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PEOPLE compiled by
Susan Drinkard
watching
“If you had a band, what would it be called?”
“Plowing in Fields.” Ben Higgs Self-employed Sagle
“The Fun Queens.” Marcia Vanderford Book seller Sagle
DEAR READERS,
Years ago, when I was struggling to finish writing a book, a fellow writer gave me some advice that helped break up my writer’s block. He said: “Don’t think about who is going to read what you write, just write it. Get it out of your head. Don’t worry about what your mom or your grandma will think if they read it — that will only stifle your creative flow. Worry about all that later.” I considered this great advice for writing fiction. I consider it terrible advice for posting to social media. In fact, I urge everyone to follow the opposite of that advice whenever using social media. Do think about what your mom or grandmother would say if they read your inflammatory post. Do let your thoughts congeal for a bit before blasting them out into the ether. We live in a knee-jerk, reactionary culture where we have the ability to broadcast our snap judgments to the entire world in a matter of seconds. (Columnist Emily Erickson actually wrote about this in her column “Emily Articulated,” on Page 7.) Bottom line: Please take a few deep breaths and read over what you write before posting to social media. We all need to be better neighbors and better human beings again.
– Ben Olson, publisher
“Sweeneybop and the Tsunamis.” Joe Sweeney Construction Sandpoint
“Random Hobbies.” Hanna Rench Nurse Sagle
“Too Hot and Bothered.” Meghan Yeats Project coordinator at Sagle farm Sagle
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: Nellie Lutzwolf (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Lyndsie Kiebert, Bill Borders, Sandy Wulf. Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Emily Erickson, Dulce KerstingLark, Brenda Hammond, Brenden Bobby, Scott Taylor, Mike Wagoner Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $115 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 was drawn by Sandpoint artist Nellie Lutzwolf, who owns the shop Wolf & Bell in downtown Sandpoint. Another great cover, Nellie! July 23, 2020 /
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NEWS
Panhandle Health District poised to revisit mask mandate Bonner County surpasses 100 coronavirus cases, BGH offers new testing location
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The Panhandle Health District will again look at taking some action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic at its meeting Thursday, July 23 in Coeur d’Alene, after discussion of a Kootenai County mask mandate on July 16 was met with public opposition and inaction on the part of board members. While the agenda item for the July 23 meeting does not specifically name a mask mandate as a possible action, the item appears the same as it did on the July 16 agenda, when masks were discussed: “COVID-19 Update and Potential Board of Health Response in Kootenai County (Possible Action Item).” PHD’s mulling of mandatory face coverings comes as North Idaho and the state as a whole sees climbing COVID-19 case numbers, prompting several southern counties to consider and even pass mask mandates to curb the spread of respiratory droplets in public spaces. As of 5 p.m. on July 22, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare logged 16,322 cases statewide since the pandemic started, and 135 deaths from the virus. Total cases in Bonner County, according to the PHD, reached
102 on July 22, 50 of which were active. Bonner General Health rolled out a new testing location July 21 “in an effort to accommodate the increased need for COVID-19 testing.” Those seeking a test must first have one ordered through their primary care provider, then BGH will call the patient and provide testing hours, which vary week to week. For testing, enter at Third Avenue and Alder Street — under the hospital sky bridge — follow the signs and stay in the car. At its July 16 meeting, the PHD board entertained a motion to make mask usage mandatory in Kootenai County. The motion failed to see a second, so board members resolved to again take up the issue at a later meeting. “Yes, we can make a recommendation that people wear a mask, especially if they’re symptomatic. But I see no reason that we should mandate the usage of a mask,” said Bonner County PHD Board Member and former County Commissioner Glen Bailey, whose statement drew applause from people attending the meeting both in person and via Zoom video call. “This has become not just a health issue but a political issue,” he said. “I don’t think we need to be involved as a health board generating more of a political issue.”
The PHD meeting at which possible actions will be further discussed is slated for 12:30 p.m. at the Kootenai County Administration Building, 451 N. Government Way in Coeur d’Alene. In a press release, PHD officials said public comment at the July 23 meeting will be welcome “regarding district related issues that are included on the current agenda,” and that prior to commenting, participants are asked to fill out a public comment form. Meeting officials will refer to names on the forms to call commenters to the podium. After commenting, members of the public are asked to leave in order to make room for others to comment while maintaining social distance in the meeting room. “Obstructive behavior will not be tolerated,” the release stated. “Protest signs are allowed outside, but will not be allowed inside the meeting room or building. Entrances and exits will be clearly marked for the public’s convenience and we ask that everyone behave with courtesy.” A live stream of the meeting will be available on the Kootenai County Idaho YouTube channel.
According to The Spokesman-Review, if PHD does not adopt a mask mandate, the city of Coeur d’Alene will consider doing so at a special meeting set for Friday, July 24. An ordinance to mandate face coverings in Sandpoint also recently failed to see a second, after Councilwoman Deb Ruehle introduced the motion at the July 15 regular meeting of the City Council. While Ruehle argued that “the science is there” to justify such an ordinance, her fellow council members did not support the proposal. However, Sandpoint did host a drive-thru mask giveaway event on July 17. While the distri-
The PHD Kootenai County HQ in Hayden. Courtesy photo. bution was slated to take place from 8-10 a.m. and again later in the day from 4-6 p.m., city officials reported that due to an “overwhelming” response, all 3,000 availalable masks had been handed out by 10 a.m. In a statement on the City of Sandpoint Facebook page, officials said the city had “more masks on order” and would announce another distribution event once those masks were received. Additional reporting by Ben Olson.
Court battle over Sagle asphalt plant continues
Judge voids code amendment allowing asphalt plants outside industrial zones
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Sagle residents opposed to an asphalt batch plant in a local gravel pit have successfully overturned a piece of Bonner County Revised Code that allowed such operations in non-industrial zones, marking the latest in a series of contentious court battles regarding the proposed facility. The residents who brought the suit — known as the Citizens Against Linscott/Interstate Asphalt Plant — allege that the county failed to provide public 4 /
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notice of a proposed amendment to County Code in 2018, which cleared the way for asphalt or concrete batch plants within farming, agriculture/forestry and residential zones, provided they acquired a conditional use permit. The county’s planning and zoning commission and board of county commissioners approved the amendment, and Frank and Carol Linscott applied for a conditional use permit soon after to relocate a Sandpoint batch plant belonging to Interstate Concrete & Asphalt to their rural-zoned Sagle gravel pit. After much public debate — stemming mostly from Sagle
residents concerned about environmental dangers and negative impacts on property values — the Linscotts’ permit was approved. The citizens group then filed a petition for judicial review against the county, the Linscotts and Interstate, in which Nez Perce County District Court Judge Jeff M. Brudie upheld the county’s decision. In the case regarding the conditional use permit, Brudie did note that “a challenge to the validity of the amendment [to County Code] should have been brought as a declaratory action, separate from the petition for judicial review,” according to court documents.
Citizens Against Linscott/ Interstate Asphalt Plant filed for a declaratory judgment against Bonner County on June 18, asking for relief regarding only the alleged invalid code amendment adoption. The citizens group and the county came to an agreement outside of court and, on July 17, Kootenai County District Court Judge Lansing L. Haynes executed the agreed upon judgment — declaring the amendment to County Code allowing batch plants outside the industrial zone to be void. The judge also determined that neither party would be awarded costs or fees in the case.
When asked whether the ruling affects the validity of the Linscotts’ conditional use permit, Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson said he could not comment until the case regarding the permit — currently pending appeal in the Idaho Supreme Court — is resolved. Attorney Gary Allen, representing the citizen group on behalf of Boise-based law firm Givens Pursley, said he believes the judgment will directly affect the permit for the plant. “In our view, it means the permit was issued based on an invalid ordinance, and therefore must be overturned,” Allen said.
NEWS
USFS releases Buckskin Saddle project decision 50,600-acre project is meant to reduce fire, disease, infestation risk on east side of Lake Pend Oreille By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
The U.S. Forest Service released a draft decision, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Buckskin Saddle Integrated Restoration Project on July 13, and opened the project to objections over the following 45 days. The 50,600-acre project area borders Clark Fork on the east side of Lake Pend Oreille and south of the Clark Fork River. According to a press release from the Sandpoint Ranger District, “project activities would reduce the risk of insect and disease infestation, and reduce the wildfire danger to local communities and surrounding federal lands, while improving water quality and aquatic habitats, and restoring forest vegetation to a healthy condition.” The Buckskin Saddle project will put in place commercial vegetation management efforts on about 13,217 acres of land, including 4,604 acres of seed tree harvest; 7,809 acres of shelterwood harvest; 441 acres of improvement cut; and 267 acres of commercial thinning.
“Actions to improve wildlife habitat, aquatic resources, roads, scenery, recreational opportunities and manage noxious weeds are also proposed,” the release stated. “Road treatments would improve drainage, reduce road sediment and provide for safe public travel.” The project will decommission almost 10 miles of road, while building nearly 31 new miles of forest roads. In total, the Buckskin Saddle project will include the maintenance of about 173 miles of road. The project will be implemented in phases. USFS officials anticipate the first of the roadwork and timber sales will be awarded in 2021 and the Buckskin Saddle project will continue over the next 15 years. The draft decision is open to the objection process, whereby those “who previously submitted comments during the scoping and comment period on the Proposed Action are eligible to file an objection,” officials said. Objections must pertain to previously submitted “timely, specific written comments regarding the proposed project” and be submitted within 45 days of the decision’s publish date. Learn how to submit objections at fs.usda.gov/project/?project=52563. Those with
questions can contact project leader Doug Nishek at douglas.nishek@usda.gov or 208267-6765.
The location of the Buckskin Saddle project on the east side of Lake Pend Oreille. Courtesy map.
