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DEAR READERS,
The week in random review Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
1790
The year the Supreme Court of the United States held its first session, after having been created by the Judiciary Act of 1789 — the first piece of legislation to be introduced in the U.S. Senate. The purpose of the court is to ensure that the government abides by the Constitution; however, the Constitution neither elaborates “the exact powers and prerogatives of the Supreme Court nor the organization of the Judicial Branch as a whole,” according to supremecourt.gov. Since its formation 232 years ago, the court has been served by only 17 chief justices and 103 associate justices. The average tenure of a Supreme Court justice has been 16 years.
another history lesson
Abortion was not only legal but routinely practiced in the British-American colonies and early United States until the mid-1800s, when a small group of doctors with the then-newly established American Medical Association embarked on a pressure campaign to outlaw the procedure. Throughout the 16th, 17th, 18th and early-19th centuries, women sought the expertise of midwives, who provided herbal abortifacients in order to end pregnancy before what was then referred to as the “quickening” — that is, when a mother begins to feel the fetus move inside the womb. Historians agree that the anti-abortion push in the mid-19th century was rooted in politics: the AMA wanted to get rid of non-traditional physicians, while Victorian sensibilities pushed against increasing female independence. Racial animus also played a part, as some feared that if white women continued to have abortions or otherwise limit the size of their families, the nation’s population would grow increasingly Black, Asian and Hispanic while Anglo-Americans became outnumbered by immigrants. Ultimately, that thinking became critical to inspiring the eugenics movement, as well as the criminalization of abortion and restricted access to contraception from the 1880s to the early-1970s — less than a century, compared to about 300 years when both were widely practiced in both the colonies and early republic.
quotable
“We learn from history that we do not learn from history.” — Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel
weird words I learned this week
The Japanese have a word for when people eat because their mouth is “lonely”: Kuchi zamishi. The hashtag is properly known as the “octothorpe,” in reference to its eight points. A person who spouts off an opinion on a subject about which they know nothing is called an “ultracrepidarian.” The word comes from the Latin phrase, Sutor, ne ultra crepidam, which means, “Shoemaker, not above the sandal,” and is meant as a caution against letting your judgments go beyond your expertise.
Monday is Independence Day. Special thanks to the Sandpoint Lions Club for their tireless dedication to hosting community events like the annual Grand Parade and fireworks display at dusk. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Eat too many hot dogs, laugh a little too loud, and spend some quality time with friends and family. You’ve earned it. Happy Independence Day! – Ben Olson, publisher
READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 946-4368
www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover), Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, Bill Borders Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Dorohty Prophet, Jen Jackson Quintano, Marcia Pilgeram, Kelcie Moseley-Morris Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $155 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 300 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers. Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook. About the Cover
This week’s cover photo was taken during the Grand Parade on July 4, 2019 by Ben Olson. Wishing you all a great holiday! June 30, 2022 /
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NEWS
County adopts amendment to non-conforming use code
Expansion of ‘natural material resource-based uses,’ like mining, now OK within parcel boundaries
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff Bonner County commissioners approved an amendment to the county’s land use code June 23, allowing for the expansion of natural resource-based, legal non-conforming uses — such as mining — within parcel boundaries established when the county adopted its revised code in 2008. Previously, grandfathered mining operations fell under legal non-conforming uses allowed to expand only 10% at a time without a conditional use permit. The amendment lifts that limitation for natural resource-based uses, provided they obtain an approved Idaho Department of Lands Reclamation plan. With that plan in place, a natural resource operation could expand well beyond 10%, provided it passes muster with IDL and other regulatory agencies. Jeremy Grimm of Whiskey Rock Planning + Consulting represented applicants Matthew Linscott, Mark Linscott, Matt Peak and Mike Peak — owners of mines in Bonner County — during the hearing. Grimm emphasized the importance of the amendment in clarifying
