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(wo)MAN compiled by
Susan Drinkard
on the street
If Sandpoint had a minor league baseball team, what would it be called? (Question submitted by Daryl Baird) “Sandpoint Explorers.” Will Venard Teacher/Photographer/ Wood Sculptor Bonners Ferry
“Sandpoint Ospreys.” Sheila Long Assistant manager at Sandpoint Burger Express Laclede
DEAR READERS,
Wednesday officially ushered in another summer of love here in Sandpoint. Not feeling the love so much? Find a way to make yourself and your loved ones happy and go with it. Don’t let the logistics of life get you down. For example, I just received a letter from my health insurance company informing me that they were dropping out of the health exchange in Idaho and that I would have to “choose a new plan.” That’s a fancy way of saying, “Beat it, you’re not going to be covered anymore.” The tax credit offered by Your Health Idaho was the only way I was able to afford health coverage in the first place. Now I’m just one of many millions of Americans who will probably be left uninsured by this time next year because of the uncertainty of health care in the U.S. right now. But have no fear, Sandpoint, I am not letting this new development set me back. Who needs health care, anyway? As long as I wear a helmet everywhere I go, eat only raw vegetables in a safe, padded room, wear a respirator to guard against second-hand cigarette smoke and eat two pounds of bone-strengthening vitamins and minerals per day, I should be OK, right? As long as I wear SPF-100 sunscreen year-round and sign up for weekly health screenings from that “doctor” in the alley with the dirty apron and missing teeth, I should be fine, right? Right? I’m one of those lucky people who live right in between the poverty line and the lower middle class. I don’t make much, but it seems all I do take home goes right to bills and taxes. If I didn’t have a second job as a musician, I’m not even sure I could pay my bills. I’m not happy with the fact that the Republican senators are trying to push this replacement health care bill through without even offering the public a chance to see what is inside it. They criticized the Democrats for the same exact thing when Obamacare was being passed, but now it’s somehow okay. So yeah, I’m feeling the love, Sandpoint. I just hope I’m not feeling a cold coming on. Yours in sickness, health and quasi-poverty, -Ben Olson, Publisher
“Sandpoint Heat.” Jesse Turner 5th Sagle Elementary Sagle
“Sandpoint Eagles.” Jorden Tyler 5th at Northside Sandpoint
JUNE 24th 30% off
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“I played baseball from T-ball on. Usually they mock the pro teams when it comes to mascot names. I would say Sandpoint Lakers because it fits our town.” Patrick Kummer Co-op Sandpoint
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READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724
www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Taylor Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover photo illustration), Susan Drinkard, Lori Reid, Cort Gifford, Panhandle Animal Shelter. Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Herb Wiens, Brenden Bobby, Laurie Brown, Mandy Evans, Marcia Pilgeram. Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash. Subscription Price: $95 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled pa paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers. Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook. About the Cover
This week’s cover features a vintage French poster. I believe it was first made in the late-1920s to advertise for a resort in the South of France.
Third & Cedar | 208.265.8545 | POWine.com June 22, 2017 /
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LETTERS Safety For Cyclists... Dear Editor: In the creation of our new two-way road system in Sandpoint, the cyclists have been ignored. The confusion for motor vehicle traffic is bad enough, but think of riding your bike through town. There are no bike lanes or sharrows in the new configuration indicating that cyclists even exist in Sandpoint. There are no signs saying “share the road” with cyclists and no signs saying “watch for cyclists. Consequently I see people riding on sidewalks, riding on sidewalks the wrong way or on the streets weaving in and out of traffic. Sandpoint is a biking town; the public needs to be made aware of that fact; cyclists should be riding on the streets and treated equally with cars and motorcycles on the streets. Likewise those in cars or on motorcycles must be made aware that bicycles will be sharing the road. Ideally bike lanes should be created and signs put up warning motorists that bicycles are using the streets too. Beth Allen Sandpoint
Phi... Dear Editor, Phi (φ) is the most amazing number in the universe. Phi = (1+√5) ÷ 2 which equals 1.6180339… and is commonly known as the golden ratio, the golden mean or golden section. Phi (φ) is also known by other names including: divine proportion, divine section, golden proportion, golden cut, and golden number. Like pi (π), phi knows no end to the right of the decimal point. Phi is the only number that when you add 1 to it, you get its square (2.6180339…) and when you subtract 1 you have its reciprocal (.6180339…). Try this on your calculator. Nearly all of creation is constructed on this ratio. “Some of the greatest mathematical minds of all ages, from Pythagoras and Euclid in ancient Greece, through the medieval Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa and the Renaissance astronomer Johannes Kepler, to present-day scientific figures such as Oxford physicist Roger Penrose, have spent endless hours over this simple ratio and its properties. But the fascination with the Golden Ratio is not confined just to mathematicians. Biologists, artists, musicians, his4 /
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torians, architects, psychologists, and even mystics have pondered and debated the basis of its ubiquity and appeal. In fact, it is probably fair to say that the golden ratio has inspired thinkers of all disciplines like no other number in the history of mathematics.” -- Mario Livio The Fibonacci sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, .... is an approximation of the golden ratio when dividing one of the numbers in the sequence with the previous number. As the numbers get larger the closer we get to the actual golden ratio number. There are several geometrical methods for the defining of the golden ratio which is described in detail on the internet. In ancient architecture structures, such as the Parthenon, the Great Mosque of Kairouan and the Great Pyramid, were constructed using the golden ratio. Artists Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dalí and Piet Mondrian used the golden ratio in their paintings. Composers Béla Bartók, Erik Satie and Debussy have incorporated the golden ratio in their works. There is so much more I could have written about phi (φ), but since my articles have been banned from the Reader, I can only submit letters that are constrained by a 400 word limit. “The Universe is nothing but the Divine uttering its own name to itself.” --Ramakrishna Lee Santa Sandpoint
To Sen. Risch... An open letter to Senator Risch: The character of America was forged out of wilderness. In 1964, the U.S. Congress had the bipartisan vision to preserve remnants of this country’s vast resources that had once seemed limitless. They realized that once wilderness is gone, it is gone forever. They knew that the social, economic, and scientific benefits of wilderness far outweigh any extractive uses. They cared about future generations. Through your support of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, you demonstrate that same vision. I want to thank you for that support. I grew up on a Midwest farm and did not see a wilderness until I was well into my twenties. I remember how thrilled I was to discover that true wilderness still existed in our country – it was part of my personal American Dream and one of
the major reasons I moved West. I have lived in Colorado, Arizona, Oregon and Idaho, where I hiked and backpacked in some of the most spectacular landscapes designated under the Wilderness Act. Scotchman Peaks is one of those special places. I have spent many days exploring its unique character, and will continue to do so as long as I am able. When I am no longer able, I will be grateful that those rugged terrains are still there for others to enjoy. There is an argument that Scotchman Peaks does not need wilderness protection because of its ruggedness and lack of economic value. However, as our technology advances, what is not viable today could be feasible in the future. Without protection, we will be more likely to squander our children’s and grandchildren’s heritage. The alliance forged by the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is comprised of people from all walks of life, including those who work in the extractive industries. Do not let the few naysayers overwhelm the general local support for wilderness designation. Thank you again for your support. Bonnie Jakubos Sagle
Find Understanding... Dear Editor, A friend recently shared two letters from the June 10 Reader on the Paris Climate Agreement (PCA) and asked me to help find common ground between two disparate points of view. Dan McDonald opposed PCA because it holds the U.S. to a higher standard than other nations, and will yield few results in return for its high cost. Art Piltch and Nancy Garth argued that climate change is a serious issue that we ignore at our peril, and that Trump’s arguments are lies that promote fear over truth. Interestingly, both letters agreed that climate change is real and human caused, we need to take sensible actions, and that the U.S. is making progress. Let’s build from this common ground. McDonald is correct that the PCA has a strong economic component, and is only a small step. We made some bold commitments, but they were voluntary. We can slow down if they become too expensive. The PCA does hold the U.S. to a higher standard. It should! As the world’s most powerful nation, we have a greater obligation. The PCA
The Inoculant
By Lori Reid
‘The Inoculant’ comic sponsored by: The
law firm of Elsaesser Jarzabek Anderson Elliott Macdonald. is a small step, but a journey is a series of many small steps. Solving climate change is a journey that requires global teamwork and leadership that only the U.S. can provide. Piltch and Garth are correct that climate change is a serious issue, most Americans accept its reality, and that Trump told some pretty big whoppers. For example, the PCA does not give China and India a “free ride” with respect to coal plants. Coal is not even mentioned in these agreements. Claims of job losses are also misleading. “Green technology” industries are one of the strongest components of the U.S. economy, increasing job growth. “Green technologies” are also a cornerstone of China’s economic expansion. We can work together to grow our economy, protect our children’s future, and renew America’s global leadership. We can fulfill our moral obligations. We can solve this problem by influencing the billions of small decisions that people make each day. Change the nature of the global economy by “making polluters pay”. This will (1) encourage different choices, and (2) focus the power of American innovation on this challenge. The Citizen’s Climate Lobby has proposed an economic solution that attacks this challenge from a small government, business friendly perspective. Learn more about this grassroots movement at https://citizensclimatelobby.org/, we’d love for you to join us. Craig Cooper Sandpoint
Climate Change...
Dear Editor, The Arctic Ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer and in some places seals are finding the water too hot according to a report to the Commerce Dept. yesterday from Consulate at Bergen, Norway. Reports from fishermen, seal hunters and explorers all point to a radical change in climate conditions and hithertoheard of temperatures in the Arctic zone. Exploration expeditions report that scarcely any ice has been met as far north as 81 deg, 29min. Great masses of ice have been replaced by moraines of earth and stones, the report continued, while at many points well known glaciers have entirely disappeared. Very few seals and no white fish are found in the eastern Arctic, while vast shoals of herring and smelts which have never before ventured so far north, are being encountered in the old seal fishing grounds. Within a few years it is predicted that due to the ice melt the sea will rise and make most coast cities uninhabitable. This report was from Nov. 2, 1922 as reported by the AP and published in the Washington Post 95 years ago! There has always been climate change, and there will always be climate change, and throwing untold trillions of taxpayer money at trying to stop climate change won’t calm Mother Nature down a bit C.P. Kattner Sandpoint
POINT / COUNTERPOINT sandpoint traffic going two-way:
An improvement or a mess?