War Memorial Field turf installed, project now in Phase 2 By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff About a year after the massive overhaul of War Memorial Field first started making headlines, the project — including the installation of artificial turf in place of natural grass — has mostly taken shape. Crews remain “committed to delivering this project on schedule,” Sandpoint City Engineer Dan Tadic told the City Council at its July 1 meeting. Since then, the vibrant green turf has been installed over the subsurface concrete base and shock pad, bringing together the completed elements that planners have promised will result in greater playability, better durability and improved water drainage. The drainage system in particular has already received a test run, with torrential rains in late June and early July. Tadic said the new field infrastructure performed admirably. “Historically, had we experienced a rain like this [on July 1] with the original natural surface, we would have been looking at several days of an unplayable surface,” he said. “This is going to make a big difference
for a generation of kids.” The natural rubber infill option originally selected by City Council in mid-December 2019 — following months of public comment — had to be switched out for the second-preferred option of cork with sand, Tadic said, owing to supply chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The change order came at no cost to the city, he added. Surface features such as yardage numbers and lines have been added to the field as the Sandpoint High School football program prepares for its first home game in late August. Phase 1 of the project was intended to be limited in scope in order to accommodate The Festival at Sandpoint’s annual concert series in the first two weeks of August as well as fall sports. However, due to the cancellation of this year’s Festival, Tadic said planners are exploring the possibility of further streamlining the project by adding certain elements that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible in Phase 1, such as dugouts. “What that would do is not only take advantage of working with a really good contractor but … eliminate the need for
another interim milestone within the Phase 2 project,” Tadic said, “and we would essentially come into next spring with a facility that’s ready for softball and baseball when their seasons start.” Already, the new LED field lights are installed and working, and the Victory Bell at the south end of the field has been replaced in a volunteer effort led by Brody Durfee of Durfee Construction, who Tadic singled out for kudos. According to Tadic, Durfee as well as Friends of Memorial made the replacement possible along with donated time and equipment from contractors and crews.
The artificial turf has been laid at War Memorial Field. Photo by Ben Olson. “It looks great,” Tadic said. “Very impressive.” Design for Phase 2, which includes improvements to the Memorial Field parking lot, boat launch and stormwater systems, is scheduled to be completed in late summer with bidding in September and an award granted in October. Phased construction would continue through the fall, leave off in the winter and resume in the spring when it is set to be complete. July 23, 2020 /
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NEWS
Council mulls changes to public forum policies By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Anyone who has kept tabs on the proceedings of the Sandpoint City Council over the past month or so has noticed that the routine business of the city has been pushed from the limelight by jam-packed public forum sessions and impassioned testimony on issues ranging from Second Amendment rights to COVID-19 restrictions to the Black Lives Matter movement and Love Lives Here campaign. The level of public participation has resulted in would-be meeting attendees sometimes gathering hours before the usual 5:30 p.m. start time to secure a seat in the Council Chambers, limited to about around 25 to ensure COVID-19 social distancing. Meanwhile, overflow crowds have gathered in the City Hall lobby and parking lot. Numbers of those signing up to speak have frequently required two 20-minute public forum sessions at the front and back of the meetings, which have stretched to four hours in some cases. Simmering beneath the surface of much of the testimony is dissatisfaction felt by some county residents over the direction of the city government on a range of what Council President Shannon Williamson referred to as “some really serious societal issues” currently playing out across the country. The council at its July 15 meeting addressed how best to facilitate public participation — specifically, taking up the question of whether city residents should be given priority to speak during the forum portion. City Attorney Andy Doman told the council that while the Idaho Association of Cities has advised that “reasonable sideboards” can and should be put on public forums, Idaho open meeting law stipulates that “all persons are entitled to attend a public meeting. There’s no restrictions that can be put on that.” Some of those “sideboards” could include keeping a tighter rein on the relevance of public forum testimony, limiting commentary to issues that are squarely before the city, rather than matters that 6 /
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land within the purview of legislative or federal governments. Councilwoman Deb Ruehle said that “all voices need to be heard but some refinement may be needed.” Councilman Andy Groat agreed, suggesting that city residents be given priority speaking time at the first 20-minute public forum session, with non-residents being given the second session. While Ruehle and Williamson expressed some support for Groat’s solution, Doman and City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton cautioned that such a system might result in uneven access. “You may want to consider keeping your format open so that people can comment not just by a priority system but keep it open so that those folks have the ability to comment during that period,” Doman said. “We need to be careful if that could be construed as denying someone access to the meeting.” Williamson said “this is a good problem to have,” noting that many county residents own property and operate businesses within city limits, making what transpires at City Hall of great interest to them. Doman said that open meeting law doesn’t even make that distinction: public proceedings are open to anyone, regardless of where they live or do business. “If you’re going to have a public forum, it needs to be open to the public,” he said. The council opted not to set any new policies July 15, but indicated it may revisit the issue of streamlining public participation at a future meeting. The next regular meeting of the City Council is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, with doors now open at 5 p.m. to accommodate those who work 9-5 jobs and wouldn’t otherwise have the ability to snap up seats ahead of time. The city live streams its meetings via a Zoom video conferencing platform, accessible at sandpointidaho.gov/ your-government/meetings. Click the “City Council” button at the left of the page and fill out the registration form. Video from past meetings of the council and city committees are archived at the city of Sandpoint’s YouTube channel.
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: With still-rising COVID-19 cases, to safely get children back into school this fall will require a federal investment of $116.5 billion, according to the American Federation of Teachers. Republicans in Congress are looking at authorizing $50 billion to $100 billion in the next COVID-19 aid package, The Washington Post reports. The aid package is expected to be in negotiations in Congress for three weeks. An Axios-Ipsos poll shows 71% of respondents think reopening schools is risky during the pandemic. The following info about protests in Portland, Ore., came from Oregonlive. com, the Willamette Week, Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Portland Mercury, NBC, Fox News, The Oregonian, Bloomberg.com, TIME, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune and government press releases: According to Portland’s mayor, the state governor, media reports and eyewitnesses, uninvited and unidentifiable federal officers have escalated tensions with those protesting police violence. President Donald Trump ordered the officers, associated with the Department of Homeland Security and attired in military riot gear, into the city on June 29, where they have since reportedly arrested protesters off the street and taken them into custody in unmarked vehicles. Prior to the federal arrival, the mayor said the weeks-long protests had been winding down. Complaints against the protesters, according to DHS include graffiti on the courthouse, damage to fences, vandalizing two security cameras and throwing fireworks. Federal sources call the protesters “violent anarchists.” One news account wrote of an attempt to set a fire within a police department. Another fire at the courthouse was set during the evening of July 20. The crowds in Portland are increasing and are now also attracting older people who’ve read about constitutional abuses against peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights. Recently, a group of mothers locked arms to surround the protesters and protect them from the federal officers. The mothers were shoved and tear-gassed by the feds, but have returned in larger numbers. They now wear helmets. On July 17, a woman described as a “naked Athena” succeeded in getting a police line at a protest in downtown Portland to retreat when she approached them sans clothing. Again on the night of July 20, an
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
unclothed woman advanced on federal forces, held their attention for 15 minutes, including using a yoga pose; then she and the feds dispersed. Local police say the federal officers are not coordinating with them and are defying local prohibitions against the use of tear gas and less-than-lethal rounds. Portland law enforcement authorities have tweeted warnings about the federal forces. One Portland man relayed that he was apprehended while walking home and did not know if the men were federally connected or similarly dressed far-right extremists, who have a history of harassing protesters. He was released from detention after refusing to waive his Miranda rights. There will also be an investigation into the shooting of a “known de-escalator” protester by federal forces using “less-lethal munition.” His skull was fractured and he’s in serious condition. Oregon’s governor is accusing Trump of engaging in “confrontation for political purposes,” adding, “This political theater has nothing to do with public safety.” The ACLU filed a restraining order against the U.S. Marshals Service and DHS for what they say are unconstitutional actions by the federal forces. Oregon’s attorney general is seeking a temporary restraining order and suing a number of federal law enforcement agencies for violent and constitutionally questionable actions in Portland, including detaining people without probable cause. A university law professor says having a possible link to a protest is not probable cause. DHS acknowledged that it has been asked by local authorities to leave, but refuses to do so. Meanwhile, Trump said he will expand use of Homeland Security forces into other cities — specifically, those run by Democrats. Trump stated that, “This is worse than anything anyone’s ever seen. And you know what? If Biden got in, that would be true for the whole country. The whole country would go to hell.” In full-page newspaper ads, co-signed by 6,000 veterans, Four Star General James Mattis pointed out that “keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders,” not with the military. The protesters are rightfully demanding equal justice under the law, Mattis wrote, and “We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers” who are a contrast to “tens of thousands” of others. Blast from the past: “In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.” Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769-1821, a French statesman and military leader.
PERSPECTIVES
Emily Articulated
A column by and about Millennials
‘Should I post that?’ Select your cyber scenario By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist
1. You open your device, check the wifi connection and scroll to find your preferred social media account. Upon its selection, your screen is flooded with photos of family vacations; videos of animals doing human things; and articles, memes, musings and videos the people on your friends list have posted. While browsing, you find a particular post of intrigue and feel compelled to post it on your own page for your followers to see. But, before you hit “share” you pause. a. You consider, “Is this the original author of this post?,” checking to see if the content that found its way onto your feed is as close to the original author as possible: i.e., the person who wrote the words, took the picture, crafted the meme or made the video. If you confirm you’re at the original source of the work, continue on to Paragraph 2. If you can’t confirm the original source, or are reading anything that begins with, “Watch quickly before they take this down,” or ends with “Feel free to copy/ paste,” proceed to 1b. b. This post isn’t worth sharing. You should search for a higher quality piece of content to express this point of view; find something more enjoyable to share (any 30-second video with a dog as the subject); or refrain from posting altogether — rather, drink a big cup of water, shut off your device and search for a new hobby. 2. After you’ve confirmed you’re at the original source of the post, you turn your attention to the author. You’re focusing a
Emily Erickson. skeptical eye on the person responsible for creating the content that has intrigued you so much, specifically trying to determine credibility. a. You conclude that the author is creating from a place of as little bias and influence as possible, she has direct experience or education in the subject matter, or he is clearly emphasizing his content as a work of opinion and not to be confused with fact. You’ve determined the person who created the content is credible. Continue on to Paragraph 3. b. You’re watching a video of an angry woman crying into her Snapchat filter, reading the musings of a hobby political blogger or are otherwise skeptical of the credibility of the person behind the post. Refer back to 1b. 3. You’ve arrived at the conclusion that the author of the post you’d like to share is qualified to provide insight into the subject matter she’s covering. Now it’s time to discern if her sources — and the facts she’s presenting — are up to snuff. a. You dig a bit deeper into the content you’re investigating, looking for any articles referenced, study findings or facts presented, and any organizations
behind the production or publication of the work. You check into all of the sources and find they too stand up to scrutiny. You learn that all of the facts referenced were derived from trusted, nonpartisan institutions or from efforts not led by organizations with vested interests in the study’s outcomes. You decide the facts, sources and studies are trustworthy. Continue on to Paragraph 4. b. You’re getting your facts from a meme, follow links back to “Error 404 Not Found” pages or are otherwise unable to confidently claim the sources as legitimate. Circle back to 1b. 4. Your sources are squeaky clean and your facts are high quality, so you take a minute to examine the subject matter of your content, thinking about the effect posting it will have on you and your real-life relationships. a. You consider if the subject matter is approachable, if it will encourage healthy discourse or if it will put a (non-menacing) smile on your followers’ faces. You determine the subject matter is important, has inherent value without a political charge and won’t damage any of your worthwhile, real-world relationships. Continue to Paragraph 5. b. The subject matter is prefaced by, “I’m a good person, but…”; is unproductively divisive; or blatantly insensitive without cause. Refer back to 1b.
mental and emotional state, questioning why you’re feeling compelled to share the post in the first place. You understand that seeking validation for questionable beliefs is not reason enough to post something, and that the likes and shares of others cannot fix anything you’re going through personally. You’ve recently consumed a cup of water and a healthy snack, have clarity that your compulsion to post is rooted in a good place and have time to thoughtfully navigate any commentary your post might
prompt. Congratulations, you’ve done the necessary work and may continue on to share or post. b. You’re using social media as a Band-Aid for work that you should be doing in a therapist’s office. Schedule an appointment with your local provider and return to 1b. Now please like and share this article filled with my opinion on all of your social media channels. Or, erm, wait a minute...
