression actions on fire No. 6 continue.” Five hand crews — totaling 81 personnel — are currently
fighting the Trestle Creek Complex, which is being overseen by a Type 3 Incident Management Team based in Nevada. Both Trestle and Lightning Creek roads are closed to keep the public away from firefighting efforts. “Hot dry weather combined with poor overnight recovery continues a well above average drying trend, adding to the higher risk of new fires as well as enabling the growth of current ones,” fire officials shared in a daily update July 14. The past week also saw a fire start in Spirit Lake on July 12 in the area of 800 Clagstone Road and Huntsman Way. The blaze, dubbed the Huntsman Fire, prompted local authorities to advise residents in the area to be in the “ready” stage of Bonner County’s evacuation guidelines. The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office shared via Nixle Alert and Facebook on the morning of July 13 that the fire was 100% contained and firefighters remained on scene to perform mop up duties. “All pre evacuation notices are lifted, roadways are open, and
there is no further danger to the public at this time,” BCSO stated. “Thank you all for your cooperation and assistance, and please remain diligent in reporting any potential fire issues during this exceptionally dry fire season.” To receive Nixle Alerts from local authorities regarding fires and other threats to public safety, text your ZIP code to 888-777. The U.S. Forest Service, in partnership with several other
state and federal agencies, enacted Stage 2 fire restrictions July 12 in the Coeur d’Alene Fire Restriction Area, which includes all state, federal and private forestland and rangeland in Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, as well as National Forest System lands in Washington and Montana that are administered by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. The restrictions outlaw camp-
The Trestle Creek Complex fire on July 10. Photo courtesy USDA Forest Service fires and stove use on these lands, as well as smoking outdoors unless the area is cleared of all flammable materials. The agencies also enacted “hoot owl” guidelines, which dictates that using chainsaws, heavy equipment and the like is not allowed between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m. each day. Learn more about Stage 2 restrictions at idahofireinfo.com.
City puts Pine Street sidewalk project out to bid By Reader Staff The city of Sandpoint is accepting bids for a project to remove and reconstruct old sidewalks, as well as build new sidewalks, along the north side of Pine Street from Boyer to Division avenues. In addition to sidewalk work, the project — referred to as Bid No. 21-3170-01 — also includes installing new curb ramps, tree removal, traffic controls, and asphalt and landscape restoration. Bids will be opened and publicly read via Zoom and on site at the City Hall Council Chambers (1123 Lake St.) on Wednesday, July 28 at 2 p.m. Those who wish to participate in the Zoom presentation must pre-register. Coeur d’Alene-based HMH Engineering designed the project, 4 /
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while the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council will act as the owner’s representative during construction. According to planning documents, the project will be substantially complete on or before Sept. 30, 2021 and completed on or before Oct.15, 2021. The project has long featured in city planning efforts, including the overall Multi-Modal Master Plan. In a presentation April 21 on the plan, Sandpoint Infrastructure and Development Director Amanda Wilson said the strategy for prioritizing sidewalk work around the city “was based on, ‘Where do we think we need to have primary routes for pedestrians to utilize?,’ recognizing that some of these streets might require substantial amounts of investment.”
Those routes will receive attention first, aiming to establish pedestrian arterials, before a general program of filling in the gaps on secondary streets. Meanwhile, the city also put
out a bid for maintenance work on Spruce Street — a project identified as including pavement rehabilitation. The deadline to submit a bid for RFP Bid No. 21-3170-02 is Tuesday, July 27.
The sidewalk along the north side of Pine St. in Sandpoint. Photo by Ben Olson. Find bid documents and the Zoom link at sandpointidaho.gov/ doing-business/solicitations.
NEWS
LPOSD faces Title IX complaint
Filing cites almost 20 years of neglect toward girls’ sports
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The Lake Pend Oreille School District has an almost 20-year history of failing to provide equal athletic opportunities for female students, according to a Title IX complaint filed July 8 with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights in Seattle. Allegations in the complaint specifically focused on the federal law’s “three-part participation test and accommodation factors,” with which the complaint alleged the district has not complied going back to 2002. The “three-part participation test” considers whether opportunities for participation between male and female students are proportionate to their number of enrollments, whether an educational institution can demonstrate a history of efforts to expand athletic programs in response to the “interest and abilities” of underrepresented student groups, and whether students of an underrepresented sex are being “fully and effectively accommodated by the present program.” Complainants cited a number of data points — focused on Sandpoint High School — that showed a “continuing history of sustained substantial female participation gaps … since 2004.” The numbers presented by the complaint show a disparity in female student athletic participation from 2015 to 2018 at Sandpoint High School. In the academic year 2015-’16, male students made up 49.18% of the student body but 63.47% participated in athletics, compared to females representing 50.82% of the student population yet only 36.53% involved in sports — a difference of 14.29%. In the 2017-’18 academic year, that disparity narrowed to 9.8%, but still indicated a systemic inequality, cited simply in
the complaint as: “the opposite of a history and continuing practice of program expansion.” District officials in a July 12 statement to the Reader wrote, “LPOSD recognizes the importance of interscholastic activities for all students interested in participating, and we work diligently to ensure that all sports teams, regardless of gender, have fair and equal sports opportunities.” The complaint alleges that LPOSD’s reported female sports participation has been “padded with cheerleading and dance activity numbers.” “Cheerleading does not qualify as a sport without full benefit of all equal opportunity factors provided for the district’s other interscholastic sports,” the complaint stated. According to the complaint, SHS provides five male interscholastic sports amounting to 13 teams, while the district provides for six female sports with 13 teams, “not all of which exist at an interscholastic level equal to the male interscholastic sports.” Meanwhile, Sandpoint Middle School in 2021-’22 added boys’ junior high football to its program without even bothering to conduct a survey of interest and while neglecting to create any commensurate program for female students “in the same no-survey fashion.” “There is no reason to assume that women at Sandpoint High School and Sandpoint Middle School are less interested in sports than males, or those female students at other schools in the competitive region compete in those sports,” the complaint stated. As far as “accommodation factors,” the complaint presented a list of disparities, from quality of uniforms, equipment and facilities; to practice and game scheduling; marketing; funding; and essentially every other aspect of interscholastic sports.
SHS football, in particular, is a problem according to the complaint: “Substantial Booster Club funding and gate revenue flows into the boys’ football and athletic programs unaccounted for and unchecked by the LPOSD that are not made available to the public for inspection nor do those funds equally benefit female sports.” As well, supplemental contracts for boys’ sports coaches “far exceed the overall compensation provided for girls’ sports,” and the complaint alleges that local media fawns over boys’ sports in a manner that neither is “attempted or fostered by the LPOSD athletic directors or administration.” Should the Seattle OCR office investigate the district — citing documents regarding similar complaints dating to 2002 — it would “take all necessary steps to remedy any unlawful conduct identified by its investigation” and, if violations are found, the office would withhold “all federal funding until such
time assurances of compliance with Title IX from all schools in the district has been met.” LPOSD officials in their statement to the Reader wrote, “This school district believes that extracurricular activities play an important part in the development of our students, and we will continue our efforts to create positive experiences
The LPOSD administrative offices in Ponderay. Photo by Ben Olson. for all our students. LPOSD is aware of the complaint, and if the office of civil rights does undertake an investigation, LPOSD will work with OCR to address its concerns.”
BOCC approves Title XI updates By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County commissioners unanimously approved a series of changes to the county’s Title XI building code on July 13, continuing the Planning Department’s efforts to update the code to better reflect what’s happening on the ground in Bonner County. Planning Director Milton Ollerton presented the proposed edits, which included recognizing structures built before 2008 — when the current zoning code was adopted — as nonconforming structures; introducing a small structure permit to replace the exemption currently required for structures smaller than 1,000 square feet; and eliminating the requirement that subdivisions
install a 2,000-gallon water tank to assist with firefighting efforts — a requirement that local fire districts continuously waive. “Not only is the fire district waving those requirements when they sign off on the [building location permits], they’re informing us that they will not use those tanks when they go to a fire at that structure,” Ollerton said, noting that the tanks could potentially be “growing” things that could “clog” and damage fire fighting equipment. The Title XI changes also included the option to extend the effective dates of building location permits, which are currently only valid for one year. “What we’re finding, with the price of lumber and the number of contractors who are extended two years out, folks are being
diligent and getting their building location permits but finding that they’re having to ask for continual renewals in order to start progress on building that structure,” Ollerton said. Rather than start the process over again each year, Ollerton suggested allowing a three-year extension for a “nominal fee.” While Title XII zoning code changes require approval by both the Planning and Zoning Commission and BOCC, Title XI updates require only BOCC approval. Next, Ollerton said his department will work on a more effective enforcement policy for when building and zoning regulations are violated. “We will be back shortly with adding an infraction process to our enforcement,” he said. July 15, 2021 /
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NEWS
Reconsideration on the table for Idaho Club marina project By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Conservation groups opposed to a marina and housing development on Lake Pend Oreille announced July 7 that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reanalyze possible impacts of building a 124-slip marina and five homes at the mouth of Trestle Creek. The Center for Biological Diversity, Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper and the Idaho Conservation League issued a notice of intent to sue in May, alleging that by approving the project, USFWS and USACE — along with possible defendants U.S. Department of Interior and Trestle Creek Investments, LLC — were violating the Endangered Species Act by damaging bull trout habitat. “This project threatens one of Idaho’s most sensitive and precious freshwater fish species,” said Center for Biological Diversity attorney Kristine Akland. “We’re
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pleased that the Service has recognized that the agencies have a duty to ensure bull trout and their critical habitat in Trestle Creek aren’t unduly harmed.” According to a media release, “the Service recommended that the Army Corps reinitiate consultation on the proposed development to ensure that it does not jeopardize the continued existence of bull trout or destroy critical habitat.” The Army Corps has not yet agreed to reevaluate its approval of the project. “We’re grateful that the Service recognizes this process started over a decade ago and is willing to consider more recent data that confirms the sensitivity of the area,” said LPOW Executive Director Steve Holt. “Reviewing this project is simply the right thing to do.” Representatives for the proposed development, known as the Idaho Club North Lake project, did not reply to a request for comment before press time.
Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: The Delta COVID-19 variant is spreading among unvaccinated individuals in Missouri, with some hospitals now overwhelmed, a variety of news sources have reported. Two decades later, after spending more than $1 trillion, 2,448 American lives lost and another 20,722 wounded, President Joe Biden said the nation’s military presence in Afghanistan will end Tuesday, Aug. 31. Meanwhile, the conflict has claimed as many as 40,000 civilian lives. Some have urged staying longer. Instead of sending another generation to Afghanistan, “with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome,” Biden has pursued other avenues: sanctions on Pakistan to stem money laundering for the Taliban and sanctions on Russia for backing the Taliban’s attempts to assassinate military personnel. According to the U.S. attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security, the current primary danger from terrorism in the U.S. is that of “homegrown” terrorists that are “violent extremists.” Biden recently signed an executive order “promoting Competition in the American Economy.” He said items like hearing aids, prescription drugs, internet services and ag supplies are overpriced due to lack of competition, and said capitalism without competition is actually exploitation. He plans to use 72 specific actions to enforce antitrust laws, stop abusive monopolies and put an end to “bad mergers that lead to mass layoffs, higher prices, fewer options for workers and consumers alike.” In recent months, hundreds of water protectors have been arrested for civil disobedience (barricading roads and chaining themselves to equipment) at Enbridge Line 3 site in Minnesota. The Canadian company is transporting tar sands oil from Alberta to Wisconsin via pipeline, and is attempting to rebuild its leaky infrastructure. Protesters want no transport at all, citing severe threats to the climate (tar sands extraction emits up to three times more global warming pollution, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council), risk of water-contaminating spills and treaty rights violations. Michigan’s governor ordered Enbridge’s Line 5 be shut down due to
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
threats to water, but Enbridge defied the order. Minnesota’s public utilities commissioner, a Republican, stated he was not impressed with the response to protesters in North Dakota, and said, “This is the United States of America. Citizens of Minnesota have a right to protest.” Biden is being urged to cancel the pipeline. The Guardian: More than 1 billion marine animals on Canada’s Pacific Coast are estimated to have died from the recent heat dome climate event. Similar reports have been made about the Puget Sound area in Washington. Affected creatures included oysters, clams, sea anemones, starfish and rockfish. After they filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn 2020 presidential election results, a federal judge in Michigan may impose sanctions (possibly disbarment) against attorneys who insist former-President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. A ruling on a request for disciplining the attorneys is expected in coming weeks, The Washington Post reported. The judge was disturbed that affidavits filed by the attorneys had obvious errors, speculation and a lack of understanding of how Michigan conducts elections. After refusing a request to resign, Biden fired Andrew Saul, appointed commissioner for Social Security by the Trump administration. Saul has been faulted for delaying stimulus payments, inappropriately denying disability benefits, and poor handling of COVID-19 safety measures for Social Security employees. Blast from the past: The first atomic bomb was tested July 16, 1945. Weeks later the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Plans were considered to follow the atomic bombs in Japan with conventional bombs; the Americans behind that idea were unaware of the toxic threat that would have posed to the pilots. Historian Peter Watson, in Fallout, wrote that bombing Japan was not necessary: Japan was on the verge of surrender. But there was a movement to display to Russia, at that time a U.S. ally, the U.S.’s capabilities. According to Watson, Russia’s atomic bomb capabilities may have prevented the Korean conflict from developing into World War III: U.S. General Douglas MacArthur wanted to use 26 atom bombs on Korea. It was knowledge of the Russian’s atomic bomb capabilities that led to restraint.
OPINION
Too hot? Let’s do what we can By Gabrielle Duebendorfer Reader Contributor My husband and I went on a delightful five-day backpacking trip in the Cabinet Mountains last week. Different vegetation layers along the 3,000-foot elevation difference displayed glacier lilies just emerging from under the snow to blooming bear grass, yarrow and penstemon. Twelve feet of snow just over the pass had us turn around in the near dark and camp just below. The full moon made a gorgeous arch just above our beds, making for a delightful start in the solitude of the mountains. It was a perfect world up there. What was off, though, was that the glacier lilies and penstemons — usually separated by a month or more — were blooming at the snowline at the same time. It was like the plants were trying to bloom and fruit as fast as possible before the heat got to them. On the way back down, it got progressively hotter, plants were wilting and my dog ran from shade cover to shade cover, almost colliding with a bear doing the same. We had some very refreshing dips in the river at the trailhead, but then had to face the heat wave at home without air conditioning and a very thirsty garden. I was so elated with the peace and beauty of our trip that the last thing I wanted to hear was friends being deeply depressed about the well-being of animals and the forests due to the heat and climate change. My whole being contracted and I felt huge resistance to engage in that conversation. Yes, I could just hide out in my idyllic home in the woods or find refuge in the mountains or air-conditioned buildings. Or I could join and lament and add worsening heat waves to the long list of recent depressing events. Or I could appreciate what we do have and do my part in maintaining it as much as it is possible. I just read an article about France dealing with a similar heat wave in 2003, with hundreds of people dying in Paris without air conditioning. Later, when Australia was burning up, it seemed like all these heat problems were far enough away. Now it is right at our own doorstep. I am dreading a re-
peat of several years ago when our area was the bullseye of smoke in the whole North American continent. It might be a 1,000-year heat wave anomaly, but these anomalies are starting to build up to a regularity. Globally, according to the recent National Geographic, the past six years have been the warmest ever recorded. You don’t have to believe the evidence of climate change contributing to escalating heat waves to appreciate Idaho Republican Sen. Mike Crapo’s plan to introduce the Energy Sector Innovation Credit (ESIC), which will give tax credits to companies that are investing in emerging technologies to solve climate change. He also cosponsored the Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021 (S.R. 1251), establishing environmental credit markets for farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners, which just passed the Senate. There is a flurry of other climate related bills on the table, all pieces to the big puzzle of climate solutions. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICFDA, or H.R. 2307) currently has 75 cosponsors and focuses on making “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050 a reality by making clean energy affordable via support of energy innovation while putting money in ordinary Americans’ pockets — at the same time saving lives by reducing pollution. Who could say no to that? This policy, a product of Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL), works by putting a fee on fossil fuels, which starts low, grows over time and gets allocated in equal shares every
month for citizens to spend as they see fit. A border carbon adjustment protects U.S. manufacturers and jobs (learn more at eneryinnovationact.org). The planet might very well be on a trajectory toward more frequent and intense heat waves that we all have to adjust to. However, we don’t have to hide in a beautiful place if we can afford to, nor do we have to disappear in pain and despair. We all can do our part to encourage innovative energy solutions and not only clean up our air and water but hopefully also prevent the Earth from burning up. Please consider supporting H.R. 2307 by committing to CCL’s monthly calling campaign (cclusa.org/ mcc) — even Idaho Republican Rep. Russ Fulcher will have to commit to climate solutions if he gets enough calls. Locally we need volunteers with computer/social media and people skills. Please consider coming to the next CCL Sandpoint zoom meeting, Wednesday July 21, 4:30-5.30 p.m. With this intense heat wave and fires looming we have the reality of climate change at our doorstep and, working together, we can influence our legislators. May this motivate us to do what we can to maintain hope and stabilize our climate so that we will still have forests and mountains to hike in that are fresh and green. Gabrielle Duebendorfer is a naturopathic doctor and leads the Sandpoint chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby.
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Have you no decency?…
Bouquets: • Here’s a big Bouquet to all the fire fighting crews working in the woods now to help curtail the recent starts we’ve seen the past week. I can only imagine how difficult their jobs are, especially when it’s been so hot and dry lately. Let’s help them by being extra vigilent during this dry spell. We’re under Stage II fire restrictions right now, which means no campfires of any kind. Do your part and let’s avoid having a smoked out summer again. • I’ve already heard from several local musicians who have offered to donate a gig to help establish this monthly Panida Theater fundraiser series. I really appreciate our musicians stepping up and helping raise some funds for our community theater. If you’re a musician and would like to donate a gig as a Panida fundraiser, please send me an email (ben@sandpointreader.com) and I’ll set it up. Also, if you’re a local business who wants to sponsor a show and match donations, please reach out and let me know. The Reader will match any donations from the Aug. 27 show at The Longshot, but we have openings for the remaining gigs, which are still being set up. The plan is to hold a show the last week of every month. Every little bit helps. Barbs: • I’ve written about the traffic light on Church St. and Fifth Ave. before, but the problem seemed to have been fixed for a time. Lately, I’ve noticed it’s acting up again. Cars waiting on Church St. often wait for long cycles while no traffic passes by on Fifth Ave. One time I was third in line at the light and it turned green, only to quickly switch back to yellow and red before I even approached the intersection. I’m hoping our town leaders can look into this, as it’s causing traffic to back up all the way to the post office. 8 /
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Dear editor, I have been embarrassed by the moron flying the obscene flags from his pickup all over Sandpoint. I called the police and tried to file a complaint. They said it was protected by the First Amendment. Bullshit! Obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. Mr. Lawyer, look up Miller v. California and Roth v. U.S. The language gives us the following to think about: Is the action any reasonable person would condone? No! Is it fitting for our community standards? No! Is it truthful based on an honest opinion? No! Does it breach the peace? Yes! Does it cause violence? I sure wanted to throttle the moron when my grandson, daughter and her friends saw the flag at First Avenue and Bridge Street. Also the look on the faces of the citizens as he paraded through the streets of Sandpoint. Shame on you Mr. Lawyer, shame on you Chief Coon, shame on the city of Sandpoint for letting this abomination occur. Where is your sense of decency? William Krause Embarrassed citizen of Sandpoint