Sandpoint traffic woes By Herb Wiens Reader Contributor Saturday, on the way back from the boat launch at Laclede, I decided to experience the thrill of navigating Sandpoint’s downtown core. I turned my crew-cab truck, with 22-foot boat in tow, onto eastbound Church Street. Bravely, I charged once more unto the breach of leftist ideological traffic planning. Being the first light-controlled intersection, you would think that Church is the designated route to fully access the downtown experience. That is a fallacious assumption. When the unwary driver arrives at First Avenue, they find that their only option is to turn south and either park in the middle of the street waiting to turn to the beach or continue southbound out of town. To access any businesses to the north, the driver must follow a circuitous route of right turns, left turns and stop signs. I decided to turn on Bridge Street and, observing that the beach area was packed, dove in behind Gunning’s Alley to make my way northbound. Getting back on First Avenue was like having a bad psychedelic trip flashback. Pedestrians strolled willy nilly in front of traffic without even looking or caring. I swear that I saw a latte-packing pink unicorn prancing diagonally across First on its way into the Panida. A stressed motorist must dodge entitled tourists who think that the middle of the street is part of their “safe space”, jaywalking unicorns and wrong-way bicyclists while negotiating a slalom course. You might think that this chaos was a giant mistake of planning. You would be wrong. It is a calculated plan by the city. To quote the city’s recently retired engineer, Kody Van Dyk, in an article that he co-authored with Gary Toth of Project for Public Spaces: “Ask whether you should really be planning for traffic 25 years in the future, or figuring out ways to curb that traffic now by becoming a place that encourages alternative modes of transportation.” The article also derided DOTs for highway planning that moves the highest volume of traffic in the shortest amount of time. Toth is the hit man hired by the LOR Foundation and the Idaho Pedestrian & Bicycle Alliance to mediate between the city and the ITD over
One-time skeptic now a supporter By Mose Dunkel Reader Contributor
“the Curve” project. The negotiation was all charade. The city’s intention was to spike the project all along. You wonder why there is no northbound onramp at the south end of the Byway. Ask the city and your Chamber of Commerce. The ITD ASKED if the city wanted one during the planning process. But, the city and the Chamber wanted to force travelers to drive through town in an attempt to squeeze more money from drivers unlucky enough to stop for gas. You wonder why the city traffic patterns are so convoluted instead of having stoplights. The answer is that Sandpoint has no one that is capable of changing a light bulb — really. Instead of sending someone to light bulb-changing school, the city busies itself using eminent domain for roundabouts and dreaming up blind mazes for traffic flow. You ask why this mess was not resolved in 2013 when the Curve and the street realignment was to be completed. The answer is on a video where City Planner Jeremy Grimm, Council President Shelby Rognstad and Chamber President Kate McAlister are all bragging about shutting down a six-lane monstrosity completely rending the community in two. The truth is that the original Curve concept was to simply extend the Fifth Avenue five lane for three blocks down the ITD owned rail-bed. So, instead of having simple, black-andwhite traffic that is easy to understand and navigate — where everyone, including pedestrians, understand the rules — we have a Rube Goldberg contraption that no one is happy with. To regain normalcy, the entire starry-eyed ideologue city leadership must be replaced with pragmatists that have the ability to say NO when a hair-brained plan comes out of the back room of City Hall. As an epilogue, all I have to say about diagonal parking is that it should be back in. Back-in parking is safer to get out of and is better for motorcycles. If you don’t have the ability to back into a parking spot that terminates with a curb, perhaps you should really be walking instead of driving.
As a lifelong resident of the Sandpoint area, I have experience with traffic here. I have an early memory of riding around with my mom on Church Street and realizing we were going the wrong way on a newly appointed one-way street. I also remember hearing my parents and their friends wondering what “they” were thinking when this terrible idea was put together. I’m not sure of the driving force behind that idea to change so many streets to the one-way plan we had for so long. Maybe it had something to do with Highway 95 and Highway 2 cutting through the heart of Sandpoint or that the possibility of the Byway was so much closer. Now we know the Byway was decades away, and highways only became busier each year. Parking, which has always been a hot topic, has not become any less of a problem, and in all these years Sandpoint has made progressive steps toward a tourism-based economy downtown. The city has tried to deal with these issues with limited powers amid growth and a change of culture downtown. Then there’s the Byway, which took over 60 years to approve, and I’m not sure it’s done everything we hoped it would. Sandpoint still has a major highway going through it in essentially three directions with Highway 2 coming in from the west side heading north and also connecting to the southbound drivers to the Long Bridge. Sandpoint is only one player in the much larger traffic game, and the Idaho Transportation Department calls the shots on what happens with the major highways going through town. By gaining downtown traffic authority on First and Cedar, it’s possible to see what the downtown looks like without so much through traffic. Sandpoint has only been able to solve part of the traffic dilemma, but in my opinion this is a major step in the right direction. I believe we will grow with this new design enough to make the other issue of Highway 2 stick out like a sore thumb. Sure, it will take a decade or more
to actually figure this out, but things like this take time. Let’s just hope it’s not 60 years. Over the last four years I’ve been a critic of the new traffic plan. I said things like: “Why fix what isn’t broken?” “Waste of money (I know a local athletic field we could put that into).” “Californians SMH.” “Thanks Obama!” “I’m not into this new world order crap in Sandpoint.” They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and I’m not one to roll over for every new idea. But if I see merit it a plan, I’ll only fight it for so long. This is one of those moments for me. What I find very appealing is going north from Pine to Fifth. I never expected that part of the plan to be so smooth! I’ve taken Boyer to head north and waited in that four-way stop at Cedar trying to get back to Fifth so much that the new route absolutely blows me away. It has cut my travel time down by half at least. Something else I love is that we got rid of three stoplights. Stoplights are the most ridiculous part of traffic control, so losing three lights is a major positive to me. The addition of the light at Church and Fifth puzzles me because I don’t see it as necessary. Likewise, the one block of mystery between Fifth and Fourth on Pine upset me — at least until I really looked into it. To get from the Long Bridge to Dover, you should just take Church! If you decide to take Pine then you receive a small sneaky penalty in that decision. You get to drive three blocks to actually get one block closer to your destination. It’s not perfect. We have diagonal parking, stop signs that maybe shouldn’t be there, the need to look both ways now (I’ll admit I almost caused an accident last night) and narrow intersections. But the biggest issue I’ve encountered is my own bias against the change. I’ve chosen to find the positives with this tabloid-level drama and do my best to move on from it. Take a trip through town when it’s not busy and really take it in from both directions. It’s very interesting to see buildings from the opposite side.
June 22, 2017 /
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COMMUNITY
Summer homecoming with 7B Sunday at Schweitzer By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Bouquets: •The crew at Perfection Tire in Ponderay has always impressed me with their customer service. I have an old blue Chevy pickup that I don’t drive much anymore, but am too emotionally attached to it to sell it off, so I keep it parked, waiting for the time when I can put it out to pasture as a farm or firewood truck. Sometimes a slow leak leaves me with a flat tire. Last week, both rear tires were flat. I took them in, one at a time, and both times the crew at Perfection Tire fixed the flat, loaded it up in the trunk and wished me well — no charge. On top of that, my girlfriend had them check out her squeaking brakes a few weeks back. A less-reputable outfit would have said, “Yes, you need new brakes” for the revenue, but Perfection Tire said she simply had a rust build-up and that the brakes would be fine for another 10 or 20,000 miles. I appreciate that kind of customer service and honesty, which is why I return to Perfection Tire every time. •We started our new Patreon page last week to give our readers a chance to help give a little back to the Reader. Already, we have ten patrons. How cool is that? We really appreciate the following contributors: -Talache Construction -Carol Robinson -Carrie Logan -Meggan Gunter -Warren Santoro -Taylor Long -Charlene Godoc -Joanne Cottrell -Morgan and Crosby Tajan -Connie Burkhart. Barbs: •You know what I love? When there are so many thanks to give that there is no room for barbs. Yes! Also, whiskey. 6 /
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Summer operations are starting off with a bang at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Friday, June 23, marks the opening day for summer fun at Schweitzer, with chairlift rides, lift-served downhill mountain biking, the zip line, Monkey Jumper, climbing wall and sluice box open daily from 11 a.m. To 5 p.m. until September 4. The 3rd annual 7B Sunday kicks off Sunday, June 25. The event offers local businesses, restaurants, associations and organizations based in Bonner County an opportunity to share their passions directly with Schweitzer’s guests. “This event has really grown over the past couple of years and
we are thrilled to be the hosts for this ‘summer homecoming’ as it were,” said Schweitzer Marketing Manager Dig Chrismer. “Being able to have so many fantastic local organizations, vendors, neighbors and friends with us on 7B Sunday sets the tone for the whole summer at Schweitzer. We couldn’t imagine a better way to kick things off.” Schweitzer will offer free chairlift rides to all guests on Sunday, as well as free live music all day long with The Monarch Mountain Band, The Brandon & Cole Show and the Incredible Flying Dookie Brothers. All Schweitzer village activities will be open and guests will have a chance to check out the new Sky House on the summit. “With the addition of Sky
Amateur Radio ‘Field Day’ this week By Reader Staff Members of the Bonner County ARES/RACES will be participating in the national Amateur Radio “Field Day” exercise, June 24-25 at 465838 Highway 95 S. Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of amateur radio. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. For over 100 years, amateur radio — sometimes called ham radio — has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communications techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster, all without needing a cell phone or the internet. Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network. Over 35,000 people from thousands of locations participated in Field Day in 2016. “It’s easy for anyone to pick up a computer or smartphone, connect to the internet and com-
municate, with no knowledge of how the devices function or connect to each other,” said Sean Kutzko of the American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio. “But if there’s an interruption of service or you’re out of range of a cell tower, you have no way to communicate. Ham radio functions completely independent of the internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with tablets or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of amateur radio during a communications outage.” “Hams can literally throw a wire in a tree for an antenna, connect it to a battery-powered transmitter and communicate halfway around the world,” Kutzko added. Anyone may become a licensed amateur radio operator. There are over 725,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 5 and as old as 100. And with clubs such as Bonner County ARES/RACES it’s easy for anybody to get involved right here in Bonner County. For more information about Field Day, contact Dave Merritt or visit www.bonnerares.org
House, visitors have a true summit destination where they can relax, take in the view of Lake Pend Oreille and enjoy a fabulous lunch,” said Chrismer. Those heading to Schweitzer for summer activities are asked to be aware of road construction and detours in place on Kootenai Cutoff Road in Ponderay. From Sandpoint, take Great Northern
Road to Woodland Drive, then North Boyer Ave. to Schweitzer Mountain Road. When coming from out of town or north of town, take Highway 95 north to W. Bronx Road, then turn south on North Boyer Ave. to Schweitzer Mountain Road. For more info about Schweitzer’s summer activities, visit Schweitzer. com or call 877-487-4643.