Retroactive
By BO
5. Finally, you’ve considered almost all there is to consider before hitting “share.” But, you know there is one last essential task to complete when asking,“Should I post that?” This is, of course, performing a personal assessment and your motivation for posting in the first place. a. You check in with your July 23, 2020 /
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Sign the petition to fund schools…
Bouquets: • Shortly after businesses opened back up after lockdown, two friends decided to do a food drive for the Food Bank. Since they were buddies at the same gym, Tara Wallace and Leisa Bandy reached out to all gyms and fitness centers in the Sandpoint area to have a contest to see who could raise the most food donations to the Food Bank. Each participating gym gathered food, operating under the theme, “We Are Stronger Together.” Natural Fitness Gym won the contest with 322 pounds of food donated, followed by: Missi Balison Fitness (52 pounds and $400 cash), 7B Fitness (123 pounds), CrossFit (87 pounds) and Xhale Pilates (46 pounds). The total amount of food collected for the drive was 630 pounds and a $400 cash donation — all given to the Food Bank. Nice! • A reader asked for me to give a Bouquet to the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market for donating to the Sandpoint Senior Center lunch program. Way to go, Farmers’ Market. Barbs: • There’s a line from the film American Gangster that applies to the current state of affairs in this once quiet town. Denzel Washington’s character is upbraiding one of his colleagues who is dressed in a flashy suit. Washington tells him, “The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.” Those words also hold true to what’s going on around our region and state as the vocal minority bullies, shouts and intimidates its way through public meetings. We’ve seen it happen here as well as in southern Idaho. No matter what your cause, if you have to shout or raise your voice, you lose credibility. If you have to belittle and intimidate to get your point across, you lose credibility. If you resort to name-calling, you lose credibility. Another saying also applies here: “You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” Be civil and courteous when making your points and you’ll be amazed at how even those who disagree with you show you respect and listen to your words instead of tuning out yet another angry diatribe. 8 /
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Dear editor, If you haven’t already, I’m asking you to sign the school funding ballot initiative petition online: tinyurl.com/fundidschools If passed in November, the initiative would fund our schools with an extra $170 million, the money to be raised from taxing corporations, and couples who have incomes over $500,000 (singles over $250,000). Idaho is dead last in per pupil funding among all 50 states. We are hemorrhaging teachers. Gov. Brad Little plans to cut school funding by $99 million. He has tried to block this initiative every step of the way. Idaho’s K-12 spending as a share of total personal income in Idaho has declined to 3.5% — now as low as it was during the late-1970s. The U.S. Supreme Court just opened the door to more funding for religious schools. Our state funding of public schools will now have to be spread thinner. Parents of children in religious schools have good reason to vote for the initiative. With ballot initiatives we can remedy what the Legislature has failed to address for too long. Don’t sign the petition online if you are among the 15,000 Idahoans who have already signed the paper petition this spring. Reclaim Idaho decided early on not to go door-todoor because of COVID-19. We need 30,000 more signatures statewide in little more than a month and a half. The first day of electronic signing yielded 3,000. Sign the petition at: tinyurl.com/ fundidschools. More information is available on the Reclaim Idaho site, reclaimidaho.org. Or email me: nancygerth@ gmail.com. Nancy Gerth Sagle
McDonald and Bradshaw need to exercise proper leadership... Dear editor, County commissioners are leaders in our county. Arguably they make decisions that have the most direct effect on the quality of our lives, more than those at the state and federal levels. Their decisions should be based on the guiding principle of “do no harm.” Two of our county commissioners, Dan McDonald and Steve Bradshaw, appear to view the COVID-19 pandemic through a political lens.
They have repeatedly opposed Gov. Brad Little’s attempts to combat the spread of COVID-19. Their actions are ill-informed and harmful. Our panhandle region has over 1,130 diagnosed cases. Bonner County has recorded 90 cases. More than a 1,000% increase in county cases since Idaho entered Stage 4 of its reopening plan on June 13, when Bonner County had only seven cases. Their response to the pandemic seems out of step with their constituents. On July 17, the city of Sandpoint distributed face masks free of charge to the public. All 3,000 masks were taken in a drive-through in the first hour of their offering. Both commissioners should be held accountable for their actions. Steve Bradshaw is running for reelection this year. Can we really afford for him to continue to be in an important leadership role? His opponent, Steve Johnson, a retired educator, will make evidence-based decisions that will benefit rather than harm Bonner County residents. Judy and Ken Meyers Sagle
Don’t drink it…
Dear editor, President Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech on July 3 was a strange and dangerous brew. If I were you, I wouldn’t drink it. He ladled sweeteners in, such as biographies of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, who are sculptured into the mountain. His speech gave thanks to our veterans, law enforcement, first responders and virus-fighting medical community. He generously poured praise upon notable, black and white Americans who made contributions to civil rights, our military, literature, music and sports. He stated a belief, “[I]n equal opportunity, equal justice and equal treatment for citizens of every race, background, religion and creed.” Had he left it there, the speech might have been a decent, positive message — and maybe he was showing a change of heart. But no! Trump had to inject the oleaginous toxins of fear throughout the speech, fulminating about destruction of the nation’s statues, monuments, values, history and culture. He scapegoated a so-called “new far-left fascism” that’s supposedly in our schools, newsrooms and corporate boardrooms. By stoking fear, by scapegoating,= and appearing as a savior,
Trump used the classic, incitement tools of fascism. The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks domestic, white nationalist, white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. Many espouse violence and all fear losing their perceived white power. The most extreme groups want to initiate a race war. Trump may, in false innocence, say that he is praising and saving America, but his unsubtle, coded messages will be interpreted by these extremists as a call to action. I do not condone violence on the right nor the left, and I do not condone Trump’s implied incitement to violence. His speech does not unite us, and I hope his strange brew does not ignite something destructive in our country. Phil Deutchman Sandpoint
Bravo, Tim Henney…
Dear editor, Tim Henney’s “Dad was dead wrong” is a great from-the-heart letter to the editor that ran in the July 9 Reader. Tim Henney is an excellent writer and I always enjoy his emails and Reader articles, as he always has something meaningful and interesting to say. A message to Tim, fortunately for me I had a very different father. My
father was an ordained minister and he would have people from around the world speak at our church and, afterwards, have dinner with us in our home. We had sharing our dining room table people from India, Japan and Nigeria just to name a few. One of the most memorable for me was a woman sitting next to me with no arms who ate with her feet. I was amazed. Not only did my dad teach with his sermons, but he also taught by example. After graduating from Wake Forest my father then spent four years at Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y., where he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree. While at Colgate Rochester and right after Pearl Harbor my father was in downtown Rochester where he saw a mob attacking an Asian man. Dad intervened and managed to get the man away from them. What’s amazing, even though Tim and I had very different fathers, we share similar values. Unlike Tim, I had an easier path to those values as I shared them with my father. I think it is amazing that Tim was able to overcome his father’s negative influences. Bravo Tim Henney for being who you are. You are one of my favorite people and my father would have loved you. Lee Santa Sandpoint
Sandpoint Elks cancels 100-year anniversary celebration By Reader Staff The Sandpoint Elks Lodge will have to wait a bit longer to mark 100 years in Sandpoint. The celebration was originally scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8, but the Elks announced July
21 that it was going to have to cancel the celebration due to COVID-19. The group has not announced a replacement date yet, but the Reader will be sure to cover the event with an article as soon as a date has been finalized.
Ponderay seeks feedback for cleanup and use of lakeshore property By Reader Staff The city of Ponderay recently received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to plan for the cleanup and reuse of a contaminated publicly owned property on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille. As part of that effort, the city is seeking feedback from the community for the future of Ponderay and its waterfront. “The city wants to hear
from as many of Ponderay’s community members as possible — most importantly people who live here, but also people who work here or come here frequently,” the city stated in a release. A survey is now available for community members to weigh in with their thoughts. The survey, which closes Sunday, Aug. 16, takes about 10 minutes to complete and can be filled out by visiting bit.ly/PonderaySurvey.
OPINION
Idaho parents need better child care options By Dulce Kersting-Lark Special to the Reader
access to affordable child care for their kids. I’ve been thinking a lot about child care recently because my Child care is a non-nehusband and I will be welcoming gotiable part of parentour first child later this summer. hood. Every child will We both work full-time jobs and need some form of child have been actively looking to secare, whether they have cure a space for our infant when a parent staying home, a we return to work. relative willing to give In my role as director of a full-time care or a close nonprofit, I also supervise an emDulce Kersting-Lark. by day care center. Idaho ployee with a young family and parents, unfortunately, face more barriers to am seeing first-hand how challenging it is for accessing quality, affordable childcare than parents to return to work during this panparents in most other states. demic. Pre-COVID shortcomings like limitThe Gem State has been ranked last in the ed space at local day care facilities are being country for day care regulation and oversight, exacerbated by shutdowns and quarantines the worst state for working moms and last in when staffers or attendees test positive for the nation for early childhood education. the virus. Overnight, entire facilities may be The U.S. Chamber of Commerce forced to shutter for days or weeks, leaving recently found that Idaho loses almost parents and their employers in the lurch. $500 million every year due to our lack of In May, more than 200 facilities in Idaho, child care options. Most of the cost to our providing care for about 8,300 children, economy comes from employees missing shut down temporarily. A number of those or leaving work because they are struggling day cares and preschools will never reopen with child care. The same study found that — unable to recover as they were operating around 40% of Idaho parents don’t have under such thin margins to begin with. In a
state where so few options for quality care are available, many parents will find the pickings even slimmer in the months to come. The Idaho Legislature has a human and financial incentive to make meaningful investments in day care, kindergarten and preschool. As just one example, Gov. Brad Little’s most recent K-12 task force recommended that the Legislature create opportunities for all-day kindergarten to improve literacy and overall student achievement for kids across Idaho. Despite popular support for statewide allday kindergarten, the Legislature failed to take any action on the recommendation during the last session. Education, business and political leaders advised the governor that all-day kindergarten should be one of the state’s top priorities. Our inadequate options for early childhood care and development impact our parents and children, the health of our economy and the strength of our businesses. Idaho parents are further burdened by the fact that our state is one of just four or five that does not make any investment in pre-kindergarten programs. The result is a patchwork of early learning opportunities that perpetuates a system of haves and have-nots, largely falling
along the urban/rural divide. These disparities were made clear to me during a recent conversation with a mom in Plummer. After sharing that she was still working from home because her young children did not have any place to go during the day, I asked her what sorts of options for child care were available in her town. Her response: “There are no options.” She went on to say that older family members tend to fill the gap, but as we strive to protect the most vulnerable from COVID-19, that reliance is more problematic than ever. Idaho parents, myself included, are going to have a very hard time finding child care in the next several months. As difficult as it can be to secure child care in Moscow, the circumstances for young families in smaller communities are even less favorable. The short- and long-term benefits of state investment in child care are clear, both for parents anxious to return fully to the workforce and for the kids who will be better equipped for success in the future.