The false narrative surrounding critical race theory… Dear editor, The Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) has been busy at work designing a false narrative. The falsehood is the IFF version of critical race theory (CRT). The IFF version is a false version of what CRT really is. CRT is a way of analyzing policies and has been a part of law school and graduate courses for over 30 years. The spotlight on CRT and K-12 education is recent and it is totally misplaced. CRT is being used to rile people up. When people are riled up, they don’t think clearly. And that is the whole point of what IFF is doing: Get people mad and distracted so they won’t be paying attention to the real agenda. The real IFF agenda is to end all public education in Idaho. Their goal is to turn Idahoans against teachers and our schools so that they can justify reducing funding with the goal to end funding altogether. Earlier this spring, the Legislature did just that when they used CRT as an excuse to cut the higher education budget by $2.5 million and to turn away $6 million of federal dollars for public preschools. Defunding public schools, if allowed to continue, will lead to a downward spiral for all of our communities. Business leaders and parents know how important strong education is to our communities and they are paying attention. You should, too. If
you value public education in Idaho, be sure to vote for pro-education candidates this November and in the May 2022 primaries. Lee Christensen Sandpoint
Remember public ed enemies at the ballot box… Dear editor, Critical race theory is sometimes used as a “throwaway” term by opponents of diversity and equality in our nation. Local educator Steve Johnson better defined the term: “Critical race theory is a phrase that means an honest look at history. Our country is strong and a significant part of that strength is our diversity. “Yes, I was required, by my moral compass, to teach critical race theory — which is another term for the significant and comprehensive lessons of U.S. history,” Johnson wrote. As Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal points out, “This year’s assault on education in the Idaho Legislature was sparked by a claim [later to be found baseless] that a white student at Boise State University had been demeaned and ‘forced to apologize for being white.’ ... “This claim … became an article of faith for Republicans in the Legislature, which cut BSU’s budget along with other Idaho colleges, in retribution. “Much of this baseless outrage was driven by the Idaho Freedom Foundation, the libertarian, anti-government lobbying organization that drags a significant number of Idaho lawmakers around on a leash.” Republican Reps. Heather Scott, of Blanchard, and Priscilla Giddings, of White Bird, shepherded this bill through the Idaho House, which would make it illegal for schools to adapt a method of inquiry that analyzes how systemic, historic racism has been applied to perpetuate inequality in the law, economics and politics of the United States. Don’t let these GOP allies destroy public education in Idaho. Vote them out. Jim Ramsey Sandpoint
One Idahoan’s opinion… Dear editor, New York license plates were on my car when I bought land near Sandpoint in 1972. They evoked interest and conversation. Idahoans were intrigued to hear about New York. Idaho license plates were on my car when I arrived in California to care for aging parents in 1986. They evoked interest and conversation. Californians were intrigued to hear about Idaho. California license plates were on my car in 1988 when I returned to the
property I own here to this day. While I was stopped for a traffic light at Fifth and Cedar, a guy waving his fist with middle finger erect yelled, “Go back to [expletive] California.” That was the first of many disparaging encounters prompted by my California plates. In 2018, while eating in a Sagle cafe, someone burst through the door shouting, “There’s a car out here with California plates. We don’t want those kind o’ people here!” Welcome to Idaho! I’ve paid Bonner County property taxes for 49 years. I’ve owned businesses in Priest River and Sandpoint and was active in both communities. I hire local contractors, spend money in local businesses and support local community activities. I have many longtime friendships here. I’m now
here roughly half of each year. Idaho license plates are on the car I keep here now. Does that make me an Idahoan? I’ve noticed fewer “California” slurs directed at me but I frequently hear derogatory remarks about Californians in general. California, once pristine and uncrowded, was inundated and overdeveloped by outsiders. “Californians” coming to Idaho these days probably originated elsewhere. Instead of being prejudiced against one state, Idahoans might open their eyes to the ills of overdevelopment by people from any state. Sound development policy — actually enforced — could save Idaho from itself and others. But, that’s just one Idahoan’s opinion. George Edward Priest River
NEWS FEATURE
Landowner, developer partner to keep investors out of new N. Idaho housing development
Deed-restricted homes will be built according to local buyer’s income, previous residency
By Kelsie Moseley-Morris Idaho Capital Sun Across Idaho, residents have watched helplessly as people and investors flush with cash from other states have swooped up property sight unseen for many thousands of dollars more than the asking price, driving up home prices and pricing others out of the area. Rob Hart, executive director of the Bonner Community Housing Agency, wanted to do something about it. Using a six-acre parcel of land in the northern end of town owned by Sandpoint native Nancy Hadley, the city will soon have a development with homes built based on income — but not official “affordable housing” — homes that are only open to local residents who will use it as their primary residence. There will be two units that will be funded by federal HOME loans through the Idaho Housing and Finance Association and therefore follow federal guidelines for affordable housing, but the rest of the development will not fall under that designation.
Reverse engineering a solution for affordable housing in Sandpoint The development will be called Culver’s Crossing and is slated to include 49 units of housing, including single-family homes and townhomes. Rather than building the homes and then marketing them, Hart said the home is built based on income and eligibility. A prospective buyer who meets the qualifications as a local resident would state their yearly income and be matched with a home design that would be built at an affordable cost to that person. It’s a model Hart used during his 40 years in the private sector as a developer in various states, including Idaho and California. “We reverse engineer homes so they’re affordable to locals,” Hart said. “… What it does is keeps investors out of the equation.” Rather than an affordable housing development, which typically relies on many local and federal resources that may or may not work out, this is an investment using Hadley’s land that will benefit the community, Hart said. She is not donating the land, just putting her own terms on how it can be used. “She said, ‘I want these homes available only to people who have (lived in Bonner or Boundary county) for at least two years, have a good job that serves the community, and are a citizen in good standing,’” Hart said of Hadley. The home’s deed also precludes its sale for at least the first two years of ownership. The homes range in scope and size to be suitable for incomes between 70% and 120% of the area median income, which is $64,500 per year. The payments for the mortgage
would be matched to what would be 30% or less of the buyer’s monthly income. The choices include: Single-family homes on minimum 6,000-square-foot lots. There are five of these homes for locals making up to 120% of the area median income. Twin homes that share minimum 7,000-square-foot lots. The homes have independent exterior walls and a townhouse form of ownership. There are 12 homes in six pairs for locals making up to 80% of area median income. Big houses that accommodate three to four townhouses but appear as a single large home. Each unit has independent exterior walls and a townhouse form of ownership. There are 26 units available for eight big homes for locals making up to 70% of area median income. HOME Program units — two units funded by the Idaho Housing and Finance Association and adhering to U.S. Housing and Urban Development guidelines for affordable housing. Will be priced to be affordable to locals making less than 70% of area median income. A historic site that combines a big house with three units and a carriage house with one unit over four garages. The home will be designed in the style of an original north Sandpoint estate, priced for locals making up to 100% of area median income. The most popular job in Sandpoint, Hart said, is working at the Schweitzer Mountain Resort, the ski resort about 11 miles from town. But many of the jobs at the resort don’t pay well, Hart said. “Those people who work there are people who, in the past, have spent the winter sleeping in their cars because they can’t find housing,” Hart said. “There is no rental housing (in the area). I actually went on Craigslist a few years ago just for fun, and it said, ‘Maybe you should look in a different community.’” A Craigslist search on Wednesday afternoon within 10 miles of Sandpoint’s main zip code showed three rental listings — the cheapest of which was a 400-square-foot converted garage for $1,000 per month. “The whole supply and demand thing is how America works, and that’s fine, we don’t want to get in the way of that,” Hart said. “But we can put our finger into that spiral for the benefit of locals and create a little bit of housing that operates outside of traditional housing, and that’s what we’re trying to do.” ‘It’s hard to really even quantify what the real impact is’ Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad said the city has seen massive growth in the past four years, and the volume of building permits has increased by nearly 40% this year. Rognstad said Hart’s approach is brilliant and
will promote a healthy community. With the range of incomes and associated homes, the neighborhood will attract people of different backgrounds and family sizes. “That’s just been shown historically to be really positive for building a vibrant community,” he said. The city is working with Hart and Hadley to get the project underway as quickly as possible. Hart said the original timeline was to start building the homes in 2023, but if the labor resources come together before winter hits, Hart said construction could begin as early as next year. Once the units open for sale, Hart expects they will immediately sell out. Rognstad said he hopes it will help with local business growth, because what he’s been told repeatedly over the past three years is that potential new hires can’t find housing and turn down the job or leave their jobs for other areas because they can’t find housing. Others living in rented homes have had the home sold by the landlord and been unable to find another rental in the area. “It’s hard to really even quantify what the real impact is,” Rognstad said. “… Businesses have just sort of conceded growth isn’t really possible in this kind of environment.” Hart and Rognstad said they hope other landowners or developers who might be interested in using their land for this same purpose will reach out. Rognstad is also hoping the state government will partner with Sandpoint city officials to support more developments like these. Rognstad has spoken with Idaho Gov. Brad Little about a workforce housing task force he is assembling that will meet in the coming months. The task force will include many business leaders in the community around the housing industry and development. “It’s really centered around employers, because we really want to have a clear understanding of what the need is from the employer’s perspective and engage them to be part of the solution,” Rognstad said. “I really feel our employers have the most to gain and the most to lose through this whole workforce housing issue. If we can’t house our workforce, then it doesn’t bode well for any business here locally.” This story was produced by the Idaho Capital Sun, an independent, nonprofit online news organization delivering in-depth coverage from veteran Idaho reporters on state government and policy. It has been edited for length, with the full version online at idahocapitalsun. com and sandpointreader.com. The Idaho Capitol Sun is part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit funded by tax-free donations in 22 states. Learn more and follow daily updates at idahocapitalsun.com and statesnewsroom.com. Do you have a story about difficulty finding housing in Bonner County? Tell us about it at stories@sandpointreader.com. July 15, 2021 /
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Mad about Science:
Brought to you by:
If the Haast’s eagle was around today, it would make a walk outdoors a bit scarier of an adventure. Courtesy image.