what it means to expand legal non-conforming use in a natural resource-based business like mining. “We’re here today because that continued interpretation is a bit up in the air, and we want to bring clarity and certainty for my clients for the continued use of these mines,” Grimm said. The amendment would add language to county code in an effort to address natural resource extraction and move up the grandfathered use date from Dec. 9, 1981 to Nov. 18, 2008, locking in the parcel sizes as recorded on that date. Planning staff, along with the county’s planning commission, recommended denial of the amendment on the grounds that it used “vague and overly broad” language and did not comply with the portion of the Bonner County Comprehensive Plan that states: “Impacts to other properties shall be taken into account when considering land use proposals, policies and codes.” “This text amendment is proposed with the limitation that the legal non-conforming resource-based uses be allowed to expand only with an Idaho Department of Lands approved
Reclamation Plan,” the staff report reads. “However … an [IDL] Reclamation Plan is not sufficient and unlikely to address all concerns related to public health and safety.” That proved to be a sticking point for those who spoke against the amendment during the June 23 hearing. Opponents also expressed concerns about the Linscotts’ involvement in the amendment proposal, due to the family’s previous involvement in legal battles that brought up their gravel pit’s compliance with state and county code. “This is not about a specific mine or a specific location,” Grimm said. “This decision will
impact dozens and dozens of essential mines in Bonner County.” Commissioners Dan McDonald and Steve Bradshaw both voted in favor of the amendment despite the recommendations to deny from both staff and the planning commission, with McDonald stating that it seemed “clear” that “these gravel pits that have been operating for quite some time are grandfathered in to be allowed to go to the extent” of their parcel boundaries. “For me, it’s important that the county stays within its lane on all of this,” McDonald added. Commissioner Jeff Connolly was absent from the hearing, which also included input from
Commissioners recently approved an amendment to county code regarding mining operations like gravel pits, which provide rock for local road projects. Photo from Bonner County website.
Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson, who served as legal counsel to the board. “I think this is a perfect example of how reasonable minds can disagree about what ‘accordance with the comprehensive plan’ means,” Wilson said. To learn more about the amendment and stay apprised of other planning and zoning proposals in Bonner County, visit bonnercountyid.gov/departments/planning/current-projects.
City of Sandpoint survey seeks input on Urban Forestry Program By Reader Staff The city of Sandpoint is in the process of reviewing and updating its Urban Forestry Program, and now asking area residents to provide input on a range of aspects related to the program via a survey on the city’s homepage, sandpointidaho.gov. According to city officials, it has been 14 years since 4 /
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development of the Urban Forestry Program, as well as the formation of the advisory Tree Committee, which was established to provide guidance on how best to preserve, protect and manage the urban tree canopy — particularly in the public right-of-way. “Trees have long been prized and valued by our community and the city of Sandpoint has been a member of Tree City USA since 1996,”
the city stated on the plan review webpage. “Our history of active participation in this program and protection of the community tree canopy reflects the passion of our community members who place great importance and value on our local trees.” An entire section of Sandpoint City Code — Chapter 15 — is devoted to trees within city limits, and City Hall has hired Urban Forest Consulting
Service to spearhead a full review of its forestry plans, including staffing, resources and management, as well as the approved street tree list, which establishes the types of trees that are allowed to be planted within the right-of-way. The survey takes between five and 10 minutes and will be an important element of the plan review. It is not necessary to be a city resident to take the survey. Find it at bit.ly/3y1iRRu.