By Brenda Hammond Reader Contributor
employed by local Idaho law enforcement agencies, are required by law to complete the statutorily required certification and training. The opinion specifically warns that failure to complete that training and receive the required certification puts the officer at risk of violating the false-assumption statute: “A sheriff and his uncertified deputy and other county officers must also consider the consequences of Idaho Code § 18-711 entitled ‘Unlawful exercise of functions of peace officers.’ This section makes it a felony offense for any person in this state to
‘unlawfully exercise or attempt to exercise the functions of ... a deputy sheriff.’ A person who does not become certified ... within one year of becoming employed by a sheriff as a peace officer is exercising the functions of a deputy sheriff unlawfully. “This reasoning would apply equally — and perhaps even with greater force — to a private individual, not employed by a state law enforcement agency, who exercises the functions of a peace officer. “ Brenda Hammond is president of the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force.
Dulce Kersting-Lark, of Moscow, is a Democratic candidate for District 5 Seat A in the Idaho House.
Human Rights Task Force seeking advice from Georgetown group on ‘militia’ activity The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force has been in touch with the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection regarding ways in which we can help address the tension in our community about the militia-type presence at recent Black Lives Matter protests. We have learned that a large part of what this group provides is education regarding what the Constitution and statutes allow in each state. In addition to the information sent in a letter earlier this month to our city and county governments — which has been made public — they have made us aware of two Idaho attorney general opinions that have bearing on this issue. We wanted to share that information with the community. In addition, the BCHRTF is working closely with the task forces in both Kootenai and Boundary counties and the Montana Human Rights Network to address questions that are relevant throughout our region. First, an opinion from 1995 analyzed a proposed initiative that would have allowed private, volunteer militia organizations to organize and train without supervision of the governor and, whenever the governor
called them up to serve as part of the “organized militia,” would have prevented the governor from having any say in how the militia units were structured. The Idaho attorney general definitively concluded that, “the proposed initiative is unconstitutional. Under the proposed initiative, volunteer organizations would be able to organize and train without any oversight or interference from governmental authorities. However, the Idaho Constitution requires control of the state militia by the governor and through laws passed by the Legislature.” Second, this opinion from 1987 discusses Idaho’s “false assumption” statute, which prohibits individuals who are not law enforcement officials from exercising law enforcement functions. The militia in Bonner County may have violated this statute when its members purported to perform the duties of police officers in “protecting” property from what they perceived as a threat of violence. The 1987 opinion addressing the statute is in a different context, but still contains some helpful language. Specifically, it discusses Idaho’s law enforcement training requirements, which are spelled out at Title 19, Chapter 51 of the Idaho Code. It concludes that even individual officers,
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FEATURE
Northern exposure
How Sandpoint’s sister city, Nelson, B.C., is weathering the COVID-19 pandemic
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
In years past, Bonner County businesses could expect a healthy infusion of Canadian cash during the high summer months. But, since the U.S.-Canada border closed to all but essential travel March 21 — an order that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced will continue until at least Aug. 21 — license plates from British Columbia and Alberta have been notably absent on area roads. Likewise, in Nelson, B.C., local businesses have seen a dearth of Idaho, Montana and Washington plates as their summer trade with U.S. travelers has dried up amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “It has affected businesses, seriously, economically,” said Val Yowek, who manages the Nelson Visitor Center, operated by the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce. “Right now we’re seeing people and it’s a different type of people — there’s no Americans, no Europeans.” As in Sandpoint, most of the tourists flowing into Nelson are coming from nearby areas — mostly within the provinces of B.C. and neighboring Alberta. “It’s busy. Our campgrounds are full. But it’s lots of B.C. travel,” Yowek added. Nelson is a picturesque resort town of about 10,000 people, located three hours north of Sandpoint on the west arm of Kootenay Lake. Sandpoint and Nelson have since 2013 been designated “sister cities,” sharing many similarities, including a robust tourism industry, plentiful outdoor recreation and lake access, a historic downtown and small-town feel. Yet the two communities’ experiences with COVID-19 have differed in some ways. “In Nelson, things are pretty quiet and, if there are cases here, there are few and we don’t know about them,” said Bill Metcalfe, a reporter with the Nelson Star newspaper who covers the city council beat and, along with his colleagues, has kept a steady eye on the COVID-19 situation. According to tracking by the Provincial Health Services Authority and B.C. Centre for Disease Control, the entire province — with a population of just more than 5 million people — has logged only about 3,300 cases of COVID-19 since February, based on more than 238,000 tests. In the meantime, more than 2,800 of those cases have recovered and 189 have resulted in death. Interior Health, which operates as the lead health agency for a huge area comprising all but the western edge of southern B.C., logged 45 cases from July 17 to July 20, bringing the regional total to 280 since tracking began
in the spring. As of July 21, that number had risen to 291 — an increase attributed in large part to a recent outbreak in Kelowna, about four hours northwest of Nelson. Both Metcalfe and Yowek said the Nelson community, as well as the rest of B.C., is closely watching the so-called “Kelowna cluster,” concerned that localized upswings in cases may turn into “a second wave of COVID coming back,” Yowek said. “We’re in Phase 3, where they’ve opened up more businesses and there’s less restrictions, but our chief health official is saying, ‘Watch it,’” she added. Those numbers sound small south of the border. Idaho, with a statewide population about one-fifth that of B.C. has counted nearly 16,000 cases of the virus since midMarch and 135 deaths. Bonner County, meanwhile, with a population of about 40,000, has confirmed more than 100 cases — a far higher infection rate by percentage of population than the 291 recorded in the Interior Health Region, which includes dozens of communities ranging from tiny villages to cities like Kelowna, with a metro area of more than 217,000 people; Kamloops, with a population of about 100,000; and Penticton and Cranbrook, with about 33,000 and 21,000 residents, respectively. “In Canada, B.C. is considered a success story, in terms of flattening the curve early and keeping it that way,” Metcalfe said. “This relative success is considered to be a result of strong testing and reporting, and to the communication style of the province’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.” Still, British Columbians continue to adhere closely to public health measures such as frequent hand washing, social distancing and wearing face coverings — though the latter only sporadically in Nelson, according to Metcalfe, who added that “there’s a lot of Canadians who think the border ought to be even more closed than it is already.” Echoing that abundance of caution, Yeowk said, “Everyone’s so happy that we’re
going [economically], but we need to be responsible.” Case numbers haven’t been reported on a community-by-community basis, which Yeowk added has been good — in a way. “I’m glad I don’t know [the number of local cases in Nelson], because I think I would probably loosen my practices if I did know; also we want visitors, but we don’t want everybody to come here because of our low numbers,” she added. “There’s such a fine line.” Metcalfe said the non-local reporting system “was controversial from the start,” but “the rationale being that you have to behave as though the people around you and you yourself are infected.” In the U.S., that kind of broad-based, stringent response has spurred vigorous — sometimes violent — reactions, particularly when it comes to mandatory protocols related to mask-wearing. COVID-19 restrictions have prompted protests around the country, including in Sandpoint. “There’s nothing like that here,” Metcalfe said. “That would be unheard of.” Nonetheless, he added, there has been some pushback in Nelson regarding various COVID-19 restrictions, but “there’s no comparison [with the U.S.] as far as I can see.” “There’s no culture war here. There are people who disagree; there are people who think the whole thing is a hoax and wearing masks will poison you,” Metcalfe said. “Excluding the conspiracy theories — which there are some — there are ones who say that this is an overreaction. But I just don’t think it’s hugely strong. … The social media part of it is not as strident here as it is there.” According to a recent health ministry survey of nearly 400,000 people, four out of five B.C. residents said they approved of the province’s response to COVID-19. Rather than stage protests, duke it out on social media or fill city council chambers with angry testimony, people in Nelson
A fishing boat moored outside of Nelson, B.C. Photo by Ben Olson. have focused on supporting their local businesses as best they can. “Initially when the pandemic was announced, everything shut down; it was a ghost town. For a few weeks it was eerie,” Yowek said. Then the city government and local economic development group created and distributed large posters that read, “Open for Business” and featured a blank space where merchants could write in their patron capacity or how to otherwise secure their services. Businesses hung the posters in their windows and it was “super effective,” Yowek said. “It created something like, ‘There’s something going on,’ at the time.” Since then, the city of Nelson has waived fees for outdoor patios, granted extensions on city taxes and utility payments, and funneled some parking revenue back to local businesses. Meanwhile, federal programs have provided wage and rent subsidies — perhaps continuing through December — grants for students who can’t find work and instituted rent freezes while limiting conditions for evictions. “It seemed that when COVID came out there was something new every week,” Yowek said, though, “the debt that’s being incurred because of these programs, it’s just incredible. I’m glad there’s support, but wow.” Characterizing the local response as “wait-and-see and behave ourselves,” Yowek emphasized the importance of direct customer support for Main Street businesses. “We’re trying to make it work. Like Sandpoint, that’s the charm. We’re not strip malls, we have these beautiful downtowns,” she said. “The message that’s being conveyed locally is for us to really try and support our local business; shop local and keep them going.” July 23, 2020 /
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Mad about Science:
Brought to you by:
rats By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Were you to consider every animal that has followed humans throughout the ages, none has been more enduring or relentless than the common rat. You might believe there is only one type of rat, but there are several different breeds of the rodent. The most common rat we think of is the black rat, or Rattus rattus. These beasts were a major vector for spreading the bubonic plague, known as the Black Death from 1347 CE to 1351 CE. That little pandemic resulted in the deaths of up to 200 million people in Europe and North Africa, which may have been as much as onethird of the European population at the time. Rats are as crafty and resilient as humans, as well as lovers of all our food, but with the evolutionary perk of being much smaller than humans. This trait lets them slip into cracks that humans can’t get into, allowing them to stow away on ships, trains, trucks and other commercial trading vehicles. Even worse, they’re often heavily diseased and feeding on the food that is intended for human consumption, easily spreading myriad diseases to humans. It’s easy to believe that rats are just a nuisance that should be wiped out but, like other pests such as mosquitoes, they are an important part of the ecosystem. Rats are by nature scavengers and prey animals. As filthy as they are in human environments, they’re an important part of keeping natural areas clean of rot and decay. Pack rats are a 12 /
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common nuisance around here, easily identifiable by their furry tail, unique to forest rats. If they aren’t encroaching on human homes, they will eat most plant matter in the forest within their reach, while also being a staple food for hawks and other raptors, as well as an important food source for coyotes and the occasional bear. Rats reproduce quickly, having a gestation period of just 23 days. Rats also reproduce in litters, birthing several babies at once. As with many rodents and other prey animals, rats will often enter estrus almost immediately after giving birth, which can lead to multiple litters of baby rats in a very short amount of time. A female rat will undergo menopause and lose fertility after about 18 months, which is about the lifespan of the average domesticated rat. All of these traits make them especially important as prey animals in the food chain, able to provide a sustainable food source for larger predators. However, like the humans they follow, rats are an adaptive and destructive force for some ecosystems. Rats have destroyed fragile ecosystems around the world by out-competing any other animals that share a food source. To put how they do this into perspective, have you ever been in line at a food truck and see a large family queued ahead of you? You know the food truck is prepared and will have enough for everybody, until more members of that family start showing up and getting in line alongside their kin. Before you know it, the family has come, gone and taken all of the delicious tacos
A rat drawn by the anonymous street artist Banksy.