a tale of two birdies By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of unfathomably big birds — and it was a lot closer to our collective time on Earth than you might expect. Whenever we talk about megafauna, we are generally talking about creatures that lived thousands, perhaps even millions, of years ago. Huge, lumbering beasts that humankind was lucky enough to have never interacted with. The two subjects we’re looking at today were huge creatures by today’s standards, and also shared a unique experience that other giant creatures like the megalodon, one of the world’s largest-ever sharks, and Deinosuchus, one of the largest crocodilians, never experienced: the aromatic scent of human fear. Haast’s eagle was one of the largest birds of prey we have on record — believed to weigh around 33 pounds, standing three feet high and sporting a wingspan of more than 12 feet, this bruiser was a specialized killer built to take down some awesome prey. As is true of both of our subjects today, Haast’s eagle was a native of the southern island of New Zealand. You might be thinking to yourself: “Well, I know it interacted with humans, but such a huge creature in this day and age is impossible. It must have gone extinct 50,000 years ago.” Hold onto your sunhat, because your mind is about to be blown. 10 /
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Haast’s eagle stuck around on Earth until about 500 years ago, around the same time European powers were starting to colonize every land they could find. This raptor was so big and awe-inspiring that it is believed to have inspired the legend of the Poukai. The Poukai was a Maori legend of a giant bird that would hunt and kill humans, something Haast’s eagle was fully capable of doing. I’d like you to imagine yourself strolling about New Zealand in 1300 CE. You have a canoe at the shore and a weapon you’ve managed to fashion from whatever you’ve managed to find in your travels. A shadow rides the thermal updrafts hundreds of feet above your head, obscuring the sun every few moments as it passes — as it passes, you swear it’s getting larger and larger. Suddenly, that shadow is diving straight for you. Imagine a bullet being fired from a gun, but that bullet is 33 pounds and equipped with razor-sharp talons. The level of primal fear the early Maori settlers must have faced cannot be conveyed to a modern mind. We have no equivalent with which to compare the experience. In the entire history of human evolution, up until the first World War, being hunted from the sky has never been a dilemma humans have had to face — except for a few hundred years in New Zealand. Fortunately for us, humans weren’t the primary food source for Haast’s eagle.These raptors hunted a much larger game: the moa bird. Moas were an extremely varied type of
flightless bird, ranging anywhere from the size of turkeys to the Haast’s eagle’s preferred lunch, a 10-foot tall, 550 pound ostrich-like variation. I know what you’re thinking: “It tastes like chicken.” Unlike chickens, large flightless birds all have very dark red meat, and have been described as being closer to cow or pork than their skittish cousins. Emu meat has been gaining some traction around the world as an alternative to beef production, while other farmers have begun raising domesticated emus for fun. As much as I love birds, my interest in interaction ends the moment they become large enough to kill me on a whim. You may be curious to know how a 30-pound animal can kill something more than 10 times its size. As it turned out, quite easily. The strongest weapon in any raptor’s arsenal isn’t its beak or its talons — it’s gravity. A raptor’s feathers are specially evolved to reduce air drag when flying, and especially during a dive. The faster the eagle can dive, the more force it can deliver when it impacts its prey. In the case of the moa, this initial impact was to cripple or stun the bird more than anything else, so that the eagle could finish it off by cracking its skull with its powerful beak — a technique that was believed to also have been employed on adult humans. Ideally, when Haast’s eagle would kill a moa, it would eat a bit of it before leaving, then return to the carcass over a period of days — a macabre buffet, if you will. If the eagle
were to gorge itself, it wouldn’t be able to fly again. This wasn’t a tremendous problem for the eagle until humans showed up, as up until that point it had no natural predators, which contributed to its ability to grow to such tremendous sizes — a phenomenon known as island gigantism. Unfortunately for both the moa and Haast’s eagle, they would both be driven to extinc-
tion by humans over-hunting the moas. By the time Europeans came to New Zealand in 1642, both of these birds had been extinct for at least 150 years. If you’re out and about enjoying the sunshine and a smoothie bowl, ponder for a moment how lucky you are that you don’t need to worry about being dive-bombed by a raptor the size of a toddler. Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner logy?
Don’t know much about techno • The original Apple logo was a far cry different from its current logo. The company’s first logo featured Sir Isaac Newton sitting beneath a tree with an apple about to fall on his head. It featured a phrase around the border that read, “Newton... A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought... alone.” • The name for “robot” has some dark origins. The etymology of “robot” is from the Czech word robota, which translates to forced labor or work. The word was first used to refer to a fictional humanoid in a play in 1920 called “Rossum’s Universal Robots.” • The first VCR was the size of a piano. • We’ve all heard of megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes, but have you ever heard of a petabyte? A petabyte is equivalent to 1,024 terabytes. A 1-petabyte hard drive could hold 13.3 years of HD video and 50 petabytes could hold the entire written word of humankind, from the beginning of recorded history, in all languages.
We can help!
• There are computers specially designed without internet, video or music capabilities just for the Amish. The features include word processing, drawing, accounting, spreadsheets and not much else. • The first computer mouse was a bulky wooden contraption with a little button on the top right. It was invented in 1964 by Doug Engelbart, and he named it a mouse because the cord coming out of the back reminded him of the tiny rodents. • The original URL for Yahoo was akebono.stanford.edu, but the name Yahoo was selected because it was derived from Gulliver’s Travels slang, “Yahoo,” which was a fictional race of beings in the book. Also, Amazon was originally named Cadabra.com, which was an online bookstore only. • The word “android” is gender specific. It literally means a human with a male robot appearance. The female equivalent of this word is “gynoid.”
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FEATURE
Saying ‘goodbye’ to an ‘adventure sister’ Remembering Leah Lokan, an epic life ended by grizzly attack in MT
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff National media, from the New York Times to CNN, reported the death of Leah Davis Lokan, mauled by a grizzly bear in the Montana wildlands July 6, but Sandpoint residents had a special connection with the tragedy — having known Lokan as a friend and colleague in the area for many years, they have mourned in shock and disbelief. Lokan worked at Bonner General Health in the surgery department for several years before returning to her home state of California in 2012. In those years that she lived and worked in Bonner County, she made a profound, positive impact on those who knew her. Billie Jean Gerke called Lokan her “best friend” since 2011 and her “adventure girlfriend.” “We called each other sisters
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— we were as close as sisters for about 10 years,” she said. Lokan retired at the age of 64 last year, right before the COVID-19 outbreak, and had planned a retirement filled with adventure. She’d earned it, friends said, after a lifetime of both justifiably described “epic” adventures, service to others and hard work in her field. According to Gerke, after leaving Sandpoint, Lokan moved to a home in the vicinity of Paradise, Calif., where she worked at the Feather River Hospital. After it burned in the catastrophic fires in the area, she moved to an outlying hospital in the same area — continuing to serve her community. “She was a very good nurse,” said Deb Nance, who as supervisor of the BGH Surgery Unit worked with Lokan for about five years. “She was just a very kind-hearted, really sweet per-
son. Very determined and very strong-willed,” Nance said. “A super-woman athlete, too.” Gerke, likewise, noted Lokan’s athleticism, ticking off her accomplishments, including horse riding — along with Gerke she helped introduce the sport of skijoring to Sandpoint — and national championship bicycle riding. As Gerke wrote in Lokan’s obituary, published July 13: “She won the Mammoth National Champion Enduro race July 19, 2015, at the age of 59. She often volunteered for anything having to do with bicycling and was always game for the next big adventure.” Lokan died in the early morning hours of July 6 when a bear attacked her while she was camping on a bike trip with her sister, Kim, and friend Katie Boerner, in Ovando, Mont. “The people in the tent next to her didn’t even hear a scream,”
Gerke said. “She didn’t even know what was coming. Didn’t have any fear, didn’t feel any pain. I take some comfort in that.” Lokan’s fearlessness and quiet intensity typified the recollections of her friends. “She was an intense person, but she also was just beautiful — absolutely a stunning-looking woman, and I think back on her quiet demeanor and yet she was super strong and pretty intense in different ways,” Nance said. Gerke said: “She had a contagious affection for life and outdoors and so many sports — she was an inspiration for people to get involved, get outdoors, get active.” “She was loved and added a lot to our world,” Nance said. A gathering of friends will be held in Sandpoint Thursday,
Leah Lokan at the CHAFE 150 ride in 2014. Courtesy photo. July 15 at 6 p.m. on the beach at Hawkins Point, 5507 Sunnyside Road.; and a celebration of life is planned in Chico, Calif., Sunday, July 18, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Honey Run Covered Bridge, 1670 Honey Run Road. Details for memorials in Sandpoint and Chico in September will be announced later.
FEATURE
Septic situation By Susan Drumheller Reader Contributor In its efforts to tidy up and close loopholes in laws governing subdivisions, Bonner County Planning has left a hole large enough to drive a septic truck through. Five years ago, the county created a new category of minor land divisions that can be approved by the planning director without any public review. The revised law turned out to be fraught with problems, leading to recent proposed amendments to try to fix road and access issues, and to prevent landowners and developers from circumventing the more rigorous process for larger subdivisions. The law also lacks any requirement that land divisions of any size get health district approval to make sure buyers of the property can install a septic system. Bonner County, it turns out, holds the dubious distinction of being the only county in North Idaho — and perhaps the entire state — that does not mandate a health district review prior to configuring the subdivision lot lines. While septic systems must be permitted by the health district, the county does not require a health district review before issuing building location permits. “We don’t regulate septic systems,” said Commissioner Dan McDonald at a recent public hearing on the subdivision ordinance, explaining why the county takes a handsoff approach when it comes to ensuring developments have a means of disposing of wastewater. Calling the health district, the “Panhandle Socialist Extortion Health District,” Commissioner Steve Bradshaw compared the district’s $400 site evaluation and $50 per year renewal fees to the practice of mobsters, saying; “I wouldn’t care if they got defunded into oblivion.” Even as county officials say they are trying to save builders and developers time and money, health district staff have confirmed that this is causing problems leading to huge expense on the part of some unaware buyers. The county is now proposing to require health district sign off for subdivisions with lots smaller than 2.5 acres, but problems can occur on larger lots due to soil that doesn’t percolate or bedrock or steep slopes or any number of complicating factors, a health district staff member said at a recent Planning and Zoning Commission hearing. Bonner County is a buyer-beware county, where a land rush has newcomers purchasing property sight unseen. Under the new
streamlined subdivision process, there is no guarantee that property is buildable. The health district is finding more people who either have to install an expensive “enhanced” system or purchase an easement from a neighbor for a drainfield. “A huge percentage of our clients have never had to deal with septic systems ever in their entire life,” PHD Environmental Health Supervisor Kathryn Kolberg told the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission during a public hearing in March. “If not for easements, there would be a lot more parcels in this county that do not perc[olate],” she said, describing the expensive work-arounds to which buyers are resorting. “You have to have a place to put your wastewater and if you don’t plan for it you will get yourself into a pickle.” Systems installed in areas that don’t have proper soil or topography could potentially degrade water quality of nearby lakes or groundwater, which the county is directed to protect from development activities by the county comprehensive land use plan. After two public hearings and taking the health district testimony, the county’s volunteer Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that a health district review be restored to all land divisions. Planning Director Milton Ollerton resisted — saying the county commissioners would not support such a change. He was right, so he is now consulting with PHD. McDonald said the proper point of review is at the building location permit stage — but that review is not required in Bonner County, either. Kolberg testified that by the time she gets called, buildings are sometimes already under construction — limiting options even further. Last year, the Planning Department approved about 250 minor land divisions administratively. In the first six months of
County risks approving unbuildable lots without health district review
this year, the county approved the creation of more than 350 lots and nearly 700 building location permits — none of which needed to have any sign off from Panhandle Health District before being approved. Nearly every other county in the state has some kind of requirement to have the local health district review land divisions to make sure the lots are configured in a way to allow development. If that’s not possible, the health district won’t approve it — and either the subdivision isn’t approved by the county or the subsequent deed contains a restriction on it. “We review all subdivisions,” said Ken Keller, environmental health specialist for the comparatively dry eight-county Southeastern Idaho Public Health District. Eastern Idaho Public Health’s Kelly Johnson explained that they also review soil conditions in proposed lots in all of their eight counties to make sure they can support a septic system, and work with developers to adjust lot lines if they find problems. “To just sell a lot that hasn’t been approved, and sanitary restrictions haven’t been lifted, is to risk selling a lot that is not buildable,” said Mike Reno, environmental health specialist in the four-county, highly populated Central Public Health District. “By doing the work upfront, the approval process will identify issues.” The county’s proposed amendments to the subdivision ordinance have yet to be finalized. The Bonner County commissioners have another hearing scheduled on Aug. 4. Information on the proposed changes is available on the county planning department’s website: bonnercountyid.gov/departments/planning.