NEWS
High inflows continue to affect lake level
Boaters should remain cautious of debris in local waters, adhere to temporary 500-foot no-wake rule
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff In an update shared with the Reader on June 28, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Scott Lawrence said that the Albeni Falls Dam — located on the west side of the county and responsible for controlling how much water flows through the Pend Oreille River from its source in Lake Pend Oreille — would begin shifting operations to attempt to get the lake at a consistent summer level. Due to cooler spring temperatures, several storm systems and a sizable snowpack, the panhandle has seen a rapid late-season inundation of runoff into local water bodies. Because of this, Albeni Falls Dam has increased outflows in order to avoid flooding upstream. The dam has decreased those flows from 84,000 cubic feet per second to 74,000 in a continuing effort to bring Lake Pend Oreille to its summer pool of 2,062-2,062.5 feet. “Albeni Falls Dam is transitioning off free flow operations following the flood event of mid-June,” Lawrence said. “Project outflows will continue to decrease
over the next few weeks.” “Reducing these higher-than-normal outflows over the next one to two weeks will be accomplished using the spill gates to regulate outflow and not the powerhouse,” he added. “This will result in courser operations for outflows and slightly greater lake level fluctuations than typical summer operations. Once flows recede enough we will bring the powerhouse online and more finely regulate outflow and lake levels.” Lawrence said that due to “natural constriction” at Dover, “the water surface elevation between Dover … and Albeni Falls dam will differ by around 10 feet when the lake elevations and discharges are high.” He added that 10 feet is about the peak difference that should be seen, and “right now we are [at] about seven feet and the differences will reduce as outflows reduce.” Projections for Albeni Falls Dam inflow, outflow and Lake Pend Oreille elevation at the Hope gage, courtesy of the Northwest River Forecast Center, can be viewed at nwrfc.noaa.gov/rfc. USACE officials continue to moni-
tor the Clark Fork Drift Facility, where a 100-foot segment of log boom failed during the aggressive runoff. “Once high flows recede enough to operate safely, officials can further assess damages and install replacement booms, likely in July dependent upon flows,” Lawrence said. In the meantime, boaters are advised to watch out for debris in the lake that may have gotten past the boom system. While Bonner County Sheriff’s Office Marine
Albeni Falls Dam on the Pend Oreille River, which controls the level of Lake Pend Oreille. Photo courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. personnel are working to flag large debris, local authorities request that boaters report any additional hazards to the sheriff’s office by calling 208-265-5525. A temporary order extending no-wake zones on all navigable Bonner County waterways to 500 feet is still in effect.
Planned Parenthood files Idaho Supreme Court lawsuit to block abortion trigger law Organization already has one pending lawsuit over another Idaho abortion law
By Kelcie Moseley-Morris Idaho Capital Sun Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision June 24, Planned Parenthood and one of its abortion providers filed a new lawsuit with Idaho’s Supreme Court to block its trigger law banning nearly all abortions. That law is scheduled to go into effect within the next two months. Planned Parenthood announced the lawsuit in an afternoon press release June 27. Lawyers from the law firms WilmerHale and Bartlett French filed the petition on behalf of Planned Parenthood and Idaho provider Dr. Caitlin Gustafson. The Idaho Legislature passed the abortion trigger law in 2020, with a clause that would make it effective 30 days after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a judgment that returns the authority to regulate abortion procedures to the states. Under court admin-
istration schedules, the official judgment is typically issued about 30 days after an opinion is issued, the Idaho attorney general’s office said, meaning Idaho’s law would go into effect 30 days after that. The law would make nearly all abortions in Idaho a felony, with affirmative defenses allowed only for rape, incest and to save the pregnant person’s life. A rape or incest victim would have to provide a copy of a police report to the physician who would perform the procedure, a process that can sometimes take weeks or months. According to the release, Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit contends that the ban violates Idahoans’ right to privacy and equal protection under the Idaho Constitution. The lawsuit also claims that the ban’s terms are so vague that medical providers will be unable to know when they are permitted to provide care for patients experiencing miscarriage or to provide abortions to protect a patient’s life. “Even though we knew this day was
coming, it doesn’t change how devastating Friday’s ruling was for our providers, patients and their loved ones,” said Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky. “In a single moment, Idahoans’ right to control their own bodies, lives and personal medical decisions was taken away but we will not stand for it. We will never back down. We will never stop fighting.” Blaine Conzatti, director of the Idaho Family Policy Center, helped push the bill through the Legislature that eventually became Idaho’s trigger law. Conzatti told the Idaho Capital Sun on June 27 that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade made him more confident that the trigger law would survive a challenge in Idaho’s Supreme Court. Planned Parenthood said in the release that the trigger law will prevent health care professionals from providing necessary medical care and will force patients to trav-
el out of state, if they have the means, or to carry an unintended or dangerous pregnancy to term against their will. “Without relief, the ban will disproportionately impact Idaho’s communities of color, people with low incomes, and those living in rural areas,” the release said. Planned Parenthood also has a pending lawsuit in the Idaho Supreme Court against another Idaho abortion law modeled after a Texas law that allows civil lawsuits to be filed against medical providers who perform abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected by ultrasound. That lawsuit is also based on the argument that it is a violation of the privacy protections in the Idaho Constitution. The Idaho Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in that case on Aug. 3. Story produced by Idaho Capital Sun.