you were waiting for — even if they never directly interacted with you. Now you’re hungry, your lunch break is over, and you see that same family migrating toward your favorite smoothie stand. This is how the most effective invasive species operate. They don’t eat the native wildlife, they eat all of its food. In some places around the world, rat populations can boom to staggering numbers. Every 50 years, India suffers from an event called the “rat flood.” The local bamboo in the region will flower and seed at once, creating a plethora of food for the local rats, which will go on to breed en masse, devour all of the bamboo seeds and then move on to human habitations nearby in search of a new food source. This problem is so severe that, in 2006, the Indian military had to intervene to prevent the outbreak of a famine in the area. Could you imagine the National Guard being called in and deploying infantry on a horde of rats? See that, Hollywood producers? I just handed you your next hit movie. Please forward me the royalties. Despite all of the negativity, rats have had a vital impact on our species’ ability to survive. The importance of their role in research is twofold: first, they are intentionally inbred to maintain a uniform genetic template for researchers; second, their genetics and behaviors are markedly similar to humans, granting us a glimpse into how new medications may affect humans without actually having to test them on humans. Sure, it’s the definition of inhumane, but I sure am glad that they
tested potentially lethal drugs on a short-lived animal rather than testing them on me or you. Rats are a popular pet, and are fairly easy to raise. Similar to guinea pigs and hamsters, their living area needs to be kept clean or they start to stink. A dirty rodent is a prime vector for disease, the last thing you want rolling around on your nightstand. While owning a rat isn’t my cup of tea, I will
admit they can be trained to be extremely friendly and sociable creatures, while also having the benefit of being very shortlived, thus not requiring the commitment of something like a dog, which lives for up to 13 years, or a goose which can live in excess of 30. Unlike a goose, I wouldn’t recommend eating the rat when you’re done with it. Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner mpsons’?
Don’t know much about ‘The Si • One of the longest-running sitcoms ever, The Simpsons first aired in 1989 and has since run to almost 650 episodes and one feature film. • Bart’s full name is Bartholomew Jojo Simpson. His surname is an anagram of BRAT. • Krusty the Klown was initially supposed to be Homer’s secret identity before showrunners scrapped that plotline. • The iconic theme song for The Simpsons took composer Danny Elfman just two days to finalize. Starting out in the band Oingo Boingo, Elfman has now created more than 100 original film scores over the years. • All characters on The Simpsons are illustrated with four fingers on their hands — all except one character: God, who always appears with five fingers on each hand. • Satellite navigation systems allow drivers to download different voices for their apps. Homer Simpson’s voice is the most downloaded voice in the world. When you miss a
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turn, does he say “D’oh!”? Try and find out. • In 2009, Marge Simpson was featured on the cover of Playboy magazine. • Fox owns the rights to The Simpsons until the year 2082. However, the producers of the show have permission to write without any input or hindrances from Fox, which is why the show frequently makes fun of its own network. • Two characters have Master’s degrees in nuclear physics, making them among the most educated characters. Any guesses which characters? Lenny and Carl. • During the years that The Simpsons has been on the air, more than 240 other shows have debuted and been canceled on Fox. • The characters were nearly aired as rabbits rather than people with bright yellow skin. The show could have been something much different if the designs hadn’t been changed at the last minute.
By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor
an ounce of prevention OK here’s the scene: Some guys are in a garage. One of them is Henry Ford. They are comin’ up with an internal combustion engine. They get it to come to life. They get real excited. They start sayin’ stuff to each other like, “You know what this means? Just imagine how this could change the world, not to mention how rich we’ll become.” But it doesn’t take long for someone to open the garage door because the exhaust is startin’ to make them feel woozy and sick. Is that when one of them says to the others, “We can’t start mass producing this. The atmosphere of the planet is only a few miles high. It’s like a big garage. There is no huge door that can be opened to let out the exhaust into space. What’s introduced to the atmosphere stays here among us. It’ll cause major problems for life on Earth”? Well, that evidently didn’t come up. One can imagine the reaction of the others if it had. The scene is a lab in a chemical plant.
A polymer has just been developed that is light, strong and cheap and it won’t rot. It can be formed into virtually anything. That’s when the guys in the white overcoats look at each other and go, “Do you realize what this means? This could change the world, not to mention how rich we’ll become!” Is this when one of them says, “We can’t do this on a big scale, it’ll cause major problems for life on the planet because nature’s plan is all about substances within ecosystems breaking down — the atoms being endlessly recycled”? Well that evidently didn’t come up, either. Again, imagine the reaction from the others. If I would have been one of those folks in those situations, I probably would have been jumpin’ up and down right along with them. Maybe the youth of today will evolve to a point where they will be able to resist the intoxifying effects of a seemingly magic today and talk about the tomorrows.
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COMMUNITY
KNPS unveils plaque for donated arbor
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society unveiled a plaque and officially dedicated a new arbor July 21 at a small ceremony. The arbor was donated by Collin Beggs, who built it with his crew at Collin Beggs Design Build Timber Framing. Beggs offered to build the arbor after KNPS arboretum volunteer coordinator Cara Johnson said she noticed the old one falling apart. “I was just asking about material and advice on how we could build it,” Johnson told the Reader. “Collin just said, ‘I could just build it for you.’ So he did.” Beggs — along with his crew members Mike Austin, Dave Brown, David deLeeuw and Brandon Mimbs — constructed the arbor out of white oak, black walnut and cedar. All materials and labor were donated by Beggs and crew. “I had no idea we were going to get a piece of art,” said Ken Thacker, KNPS president. “This thing is going to be here for decades. We’re thrilled.” Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad was also on hand for the unveiling of a plaque donated by Ann Torpie.
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“Thanks to Collin and his team for their many contributions to this community,” Rognstad said. “This place is gorgeous. It’s really a tranquil place that you’ve created here.” “The built environment has a huge impact on people’s sense of place and belonging,” Beggs told the gathering. “I’m here for the long haul. When I create something in the built environment, I want people to be uplift-
ed by it. I want to help shape this community in the direction we want it to go.” The arboretum at Lakeview Park was first proposed by Lois Wythe and the KNPS board in 1998. Today, the arboretum comprises eight habitats found in North Idaho with appropriate plants in each habitat. KNPS works with the city of Sandpoint, which provides major maintenance for the area, such as removing fallen trees, trash
Collin Beggs stands before the arbor he and his crew built and donated to the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society at Lakeview Park. Photo by Ben Olson.
collection and providing water. To view the arbor and plaque for yourself, head to Lakeview Park. The arbor is located west of Memorial Field next to the pavilion.
OUTDOORS
It’s a wild day in the neighborhood Living in North Idaho means learning to keep the peace with our animal neighbors
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
The first time my mom left my three sisters and me alone at home, we learned a lesson about respecting local wildlife. As my mom recalls it, she was in the grocery store when my eldest sister called her cell phone. “Mom, there’s a baby moose in the yard!” I was 6 years old at the time, and remember that none of us were going to try to approach the calf. However, we weren’t rushing to go in the house, either. My mom changed that, firmly informing my sister that we all needed to get inside because a mother moose was likely nearby and would probably be angry with us. We ended up watching the pair walk through the yard from the living room window, giggling with excitement. That story came to mind recently thanks to the plethora of creatures making themselves known in my neighborhood. Local social media pages have been flooded with information about a brave young mountain lion on the Hope Peninsula, and a black bear or two or three have already made a pass at one of my cherry trees. Rumor has it that someone saw a doe chase a wolf away from her fawn in Clark Fork last week. The fields and forests are alive with baby animals, watchful mamas and hungry predators. It’s summer in North Idaho. This time of year is an interesting juxtaposition to fall, when I’ll carry my rifle into the woods, being as silent as possible as I tread across the pine needle-coated forest floor. It is necessary in those times to put most local fauna out of my mind, thinking only of ungulates, attempting to manifest a cow elk standing broadside in the next clearing. My desire to feed my family
A painting of a bull moose by North Idaho artist Sandy Wulf. has to outweigh my fear that I’ll sneak up on a grizzly. Still, our animal neighbors are always present. My uncle crested a ridge a few hunting seasons ago to find a mountain lion laying not 30 yards away, grooming itself. The wind’s direction concealed my uncle’s scent and sound, so he sat for a minute, watching the cat lick its paws. When the breeze did finally change and the animal caught sight of the watching hunter, the tale goes that the lion jumped at least six
feet into the air before taking off in the other direction. It’s a story I like to recall as I repeat one of my dad’s well-loved mantras in my head while I’m alone in the woods: “They’re more afraid of you than you are of them.” This is true in most cases, although a particularly brash juvenile bear or protective mother moose have been known to break tradition. It serves as a way to keep us humans in check: Is my garbage properly concealed? Am I aware
of my surroundings and giving these animals space? Inconveniences and selfish human tendencies aside, it’s a privilege to share our space with the birds, bears and other beasts. A chance encounter — at a safe and respectable distance — can even be enough to create some pause and perspective in our everyday lives. One recent Wednesday, I sat in my recliner after submitting my last Reader article for the week, revisiting the finer details of the writing in my critical deadline brain. Did I spell his name right? Did I double check that date? My fiancé, Alex, who had just gone outside with the dog, broke through my loud overthinking. “Look out the window,” he said. “See what’s standing in the driveway.” A young cow elk, brown and gold in the fading July sun, stood on the edge of the driveway eating grass. She hadn’t given much thought to Alex and our dog as they’d stood in the yard, and based on the time of year, we came to a pretty positive conclusion as to why: she had a calf in the tall grass along the road. She made her way up the driveway and around the house over the next hour, throwing only a passing glance at my garden, despite her likely ability to jump the fence and enjoy some strawberries. I was thankful. She glanced over her shoulder a few times, back toward the tall grass, toward her baby. From the living room window, then the dining room and from the kitchen sink, I watched the cow meander and feed, admiring her self-assured grace. My worries disappeared just as suddenly as she’d arrived, and her presence reminded me that no one is more mindful than our animal neighbors. We could learn a thing or two from them.