Kaniksu Land Trust sponsors ‘CEO Challenge’ By Reader Staff Kaniksu Land Trust, in conjunction with the Sandpoint Department of Parks and Recreation, will be launching the First Annual CEO Challenge on Saturday, July 1. The CEO Challenge is a competition designed to get the working people of Bonner County outside and moving, for both their own health and the health of local companies and the local economy. Studies have shown that placing an increased focus on physical activity and taking time outdoors during the work day has a significant positive impact on the heath and productivity of individuals and companies. Research done over the last 30 years has shown that simply taking a 20-minute outdoor walk has been shown to dramatically increase productivity. The CEO Challenge will take place through the month of July. Each business will compete to earn the most points per employee (total points divided by number of employees). Participants will earn one point for individual activities, two points for participating in sponsored
activities and three points for participating in special events occurring during National Parks and Recreation Month; a final list of these activities will be provided to participating companies the week before the challenge begins. Any physical activity session of more than 20 minutes is valid for points, and participants are encouraged to try new activities. Companies will be divided into 3 groups: Public Sector, Private Companies with less than 25 employees and Private Companies with more than 25 employees. The winning company in each division will be awarded a trophy and bragging rights for the next year, individual prizes will also be awarded. The Challenge will begin with a special health event on July 1, and will finish with a closing event on July 30; more details on these events will be included with the final activities schedule. If you are interested in participating in the CEO Challenge, contact Cami at Kaniksu Land Trust by calling (208) 263-9471 or emailing cami@kaniksu.org.
NEWS
Court hears arguments on tax repeal veto By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Idaho lawmakers took aim at a nearly-40-year-old Idaho Supreme Court precedent last week in their bid to overturn a governor veto of the grocery tax repeal. The Idaho Supreme Court heard opening arguments last Thursday for and against the lawsuit, which alleges that Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter violated the Idaho State Constitution by vetoing a repeal of the state’s 6-percent grocery tax. The lawsuit, filed by 30 Idaho legislators, claims that Otter didn’t abide by a 10-day deadline to veto the legislation from the time the Legislature adjourns. Lawyers for the governor and secretary of state, meanwhile, are relying on the 1978 Idaho Supreme Court precedent established in Cenarusa v. Andrus, which ruled that the deadline countdown starts from the time a bill is delivered to the governor’s office. Attorney Bryan Smith, representing the lawmakers, claimed that the state benefits
from a plain reading of the state constitution. He also argued that a loss in court could discourage future lawmakers from challenging the governor in court over harmful or unclear applications of law. The governor’s legal team, meanwhile, argued that retroactively invalidating the precedent Otter relied upon for his veto would be bad public policy. Otter justified the grocery tax repeal veto by citing its impact to state revenue, which he figured to be around an $80 million shortfall. He said the grocery tax resulted in a notably stable source of revenue, and that experiments in other states to remove a grocery tax have resulted in unexpected budgetary trouble. Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, has argued since the veto that the recent higher-than-expected state revenue is evidence that Otter’s budget concerns are unfounded.
Angels Over Sandpoint announce scholarship recipient By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The Angels Over Sandpoint has announced the winner of the Angels’ Community Service Scholarship. Priest River Lamanna High School graduate Anthony Storro will receive $1,500 for his involvement with the Priest River Athletic Stadium Bleachers Project.
The Angels award this annual scholarship to a Bonner County student who has demonstrated leadership in recognizing and addressing needs in their community. Scholarship funds are raised for the Angels from a variety of fundraising events, including the annual Follies variety show at the Panida Theater.
North Korea releases American, who dies one week later CINCINNATI - The American college student Otto Warmbier, who was detained in North Korea last year for trying to steal a propaganda poster, was released by the isolated nation last week. Less than a week after his return, the 22-year-old student died, according to the Washington Post. During his imprisonment, Warmbier somehow slipped into a persistent vegetative state described as a coma for nearly a year and a half. He suffered significant brain damage that ultimately led to his death Monday. “Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today,” the Warmbier family said in a public statement. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) likened Warmbier’s death to murder: “Otto Warmbier, an American citizen, was murdered by the Kim Jong-un regime. In the final year of his life, he lived the nightmare in which the North Korean people have been trapped for 70 years: forced labor, mass starvation, systematic cruelty and murder.”
Earlier in the year, justices sided with Democrats and civil rights groups who challenged North Carolina district maps, arguing that the lines drawn unnecessarily packed African-Americans into two districts. This would made it easer for African-Americans to reelect incumbents to those two seat, but diluted their votes in surrounding districts.
GOP candidate wins Georgia special election ATLANTA - The eyes of the nation were on the special run-off election in Georgia on Tuesday between Republican candidate Karen Handel and Democrat candidate Jon Ossoff. The New York Times reported that Handel bested Ossoff by 3.8 percentage points. The special election was called in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District to fill the seat vacated by Tom Price, who was named Health Secretary by President Trump. In what has been called the most expensive House race in history, the candidates, their respective parties and super PACs poured more than $50 million combined in an effort to win a single House seat in the northern Atlanta suburbs.
Russian hackers targeted 21 states Supreme Court to hear in 2016 election gerrymanding case WASHINGTON - Samuel WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court will take on a gerrymandering case involving district lines in Wisconsin that challengers say were drawn unconstitutionally to benefit Republicans, CNN reports. The case has the potential to have a major impact on how district lines are drawn nationwide. Historically, the court has said that too much partisanship in map drawing is illegal, but it has never said how much is too much. Gerrymandering is the manipulation of the boundaries of an electoral constituency so as to favor one party or class. This is the second time justices have acted on gerrymandering in 2017.
Liles, a Department of Homeland Security official, said Russian government-linked hackers potentially targeted as many as 21 states’ election systems during last year’s election, CNN reported. None of the systems were involved with vote counting. The comments came during a hearing of DHS and FBI cybersecurity officials before the Senate intelligence committee. Liles claimed that a small number of the 21 attempted states were unsuccessful, “as if someone rattled the door knob and was unable to get in,” he said, adding that a small number “made it through the door.”
When asked whether there was evidence that hackers had changed votes, Liles and two other witnesses who testified said “no sir.”
Flights canceled in Phoenix due to excessive heat wave PHOENIX – While Phoenix, Ariz., is no stranger to triple-digit temperatures, this week has proven different for the desert dwellers. With the Southwest experiencing its worst heat wave in decades, Phoenix seems to be the epicenter, with temperatures climbing to 119 degrees on Monday. The temperature stands as the fourth-hottest day ever, according to the National Weather Service in Phoenix, who advised residents to find air conditioning, avoid outdoor activities and drink water. The heat was so excessive, dozens of flights were canceled throughout the week. American Airlines canceled 50 flights in and out of Phoenix, offering fee-free changes to flights departing or arriving Phoenix between 3-6 p.m. when temperatures peak. The nation’s hottest temperature this week goes to Death Valley, with Tuesday’s high coming it at a balmy 127 degrees.
Torture architect ‘unsure’ about morality of program SPOKANE - In a newly disclosed deposition, the psychologists who designed brutal interrogation techniques used by the CIA on terrorism suspects said they were unsure about the morality of the George W. Bush-era program, but ultimately believed it to be effective, the Daily Beast reported. Bruce Jessen and James Mitchell are defendants in a federal lawsuit filed in Spokane by the ACLU on behalf of former prisoners in an attempt to hold the so-called architects of the interrogation program accountable. Jessen, as reported last year by the Reader, has roots in southern Idaho. June 22, 2017 /
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NEWS
Idaho ranked ‘most polite state’ to drive Traffic woes got you down? It could be worse in the other 49 states. In fact, according to one national survey, it is. The website Kars4kids.org recently conducted a survey campaign called “Drive Human” in which they asked 50 people in each of the 50 states questions like “How often do you signal?” and “What do you do when trailing a slow driver?” After compiling all 2,500 responses, it turns out Idaho was rated as the most polite state in which to drive. New York came in at the bottom of the list. The goal of the campaign is to remind drivers that they share the road with other people, not faceless cars. So next time someone cuts you off and you prepare that one special finger for a response, remember you live in the most polite state in which to drive and flash them a peace sign instead.
City ponders local dog park By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff
Despite some council misgivings, the proposed Sandpoint dog park received the city’s support Wednesday in time to pursue grant funding While the council decision shows city support for a dog park, it leaves room to apply the brakes if issues arise that city officials can’t endorse. Either way, it’s an important step for establishing a dog park in Sandpoint, especially since the organization spearheading the project, Friends of Sandpoint Dog Park, needs city approval to apply for grants before a June 30 deadline. While council members largely supported the idea of a dog park, they also voiced some specific concerns
about the proposal, which is slated to occupy a portion of Lakeview Park near the Lake Pend Oreille and Memorial Field. Councilman Stephen Snedden was concerned about possible expense to the city if the Friends of Sandpoint Dog Park are denied grant funding for fencing and other project costs. However, since the dog park grant should be awarded or denied before the city starts its budgeting process, Snedden was comfortable offering a formal bid of support for the project. Councilwoman Deb Ruehle, on the other hand, had serious enough concerns to vote against the proposal. She worried that the city was boxing itself in by only considering one location for a dog park instead of having
CAL Scholarships prepare the next generation By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The Community Assistance League (CAL) presented nearly $30,000 in scholarships to 20 students on Wednesday at the Sandpoint Center inside the Columbia Bank Building. The scholarships were awarded graduates from Sandpoint High School, Lake Pend Oreille High School, Priest River Lamanna High School and Clark Fork Jr/Sr High School. In addition to the graduates, scholarships were also awarded to three students returning from previous college and one delayed student returning to high school. “We wish we had more to give,” said CAL publicity chair Marilyn Haddad. “We had 66 applicants, and we would’ve been happy to award them all 8 /
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several sites up for debate. In addition, because a possible source of funding for the project could come from a PetSmart grant, she was concerned about commercialization within the park should the company expect to have its logo displayed on site or in park brochures. “I do believe in the dog park, and I think it’s spectacular, but I am going to vote
no at this point,” she said. Supporters of the dog park turned out to show commitment for the proposal. It’s the latest effort in a campaign that has picked up steam over the past year, which has included information sessions, signature gathering and workshopping with city officials.
Summer Sampler a foodie paradise By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff It doesn’t matter whether you’re a local or just visiting — it’s tough to try all the great food in Sandpoint. Fortunately, the Summer Sampler makes it easy to taste a little bit of everything from some of Sandpoint’s best restaurants. Set for Thursday, June 29, from 5-8 p.m. in Farmin Park (located between Third and Fourth avenues in downtown
Sandpoint), the event lets attendees buy tickets to exchange for food and drink from more than a dozen local restaurants and breweries. Beyond the food, the Summer Sampler will feature live music, and for every 10 tickets purchased, attendees will be entered in a drawing for a Festival at Sandpoint concert tickets. Admission is free, and tickets are $1 each, with food and drink items ranging from $3-$7.
BRICK BY BRICK - MEMORIAL FIELD UPDATE
with scholarships.” All funds raised by CAL were generated through their volunteer-run thrift boutique store Bizarre Bazaar, 502 Church St. in Sandpoint. “The more people shop at Bizarre Bazaar, the more money we are able to give for scholarships,” said Haddad.
Scholarship recipients gather at Columbia Bank Wednesday. In no particular order, the following students received CAL Scholarships: Gabriel Burns, Hannah Fingel, Caden Gatlin, Abigail Kassa, Khloe Kyllonen, Cheyenne Nicholson, Mackenzie Packer, Nichol Reed, Mitchell Rust, Delaney Search, Lauren Sfeir, Erik Suhr, Reilly Wolfe, Winona Young, Hailley Shropshire, Anthony Storro, Sarah Wells Justin Marks, Elizabeth Kovalchuk, and Tanner Mendenhall
Crew workers with Seller’s Masonry, Inc. lay out the brick work on the west wall of the grandstands at War Memorial Field. The first ten feet of the wall features an anti-graffiti coating. The crew is also focusing on the inside locker rooms and various meeting rooms underneath the bleachers. Photo by Cort Gifford.