Courtesy image. Susan Drumheller is a freelance journalist and a member of Project 7B, a local nonprofit with the mission to support land use planning based on locally shared values and aspirations. More information is available at project7b.org. This is Part 3 in a series on growth in Bonner County. Find Part 1, “Zoom boom: Land use priorities collide in the ‘Zoom economy,’” in the Feb. 25 edition of the Sandpoint Reader; and Part 2, “Land use tug-of-war: Neighborhood winners and losers,” in the March 4 edition of the Reader. Find all three pieces online at sandpointreader.com.
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COMMUNITY
Sandpoint celebrates Pride
PFLAG hosts 7B’s first ever Pride Festival at the Granary Arts District
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
of our friends in the LGBTQ community, and excited to celebrate with It’s been a longtime dream everyone.” of local PFLAG President That concept of Jeff Bohnhof to host a Pride inclusivity is echoed celebration in North Idaho, but by the Sandpoint it wasn’t until 2021 that the Pride Festival’s pieces fell into place for Sand- slogan: “All Are point’s first ever Pride Festival, Welcome.” slated for Saturday, July 17 in “The acceptance, the city’s Granary Arts District. the inclusivity, the “It’s been something we welcoming feeling wanted to do over the years, — that’s what we’re but it takes a certain amount going for,” Bohnhof of people and effort to get it said. “We want to done,” he said. “We just didn’t bring that across have that until this year.” to the rest of SandPart of that effort comes point.” in the form of business partThe Sandpoint nerships — namely, co-hosts Pride Festival kicks Matchwood Brewing Company off at 2 p.m. and will and Evans Brothers Coffee, feature advocacy located on either side of the booths, an art installation and Granary Arts District between several speakers, including Church and Oak streets. keynote speaker Rep. John “Matchwood is honored McCrostie, D-Garden City, to serve as a host to Sandthe first openly gay lawmaker point’s first Pride Festival,” in the Idaho Legislature and Matchwood owners Andrea assistant minority leader. Marcoccio and Kennden Culp The festivities will continshared in a joint statement to ue into the evening with live the Reader. “As small business music, a drag show and dance owners, we intentionally creparty. ated a space to connect our cusAttendees will have the tomers to each other to build chance to bid on silent auction and foster community. In a items, including gift cards from world that is becoming increas- local businesses, prizes from ingly disconnected, we seek Schweitzer and a pair of tickets to offer an oasis for personal for the family matinee perforconnections — a space where mance at the upcoming Festipeople feel welcome, safe, val at Sandpoint.The event will cared for and appreciated. And, also feature a bounce house, we are damn proud to be allies kids’ activity area and face of the LGBTQI+ community.” painting, so there is something Rick Evans of Evans Broth- for every member of the family ers Coffee said his roastery is at Pride. excited to be a part of what While there has been negis sure to be a “sweet and fun ative feedback following the event.” announcement of the town’s “We believe strongly in first Pride — “That’s to be inclusivity, in love and respect expected,” Bohnhof said — the for all,” he said. “We are proud positivity coming from busi-
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nesses and people willing to help out and sponsor the event has been overwhelming. While he knows it may take years, Bohnhof said he hopes events like the Sandpoint Pride Festival will play a part in creating a community where “any LGBTQ couple can feel safe walking down the street holding their partner’s hand.” “I just want them to leave feeling uplifted and accepted,” he said of Pride attendees. “I know there are kids and young adults, even adults, in Sandpoint and the surrounding area who are not out just because of North Idaho’s climate and environment. I want them to feel like, ‘OK, I’m important. I’m OK. I’m not broken, and it’s OK for me to be out.’” To see the latest updates and learn more about the Sandpoint Pride Festival, find the event on Facebook.
A pride float in the 2021 Fourth of July parade in Sandpoint. Photo by Ben Olson.
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Doug Jones’ artistic contributions to Sandpoint are what community is all about By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Publisher’s note: In any small arts town, there are always a handful of individuals who quietly do the important work of building a community. These are the people who show up to board meetings on hot summer nights to discuss fundraising, who paint murals and create public art for Sandpointians to see, who bring culture and organize events that span generations. This series of articles aims to shine a light on some of those locals who often don’t get the recognition they deserve. If you would like to nominate a local to be featured in this new series, contact Reader Publisher Ben Olson at ben@ sandpointreader.com.
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hances are, even if you don’t know Doug Jones, you’ve seen his artwork around Sandpoint. Jones’ family moved to Sandpoint from the small southern Idaho town of Rupert when he was 11 years old. From an early age, Jones knew he wanted to become an artist. “I’d been drawing on the chalkboard since I was 4,” he told the Reader. “I’d always been interested in art, making animated films, painting. I always knew I wanted to do it [as a career].” Jones grew up in a house on the corner of First Avenue and Dearborn Street and attended Sandpoint Middle and High schools. His first art class was from Dr. Bailey, a local character who owned the Woodworkers of the World building that used to be located at Fourth Avenue and Alder Street, where the new Bonner General Health building now sits. “He was a big guy, a perfect small town character,” he said. “He wore this little beret and lived in a trailer out in Trestle Creek, and would give little housewife painting lessons. He would say things like, ‘Remem16 /
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ber to put some holes in the trees for the birds to fly through.’ My twin brother and I took that painting class.” After a few years of college at Spokane Falls, Jones traveled around Europe before eventually gravitating back to Sandpoint. “I got stuck back in the pit,” he said with a smile. “Sand pit.” Jones always wanted to be an architect or animator. After he moved back to Sandpoint, he dug into the emerging artistic cultural movement the town experienced during the 1970s and ’80s. He taught art classes, designed T-shirts, produced paintings, ran the film projector at the Panida Theater and lived the starving artist lifestyle the best way he knew how. One day, while sitting on the sand at Sandpoint City Beach, Scott Glickenhaus (who originally built the Cedar St. Bridge) saw Jones and asked if he’d like to contribute some design sketches for what the bridge would ultimately become. “I worked on that project for four years until it was completed,” he said. “I completed the concept drawing on a Sunday night while watching the ash build up on May 18, 1980 [when Mt. St. Helens erupted]. The next day they had the city council meeting in the old City Hall and approved the design.” Jones also worked closely with then-Schweitzer Mountain Resort owner Bobbie Huguenin to draw some of the first trail maps for the ski resort. “Bobbie was a very big patron, as well as a friend and supporter of mine from the early days,” he said. Jones participated in the first Sandpoint Arts and Crafts Faire, which gave birth to the Pend Oreille Arts Council more than four decades ago. After ArtWalk got started, he sold a few of his paintings over the years and helped contribute what he could to make sure it came back strong
Doug Jones in front of the mural he painted almost 40 years ago. The fate of the mural is anyone’s guess, as the site has been demolished. Photo by Ben Olson. every year. One of Jones’ largest public murals is the tree painted on the north side of the Eve’s Leaves building next to what is known as the “old Arlo’s building,” which has now been demolished. It’s hard to see the mural now over the construction barriers, but it’s still there — at least for the time being. Prior to 1984, the Dalby family owned a service station next to Cedar St. Bridge. The space turned into an artsy shop with the Cottage Craftsman gallery located there, thanks in large part to Susan Dalby and Marilyn Sabella. Sabella, who owns Eve’s Leaves next door, used to have her
shop across the street but made the move to her current location when the building became vacant. Sabella tapped some of the local artists in town to help paint artwork on the wall, including Jones, Dan Shook, Susan Dalby, Mark DeLavergne and others. “There were all these people that came out, so we bought some beer and pizza and Doug was the ringmaster,” Sabella told the Reader. “He’d hand you a can of paint and say, ‘This is dark green, you do the stems; this is light green, you’ll do the leaves; here’s a can of yellow, you’ll do the little dots at the center of the flowers.’ I’m glad you’re shining a light on Doug.
He’s so amazing.” After the inside artwork was finished, Sabella tapped Jones to produce a big mural on the north-facing wall. “She wanted an Eve’s Leaves theme, with an apple and the forbidden fruit concept,” Jones said. After a painter air sprayed the wall with blue and green shades of paint to produce the foundation for the piece, Jones rolled up his sleeves and got to work producing the mural. “It was all hand-painted, mostly with sponge brushes,” Jones said. “The one-inch brush was perfect for layering all of those leaves and highlights on branches.” Jones said he borrowed a pump jack for the scaffolding, which only allowed him about 14 inches in width to stand on. “I’m not a big heights fan,” Jones said. “Hanging off a chairlift, though? No problem.” Jones would mix up a tray of paint, climb up carefully and piece together the mural using latex paint. “Because it’s north facing, it hasn’t faded much,” he said. “I looked into doing a seal coat, but it would’ve yellowed, so I was advised against that. I learned a lot of this when I worked at the Paint Bucket after I got out of college in 1978 or so, so I knew a little bit about that.” The completed work of art was actually the first public art mural in Sandpoint, followed soon after by many others at the old Belwoods building, Foster’s Crossing and more. With the demolition and new construction looming, Jones said the fate of the tree mural on First Avenue is in question. “I know it’s going to disappear,” he said. “I’ve seen Sandpoint change from a onehorse logging town to one that’s desperate to become another Aspen or Tahoe. I guess it doesn’t really bother me [if the mural is replaced]. It’s seen its day. It has
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meaning for people beyond what I’d ever thought. Over the years so many people have had their pictures taken in front of it.” Another iconic piece of art Jones created was the old cartoon maps of Sandpoint that most of us who have been around for a while still remember. (Publisher’s note: I used to spread those maps on my living room floor as a child and “drive” my toy cars around the streets, making sure to stop carefully at every intersection.) With all the new construction and new faces in town now, it’s easy to overlook the contributions that artists and community leaders made decades ago. The loud voices often receive the most attention, while the quiet ones who do the work and act as stewards to the community are often overlooked for the important contributions they have made. “[In the 1980s] we helped to change the direction, the fabric and approach of Sandpoint to keep it young, educated,” Jones said. “To sustain that kind of artistic community there needed to be a major donor. But now that opportunity is gone. … I gave up hoping a long time ago. I’m not a noise maker, I guess I’m kind of a grease in the mechanism. I don’t mind being a little tailor, stitching away. I’ve gotten by. The universe has provided, and I’m doing quite well considering.