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ART
From her world to wood
Local artist Diana Tillberg shares her love of North Idaho through her business On The Wall Signs
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Growing up on a farm in the Selle Valley as one of nine children, Diana Tillberg said her mother found ways for the family to be creative. “My mom was always really creative, so I think it’s in my genes,” she said. The creations of Tillberg’s contemporary life are shown and sold under her business name: On The Wall Signs, Gifts and Vinyl. She made her first sign around 2004 and hung it in her home. An artist friend noticed it, and asked why she didn’t sell her work. “She said, ‘If you don’t start doing them, I’m going to take your idea,’” Tillberg recalled with a laugh. “She makes her living doing art, so I thought, ‘OK, I’ll trust her.’” Tillberg’s work has taken many forms over the past 15 years. From elaborate signs displaying the area’s lakes; to brightly painted signs with funny sayings; to earrings, dish towels and vinyl stickers, her booth at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market is full
of personality and local flair. Tillberg’s tools of choice have grown over the years — both in quantity and size. Her shop is home to saws, routers and a 350-pound industrial laser. She said that about 90% of her art pieces are made from either upcycled or recycled materials. “I’m always looking for vintage windows or barnwood or rusty metal,” she said. When it comes to seeking inspiration, Tillberg said she steers clear of websites like Pinterest. “It puts too many things in my head,” she said, “and I already have enough ideas.” Many of those ideas, Tillberg said, come from time spent outdoors. She said she draws a lot of inspiration from Lake Pend Oreille because “it’s just awesome all on its own,” and has been known to translate her observations in nature directly into wood. That’s what happened with Tillberg’s popular tree signs, which consist of layers of different colored wooden trees to create a textured forest landscape. She said she came up with the idea while driving home from Kootenai Falls on the Bull River Highway in
Montana. “It was dusk coming back, and I looked at the mountains with all of the trees, and I just saw it cut out in wood, in different shades and different layers,” she said. “So I went home and started putting that together.” See Diana Tillberg’s work on Facebook at her On The Wall Signs Gifts and Vinyl page. Find select works for sale at Oak Street Mercantile, Misty Mountain Furniture and Home Sweet Home Consignment. Also catch Tillberg at the Saturday Farmers’ Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. For custom orders, email her at onthewallsigns@ gmail.com.
Lost Horse Press and Sandpoint Literary Collective to host poetry workshop By Reader Staff
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Top: Diana Tillberg and one of her Baltic birch Bigfoot creations. Bottom left: Some of Tillberg’s sign creations. Courtesy photos.
Lost Horse Press and the Sandpoint Literary Collective will host a poetry workshop Saturday, Aug. 1, featuring acclaimed poet and writing instructor Polly Buckingham. The workshop will take place 10 a.m.-2p.m. at the Lost Horse Press Studio at 105 Lost Horse Lane in Sandpoint. The event is $25 to attend and all writers must pre-register by contacting publisher Christine Holbert at losthorsepress@mindspring.com or 208-255-4410. The workshop will be hosted outdoors. Masks are required and social distancing protocols will be observed.
The workshop’s theme will be “The Surprise of Poetry: Concentration & Abandonment.” According to organizers, the writing event “is intended to bring participants into that space where everything in language is up for grabs, into a greater state of uncertainty and unknowing … We will work on reaching a state of deep concentration and abandonment, that space from which real surprises begin, and with them, the energy of poetry.” Workshop instructor Polly Buckingham’s books include The Expense of a View (Katherine Anne Porter Prize, UNT Press) and A Year of Silence (Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award, Florida Review
Press). She is also the recipient of a Washington Artists Trust fellowship. Her work appears in The Gettysburg Review, The Threepenny Review, The Poetry Review, Sugar House Review and elsewhere. She is the founding editor of StringTown magazine and press, teaches creative writing at Eastern Washington University and is the current editor of Willow Springs magazine. Lost Horse Press and the Sandpoint Literary Collective invite writers of all experience levels to join the workshop to “improve your skills, share your work with colleagues, get feedback for your poems [and] socialize safely.”
ART
Local artist among those selected for public art project Native chieftain bust by David Baranski will feature in second year of Sandpoint’s Silver Box Project
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Having a unique community identity is becoming more and more important today, especially as everyplace tends to look like everyplace else — with a McDonald’s here, a Starbuck’s there — but how does one define their town’s identity when retail sprawl threatens to paint every town in the United States with the same $1.49 brush? Public art. That’s how. Public art is not only a distinguishable example of our shared history, but also our evolving culture and society. Public art humanizes and invigorates the sea of asphalt and bricks that have become our public spaces, providing an intersection between past, present and future; between ideas and disciplines; between commerce and creative expression. While museums are necessary repositories of some of the greatest creations from artists throughout history, public art reaches a different audience every day. Instead of mesmerizing the “captive” museum audience, public art captures the eye and mind of someone passing through a public space who may not have been looking for a creative expression. It can help us pay attention to our civic environment, as well as cause us to question what’s around us and what has come before. It can make us stop and think, it can enrage us but, at its core, public art does its job every time a pair of eyes falls across it. Most of all, public art is cool to look at, and signifies that a community cares about arts and culture. The city of Sandpoint announced three selections for the second year of its Silver Box Project. Introduced in 2019, the civic program places rotating art sculptures on loan for a year at three different public locations around Sandpoint. Pieces selected from two dozen submissions include “Struggle,” by Kennewick, Wash., artist Nathan Robles, which will be installed at Fourth Avenue and Oak Street; “Green Feather,” by Lutherville, M.D., artist Kirk Seese to be located at Fourth Avenue and Church Street; and “Native Eagle Chieftain,” by Sandpoint artist David Baranski at Fifth Avenue and Oak Street. Baranski’s bust of a Native American man with an eagle headdress was sculpted from a solid chunk of steatite, or soapstone. He obtained the stone from Wenatchee Mountain about 20 years ago, when he applied for a permit to gather up to a ton of stone for only $10. Baranski created the bust — which measures about 10” x 12” x 15” — about 10
years ago and drew his inspiration from living in an area with a historic Indigenous population. “Most of my sculptures are faces,” he told the Reader. “I really like trying to convey something through the face.” Meanwhile, inspiration often comes from the medium itself, Baranski said. “A lot of times I get into stone and the stone kind of directs you,” he said. “I can only have a broad outline of what I want to do. Sometimes there is rot within stone that directs you which way to go. I learned that the hard way a long time ago.” The project is a joint effort by the Sandpoint Arts Commission and the city of Sandpoint. Selected artists will be awarded a $1,000 honorarium to cover transportation and installation of the works. The new pieces will be installed after Aug. 30, following removal of the art works currently on display. Elle Susnis, chairperson of the Sandpoint Arts Commission, said each submission was carefully considered before selections were made by the commission. “The ‘Struggle’ piece is a person rolling a circle up a hill,” Susnis told the Reader. “I think that resonated with just about everyone at the Arts Commission and with people this year, what with all the struggles we’ve been through.” Susnis said the “Green Feather” piece stood out because it was colorful and quite tall, at more than 10 feet. When it came down to choosing Baranski’s piece, Susnis said the commission was intrigued by his attention to detail and design, as well as the nod to Native history in the area. “The form of this one was quite nice,” she said. “Representing the human face with the eagle on top — we thought that was very fitting for our region. We always try to give preference to local artists, so when we have something really phenomenal like this, it just makes it easy.”
The city of Sandpoint is working with The Lakota Group to develop an Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation Master Plan to help identify opportunities and priorities for preservation of cultural arts and to shape and enhance the city’s character and quality of life. Public participation by the commu-
David Baranski stands next to his chosen art piece, “Native Eagle Chieftain.” Photo by Ben Olson. nity is encouraged. To take part in these workshop groups, visit bit.ly/39jaL9Z to sign up and learn more.
Ponderay Neighbor Day seeking vendors for Sept. event By Reader Staff The city of Ponderay is calling for vendors for the fourth annual Ponderay Neighbor Day, a community event planned for Saturday, Sept. 19 at Ponderay’s “Harbison Field” behind the Hoot Owl Cafe on Highway 200. The city of Ponderay and the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail are co-hosting the event, and invite businesses to participate as a sponsor or vendor. Ponderay Neighbor Day is a celebration of local community connections, including shoreline access, the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, Field of Dreams and existing/ future trails. The event will include a full promotion campaign. There will be pony rides,
live music, inflatables, kids crafts, food vendors, beer and more during the afternoon event, from 1 to 6 p.m. Contact KayLeigh Miller at Ponderay City Hall for more information on how to be a sponsor or vendor: 208-265-5468. In the event that the Neighbor Day must be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, vendor deposits will be returned. Sponsorship donations would be carried over to the 2021 event. This year, residents will be invited to learn about and provide input on Ponderay’s “Front Yard Project,” the cleanup of the city’s shoreline property by Black Rock. The city will learn the outcome of a federal grant application this fall to fund planning, design and engineering for an underpass to provide access to the lakeshore. July 23, 2020 /
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events July 23, 2020
THURSDAY, JUly 23
Live Music w/ John Daffron 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
FriDAY, JUly 24 Live Music w/ Luke Yates and Christy Lee Live Music w/ One Street Over 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante
Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 8-10pm @ The Back Door
SATURDAY, JUly 25 Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park The Market is back at Farmin Park! Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 8-10pm @ The Back Door Summer Dance Revival 9-11am @ Baldfoot Disc Golf Course Come dance outside with us! WildCore and Ecstatic dance. $15 entry - goes to support Embody Studio. Held at the disc golf course: 10076 Baldy Mtn. Rd.