PROFILES
Behind the wheel:
After 50 years of conducting drivers’ license examinations, Robert Ashbrooke has some stories to tell
By Ben Olson Reader Staff “You can tell a lot about a person by how they parallel park,” said Robert Ashbrooke. This month, the 80-year-old Westwood resident marks 50 years of working as a driver’s license examiner. As he looks back on a half of a century of humorous encounters behind the wheel, he still claims no plans for retirement. His second retirement, that is. Ashbrooke first began working for the state of Washington as a driver’s license examiner in June, 1967. He administered driver’s license tests in Colfax, Wash., serving the greater Palouse area for more than a decade. It was Robert Ashbrooke who served as a sort of final gateway between riding the bus and driving a car. Pass his test and you were in like Flynn. “I didn’t figure I’d be there very long,” Ashbrooke said with a chuckle. “I was even looking for other jobs.” In 1981, Ashbrooke was promoted to Walla Walla, where he moved with his daughter. Another promotion brought him to Puyallop, Wash., where he met his wife, Velta. Ashbrooke finished his career in Washington as Assistant Regional Manager for the Bellevue area, which included greater Seattle, north of Olympia and the entire Olympic Peninsula. “When I finally moved to Idaho [in 1993] I retired and said, ‘No more,’” said Ashbrooke. “I took a job working at Schweitzer for a while. At this time, the county deputies were doing drivers’ tests.” Ashbrooke was training future examiners, as well as doing traffic
safety talks for transportation officials. He was approached by the county, who asked if he’d like to do driver exams again since they were now employing private examiners. So Ashbrooke came out of retirement, going back to what he knew best. He administered tests in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint, where he still works part time to this day. For several years he was the sole examiner in Sandpoint. In all the years in the rear view mirror, Ashbrooke has come away with some humorous stories that still bring a smile to his face. “You never knew what you were going to get into when you got into the car with someone,” he said. Ashbrooke recalls some of the odder situations he’d been part of. “One time I ended up standing in the back of a tractor to administer the driving test,” he said. “It was the only vehicle he had at the time.” Another time, a teenager that was paralyzed from the waist down showed up with a specially modified golf cart: “He was allowed to drive the golf cart in that part of town. So I conducted the test in the golf cart.” Once, a man arrived for his driver’s test in a brand new Cadillac. “He told me he bought a new one every two or three years,” said Ashbrooke. “When I conducted the test, he had torn out all the back seats in this new car and there were all these goats back there. I asked him what they were for and he said, ‘They are the ones who bought it for me.’” When asked if driving habits have gotten better or worse in
Robert Ashbrooke behind the wheel with his wife Velta. Photo by Ben Olson. 50 years, Ashbrooke admits that they’ve generally improved largely because Idaho began requiring driver’s education classes before obtaining a license. “Remember what you were taught in driver’s ed,” he said. “If you didn’t take driver’s ed, study up on the manual. It helps.” But comparing Washington and Idaho, he said we have far fewer requirements to obtain a license in the Gem State. “In Idaho, you don’t have to parallel park or back around a corner,” he said. “The pass rate is around 93 percent. In Washington, it was more around 75 to 78 percent.” It takes a lot of patience to strap into 2,000 pounds of hulking metal with a novice behind the wheel on a daily basis, but Ashbrooke has had plenty of practice. “You just have to maintain your cool and dignity with them,” he
said. “I’ve been cussed out, threatened, swung at. I’ve been propositioned. One time, I disqualified a man and he pulled over to the side of the road and said, ‘Get out.’ I had to walk back, three-quarters of a mile.” For all the traffic he’s been through with novice drivers, Ashbrooke notes that “drivers in Sandpoint are probably the worst drivers I’ve ever seen. You never know what they’re going to do. They don’t stop behind the crosswalk, they turn into improper lanes.” In regard to the two-way traffic transition in downtown Sandpoint, Ashbrooke notes that it is actually younger drivers that are faring better in the new layout. “The younger drivers are paying attention to the traffic signs and the rules,” he said. “It’s the older drivers who aren’t used to going these new directions that are having a hard time.”
When not practicing patience behind the wheel with trainees, Ashbrooke has embraced the outdoor hobbies that afflict a good number of us here in Sandpoint. He enjoys fishing and boating, and in winter he still heads up the hill to Schweitzer for a day on the slopes. “Up until three years ago I liked snowboarding,” he said. “It’s true,” his wife Velta added. “He learned to snowboard at 65 years old.” “Working security at Schweitzer, I always thought snowboarders were a pain in the butt,” he said. “I said, ‘If I can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” he said. For now, Sandpoint drivers rest assured, the 80-year-old snowboarding driver’s examiner plans to keep guiding the tentative new drivers through their final hurdle until they obtain their licenses. I, for one, am glad he’s there. June 22, 2017 /
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Mad about Science: By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist I don’t know about you, but my eyes have been bouncing between the thermometer and the mountains with hopes of jumping into that perfect point on the graph of lake swimability; you know what I’m talking about, where the rising air temperature cancels out the frigidity of the fresh runoff in the lake. At least for me, we’re not quite there yet. In the spirit of being too much of a baby to get into large bodies of water, for the next couple of weeks I’d like to showcase some other reasons to avoid the water… if you were swimming in 100 million-year-old lakes! Ever since 2001’s “Jurassic Park III,” this guy has been a household name: the spinosaurus. As you’ll learn after any amount of reading about dinosaurs, paleontologists aren’t really creative when it comes to names. Spino means spine, for the large spines protruding from the beast’s back, and saurus means lizard. Spine lizard. Please, hold your applause. The spines for which it has been named were believed to have formed a sail on its back, or perhaps a fatty hump like you’d see on a camel. After interacting with as many birds as I have, I personally believe this was a showy sail used for two purposes: To help regulate the Spinosaurus’ body temperature and to flush and attract mates or ward off competitors. Scientists believe the sail may also have acted as a stabilization device while hunting in the water. Unfortunately for us, the sail (or hump, whichever it may have been), wasn’t made entirely of bone and thus didn’t preserve. Until we build a time machine, we may never know for sure what the use and purpose may 10 /
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spinosaurus
have been. Though I mentioned birds, it seems the spinosaurus resembled modern crocodilians, skeletally. It was believed to have mostly inhabited the water, feeding on fish and whatever else was stupid enough to get into lakes and riverways 90 million years ago, but would occasionally rush the shore to snap up any poor saps coming up for a drink. Just like a crocodile. A 50-foot crocodile with a sail on its back. Yeah, that’s not terrifying at all. Contrary to what the movie would have you believe, the spinosaurus and the tyrannosaurus rex never did battle or competed for food. The spinosaurus had been extinct for almost 30 million years by the time the T. rex burst onto the scene. In the end, I’d say the Spinosaurus had a better run. It survived for at least 20 million years, whereas the T. rex had about 3 million years to stomp around the planet before a space rock would end the tyrant’s reign. Hey, worked out for us either way. With the dinosaurs out of the way, mammals could flourish and evolve to where we our now. Dinosaurs had well over 60 million years to get to where we are, and we have yet to find a fossil clutching a DiPhone, so I don’t feel particularly bad for them. If you’re itching for an awesome dinosaur fight, I won’t disappoint you. If you remember back to Mad About Science’s second article when we talked about crocodiles, I mentioned the sarcosuchus imperator, one of the biggest crocodyliforms to ever waddle about the Earth (reaching up to 39 feet long!). Spinosaurus and sarcosuchus may have shared some time and territory on the planet, which can mean only one thing: DINOSAUR BATTLE! Make it happen, Hollywood!
During its lifetime, spinosaurus inhabited northern Africa. While you might think deserts, the Nile and mummies, Africa was a different place 100 million years ago. It was also in a different place 100 million years ago. The continents of Earth have been drifting apart for a very, very long time. Around 220 million years ago, the continents were all smashed together into a supercontinent called Pangaea. In spinosaurus’ time, the continent had started to rift apart, where a second continent had formed in the north called Laurasia that contained North America, Europe and Asia as a singular landmass, and a continent in the south called Gondwanaland that was an amalgam of South America, Africa, with India, Antarctica and Australia separated by a sea channel (but still considered to be part of this giant continent.). Whew! The spinosaurus lived along the northern coast of Gondwanaland, likely in tidal flats and mangrove marshes on the coast of the Tethys Sea, a big channel that partially separated the northern and southern continents. If you wonder what dinosaurs may have flopped about Lake Pend Oreille during this time, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but the lake wouldn’t exist for a very, very long time. The lakebed wasn’t even formed until the last ice age, about 65 million years after the dinosaurs had gone extinct. You can thank a mix of glaciers and the Missoula floods for the lake. Who knows what this area may have looked like during the spinosaurus’ time? It was certainly devoid of one key feature. As I wrap up the article, I’d like to focus on what’s left of the spinosaurus’ legacy. It has captivated our hearts and minds, it has given us nightmares and
The spinosaurus, cruising for a meal. Courtesy image. hours of entertainment from subpar movies with awesome premises. What you might not realize is that the history of our understanding of the spinosaurus is pretty limited, and it’s quite sad as to why. The fossils were discovered in Egypt around World War I. We never found a complete skeleton, which made most of what we discovered to be inferred from similar fossils. We only scratched the tip of understanding before the conflagration of WWII rocked the world. Unfortunately for everyone, most of the fossils had been found and stored by German archaeologists, whose work became collateral damage
in the greatest conflict the world has ever seen. All we have left are scraps and plaster casts. Finding more fossils has been a challenge in and of itself. Egypt doesn’t have one of best climates for preserving fossils (the mix of heat, sand and wind is kind of like tossing a gummy bear into a sandblaster), and its history of invasion, civil instability and oil harvest makes looking for and extracting fossils a geopolitical nightmare. Maybe if the spinosaurus had taken a long vacation to a lakeless, 100 million-year-old Sandpoint, we’d have a few more fossils to add to the global collection.
Random Corner t animals?
Don’t know much about extinc
We can help!
• The whiptail lizard from Mexico and the U.S. Southwest is an all-female species. The males have gone completely extinct. These lizards manage to produce well-bred offspring without the aid of male fertilization. They’re not hermaphroditic. The females actually lay and hatch from unfertilized eggs. • By the time the last mammoth became extinct, the Great Pyramid of Giza was over 1000 years old. One tiny population of mammoths endured on isolated Wrangel Island in far eastern Siberia until 1650 BCE. It is still unclear what caused their extinction on the island. • Pubic lice, small crab-shaped insects which suck on the blood of hosts that most often make their home in pubic hair, have been with humans for thousands of years. However they are going extinct because their natural habitats are being destroyed in the past decade since the style of grooming known as a Brazilian wax has gained popularity. • The Pyrenean ibex is the only species ever to become ‘un-extinct’ after being cloned in 2009. Unfortunately though, the clone lived only for seven minutes and was extinct once again. • The Dodo bird which has been long extinct was actually a giant pigeon. It was endemic to the island of Mauritius. It grew and lost its ability to fly due to Island Gigantism. It was first discovered by Dutch sailors. The word dodo loosely translates to “fat-arse” in Dutch.