I’m still holding onto the mantle of a starving artist.” Comparing the Sandpoint he knew going back to the late 1960s to the Sandpoint of today, Jones said he’s mostly accepted the change. “It’s inevitable,” he said. “I’ve seen so much change. I accept what’s going down. It’s very precious memories of those — now getting to be fewer and fewer — people who shared all that and can recall. “I don’t know that a lot of these people who arrived here [recently] even have a clue or a grasp of what community is like and how you build community. You don’t just step into it, and you certainly don’t treat it like, ‘I just discovered this place, it didn’t exist before I laid eyes on it,’” he added. “I know the value of contributing as a member of a community, which all comes about from life in a small town, watching things grow, seeing what a small group of people can do. Even if you throw a bunch of money at something, it’s not the same as rolling up your sleeves and doing the work.” Whether it’s his artistic contributions to the community, or the quiet, thankless tasks like weed-whacking behind the Panida Theater, Jones exemplifies what it means to be a steward to a beautiful place like Sandpoint.
Thanks to his — and many others’ — work, our town is a little brighter. The more of Old Sandpoint we cover up and destroy, the further we travel from that community that drew us — or kept us — here in the first place.
Top left: The Sandpoint cartoon map drawn by Doug Jones in 1983 and published by Mosquito Creek Press. Courtesy image. Top right: A Sandpoint Daily Bee photo of Doug Jones painting the mural in 1984.
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events July 15-22, 2021
THURSDAY, July 15
Live Music w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Live Music w/ Ben Olson 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Open Mic Night at the Longshot 7-10pm @ The Longshot Sign up at 6:30. All artists welcome
Live Music w/ Devon Wade 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Kyle Richard 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Mutliple instrumentalist with loop pedal
FriDAY, July 16
SATURDAY, July 17
Live Music w/ Turn Spit Dogs 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Crooked Tooth 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Outdoor concert w/ Jacob Maxwell 8-10pm @ The Longshot From CDA - season 16 of “The Voice” Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 10am-1pm @ Farmin Park Live music w/ Big Phatty Live music in the Library Garden 2pm @ Sandpoint Library Tri-Cities Steel Band Association playing! Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am
Green Monarchs Futbol Club last game 6:30pm @ War Memorial Field The last game of the summer. Free to the public. Playing Montana Flathead Rapids PFLAG Pride Event 2-10pm @ Granary Parking Lot Advocacy booths, pride swag, live poem readings, remarks by the mayor, a keynote address from the first openly gay man in the Idaho Legislature and more NW WineFest at Schweitzer 12-7pm @ Schweitzer (July 17-18) Sample 80 wines from the Pacific Northwest and listen to 5 live bands over two days. Food and family fun, souvenir wine glasses and village activities
SunDAY, July 18
Interactive Bingo 6-7:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
6-Pack Alleycat Ride 2pm @ Greasy Fingers Bikes ‘n’ Repair The 12th annual bike scavenger hunt! $15 with proceeds benefiting the animal shelter Piano Sunday w/ Peter Lucht 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
monDAY, July 19
Outdoor Experience Monday Night Group Run – All levels welcome 6pm @ Outdoor Experience Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “Prayer: Could a Conversation With God Change Your Life?”
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
tuesDAY, July 20 Paint and Sip with Lisa Maus • 5:30-7:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery $35 includes supplies, instruction adn a glass of house red or white. 208-265-8545
wednesDAY, July 21 Live Music w/ John Firshi 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park Live Music w/ Kerry Leigh
Live Music w/ Matt Mitchell 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Benny on the Deck - Live Music 5-7:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge patio Weekly live music with Benny Baker. This week’s guest: Ron Criscione
Live Music w/ Just Us Trio 4-7:30pm @ Memorial Community Ctr. Head out to Hope for free live music
ThursDAY, July 22 Sandpoint Summer Series returns w/ Heels to the Hardwood • 6pm @ Farmin Park The free Sandpoint Summer Series of concerts in Farmin Park is back with the band Heels to the Hardwood. Presented free by Mattox Farm Productions. 18 /
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COMMUNITY
Pedaling for a pawsitive cause Greasy Fingers Bikes N Repair’s 12th annual Six-Pack Alleycat Ride to benefit Better Together Animal Alliance
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff When Brian Anderson organized the first Six-Pack Alleycat ride, he said his goal was to create a fun and social bike event that would introduce participants to the nooks and crannies of Sandpoint they had never visited. As Anderson prepares to facilitate the 12th annual event through his shop, Greasy Fingers Bikes N Repair, on Sunday, July 18, it is safe to say that Sandpoint’s alleycat ride has become a local favorite. “It was a huge success the first year, and that really inspired me to build on the concept,” he said. That concept is a scavenger hunt-style bike ride with a series of checkpoints around town where bikers must obtain signatures or certain information to move on. The course totals 12-15 miles of riding, depending on the route that riders choose. Road, mountain and cruiser bikes are all accepted. While the Six-Pack Alleycat Ride is not a race, Anderson said, there are prizes for first, second and DFL — dead freakin’ last. It costs $15 to register, with proceeds benefiting a different local cause each year. “Born and raised in Sandpoint, I love my home and realize there are so many needs and great organizations and causes. ... Needless to
say, Sandpoint folks are very giving by nature and having a cause for the yearly ride only brought more people to the event to participate,” Anderson said. The 2021 beneficiary is Better Together Animal Alliance — a cause close to Anderson’s heart. “I grew up on a farm surrounded by different animals, and they really taught me a lot and enhanced my childhood,” Anderson said. “I now have a dog, who I often refer to as my child. The human-animal bond is beneficial for a lot of people and our Animal Alliance does a great job of connecting pets and their owners.” The Six-Pack Alleycat Ride will culminate with an after party at a location yet to be determined. “As much as it is a challenge for the riders to figure out their routes and clues for the day, each year becomes more of a challenge for me to keep things fresh and come up with new ideas that we haven’t used before,” Anderson said. “I enjoy hearing when people do or visit somewhere new in Sandpoint because of the ride. So I am always pushing.” Join the Six-Pack Alleycat Ride on Sunday, July 18 at Greasy Fingers Bikes N Repair (108 N. Third Ave.). Registration opens at 1 p.m., and the ride starts at 2 p.m. For more info call Greasy Fingers at 208-255-4496.
Bonner Co. Human Rights Task Force awards nearly $20K in grants By Reader Staff The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force has completed its awards review process for 2021, granting $18,925 to the community to help fund activities and programs that support and promote human rights. Grant recipients this year include Bonner Community Food Center, Community Cancer Services, Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, Better Together Animal Alliance, Panhandle Community Radio, the Panida Theater Committee, Pend Oreille Arts Council, Priest River Ministries, Project 7B, Sandpoint Waldorf School, Sandpoint Youth Center, Unique Center for Athletes of All Needs, and Foundation for Human Rights Action and Advocacy. The projects receiving funding contribute to creating kits of food and toiletries for at-risk teens; provide transportation for cancer treatment; make scholarships available to students of the Music Conservatory; help cover costs of medical treatment for pet owners who cannot afford them; fund films addressing
human rights issues to be shown without cost; contribute to a “Living Voices” production for Lake Pend Oreille School district and the community; help provide shelter and safety for women and children to escape domestic violence; help provide tools for county residents to participate in land-use planning; purchase literature for students that reflects racial, ethnic, socio-economic and gender diversity; fund activities and training at the Sandpoint Youth Center; buy adaptive fitness equipment for special needs children and adults; and fund the continuation of the Erik Brujhell Scholarship. The BCHRTF looks at human rights from a broad perspective when making decisions about grant applications, including those socio-economic rights listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the rights of individuals to be free from discrimination and harassment. Next year’s grant cycle will open in March 2022. Nonprofit organizations, schools and governmental entities are eligible to apply.
STAGE & SCREEN
I come from the past to warn you not to watch The Tomorrow War By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Released for streaming July 2 on Amazon Prime, The Tomorrow War imagines what would happen if an alien invasion well-nigh depopulated the planet of humans between 2048 and 2051 and, running low on cannon fodder, those post-date military leaders found a way to jump back to 2022 and draft the people of the past into fighting the war for the future. On a conceptual level that’s kinda cool. It could play with ideas of generational war (both literal and figurative) and the contingent nature of time. It could also delve into the socio-political dislocation that would result from everyone knowing that hitherto unimaginable horrors will be visited on them in about 30 years. I’d watch that movie. Sadly, despite having all those elements to varying superficial degrees, The Tomorrow War is not that movie. Rather than lean into its high-concept sci-fi setup, The Tomorrow War is more or less a
$200 million vehicle for Chris Pratt’s agent to bludgeon us with the idea that his client is an action star. Despite the interminabile insistence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pratt is and always will be at his best as lovable doofus Andy Dwyer in Parks and Rec. The film opens with Pratt as a deflated dad who, despite his service as a Green Beret in Iraq, finds himself slouching toward middle age as an uninspired high-school science teacher. His crisis of self worth ticks up a notch when he’s passed over for a job at a fancy research lab, so he slumps onto the couch to drink a Coors stubby and watch the World Cup with a bunch of his happy suburban pals. Suddenly, as the world watches, a squiggly wormhole-y anomaly appears on the field and out of it rushes a squad of futuristic soldiers who announce that aliens have taken over the planet in 2051 and it’s up to folks in 2022 to travel forward in time to fight them. What follows is a global military draft, with civilians called up to be surgically fitted with high-tech
gauntlets that will enable them to “jump” for seven-day tours of duty in the titular “tomorrow war.” Of course, our hero gets his shot at making his life meaningful (as if being a teacher isn’t?), and by that we mean he gets to be a Green Beret again, shooting stuff, running and jumping off of stuff, using cool combat jargon and offering inspirational tough-guywith-a-heart-of-gold monologues. He also does some science. There’s also our hero’s dad in the “present” — a cartoonishly paranoid but stereotypically badass Vietnam vet — and (spoiler) his grown-up daughter in 2051, who thinks of him as a similar deadbeat, though whatever he did happened sometime in the “future” and he doesn’t know what it was. Also, who cares. There’s another tough guy with nothing to lose but his nihilism (which he does), a nebbish scientist who apparently got his Ph.D. in comic relief and, absurdly, a highschool kid whose volcano obsession is critical to figuring out where the aliens actually came from.