Live Music w/ Turn Spit Dogs 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 6-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
Live Music w/ Mike & Shanna Thompson 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Junk Fest 8am-2pm @ Christ Our Redeemer Church A selection of treasures, antiques and great finds. Also some junk. 208-263-7516 Saturday Movie Night Dusk @ The Longshot Watch the film Old School on the lawn!
SunDAY, JUly 26
Piano Sunday w/ Dwayne Parsons 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
monDAY, JUly 27 Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
tuesDAY, JUly 28 wednesDAY, JUly 29 Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park The Market is back at Farmin Park!
ThursDAY, JUly 30
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COMMUNITY CHAFE 150 postponed, then canceled By Reader Staff In late April, the Rotary Club of Sandpoint announced its annual CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo bike ride fundraiser would be postponed from June to September. The organization announced July 16 that the ride would be canceled outright in 2020 due to COVID-19. “We believe canceling the 2020 ride is in the best interest of our riders, our volunteers and our community,” the CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo Sponsorship Committee wrote in a statement. “I want to express my deep gratitude and appreciation for your support of the Sandpoint Rotary Club’s CHAFE 150 bike ride and our great causes — the after-school reading and literacy initiative of our school district and other Rotary Club of Sandpoint youth initiatives.” While riders can be issued a refund for registration fees, “We have also requested that riders allow us to keep their registration fees and donations that they have provided to allow us to continue supporting the ride causes,” the club stated. “Our community and our children need our support, now more than ever.” The organization offered the same refund for cash sponsors for the event. “We know that many of our valued sponsors are also hurting, so we are offering our cash sponsors a full refund for your sponsorship,” the group wrote. “In April many of you offered to donate your 2020 scholarships to the ride causes and for that we are very thankful. Rest assured that your donations will make a difference in the lives of thousands of our students and children.” Email melvindick@gmail.com to inquire about a refund.
Photo courtesy Sandpoint Rotary. Named the No. 3 Top Charity Ride in the U.S. by Bicycling Magazine, the CHAFE 150 annually raises funds that directly benefit Lake Pend Oreille School District’s literacy initiative and after-school reading programs by funding literacy curriculum, staff development and expanded after-school options. The CHAFE 150 has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years — all of which has been funnelled back into the school district to fund local education. Next year’s ride is scheduled to take place June 19, 2021. The ride will return to its previous format, featuring five routes plus a family fun ride and the signature ride support and after-ride community party.
STAGE & SCREEN
Waiting for the Barbarians at the Panida We have met the enemy and they are us
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff There was a time, not so long ago it seems, when the idea of a movie starring Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson flying under the radar would have been unthinkable. That seems to have been what’s happened with Waiting for the Barbarians, which made the festival circuit rounds in late2019 — racking up a respectable number of approving critical nods — before silently retreating into “art house” obscurity. That’s a shame, considering the ever-stellar Mark Rylance rounds out the trio of marquee performers, and the source material comes from the eponymous 1980 novel by none other than Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee. The South African writer (now in his 80th year) even penned the
screenplay, which was brought to life by Colombian director Ciro Guerra, whose Embrace of the Serpent earned an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 2015. Sandpoint cinephiles are in luck, however, as the Panida Theater is hosting Waiting for the Barbarians as part of its streaming film series through Sunday, July 26. Visit panida. org, pay $12 and get access to the movie for three days. Threading together themes reminiscent of Franz Kafka and Joseph Conrad, Waiting for the Barbarians takes place on the arid fringes of a nameless, fictional empire sometime seemingly in the late-1800s or early-1900s. A broad-minded bureaucrat called only “The Magistrate” (Rylance) is preparing to retire from his long, quiet tenure
as chief officer at a forgotten imperial outpost, where he has managed to balance colonial dominion with a live-and-let-live philosophy that keeps the peace with the natives — whom he calls “the nomads.” This delicate tranquility comes to an abrupt end when, ostensibly investigating rumors of unrest in the desertified borderlands, the state police in the imperial capital dispatch Colonel Joll (Depp) and, later, his maniacally enthusiastic adjutant Officer Mandel (Pattinson) to take matters in hand. Kitted out in ink-dark blue uniforms and jackboots, Joll and Mandel spin the formerly sleepy border post into a charnel house of torture and oppression, bringing The Magistrate fullface with the brutal nature of the machine he’s been serving all
along and — as we 21st-century Americans know all to well from our neoimperialist adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq — going a long way to creating the very problem they were sent to avert. Meanwhile, the fault lines of loyalty, humanity and barbarism criss-cross the bleak landscape,
‘The show will go on’: Annual Crazy Days sale set for July 25
Robert Pattinson, Mark Rylance and Johnny Depp star in Waiting for the Barbarians. Courtesy photo. which not unlike Conrad’s Congo or Kafka’s Castle becomes a graveyard for so-called “civilization.”
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff This year might seem crazier than most, but it should be remembered that it’s always crazy in Sandpoint during the last weekend of July, when downtown merchants open their doors and put on the massive sidewalk sale known as Crazy Days. “It just isn’t summer in Sandpoint without our annual sidewalk sale,” said Deanna Harris of Sharon’s Hallmark. Put on by the Sandpoint Shopping District, the event has been a local mainstay for more than half a century — this year set to take place Saturday, July 25 and featuring more than 30 merchants offering deals on spring and summer merchandise. A few things will be necessarily different this year — the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic requiring extra precautions to protect the health of shoppers and merchants alike. According to the Sandpoint Shopping District, sanitizing protocols will be in place and shoppers will be encouraged to practice social distancing.
“While customers are not required to wear facial coverings, they are encouraged,” the organization stated in a news release. “But rest assured, store teams will be protecting you by wearing theirs.” Another change is the Panida Theater will not be hosting its popular Play it Again Panida video and recording sale, citing concerns about the ability to maintain social distancing. For those who are unable to make it downtown for the Saturday event, the Shopping District plans to host a variety of bargains with Super Sale Saturdays
Downtown Sandpoint. Photo by Ben Olson. throughout the summer until Sept. 5 — but, as ever, the best deals will go first. According to the Shopping District, “So much is Crazy, but the show will go on.” For more info and updates, visit downtownsandpoint.com or follow the Sandpoint Shopping District on Instagram: @ sandpoint_shopping_district, or Facebook: facebook.com/SandpointShopping.
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FOOD
Zucchini season
The plant that keeps on giving can make for some versatile dishes
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
Home gardeners in the Idaho panhandle are starting to see the fruits of their Memorial Day planting labors. After a wet and cloudy start to summer, tomatoes are flowering and potato mounds are producing early tastes of what will hopefully prove to be a bountiful — if slightly delayed — harvest season. It’s been a good garden year for me, considering. Deer, moles and robins have enjoyed their fair share. I planted the tomatoes and peppers too close together, and unintentionally devoted two out of my three 30-foot rows to potatoes — the lesson being that 14 pounds of seed potatoes is more than you think it is. Despite my gardening shortfalls, one crop is outdoing all the others this year: my squash. My zucchini plant, in particular, has taken the frequent rains in stride and started producing like crazy.
Luckily, zucchini is a versatile fruit, so anyone finding themself waist deep in aggressive zucchini plants this year has plenty of kitchen creation options if only they think outside the box. The savory It’s easy to see a zucchini and think, “stir fry.” I won’t deny the magic that can happen when zucchini meets a hot pan full of butter and garlic, but depending on size and shape, zucchini can take many forms. Gaining popularity in recent years has been making pasta out of zucchini — zoodles, if you will. By using what most retailers call a “spiralizer” tool, zucchini flesh can take on a noodle-like shape and serve as a lowcarb alternative to traditional pasta. Grating is often the best way to utilize those neglected, monstrous squash. Grated zucchini can be used in savory pancakes — breaded, fried and dipped in creamy sauce. Grated zucchini also holds up well in the freezer for future use. One alternative for the larger of the crop is to create zucchini boats: halve and hollow out the middle, then fill with a desired dinner concoction. I recently filled zucchini boats with rice, burger, tomato and cheese, and the results were delicious. Be sure to add water to the bottom of the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil before baking so that the moisture softens the zucchini. The sweet Secured beneath a magnet on my freezer is a photocopied recipe for zucchini bread my mom found in an old church recipe book. I love it because it’s simple, moist and tastes like childhood. Beat three eggs until they’re foamy,
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Some of the prodigous zucchinis growing in Lyndsie Kiebert’s garden. Courtesy photo.
then add two cups sugar, three cups flour, one teaspoon salt, one cup oil, three tablespoons vanilla and two cups unpeeled, grated zucchini. In a separate bowel, mix three teaspoons cinnamon, one teaspoon baking soda and a half teaspoon baking powder. Combine all well, and pour into pans. Bake time depends upon pan size, so check loaves frequently with a toothpick until it comes out clean. This recipe also works well in muffin tins. Add chocolate chips for an even sweeter treat. Pro-tip: Spread butter on a few slices of zucchini bread, pop it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and you have a sweet, semi-nutritious breakfast. With an open mind and little ingenuity, zucchini works for every meal.
MUSIC
When music changed the world By Ben Olson Reader Staff In early times, songs were passed down by generations like oral histories. Even two or three generations back, songs had to be experienced either in a person’s home or gathered with others in a public performance. But with rapid technological innovations in the late-19th and early-20th centuries came the ability to share these oral histories — or songs — with more than just one’s own tribe. Of course, in the 21st century, music can be enjoyed anywhere and at any time; and, being a universal language, it holds the power to share culture with a larger society. Likewise, a good song can hold up a mirror to millions of listeners — sometimes, literally changing the world. Here are a few times in history when that occurred.