COMMUNITY
How one town said ‘No’ By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Writer
Brenda Hammond sat in the balcony of the then Sandpoint High School gym in May 1991. She was there to hear members of the Kootenai County Task Force, including Bill Wassmuth and Marshall Mend, rally support against local issues of white supremacy. It was a packed house, she said, and when a majority of the crowd gave standing ovations, the minority that remained seated stuck out like a sore thumb. It also helped that they were wearing swastika armbands, she said. Richard Butler, founder of the Aryan Nations neo-Nazi group that occupied Kootenai County for many years, and several of his supporters attended the meeting. Despite their presence, Hammond said a message of positivity prevailed. “It became clear that day that we’d organize,” she said. And thus, the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force was born the next year. Today, president Lynn Bridges said the BCHRTF board consists of a dozen volunteers, and membership is over 300. She said those members pay a one-dollar yearly fee, keeping money from being a barrier to joining. Those members then receive updates from BCHRTF via email or paper mailings. People have both an opportunity to become BCHRTF members and chime in about community issues the group should tackle on Saturday at Evans Brothers Coffee from 1-3 p.m. The occasion marks the organization’s 25th birthday. Bridges said BCHRTF is currently working to advocate for both mental illness and LGBTQ issues, among many other ideas. She said the high suicide rates among queer teens make it an issue that requires attention from human rights activists. “How do we give more understanding, and more education?” she said. While the BCHRTF has expanded to encompass human rights beyond race relations, it was the growing influence
of Butler’s compound in Hayden Lake that prompted that 1991 meeting with the Kootenai County Task Force. Since the formal creation of the BCHRTF in 1992, past task force president and current secretary Brenda Hammond said the organization has a rich history of non-violent protests and other actions in the name of human rights. The task force also gives grants to other organizations fighting for human rights in the area, and scholarships to local students. One such instance is the National Alliance on Mental Health’s mental health crisis hotline, which BCHRTF helped fund. And with the help of a recent donation of $300,000, the BCHRTF hopes to keep funding similar projects. “We are open to any groups that are promoting human rights,” Bridges said. “We are all about education.” Bridges said right now the task force is working to promote civil discourse. “We want people to at least hear a different view,” she said, emphasizing the importance of looking for common values like family, community and freedom when speaking with someone who might hold a differing ideology. To find those connections, Bridges said, you have to listen. Listening has been a staple of the Bonner County human rights movement since its beginnings, according to Hammond. She remembers clearly when Butler obtained the microphone used for the Q&A portion of that 1991 meeting. Butler used the moment to preach his neo-Nazi beliefs, and when he went on for some time, one of the kids that accompanied Hammond asked why they were letting Butler speak. Hammond explained that by spouting his platform, Butler was discrediting himself — but to truly understand his “preposterous” beliefs, people had to listen. “I’m really proud of this area. People really rose up,” Hammond said, noting that human rights work in Bonner County is far from complete. “The way forward is building bridges.”
r e t a l s r a e 25 y
An article in Parade Magazine dated Feb. 23, 1997.
The 2016-2017 Bonner County Human Rights Task Force Board. Courtesy photo.
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Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry
Building Workshop w Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 2pm @ Home Depot 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall “One of the most original voices As part of the Build a Be you may ever hear ... Kevin Dorin program, the Sandpoin sounds like no one but Kevin Dorin” Workshop with Home D come in and learn how t 350Sandpoint.org General Meeting build a wood project yo 11am-1pm @ Sandpoint Library Live Music w/ BareGrass Liv Polly O’Keary and the Rhythm Method 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 7-1 7:30pm @ Di Luna’s Cafe Americana and bluegrass from This award-winning blues band returns to Di Ma Sandpoint-based group of hoodlums Luna’s with their eclectic style; the trio features gers Live Music w/ Marty & Doug Tommy Cook on drums and David Miller on pia- mon 5:30-7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority no. Tickets are $12 in advance, and $15 on the day Liv Guitar / mandolin duo of the show. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with dinner 9pm Live Music w/ Chris Lynch served before the show; 263-0846 for tickets Roc 6pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante
Live Music w/ Mike Wagonner & Utah John 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Come jam with these legends Live Music w/ Ben & Cadie 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Multi-instrumental duo Live Music w/ Brown Salmon Truck 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Contemporary blues, jazz and latin Live Music w/ Flying Mammals 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Alt-rock band of siblings
Chili Cook-Off (June 24-25) Shrine @ Trinity at City Beach 7:30-10 Trinity hosts the Mountain States and Idaho State Come Chili Cook-Off A portion of the proceeds benefit win a k Sandpo Bonner General Health Community Hospice 9am @ ‘June Blooms in Hope’ Quilt Show Head d 9-4pm@ Memorial Community Center (Hope) Come see our colorful new “blooms” in a dis- garden play of quilts, plus handcrafted boutique items, Cedar fresh-baked goods, a raffle quilt, and raffle priz- 10am-2 Come es to be given away that day spannin Yoga & Beer at the Brewery 10-11am @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live M An hour-long Vinyasa Flow yoga class outside 6pm @ on the lawn. $12 which includes a beer
Chili Cook-Off (June 24-25) Sandpoint Chess Club @ Trinity at City Beach 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Game Night at the Niner Meets every Sunday at 9am. 9pm @ 219 Lounge Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
7B Sunday at Schweitzer 11am-5pm @ Schweitzer M Celebrate Schweitzer’s op summer operations with fu live music all day, food an lots of fun. Plus, free chairl
Night Out Karaoke 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge 3D Printing Workshop • 5pm @ Sandpoint Library Learn what 3D printers are used for and how to design your ow able object. This class is beginner level. Pre-registration required Open Mic Night Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 5-8pm @ SKåL Taproom 3pm @ Farmin Park The afternoon market on Crafternoon - Recycled Robots Wednesdays for all your pro- 1:30pm @ Sandpoint Library duce needs! Create a craft to take home!
The Ribbles Build a Reside 6:30pm @ Sandpoint Library The Traveling Lantern Thea family-friendly play with au tion at the Sandpoint Library
Summer Sampler 5-8pm @ Farmin Park STEM in the Park Sandpoint’s kickoff to Summer. 12:30pm @ Travers Park Sample tastes from the best food and A Build a Better World Summer Readdrink Sandpoint has to offer! Admising program for kids age 5 and up sion is free, tickets are $1 each. Food and drink items range from $3-$7
Yappy Hour 4-7pm @ Grea Bring your d joy a Panhan Shelter benefi music, food an es. A barkin’ g
ful
June 22 - 29, 2017
rkshop with Home Depot Depot Build a Better World summer reading Sandpoint Library hosts a Building h Home Depot Open to all children, earn how to use hammers and nails to project you can take home! 263-6930
Di ures piaday nner
A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com. Reader recommended
Marble Mania 12pm @ Clark Fork Library Fun with marbles for the family Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs and Chris Lynch 9pm @ 219 Lounge
Power Point Karaoke for Teens 8pm @ Sandpoint Library A Build a Better Workd Summer Reading program for teens, a fastpaced competition with prizes for those who can think on their feet!
Teen Writers Club Live Music w/ Jake Robin Live Music w/ the Beat Diggers 3:30pm @ Sandpoint Library 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bistro Wine Bar 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Made up of all locals, The Beat Dig- Rockin’ country at the Niner Music on the Cedar St. Bridge! gers share cool tunes, ear candy harmonies, and epic rock and roll BCHRTF Celebration • 1-3pm @ Evans Brothers Coffee Celebrate 25 years of the Bonner County Human Rights Live Music w/ Devon Wade Band Task Force. All are welcome to attend, for a review of 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge the past and plan for the future. Free and open to public Rockin’ country at the Niner
Shriner Huckleberry Pancake Breakfast Buffet 7:30-10:30am @ Trinity at City Beach te Come for the pancakes, stay for raffle tickets to fit win a kayak from the Alpine Shop! Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am @ Farmin Park Head down to Farmin Park for fresh produce, - garden starts as well as live music and fun for all! s, Cedar St. Bridge Public Market - 10am-2pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Come enjoy indoor shopping on the bridge spanning Sand Creek
Live Music w/ Chris Lynch e 6pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante
hweitzer weitzer Mountain Resort itzer’s opening weekend for ns with full village activities, y, food and drink vendors and free chairlift rides all day!
n your own 3D printn required: 263-6930
June Bug Ball 7-10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall Learn to dance the hustle from 7-8 p.m. taught by professional instructors. General dancing mixer from 8-10 p.m. with door prizes, refreshments and more! $6 for USA Dance members, $9 for non-members, $5 for teens Wild Mushroom Gathering in North Idaho 9:45-11:30am @ Sandpoint Community Hall Arthur Church is a local mushroom gatherer & native mushroom orchardist. Bring a sack lunch for a field trip to Trestle Creek in the afternoon. Free admission, public welcome. Sponsored by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society and Sandpoint Parks and Recreation WaterLife Discovery Center Open House 1-4pm @ Waterlife Discover Center Take in science exhibits, activities, nature trails, a trout pond with viewing window, and much more. Refreshments will be served. Free and open to the public Storytelling Company: The Longest Day of the Year 6pm @ Di Luna’s Cafe With Sandy Compton, John Hastings and Bob Missed The Bus, plus Chuck Bob Svensson (an environmentalist logger). Dinner is served at 6 p.m., and the show begins at 7 p.m. For tickets, call 263-0846 $30 includes show, dinner, tax and tip!