Another spoiler: The aliens have been on Earth for a very long time, frozen on a spaceship that crashed near the North Pole en route to another planet where they were to be unleashed by another alien species as some sort of bioweapon. (Prometheus, anyone?) A huge volcanic eruption in the 10th century CE (enter: high-school nerd) and more recent climate change thawed them out, thus we have met the enemy and they are us. Sort of. The climate change thing seems thrown in as the merest nod toward relevance. You can imagine the rest:
Andy Dwyer saves the day. Courtesy photo. explosions, alien guts, family reconciliation, brave sacrifices and all the other soggy tropes that when shoveled into a multimillion dollar pile amount to a blockbuster franchise (word is there’s already a sequel in development). All I can say is that if I had a “jumplink” back to July 2, I’d use it to tell myself to save those 138 minutes for anything else. I don’t, so I’m jumping forward from July 12 in the hopes that I’m not too late to save you.
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FOOD
The Sandpoint Eater Once upon a time By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist Those who know me well would tell you that I am rarely a woman at a loss for words. Not true this week. I tried to work on this column all weekend, and Monday morning found me sitting right here, staring at a blank Word document. If only words would flow like tears. I lost my little best buddy last weekend. It’s been years since I’ve suffered pet grief. And, wow, I’d kind of forgotten about this knife-to-the-heart and punch-tothe-gut experience. It’s not for the faint of heart! While conversing with a friend about my writer’s block, she offered me this sage advice, “share your grief and you’ll feel better.” She also reminded me that many of you already know my three-legged, insulin-dependent kitty, Laurel (either in person or through my various columns). For all I know, he could’ve had his own following. You may have read about him many years ago after I hosted a Reader holiday gathering in my home. As usual, Laurel took up his central perch in the kitchen to watch the comings and goings of the night. He caught Ben Olson’s attention, and Ben snapped a few photos of him. A couple of weeks later, Ben sent me an image that became one of my favorite Laurel photos. Soon after that, Ben even featured Laurel in his own Reader spread. Once I figured out I’d let y’all know about Laurel, I was struck with yet another dilemma. How could I manage in my grief to rise up, teary-eyed from my bed, and come up with a recipe? And a photo? My quandary took me right back to my ranch days, and I can hear my mother-in-law’s matterof-fact voice declaring that neither grief nor sadness were valid excuses. Dessert was expected on the 20 /
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table after every meal. Suddenly I remembered this favorite foolproof raspberry cake — it got me out of more than one jam when I needed a sweet and easy offering. Under the shade of my raspberry bushes was a favorite hangout of Laurel’s. And his timing was perfect because, right now, the bushes are laden with huge, ripe berries. No doubt he would have given my efforts a paw of approval. He was like that. Here’s his story: Once upon a time, on the railroad tracks in Laurel, Mont., an eensy-teensy orphaned kitty was discovered under the galley of the dining car by a train crew. One of them coaxed him out, scooped him up and placed him into the warm, waiting palm of his new human momma, who was overseeing a passenger train project. In the daytime, she stowed him away in her office/compartment onboard the train. She tucked him
into her bosom for dinner meetings and snuck him into the crew hotels at night. His first litterbox was the sand in the tall ashtrays outside the hotel entrances. Fed milk from a tiny bottle, he weathered a host of stomach ailments, as his tiny body adjusted to milk and motion sickness. It was a long four days, stowed aboard the train, until he arrived in Sandpoint — mostly unscathed — and was christened Laurel. So began his fairytale life. For 15 years, he gave unconditional love to his keeper, always grateful for his rescue. In fact, no one loved momma more than Laurel. Soon there were grandbabes, whom he showered with love. If there was a baby on the floor, Laurel was omnipresent. He stretched out alongside them, ever-so-softly patting their baby faces with his fluffy white paw. On his very own table, in the
Rest in peace, Laurel. center of her kitchen, Laurel kept a keen eye on his mom’s culinary projects. He’d spend hours, content just to be near her. He was even known to photobomb the odd Zoom cooking class. He loved the outdoors, where he sipped cool water from the neighbor’s pond and dozed in the early morning sun. A favorite pastime was catching and delivering myriad trophy rodents, to friends (including dog friends) and family alike. But his very favorite spot was the oversized and worn leather chair he shared with his momma, cradled alongside her during morning coffee and evening cocktails. They spent oodles of time there, especially during COVID. Laurel either loved or hated FaceTime and appeared jealously for every call, positioning himself
between the phone and his master. Laurel had many health challenges and was nurtured by extraordinary caregivers when his momma traveled. But this past year, she was mostly at his side and watched his decline with great sadness. Yet, she loved him unselfishly and, with a shattered heart, chose to free him from further suffering. Laurel was spoiled beyond measure and frequently dined on fresh ahi and U-12 shrimp. But, for his last supper, they shared a feast of steamed lobster and king crab, and he relished every last bite. Oh, how she misses his unwavering devotion and sweet, soft cuddles, but his momma takes much comfort knowing he’s in kitty heaven, pouncing mice with four good feet and living happily ever after.
Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
This cake is so easy and versatile. You can substitute raspberries with huckleberries or really ripe peach chunks. Use fresh fruit, gently washed and patted dried — or frozen. If frozen, add at the last minute while the berries are still frozen. The buttermilk adds just the right amount of tanginess. Serve it warm with fresh cream or try it glazed with lemon juice and powdered sugar. You can top it with streusel before baking. Top it with ice cream or even a drizzle of warm chocolate ganache after it’s cooled.
INGREDIENTS: • Non-sticking cooking spray • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour • 1/2 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp baking soda • 1/4 tsp salt • 1 stick butter, room temperature • 1 cup granulated sugar — plus 2 additional tablespoons sugar • 2 large eggs • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 3/4 cup buttermilk (shake well before using) • 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries • Zest of one lemon (reserve juice if making glaze).
DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. Flip paper so both sides are greased. Dust lightly with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a stand-up mixer, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat 3-4 minutes for each egg. Scrape bowl well and mix another minute or so. On lowest speed, add the flour in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to the cake pan, smoothing into an even layer. Tap pan to even dough. Place the raspberries on top, sprinkle with the
remaining sugar and use a fine grater to top with zest of one lemon. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake
comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and cooling on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
MUSIC
Finding joy in North Idaho
Recital to raise funds for local teacher seeking artist visa
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bianca d’Avila do Prado fell in love with Sandpoint before she moved here. She visited in December 2020 to meet with instructors at the Suzuki String Academy and, by January, she was living in North Idaho, leaning into her new role as a local cello instructor. Now, with 20 students in Sandpoint and a passion for spreading her love of the cello even further throughout the community, d’Aliva do Prado is determined to stick around. To do that, the Brazilian cellist needs an artist visa — specifically, a U.S. work visa granted to individuals with “extraordinary ability in the arts,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “I could not imagine our cello program would grow so fast, and still with so much potential to grow,” she said. “It’s a wonderful cello community. I’m so proud to see my students playing with their hearts and working consistently to improve their musicality and technique. My students are my friends and my daily inspiration. I can’t imagine having to leave the United States and not have them as part of my day-to-day life.” While the Optional Practical Training program that d’Avila do Prado has been working under is about to expire, she is not yet ready to leave the States. Aside from her work at the Suzuki String
Academy, she also works with students at the Sandpoint Christian School and, in the fall, the University of Idaho. In an effort to raise the $9,000 necessary to pay for fees attached to the visa process, d’Avila do Prado — with help from friends and colleagues — is launching a fundraising effort, including a recital at the Heartwood Center (615 Oak St.) on Wednesday, July 28 at 7 p.m. The performance, titled “Songs of Joy and Hope,” will feature d’Avila do Prado on the cello and Simon Pranaitis, another Suzuki String Academy instructor, on the piano. “I’m very grateful Simon promptly accepted the invitation to join me in playing this challenging but delightful repertoire,” d’Avila do Prado said. At 12 years old, d’Avila do Prado first attended a cello recital. “There were no cello players or teachers in the town where I grew up,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe how beautiful that sound was, and I knew I wanted to learn it at that moment.” After three years of asking her mom to let her learn the cello, “she finally thought I was old enough to travel one hour in a bus — with a cello — to take lessons,” d’Avila do Prado recalled. She already had experience teaching music, but in her journey learning to play the cello, d’Avila do Prado said she became certain that one day, she would be a cello instructor. Based on the dedicated follow-
ing of both children and adults she’s been able to collect as students over the past six months in Sandpoint, it appears that the teacher found her calling. “Aside from being a talented instructor, she provides such an incredible gift to the community through her music,” said Jame Davis, one of d’Avila do Prado’s adult cello students, in a statement attached to the GoFundMe Davis launched in her instructor’s honor. “We are blessed to have Bianca in our town.” Through both teaching and performing at local venues, d’Avila do Prado said she feels as though she is continuing the cycle of inspiration she experienced in her childhood. “I’m happy to be able to teach and also have opportunities to perform in town,” she said of Sandpoint, “because the same way I felt inspired to learn watching that cellist when I was 12, I believe I can be an inspiration to my current students and to a new generation of young musicians.” Her Heartwood Center performance on July 28 will be another chance to show young musicians what is possible. “I chose my favorite songs to share and I hope they will bring joy, hope and inspiration for the students, families and the community,” she said. “Music is powerful, and I know by teaching music I’m changing lives. I’m so grateful for all the beautiful musical experiences I’m having
Cellist Bianca d’Avila do Prado and pianist Simon Pranaitis will play the Heartwood Center July 28. Courtesy photo. in Idaho and I hope I can have the support of the community to be able to continue my musical journey here.” Buy tickets to “Songs of Joy and Hope” at Suzuki String Academy, Pend d’Oreille Winery and at the door the day of the performance. Tickets are $20 for the general public and $10 for Suzuki String Academy students and their families. Those interested in supporting d’Avila do Prado’s efforts to obtain an artist visa can donate to her GoFundMe at gofundme. com/f/help-bianca-to-get-hervisa-stay-in-sandpoint, attend the recital or book her to play a private event. Contact her at 309-750-5707 or bdavilaprado@ gmail.com. Learn more at sites. google.com/view/biancacellist.