‘A declaration of war’ Prior to the 1930s, music hadn’t directly confronted heavy issues such as racism and segregation in the United States. Venues at the time were mostly segregated, with famous Black musicians often labeled “Uncle Toms” for playing to mostly white audiences where the money was better. After Billie Holiday performed Abel Meeropol’s “Strange Fruit” in 1939, the founder of Atlantic Records called it, “a declaration of war ... the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.” The song came to symbolize the brutality and racism of the practice of lynching in the American South. One glance at the lyrics reaffirmed the controversial nature of this song: “Southern trees bear a strange fruit / Blood on the leaves and blood at the root / Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze / Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.” Meeropol wrote “Strange Fruit” after seeing a postcard showing crowds of people picnicking under hanging Black bodies. When Holiday wanted to sing Meeropol’s poem (which he’d also set to music) in 1939, her record label refused to allow her to re-
cord it. She ended up getting released from her contract especially to record the song. It was the first time a Black artist had sung such controversial lyrics to a widespread audience. The song has endured, becoming a symbol of the racism, cruelty and suffering endured by so many in the U.S. In 1999, Time magazine voted “Strange Fruit” the Song of the Century. It may have indeed been a catalyst to opening the race discussion in America in earnest, ultimately giving way to the mid-century Civil Rights Movement. One thing is for sure though: it’s a haunting and beautiful song that still gives me goosebumps when I hear it. Changing times It’s impossible to explain the cultural impact of the 1960s without discussing the influence that Bob Dylan’s songwriting and music had on the generation that came of age during the period. When Dylan wrote “Times They Are A-Changin’,” which first appeared in the album of the same name in 1964, it galvanized the general feeling of the 1960s counterculture. Characterized by the rejection of racial segregation and oppression and the overall sense that the U.S. needed to change, “Times They Are A-Changin’” was written in just ambiguous enough a way that subsequent generations have dusted it off and used as their own anthem. It’s still as prophetic and powerful today as it was more than 50 years ago. Live Aid Considered the first benefit concert of its kind, Live Aid changed everything. Organized in 1985 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, Live Aid raised $127 million for famine relief in Ethiopia. The concert was held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia, with a total of 172,000 attendees and an estimated global audience of
1.9 billion across 150 countries — around 40% of the world’s population at the time. In 1985, an audience that large for a concert was unheard of, and the result was a massive success. The organizers were able to catapult to the forefront an issue that was nowhere on the political agenda, causing countries around the globe to band together to help relieve an unprecedented famine in Ethiopia. One of the best performances to come out of Live Aid was Queen’s live set at Wembley Stadium in London. The iconic set was recreated flawlessly in Bohemian Rhapsody, the recent biopic about lead singer Freddie Mercury’s life. Search “Live Aid vs. Bohemian Rhapsody” on YouTube for a fascinating side-by-side comparison of the actual event and the movie. ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ When Bob Marley gained a worldwide audience for his iconic sound of reggae infused with ska and rocksteady, he became an unlikely worldwide star. Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up,” is one of many of his songs that serve to unite the oppressed. In the song, Marley urges listeners to recognize injustice around them and to stand up for their natural rights. In the years since, Marley has evolved into a global symbol that reaffirms the power that people hold, no matter where they come from or what voice they use. Marley’s life and work has been viewed by many Indigenous communities as a global symbol of fighting oppression.
Donald Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino) in the music video for ‘This is America.’ Courtesy image. Since his death in 1981, Marley has been honored with an Order of Merit from his home country of Jamaica, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. ‘This is America’ What “Strange Fruit” did for racism in the 1930s, “This is America” has done for gun violence in the U.S. in modern times. Performed by rapper Donald Glover under his stage name Childish Gambino, “This is America” is not just an alarmingly good song. The video that accompanied it was also shocking and powerful — well deserving of its title as one of the most talked about music videos of all times. The one-two punch of a good song and amazing video helped debut the song at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart — making it only the 31st song in history to do so. Without the video, the lyrics are powerful for their brutal, blunt message: “You just a black man in this world / you just a barcode / you just a black man in this world / drivin’ expensive foreigns / you just a big dawg / I kenneled him in the backyard / no proper life to a dog / for a big dog.” When paired with the video, in which Glover dances in stereotypical Jim Crow-era performer style and abruptly guns down various people with brutal casualness, this song rises to “change the world” status. Rightly so.
This week’s RLW by Ben Olson
READ
If you happened to catch the film Greyhound starring Tom Hanks, it was actually based on a C.S. Forester novel called The Good Shepherd. No, it wasn’t a true story, though the action that Forester writes is authentic to ship vs. U-boat battles during WWII. Forester is well known for his novels on Naval warfare, including his acclaimed 11-volume Hornblower series depicting warfare during the early 1800s. In The Good Shepherd, Forester captures WWII ship battles as succinctly as he did the Napoleonic War battles in the Hornblower series.
LISTEN
Sufjan Stevens is one of the most prolific indie folksters I’ve ever heard. His latest, a 2020 release called Aporia, in which he collaborated with his stepdad Lowell Brams, is as distinct as his other work. The instrumental album sounds like a movie soundtrack for a hauntingly beautiful film about dystopian society. Stevens and Brams blend warm, vintage synthstyle with a futuristic feel to create yet another of Stevens’ unique albums.
WATCH
Julie Taymor’s 2002 film Frida is well-deserving of its two Oscars. Taymor’s depiction — along with Salma Hayek’s titular portrayal — of the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is certainly worth a look if you haven’t already seen it. From her dysfunctional relationship with husband Diego Rivera, to her odd affair with Leon Trotsky — who had been granted political asylum in Mexico — Frida is a film that educates as well as entertains. It’s currently streaming on Netflix. July 23, 2020 /
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PERSPECTIVES The
From Northern Idaho News, Aug. 2, 1940
BEACH PROJECT IS MOVING RAPIDLY Sandpoint’s lakefront was the subject for the Monday program of the Kiwanis club this week. There was a short talk by Mayor McKinnon, in which he gave figures for the cost of moving the dirt and the amount which the project is supposed to run. Lon Crockett, the operator of the pumping plant, also spoke a few words, and after this the meeting adjourned to the lakefront to see the machinery in operation. The project was started in February of last year, said the mayor, and the estimated cost was set at $61,000. The amount expended to date has been $42,000, of which the city has spent $16,000. There has been 113,706 yards of dirt moved, at an average cost of 58.3 cents. In the summer time when the relief workers find other jobs, the government does not have many men and consequently the cost is low. At this time of year it is about 35 cents per yard. But when the jobs outside decline, and the weather gets too bad to work in many places, the costs will go up because the government puts the men on who are on relief. The fill, at its highest point, he said, is now 14 feet. The average day’s work moves about 24 yards of material. 22 /
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Late Night Buddhist
Joy to the world, all the boys and girls By Scott Taylor Reader Columnist I opened Pandora.com to my “Three Dog Night” station the other day, feeling nostalgic toward those late-’60s and early-’70s songs about love, debauchery, altered states and, oh yeah, changing the world. The first song to pop up was “Black and White,” which got me to thinking about racism and how we view others in the world. For those of you under the age of 50 who likely never heard it, the song was a celebration of racial harmony from a band of long-haired freaks (surprise!) most famous for the declaration that their good friend Jeremiah was a wine-drinking amphibian. While many of us like to claim, “I don’t have a racist bone in my body,” or, “I don’t see color, I only see another person” — despite the fact that that person may obviously be lighter, darker, hairier, etc., than us — I know Malcolm Gladwell would disagree with you. He’s one of my favorite nonfiction writers and is of mixed ethnicity — but aren’t we all? His books explore the unexpected discoveries that arise from scientific studies of human psychology, behavior and sociology. And if there’s one thing a Late Night Buddhist relishes, it’s scientific evidence that turns our conventional ways of thinking on their
STR8TS Solution
collective head. In his book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, he cites university studies that show we all have racial stereotypes ingrained into our psyche, no matter our race, ethnicity, age, gender, etc. There’s no need for me to describe the experiments here — you can look them up yourself — but time after time, when faced with a split-second decision about interacting with various people in various settings, test subjects of a range of ethnicities made judgments based on people’s physical appearances, including skin color. While this may seem disturbing, suggesting that perhaps racism is an inherent quality that can’t be eliminated, I think rather it’s a good thing that we recognize that it exists and that it has been culturally and socially indoctrinated in us. The first step in eliminating an unwanted quality in ourselves is recognizing and admitting it exists. Then we can take steps to make a change. What would a “good” Buddhist — and let me know if you find one — say about racism? It wouldn’t even be an issue. Buddhists see every living thing as simply a part of the whole, with everything being connected by the same life force in which we all share. There’s no distinction between “different types” of life. So maybe we could all just be happy together. After all, aren’t we all the same race: the human race?
Crossword Solution
Sudoku Solution When we were growing up, old man Jenkins would never fail to come out every morning to nail tadpoles to a wheel, spin it around and around, like a wheel of furtune, and then say, “Tadpoles! Tadpoles is the winner!” We all thought he was crazy, but then, we had some growing up to do.
Solution on page 22
Solution on page 22
Laughing Matter
Woorf tdhe Week
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Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
CROSSWORD ACROSS
By Bill Borders
/ FEYN /
[adverb] 1. gladly; willingly
“I fain would accept relief from him, especially right now.” Corrections: In the July 16 op-ed, “Sign your name, save our schools,” we incorrectly stated that Luke Mayville is a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. He informed us that he no longer holds that position. We apologize for the error. -ZH
1. Dot 6. A type of coffee 11. Equestrian 12. Environmental science 15. Accuse (archaic) 16. An eating disorder 17. S 18. Bowling pin 20. Attempt 21. Questions 23. Anagram of “Ties” 24. Fathers 25. Head covering 26. Secluded valley 27. Hard work 28. Feudal worker 29. Hankering 30. Soup server 31. Parenting 34. Close-knit group 36. Target 37. Wicked 41. Portent 42. “Cut that out!” 43. Indian music 44. Russian emperor 45. Expectoration 46. Vocalized musically 47. American Sign Language 48. Patron 51. Born as 52. Providing (food or tales) 54. Anagram of “Covert”
Solution on page 22
56. Arranging 57. French farewell 58. Dejected 59. A lot
DOWN 1. Irons 2. Slicker 3. Actress Lupino 4. Catches 5. Journey 6. Inner core of a tooth 7. French school
8. Center 9. Beer 10. Bristlegrass 13. Corset 14. Cheers 15. Deafen 16. Weakening 19. A small island 22. Lithesome 24. LA baseball team 26. Calyx 27. Buff 30. Not stiff 32. A large vase 33. Violent disturbances
34. Coddle 35. Mixture 38. Boasted 39. Pyrogenic 40. Type of beer 42. Squishy 44. Sailors 45. Backbone 48. Faux pas 49. Egg-shaped 50. Start over 53. Yore 55. Spy agency
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