The Pioneer Square at 819 Hwy 2, Ste:102-B
Instrument Petting Zoo 10:30am @ Sandpoint Library Touch and try out various musical instruments, courtesy of Sandpoint Music Conservatory
a Residence Hiawatha Drum Circle! Unite the Tribes! nt Library 6:30-8pm @ Memorial Community Center (Hope) tern Theatre Co. puts on a Dollar Beers! y with audience participaLive Music w/ Benny Baker 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub nt Library Thursday night solo series Summer Kick-Off Music Festival py Hour 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall pm @ Greasy Fingers 8-11pm @ 219 Lounge Baker rocks and rolls, and can g your dog and en- Festival on the outdoor patio featuring Bart Budbe seen in many of your favora Panhandle Animal wig, Planes on Paper and Christopher Paul Stelling. ite bands around Sandpoint. ter benefit with live Come listen to three incredibly talented groups perFree and open to the public ic, food and beverag- form a medley of original folk and Americana songs. $10 cover. Pizza out back by Mandala Pizza A barkin’ good time
June 22, 2017 /
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June 23 @ 5:30pm | June 24 @ 3:30 & 7:30pm
“i, daniel blake”
entry on June 23 is a donation to bonner county food bank
June 29 @ 7:30pm | June 30 @ 5:30pm july 1 @ 7:30pm | july 2 @ 3:30pm
“a quiet passion”
July 1 @ 3:30pm | June 2 @ 6:30pm
“The Goonies”
Come see this great family comedy classic
Friday, July 7 @ 7pm
“Sense the wind” documentary an uplifting documentary film about the sport of blind sailing saturday, July 8 @ 8pm
-guinness-
Today is the first day of the rest of your life and today is the first day of the rest of my life. I sure would like to share it with someone, maybe that would be you. I am a handsome tuxedo boy with a really good purr. All I need is love, love, love. I am two years old. The adult cat adoption fee is $10 throughout June! For more about Guinness, please go to www.pasidaho.org and click on the “Adopt” tab.
an evening with the cowboy junkies friday, July 14 @ 9pm
Paul thorn
saturday, July 15 @ 7:30pm
“losing julia finch”
A mirthful meditation on the life of a writer from North Idaho
Street tacos and burritos Come savor the flavor of the Southwest with Tex-Mex tacos and burritos located south of the Long Bridge at the Peck Landscape Supplies & Farm Store in Sagle
Authentic wood-fired pizza Mandala will be at the following locations:
•Breakfast burritos $3.50 •All burritos and street tacos under $7.00 •All ORGANIC ingredients
Friday, JUNE 23 @ 219 Lounge 8:30 p.m. ‘til late night Sunday, JUNE 25 @ Schweitzer 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. JUNE 29 & JUNE 30 @ 219 Lounge
7 p.m. ’til late night / 8:30 p.m. ‘til late night
Saturday, JULY 1 @ The Granary 11 a.m. to 3 p.m Saturday, JULY 1 @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 6 to 10 p.m.
Mention you saw this ad in the Reader and get $1.00 off your next pizza!
Listen in Sandpoint to KPND @ 106.7 in HD 14 /
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In the parking lot of Peck's Landscape Supplies & Farm Store in Sagle
June 22, 2017 /
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By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff
The traffic transition A look back on the big switch-over
For some residents, the change to two-way traffic in downtown Sandpoint may feel like it came out of nowhere. Even so, it’s a transition that has been decades in the making. A project spanning several City Council makeups, mayoral administrations and city department heads, the traffic changes are rooted in the Sandpoint Comprehensive Plan and built by into a series of decisions over decades. The street plan isn’t without its critics. But for all the different personalities who have contributed to the process, it represents a notably singular vision. “For me, every city decision is guided by a desire to make sure that growth ... increases quality of life rather than decreases it,” said John Reuter, a former councilman (and, full disclosure, a former co-owner of this paper). “To me, this whole decision (on two-way city streets) is best understood in the context of those decisions.” To a large degree, that cohesion is derived from the Sandpoint Comprehensive Plan. Adopted in 2009 after 20 months of public engagement and City Council tweaking, the plan is the guiding document for Sandpoint City Council decisions both great and small and is designed with a 20-year outlook in mind. While city planning and street design are referenced throughout the document, the most significant section concerning downtown Sandpoint is found under the economic development section. Under “downtown revitalization,” the plan calls for a streetscape that “encourages an active street life” friendly to pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers alike. Reuter, who served on the 16 /
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City Council from June 2008 to January 2012 and was a player in early planning, said the transition to two-way is a reflection of that mentality. Based on his experiences with downtown business owners and traffic experts, he said two-way traffic was often cited as the better option to encourage lingering within a given district. It emphasizes slower speeds, increased parking (which the city achieved through diagonal striping) and more varied navigation options. One-way traffic, meanwhile, is generally the most efficient method to flow traffic out of an area, which is why it was the Idaho Transportation Department’s preferred option when it controlled sections of Cedar, Pine and First. “ITD was mostly concerned with one question: How do we get trucks through here as quickly as possible?” Reuter said. Indeed, removing truck traffic from downtown Sandpoint has long been a concern
of the Sandpoint City Council. The completion of the Sand Creek Byway in July 2012 was a huge stride toward that goal. The project, which had been discussed for decades, eliminated the need for U.S. 95 traffic to enter Sandpoint and diverted the largest source of commercial trucking away from town. With the problem of U.S. 95 addressed, the city and state turned its attention to U.S. 2. ITD officials proposed to reroute traffic by constructing an extension from U.S. 2 to Fifth Avenue on state-owned right of way. According to Carrie Logan, first a councilwoman and then Sandpoint mayor, the city was largely in favor of the Curve until the first concepts came out. “Those were pretty intense conversations that involved not only conversation on a local level but also at the ITD board meetings that (Kody Van Dyk, then Sandpoint Public Works director), (Sandpoint City Attorney Scot Campbell) and I attended,” said Logan.
The project already had complications, including the displacement of businesses (in particular, the ouster of Dubs from its exiting location drove public outcry). For the City Council, however, the ultimate deal-breaker was a wide, complicated intersection at Second and Boyer. With the city emphasizing safety for foot and bike traffic and ITD bound to building toward traffic flow efficiency, it was a case of conflicting priorities that couldn’t be reconciled. “They were stuck on their number projections for future traffic which we knew to be in error,” Logan said. The city and ITD ultimately reached a compromise: Fifth Avenue would be reconfigured to divert U.S. 2 away from downtown Sandpoint. It was an option ITD officials described at the time as a short-term solution, one that would be viable until it began failing the department’s performance standards. At that point, the city and state
would need to find another solution. The agreement set the foundation for the two-way traffic plan enacted this past month. Under its terms, the city regained control of its downtown streets, which opens the door for infrastructure, maintenance and aesthetic improvements, including substantial sewer work. It’s a vision largely outlined in the Sandpoint Downtown Streets Guide, which the city adopted in late 2012 following the Byway’s completion. “It’s really thrilling for me because it shows the city’s willingness to move forward, progress and undertake pretty darn big projects,” Logan said. “This isn’t a little project by any means.” On the other hand, many city residents are far from thrilled as they adjust to the new traffic patterns. However, Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon said that the rollout has been surprisingly smooth, at least from a law enforcement perspective. He pulled up the numbers last week and found that only five accidents reported in the area — numbers well inside the norm. Likewise, a serious problem two weeks ago involving trucks attempting to turn onto Church from Fourth is largely solved. According to Coon, that problem was primarily due to roadwork on Church and the fact that the street hadn’t yet transitioned to two-way traffic. Of course, there are still headaches, including the historically troublesome intersection of First Avenue and Bridge Street, which leads to City Beach. However, Coon said the situation will only improve with time. “As everyone gets used to the change, it’ll get better,” he said.
Downtown throwback:
Past mayor Gene Holt reflects on 1970s decision to go to one-way streets
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
When Sandpoint’s downtown streets became one-way in July 1979, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported that the new grid system was “an experiment” and the city did “not know for sure yet” how it would work. That experiment, meant to alleviate traffic congestion, lasted nearly four decades. At the time, past mayor Gene Holt said he hoped the best for the new one-way system. “The businessmen and others agree that what we have now doesn’t particularly work,” he said in 1979. “We needed to do something different. If this works, we’re better off.” And it did work — for some time. But just like today’s locals are concerned about the newly converted two-way traffic — meant to help traffic flow from Highway 2 directly out of Sandpoint, — people 38 years ago were worried about the implications of a one-way grid. Holt remembers it well. “You get your negative feedback then just like you do now,” he said this week. Holt said that while he doesn’t want to say what the city was wrong to make the streets two-way again, he said he sees issues in going back to the old system. “Some of it makes sense, but I don’t think the parking makes a whole lot of sense,” he said. In 1979, Holt said the Traffic Safe-
Looking south down First Ave. in Sandpoint, circa 1957. Photograph by William Lutzke and courtesy of Bonner County Historical Society. ty Committee of the time would study whether the one-way street configuration would benefit from diagonal parking. It was decided such parking wouldn’t be practical. Holt said the new two-way diagonal parking in places like Cedar Street makes it dangerous for drivers to pull out from perpendicular roadways. Holt also said that although the 1979 switch to one-way streets received pushback from some community members, people eventually got used to it. This time, he’s a little more worried. “Local people who get used to something don’t like radical changes,” he said. “I don’t think people learn by going backwards.”
Gene Holt. Courtesy of Facebook.
Cycling safely in Sandpoint:
The Idaho Stop, sharrows and not getting yourself killed
By Ben Olson Reader Staff It’s always a good time to promote cycling safety in Sandpoint, but with the recent transition to two-way traffic, it’s more important than ever. Whether you ride a bicycle every day or whenever it catches your fancy, it’s important to know the rules of the road. Also, on the flip side, motorists should know the law to avoid any potential collisions. The best rule is to remember the role of a bicycle: when a rider is atop a bike, it should be thought of as a vehicle. When a rider is off of the bike, pushing it or holding it, they should be considered a pedestrian. What’s the difference? Quite a bit, actually. Vehicles should always stop for pedestrians crossing the street, including those pushing bicycles. Vehicles do not, however, need to stop and let bicycles cross. Just think: would you stop and let a car go? Often, when vehicles are trying to be polite and let a bicycle cross, they are in fact jamming up traffic even worse. Also, there is a law called “The Idaho Stop” that allows cyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign and a red light as a stop sign. It was named as such because it was first instituted in Idaho in 1982. The law was enacted in an attempt to make cycling easier and safer, de-emphasizing criminalization of cycling infractions and placing the focus on yielding the right-of-way safely. The Idaho Transportation Department said the “Idaho bicycle-collision statistics confirm that the Idaho [Stop] law has resulted in no discernible increase in injuries or fatalities to bicyclists.” Here’s how the Idaho Stop works: A bicyclist can roll through a stop sign as if it is a yield sign, taking care to ensure both lanes are clear. At a red light, the cyclist must come to a stop, and if the way is clear, they can cross while there is a red light. The reason for these laws is evident if you ride a bicycle in a city. Stopping and starting at intersections without traffic causes a major loss of momentum, which is a big deal on two wheels. The problem arises when a bicycle is approaching an intersection with a stop sign. The traffic will often slow and sometimes stop, causing the bicyclist to have to stop anyway, which defeats the purpose. The best bet is to always drive defensively, but understand that often bicyclists are timing their crossing of the intersection to coincide with your vehicle’s rate
rules of the road 1. Ride on the right side of the street •Ride with the flow of traffic and make full turns into travel lanes •Ride in the correct direction on one-way streets.
2. Full stop at red lights •Use extended arm signals when making left and right turns.
3. Rolling stop at stop signs •Slow down to “Look & Listen” for oncoming traffic. •Full stop when needed; proceed through when there is no traffic
4. Share the road with drivers •Sandpoint’s preferred cycle routes are marked with “sharrow” pavement lines. •Ride single file and keep a steady pace with the flow of traffic.