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Jacob Maxwell, The Longshot, July 17 While listening to Jacob Maxwell’s music it is difficult to imagine the singer-songwriter anywhere but beneath the wide open skies of North Idaho, sharing folk rock tunes through the sunset hour and into the starry night. Lucky for North Idaho, Maxwell — who hails from the Coeur d’Alene — will do just that at The Longshot as part of its outdoor summer concert series. Maxwell made a name for himself on the national stage when he appeared in 2019 at age 20 on
NBC’s The Voice and successfully earned a spot on John Legend’s team, competing to become the 16th season champion. Though he did not win The Voice, Maxwell returned to Idaho, having gained recognition as an emotive vocalist and rising star on the folk rock scene. Find Maxwell’s debut EP, Brittany’s House, on streaming platforms. — Lyndsie Kieber 8-10 p.m., FREE. The Longshot, 102 S. Boyer Ave, longshotsandpoint.com.
Biddidat, Festival at Sandpoint, Aug. 6
The Festival at Sandpoint’s final announcement for the 2021 concert series is Seattle-based Biddadat, opening for Young the Giant on Friday, Aug. 6. Despite its Emerald City pedigree, Biddadat is two-thirds Sandpointian, with locals Cameron Brownell on guitars and electronic production, and Kyle Miller on bass. Seattleite Remy Morrit rounds out the trio on drums. Brownell and Miller actually started out as a duo in Sandpoint in 2009 before pulling up stakes for Seattle to study music production.
With Morrit on board, and the name Biddadat established, the band has since specialized in mingling alt rock riffs with electronic keyboard and groove-infused bass licks that add up to neo-funk sound that demands dancing. — Zach Hagadone Early entry at 5:45 p.m., general admission at 6 p.m., music starts at 7:30 p.m.; $65.95 general, $90.25 early entry. War Memorial Field, 801 Ontario St., festivalatsandpoint. com. Listen at biddidat.com.
This week’s RLW by Ben Olson
READ
There are few writers who have mastered the art of the short story like Raymond Carver. The Port Angeles, Wash. writer is, in this writer’s eyes, the best practitioner of this difficult craft. Carver’s stories make the reader feel as if they have been dropped into a situation for a moment. The readers can look around, feel what the characters are feeling, take a few notes, then they are pulled right back away to view the next one. Every collection of Carver’s work is worth reading, but Cathedral has some of my favorites.
LISTEN
When the band Beach House came on the scene in the mid-2000s, they cemented their place within the genre of dream pop, essentially taking it over for themselves. But the genre has been around since the 1990s, with bands like Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins defining the genre, often called shoegaze. Driven by a slow, ethereal sound complete with distorted guitars and effects, shoegaze/ dream pop is like easy listening for hipsters. If you like this genre, try out Mojave 3, which was formed out of the ashes of Slowdive.
WATCH
In going down the YouTube true crime rabbit hole, I stumbled upon a channel called JCS-Criminal Psychology that is worth noting. The channel showcases interrogation videos with an objective analysis, sharing with the viewer techniques the interrogators use, as well as methods the one being questioned uses to hide their truths. There is something so fascinating about watching a person who just commited murder try to act natural and throw the interrogators off, as well as watching the police effectively break them down. The only complaint I have is that the channel uploads a new video every couple of months. July 15, 2021 /
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BACK OF THE BOOK
False flags of selective outrage By Ben Olson Reader Staff
From Northern Idaho News, July 12, 1912
One of my favorite lines in Bill Watterson’s iconic comic strip Calvin and Hobbes is when Calvin remarks to his imaginary pet tiger Hobbes: “Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.” I often find myself wondering what aliens would think if they came down to Earth amid some of our dumbest moments as a species. Like now, for example. I am, of course, referring to the local jackass who drives around town with the enormous flags from his truck, which read, “F-ck Biden and f-ck you for voting for The village of Priest River him.” I have received many emails from was the scene of another shooting Sandpoint residents asking if there is anyscrape last Saturday about midthing that can be done about this troll, as if night when Joe Compton, a teamI have the power to do anything but write ster in the employ of the Jurgens these words. Most are certain his public Brothers Lumber Co., shot Andy profanity is illegal and complain that the Sullivan through the fleshy part of police are not taking action against him, but the leg making a painful but not everything I’ve read confirms that this, as serious wound. Sullivan was taken ugly as it is, remains protected speech under the First Amendment. to the Sacred Heart hospital for So what can we do? Are we now resigned treatment immediately after the to watch this ninnyhammer sputter around in shooting and Compton took leave his crappy truck, forever proud in displaying for parts unknown and as yet has his ignorance? Yes, if that’s how he chooses not been located. to live his days, there is nothing we can do Friends of Compton said that he about it other than pity him. As my dad used did not intend to hit Sullivan, while to say, “You can’t fix stupid.” others are of the opinion that CompI am curious, though, where is the line for ton shot with intent to committ the police to take action. Let’s imagine the murder. The row started in the Sut- flags read, “F-ck the police.” Do you think ton saloon where the two principals he’d made it two laps around Sandpoint bein the shooting scrape started an fore being pulled over for some reason or anargument about a wrestling match other? How about if they read, “F-ck Jesus?” that they had both attended earlier Would that still be protected speech? What about if they read, “I f-cked your mom”? in the evening. Where exactly is the line? Asking for a friend. When the saloon closed at midThe U.S. Supreme Court established a test night the men walked out front that judges and juries use to determine whethwhere Compton drew his gun and er something is obscene thanks to a handful shot three times, one of the shots
SHOOTING SCRAPE AT PRIEST RIVER
taking effect in Sullivan’s leg. The bystanders immediately went to a phone and notified Sheriff Kearns in this city. Kearns left as soon as possible for Priest River but Compton had left and could not be located. It is stated that the gun did not belong to Compton, but had been taken by him earlier in the evening as security for money loaned to a fellow worker. Compton had been drinking considerable during the evening and it is thought that this was partly responsible for the trouble. 22 /
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STR8TS Solution
of cases, Miller v. California being the most prominent. The Miller test deems something obscene if the material in question satisfies three conditions (I’m paraphrasing here): 1. Whether the average person finds the material as erotic, lascivious, abnormal, unhealthy, degrading, shameful or containing a morbid interest in nudity, sex or excretion; 2. Whether the average person finds the material depicts or describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and 3. Whether a reasonable person finds that the matter lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. It would be hard to argue that the Biden flag doesn’t satisfy the first two conditions, but since it involves politics, the offensive material is likely to remain protected speech if challenged in court. The problem lies with politics in general, which have become offensive in recent years. Lacking policy points to debate, the lunatic fringe of the far-right seems to have abandoned all efforts to make its points using reason, instead relying on a scorched earth campaign of culture war, provoking outrage and “owning the libs” whenever possible. The fact that mainstream Republicans turn a blind eye to this sort of behavior — which was exhibited at the highest level of our government for four years — is proof enough that the conservative movement in America has become permanently derailed. Turning the coin over, during the BLM protests last summer during which a group of armed Second Amendment activists trailed a bunch of teenagers while they marched across the Long Bridge, I read countless comments on social media disparaging these protestors because one of them carried a sign that read, “F-ck Trump.” So where is the outrage now from these same conservative voices? On the other hand, where was the outrage from progressives regarding the “F-ck Trump” sign? The fact is, we are all operating under a strange Machiavellian system of selective outrage — yes, all of us. What stirs outrage
Sudoku Solution
in one situation receives barely a passing remark in another, so long as the offensive material supports our personal agenda. Liberals disparaged the police during protests in the summer of 2020 when rioting and looting took place in some cities, but “backed the blue” after the Jan. 6 insurrection — which did happen, no matter how many gaslighting conservatives attempt to frame it as a “peaceful tourist visit.” Conservatives have spouted “law and order” as a unifying tenet of their party for decades, but have fallen all over themselves trying to revise history to claim the Jan. 6 insurrection was merely a few patriots practicing their First Amendment rights when they stormed the Capitol, beating police officers and, ultimately, leading to five deaths. Also, let’s be honest here about the effectiveness of these flags. When was the last time you saw a political yard sign and changed your mind about who to vote for because you liked the font or color scheme on the sign? When’s the last time you saw a Confederate Battle Flag flying from some idiot’s truck and said, “You know, I think I identify as a Confederate now, thanks to that handy flag”? When I see people with those stupid political flags fluttering behind their vehicles, they don’t make me feel proud. They don’t make me think about the political message. They don’t make me question my own biases and reexamine my beliefs. They make me feel embarrassed for the person who flies them, because they are becoming a parody of the terror group ISIS, whose members are also well known for displaying the movement’s flag on their own crappy trucks. Look it up if you don’t believe me. Bottom line: If you are so desperate to make your point that the only way you have left is to fly a host of offensive flags for the sole purpose of provoking outrage in the same community in which you live, your cause is shit and you should be ashamed of yourself.
Crossword Solution
Solution on page 22
Solution on page 22
Laughing Matter
By Bill Borders
Corrections: No corrections to note this week, dear readers. — BO
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you’ll be a mile from them and you’ll have their shoes.
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Nincompoops 6. Lessen 11. Bog hemp 12. Sea cow 15. Violet 16. Obstinate 17. Buffoon 18. Make larger 20. G 21. Break 23. Historical periods 24. Cleave 25. Beige 26. Wicked 27. Infamous Roman emperor 51. To make a fool 28. One who colors cloth of (archaic) 29. Record (abbrev.) 52. High ranking 30. Tendon officers 31. A tropical American 54. The Louvre, fruit for example 34. Cursed 56. Chic 36. Letter after sigma 57. Cake frosting 37. Nets 58. Pooch 41. Sage 59. Profoundness 42. A reserve of money 43. Affirm 44. Small, medium or large DOWN 45. Indian dress 1. Failure to attend 46. Former Italian school currency 2. Armed conflict 47. “___ Maria” 48. A blue woolen bonnet 3. Evil spirit
Solution on page 22 4. Scrabble piece 5. Observed 6. Ethically indifferent 7. Sudden loud noises 8. Stake 9. Black gunk 10. Knickknack holder 13. Heretofore 14. Gave the once-over 15. Modelled 16. Impersonations 19. Embankment 22. Intent 24. Restoration 26. Sea eagle 27. Zero 30. Potato
32. Fury 33. Terror 34. Turn on a pivot 35. Shrunken 38. Apparent 39. City district 40. Horde 42. Defective 44. Wise one 45. Jargon 48. Boast 49. Among 50. Brownish purple 53. Conceit 55. Take in slowly
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