5. Sidewalks are for pedestrians •Walk your bike when using downtown sidewalks. •Yield to walkers and give special consideration to the elderly. •Use common courtesy... it’s always appreciated.
6. Use safety gear •Wear a helmet and light-colored clothing for maximum visibility. •Bright headlight and red taillight are needed after dark. •Lock your bike frame for theft protection. of speed. Slowing or stopping only causes delays for both parties. Take a look at the rules of the road to the right and ride safely, Sandpoint. June 22, 2017 /
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Gardening with Laurie: Oriental poppy- Spring scene stealer By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist
Right now you’re probably seeing abundant flowers, but one brilliant orange tends to stick out from the billows of pinks, whites, and purples. Papaver orientale, the Oriental poppy (not Papaver somniferum, the annual opium poppy) is the bright stand out. With huge bright orange flowers that can stand over three feet tall, large hairy leaves like soft thistles, and a possible spread of a threefoot diameter, this plant screams ‘Look at me!” Oriental poppies spread slowly and persist for years, even without care. They like full sun, and average, well-drained soil- they will rot in winter if water stands. They are pretty drought resistant, as long as they have spring rains. Until most perennials, they can go years without being divided. Bugs don’t bother them and I’ve never seen disease on them, even in one site where they got overhead watering every single day. These poppies do have one drawback: they are summer dormant. After their spring bloom is over, the leaves will wither, look terrible, and die. No worries; the plant itself has not died! Pull or cut the dead foliage off, and plant some annuals in the space around the poppy crown. Keep watering it, and in bit a small tuft of new leaves will appear- most likely after the hottest part of summer is over. If summer is long enough and you keep watering, you may be rewarded with a bloom or two in late summer. Come autumn, leave that tuft of foliage in place as it will provide protection for the crown. In spring, those leaves will die off as the new growth appears. In very cold winters with no snow cover, those little leaves will frequently die off without it harming the plant. This plant is considered difficult to propagate because it doesn’t like to have its tap root
TIP OF THE WEEK 18 /
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Papaver orientalis turkenlouis, or “Oriental Poppy.” Courtesy photo. disturbed. If you transplant it, you will almost certainly have baby ones showing up where you thought you got it all dug up while the plant you moved will sulk or die. If possible, do any transplanting during the plants summer dormant period. While the tap root doesn’t like to be disturbed, the smaller roots are quite happy to grow into new plants- which is why baby plants show up where you moved one from; the bits of root that got left behind are making new crowns. This is my preferred way of propagating Oriental poppies- taking root cuttings. You can dig down beside the crown, and cut off some roots anywhere from the size of a pencil lead to that of a pencil itself. Cut these into two-inch segments, lay horizontally on a bed of potting soil, and cover with more soil. Soon tiny leaves will appear at the end of the cuttings. This way you will get plants identical to the parent plant; while the plants grow easily from seed, they don’t always look like the parent plant. The species is frequently described as ‘red’ but it’s really bright, saturated, dark orange. For true red, get ‘Beauty of Livermere’. They are also available in white, salmon pink, a neon pink (‘Watermelon’), white with orange edges
To use Oriental poppies as cut flowers, cut just as the flower is opening, quickly sear the cut end with a lighter, then plunge the stems into cold water up to the flower and leave for a few hours before putting in a vase.
(‘Picotee’) and even purple (if you can, get ‘Heartbeat’ or one of the other newer purples; ‘Patty’s Plum’ was the original purple but it doesn’t bloom very well). Well, it’s a sort of brownish purple, but it’s still beautiful and unique. The photo above is of ‘Turkenlouis’, with fringed petals instead of the standard smooth edges. The brilliant color of the Oriental poppy can make it hard to find garden partners for it. The blue flowering Centaurea montana (perennial bachelor’s buttons) blooms at the same time as the poppy and is a stunning counterpoint. It also can be coaxed into a late summer rebloom if cut back after the main show. Catmint (not catnip), Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ is a lavender purple; many of the Veronica’s bloom now- ‘Royal Blue’ is a true blue. All of these should be planted in front of the poppy as they are shorter. If you prefer to give the poppy a partner in the same color family as itself, pair it with some dark red bearded iris. This is especially effective if they are both planted on the west side of your favorite viewing point; the long rays of the setting sun will shine through their petals and they just catch fire. It’s a very brief show- Oriental poppies only bloom for a couple of weeks- but it’s amazing. The softer colors of poppy, of course, are easier to site in the garden, and while they aren’t traffic stoppers, they are very beautiful.
OBITUARY
Carolyn Mundell, 77 Carolyn Mundell, 77, passed away peacefully with loved ones at her side, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer, on Saturday, June 17, 2017 at her home in Sandpoint, Idaho. She will be laid to rest with her husband George at the Pack River Cemetery. Funeral service will be conducted at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, June 29, 2017 at the First Lutheran Church with Pastor Lori Morton officiating. Carol was born on November 12, 1939 in Long Beach, California and was the second youngest of four children. She grew up in Garden Grove, California on the family farm “Berry Dale” where her love for animals began. She married George W. Mundell Sr. in March of 1958 and moved to Hawaii where George was stationed with the U.S. Marine Corps. In 1975 the family moved to Sandpoint, Idaho where the bought the family farm. Throughout her busy years she spent raising and caring for her four children, she still found time to quilt and raise several animals. Carol was a longtime member of the First Lutheran Church, she volunteered as a 4-H leader, at the Bonner County Fair and making quilts for numerous charities. She enjoyed many years of meeting with her friends at the Selle Club. Carol will be most remembered for her love of God, her kindness, her generosity, and the
Carolyn Mundell. quilts she lovingly made for so many. She will be greatly missed by all who’s hearts she touched. She is preceded in death by her parents Virginia and R. Wilton Meyer, husband George Mundell Sr. and Brother Richard Meyer. She is survived by brothers Carl (Judy) and Bill Meyer, children George Jr (Rose), Steve (Ellen), John (Regina), Nancy (Tim) Heeney, 11 loving grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, and loving companions Lily and Pearl. Carol’s heart was so big she loved her nieces and nephews like they were her own. The family suggests in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Memorial Garden Fund at the Bonner County Fair, PO Box 47, Ponderay, ID 83852 or Sandpoint Area Seniors, 820 Main St, Sandpoint, ID 83864. Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Carol’s online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign her guest book.
RAISING THE ROOF:
Volunteers help with replacing roof on historic Forest Service cabin
By Reader Staff
Volunteers and employees from the Idaho Panhandle National Forests replaced the cedar shake roof on the Vinther-Nelson Cabin earlier this month. The Vinther-Nelson Cabin, located on 8-Mile Island on Priest Lake is part of the Priest Lake Ranger District. It was built in 1897, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. The Priest Lake Ranger District fire and recreation crews transported the building materials on the Forest Service barge, and assisted in the demolition of the old roof. The Forest Service boat
operators transported people, supplies and trash safely to and from Eight-Mile Island. They encountered two storms, mechanical issues and water obstacles, which included retrieving a canoe and stairs from the lake. The timber crew laid shakes, while the Northern Region’s Preservation Team provided technical knowledge, instruction, and direction. Other volunteers included Forest Service employees from across the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, retired Forest Service employees, and Vinther-Nelson family members.
COMMUNITY
Summer safety tips for your furry best friends By Mandy Evans Reader Contributor with Panhandle Animal Shelter Summers are beautiful in North Idaho, and as much as we enjoy this time of year, it can be hard on pets at times. Here are some summer safety tips to keep in mind: Don’t assume your dog can swim well
Just because dogs instinctively know how to swim, it doesn’t mean they’re good swimmers. If you and your dog enjoy water activities on the lake, like boating, kayaking, and paddle boarding, it’s a good idea to have Fido wear a doggie life jacket, even if he is a good swimmer. Remember that food and drink commonly found at barbeques can be poisonous to pets
Keep alcoholic beverages away from pets, as they can cause intoxication, depression and comas. Avoid raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate and products with the sweetener xylitol (if you give your dog peanut butter, check the label, as some have xylitol in them.). Lawn, garden, and auto risks
Commonly used rodenticides and lawn and garden insecticides can be harmful to cats and dogs if ingested. Keep them out of reach. Antifreeze is something to watch out for year round, cars tend to overhear more and leak antifreeze during the summer. Small amounts are very poisonous to dogs and cats. Be attentive when walking your dog or letting your outdoor cat roam. Call your veterinarian if you suspect your animal has ingested a poisonous substance. Dogs get sunburns too!
Dogs with short or light-colored coats are especially susceptible. And just like with people, sunburns can be painful for a dog and overexposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer. Talk to your veterinarian about sunscreens for your dog (don’t assume a sunscreen for people is appropriate for your dog). Keep your dog’s paws cool
When the sun is cooking, try to keep your pet off of hot asphalt; not only can it burn paws, but it can also increase body
temperature and lead to overheating. Be on the lookout at lakes and ponds
Avoid lakes and ponds with bluegreen algae, signified by scummy water and a foul odor. Algae can produce a toxin that may cause severe sickness or seizures quickly if your pet ingests the water, by either drinking from the lake or licking tainted fur. Your dog should always have access to fresh drinking water and shade
Dogs get much thirstier than we do when they get hot, and other than panting and drinking, they really have no way to cool themselves down. Never leave your pets in a parked car
Not even for a minute. Not even with the car running and air conditioner on. You may think leaving your pet in a car for a few minutes is no big deal, but it can quickly lead to heat stroke in dogs and cats. In bright sunshine, your car acts like an oven, becoming much hotter inside than the outside air. In fact, on a sunny 70 degree day, your car can heat up to over 100 degrees within minutes. So, either take your pet with you or leave him or her at home during shopping trips. Limit exercise on hot days
Take care when exercising your pet. Adjust intensity and duration of exercise in accordance with the temperature. On very hot days, limit exercise to early morning or evening hours, and be especially careful with short-nosed pets, who typically have difficulty breathing. Always carry water with you to keep your dog from dehydrating. Leave pets at home when you head out to Fourth of July celebrations
Never use fireworks around pets. Exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns or trauma, and even unused fireworks can contain hazardous materials. Many pets are fearful of loud noises and can become lost, scared or disoriented, so it’s best to keep your pets safe from the noise in a quiet, sheltered, and escape-proof area of your home. Safe Travels
Unfamiliar surroundings can be unset-
tling to your pup. Summertime can mean travel or new places to explore. Keep your dog on a leash in a new environment. If you’re traveling, take your vet’s contact info with you. A collar with identity tags is good protection in case the pet gets lost, but a microchip is even better. Should your pet become lost, or if you find a pet, please call PAS at (208)265-
Sandpoint Ambassadog Rosie enjoys a summer bath. Photo by Panhandle Animal Shelter.
7297 x 100. Facebook is an outstanding tool to help lost pets; post a photo and information on our Facebook page where it will be shared by others in the community. By being aware of summer hazards, you and your pet(s) can enjoy a carefree and fun-filled season.
Notes from the latest Sustainable Action Committee meeting By Reader Staff Here are recent discussions from the latest Sustainable Action Committee meeting in Sandpoint on June 15: •Welcome Molly McCahon (Bonner Soil & Water Conservation District- Lake Assist Coordinator) to the Sustainability Committee •Presentation on the Climate Citizens’ Lobby by Gabrielle Duebendorfer •Donation of [1,300] reusable water bottles by Waste Management and Kaniksu Health to be given away at Festival At Sandpoint to highlight brand new water bottle fill station at War Memorial Field •Developing plans for a composting site within city limits •Partnering with Koch’s Recycling to offer glass recycling •Sandpoint High School will have recycling program coming Fall 2017
Community Information Exchange: Looking to get involved in future community composting project? Did you know you can buy wind powered energy from Avista? Let us know via email: suscomsandpoint@idaho.gov. The next Sustainable Action Committee meeting will be Thursday, July 20. June 22, 2017 /
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FOOD
The Sandpoint Eater
A pie by any name...
By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist Summer has officially arrived, and with a freezer filled with three gallons of rhubarb syrup and a few gallon bags of diced rhubarb, I’m ready. My anticipation of summer in Sandpoint includes lots of food and drink supplies readied for visiting friends and relatives. Other than a trip or two into the woods for morels, my foraging typically involves gleaning rhubarb from generous friends (and word of mouth strangers) and watching for baking ingredient sales that more typically take place in the fall. I turn out fruit pies all summer long, starting with rhubarb and berries, and, as the season grows, so does the bounty, including big, ripe peaches and crisp, tart apples. Food costs have been on the rise this past year, but I must admit I suffered acute sticker shock when I picked up an eight-ounce box of Minute Tapioca and shelled out five bucks. I can go through an entire box of the stuff on a busy pie making day and luckily thought to look at Miller’s Country Store. Not only did they carry bulk tapioca at less than half the price, but they have lots of other bulk baking supplies, such as a variety of sugars, flours, and cocoa powder, including black cocoa (add a little to your chocolate cream pie filling). Miller’s is conceptually like the Clark Fork Pantry and Sharon’s Country Store in Bonners Ferry: quaint, Amish-style markets filled with beautiful handmade 20 /
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crafts, wholesome food ingredients, baking supplies and equipment and delicious baked goods. My bulk storage containers are now brimming with enough stock to feed seven hungry grandbabes. I also hit the jackpot with a local $1.98-a-pound butter sale. At a limit of 2 per customer, let’s just say I made my way to the dairy section of Super One more than a few times last week. Next on my list of pie supplies is berries, and from the looks of my bushes, I’m expecting a real bumper crop of raspberries (if the grandkids don’t beat me to them). Shingle Mill Blueberry Farm is less than five minutes from my house, and in less than a month—July 15, to be exact— their berries will be ripe for
the U-picking. I’ll be there, with buckets and grandbabes in tow. Besides blueberries and a passel of their own super cute kids, you’ll also find a variety of plants for sale. Once frozen in a single layer on sheet pans, I’ll bag up the blueberries in gallon-sized bags and use them for baking scones, muffins and lots of pies. To me, few scents are as fragrant, and nothing quite as satisfying, as pulling a flaky and golden-crusted fruit pie from the oven. If pie crusts are not your forte (and seem daunting and difficult) you can still fill your oven (and your belly) with many variations of a pie. There are French, Dutch or Streusel-topped pies (a crumble mixture of flour, sugar and butter), which take the work out of a top crust. Or deep dish pies — no
‘Bluebarb’
potential soggy bottom crust but lots of filling that can be topped with pie crust, batter or biscuit dough. Depending on where you hail from, you may have been raised on a fruit and pastry creation named Pandowdy, Buckle, Betty or even Grunt. As much as I love rolling out a good pie crust, when my kids are here, I am a champion of cobblers. Bad enough that Ryanne thinks she can make a better pie crust than her mother, but even my son Zane gets in the act. Several years ago, we had a family friendly apple pie baking competition, which ended in a major feud that included sabotage by fellow bakers and complicity by judges. You don’t need to attempt an award-winning pie to take advantage of our beautiful local fruits! Choose a recipe
and technique that suits your comfort level and start baking! If you’re a novice and feel like you need a little help, you’ll find all kinds of special equipment to turn out a perfect pie, including crust collars, drip shields and pie funnels. While I have more than a half a dozen rolling pins to choose from, Zane is known to roll out a fine crust using a can of soup or whatever is handy in his singledad-to-four-kids cupboard. As I began to assemble my ingredients for “Bluebarb Pie,” (named by Zane when he was a small, pie loving towhead), visiting Ryanne followed me around the kitchen, eyeing my ingredients and observing my preparation, hence I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe for Bluebarb Cobbler. Because a pie by any name is pretty darn sweet.
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Blueberry Rhubarb Cobbler Recipe A summertime favorite, best served warm, with ice cream or whipped cream.
INGREDIENTS: For the filling: •3 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen) •3 cups diced rhubarb •1 cup granulated sugar •1⁄4 cup granulated tapioca •1 tbs lemon juice •1 tsp fresh lemon zest For the dough: •1 cup all-purpose flour •1⁄4 cup granulated sugar •2 tsp baking powder •1⁄2 tsp salt •5 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes •1⁄2 cup cream (or half and half)
serves 8
DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, toss the blueberries and rhubarb with the sugar and tapioca until evenly coated, sprinkle juice and zest over top and toss again. Set aside for up to an hour. Then, pour the filling in a well buttered baking dish (approx 9x11x2). Preheat the oven to 400°F. Make the dough by whisking flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until you have coarse crumbs. Add the cream and gently mix just until it forms a sticky dough; do not over mix. Place large spoonfuls of dough over the fruit in the baking dish.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the fruit filling is bubbling and biscuits are puffed and golden. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
STAGE & SCREEN
Sandpoint Filmmakers Network launches movie night
Auditions open for Ensemble Orchestra
By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff
Film lovers rejoice: Starting this month, you can watch some of the world’s best movies at the Panida Little Theater with a like-minded audience. The Sandpoint Filmmakers Network, a local coalition of movie makers and movie lovers, is launching a monthly movie night with a discussion to follow. The night kicks off 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, at the Little Theater with director David Lynch’s surrealist masterpiece “Mulholland Drive,” recently voted the greatest movie of the 21st century in a worldwide survey of film critics. According to Panida Theater director Patricia Walker, the theater is constrained by licensing agreements as to which films it can screen. On the other hand, a private group unencumbered by the need to drive revenue can legally screen a movie through its home media release. That’s where the Sandpoint Filmmakers Network comes into the picture. The group plans to rent the Panida Little Theater once a month, with each night devoted to a movie of cultural or artistic importance. According to Aric Spence of Sandpoint Filmmakers Network, the hope is to expand the regional community of movie lovers while promoting film discussion. “There is a severe lack of cinematic culture being pro-
By Reader Staff
Laura Harring and Naomi Watts star in “Mulholland Drive,” the first film to screen at SFN Movie Night.
vided and nourished within our community,” said Josh Vitalie, a local film lover. “With only one theater providing few options beyond commercially successful franchises spit out by the Hollywood machine, local cinephiles and casual moviegoers looking for something fresh are often left hungry and wanting.” The SFN Movie Night is an effort to provide a venue for some of those acclaimed movies. It got its start through discussions between Spence, Vitalie, local filmmaker Robert Lindner and yours truly, but the idea is to expand it into a full community where each member has an opportunity to contribute their thoughts and ideas. In order to meet the legal requirements of a private screening, the movie night is hosted by the Sandpoint Filmmakers Network. There is no charge to become a member—simply visit www.sandpointfilmmakers.net/join-sandpoint-filmmakers-network to register. The movie night itself is also free, although organizers
recommend a $5 donation to cover the cost of the theater rental. And since the Panida is providing the Little Theater at a substantially discounted rate, organizers encourage attendees to support the theater through its in-house beer and wine sales. All in all, it promises to be a night where movie lovers will truly feel at home. “Perhaps there will be that one person who stops in one night just to kill some time and discovers that movie which forever changes their life, sparking a new passion within them to go out and make their own films,” Vitalie said. Contact the Sandpoint Filmmakers Network at www.sandpointfilmmakers.net/ contact-sandpoint-filmmakers-network/ or 208-263-3278.
The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint (MCS) is inviting area music students to audition for the Ensemble Orchestra. Auditions are held at MCS at 110 Main St. in Sandpoint on Friday, June 30 at 9:30 a.m. Students need to have played their instrument for more than two years to be considered. The Ensemble Orchestra is part of the annual Young Artist Exchange Program where MCS hosts students coming from Mexico to perform with the local orchestra summer camp students. Dr. Phil Baldwin will be the guest conductor. No auditions are required for the open orchestra. MCS encourages all students to participate in this exciting week-long summer camp with exchange students from Mexico.
Crossword Solution
If you were an ancient barbarian, I bet a real embarrassing thing would be if you were sacking Rome and your cape got caught on something and you couldn’t get it unhooked, and you had to ask another barbarian to unhook it for you.
This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert
READ
I received a subscription to The Sun magazine as a graduation gift last month, and polished off the June issue on a flight to Portland. The magazine is really something unique — no ads, raw voices and a mixture of stories, both fiction and nonfiction. I especially love the “Readers Write” portion of the publication, where anyone can submit a short story — just a few paragraphs — based on a prompt. The June issue’s prompt was “losing,” and the contributors’ creativity baffled me. I’m definitely looking forward to the July issue.
LISTEN
‘Tis the birth month of an album that I will request be cremated along with me when I die — that is, “Hot Fuss” by the Killers. If you think I’m being melodramatic in my undying love for this work of art, you’ve clearly never heard it. While hits like “Mr. Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me” propelled the band onto the radio, “Hot Fuss” is really highlighted by agonizingly beautiful tracks like “All These Things That I’ve Done” and “Everything Will Be Alright.” So thanks Brandon Flowers — who turned 36 Wednesday — and the rest of the gang for an absolute classic.
WATCH
I saw “The Age of Adaline” not long after it came out two years ago, and it’s still on my mind. The premise is ridiculous — a woman, struck by lightning in 1935, never ages again. But how can one find love when they cannot grow old with their partner? Somehow, this far-fetched conflict creates a heart-wrenching, deep film. Blake Lively is incredible, and the storyline convincingly traverses decades, staying true through the costumes, props and scripting.
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CROSSWORD
Woorf tdhe Week
sibylline
By Charity Luthy
/SIB-uh-leen/
[adjective] 1. mysterious; cryptic.
“The sibylline origins of the creature were lost to history.” Corrections: We had issues with our digital file last week. A few calendar items were mislabeled. Also, Cameron Rasmusson’s news article about the Sandpoint City Council meeting on the dog park should have listed the date as June 21, not June 2. Thanks for not throwing a brick through our window. June 22, 2017 /
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