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NEWS
City Council adopts five-year strategic plan
Photo by Ben Olson. By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Sandpoint City Council members unanimously approved a strategic plan at their June 15 meeting, establishing a slate of priorities to be addressed between now and 2027. The city adopted its first one-year strategic plan in 2017, followed by a three-year plan. This will be Sandpoint’s first five-year plan, intended to provide a foundation for how City Hall will navigate the next five years across a range of categories, from housing to infrastructure to economic prosperity and more. Organized under the five “pillars,” or “umbrella strategies,” of responsive government, resilient economy, sustainable environment, vibrant culture and livable community, the specific items in the plan presented by Roger Woodworth of consultancy group Mindset Matters include a few big-ticket items. Under “housing diversity and growth,” the city intends to undertake a study on growth, housing supply and demand, and land use to inform affordable and workforce housing needs, while also developing and implementing a workforce housing strategy and priority plan. In addition, the city will revise and update City Code, the land use map and associated zoning, as well as reevaluate utility service policies and growth within the area of city impact and, at some point, negotiate ACI boundaries with Bonner County and other jurisdictions. In the area of “integrated planning,” City Hall aims to “review, update and 6 /
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integrate all master plans,” as well as complete a parking supply and demand study. Woodworth noted that the strategic plan calls for a “full-fledged code review, beyond just housing,” to be concluded by 2027. Also of note, under the “economic prosperity” heading, the city intends to complete construction of the third and final phase of the Downtown Revitalization Project, as well as build out and realign the city-owned fiber system in the downtown core with an eye toward a 50-year fiber optic infrastructure. In concert with the parking study, City Hall will complete a study of the highest and best use for the city-owned downtown parking lot, and intends to pursue a public-private partnership with the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency to develop “a city parking structure and private development that contributes to the downtown.” Alongside those priorities, the strategic plan also addresses a review of the comprehensive and capital improvement plans, assessments and new management plans for sewer and stormwater systems, an update of the Urban Area Transportation Plan, funding and implementation of street and sidewalk improvements, expanded public outreach, reevaluation of the city’s recreation services and parks system, and more. “These are the strategies, not the operating plan — that comes [later],” Woodworth told the council. “But these give you clear direction and a compass as to what you would be affirming for your staff to take the lead on and then make happen over the next five years.”
Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond
The events of last week could take much more space than allotted here, so we’ll focus on the House select committee hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021 attempt to overthrow the government. From various sources: The fourth Jan. 6 House select committee hearing on June 21 focused on former-President Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure election officials to change election results, including efforts to throw out confirmed results and submit a false slate of electors. Threatening protesters were even sent to homes of officials who did not want to play along. Arizona Republican House of Representatives Speaker Rusty Bowers, spoke of phone calls in which Trump and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, claimed there were thousands of votes from undocumented people. When asked for proof, none was provided. When further pressured, Bowers said he told Trump, “You are asking me to do something against my oath, and I will not break my oath.” Bowers also testified that an Arizona Republican lawmaker called him the morning of Jan. 6 and asked him to support overturning the election. Bowers declined. He has since experienced threats from Trump followers. But Trump has not given up: The morning of the fourth hearing he claimed Bowers told him the election was rigged, but Bowers denied under oath having said any such thing. In Georgia, where ballots were re-counted twice by hand to ensure accuracy, a recording showed that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (who said he wanted Trump to win) was pressured by the president to “find 11,780 votes” — just one more than President Joe Biden had won. When Raffensperger refused, Trump threatened him with a “criminal offense.” Raffensperger and his family have also received threats. Meanwhile, one of Georgia’s top election officials, Republican Gabriel Sterling, testified about disputing Trump’s election claims about his state, and that he had warned that false claims could result in “someone getting killed.” Nine people died as a result of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. An election volunteer for Georgia shared how she and her mother were targeted by Trump with threats and harassment. The FBI advised them that, for their safety, they should leave their home for two months. Testimony from the head of the Republican National Committee was also shown: It confirmed that the RNC helped
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
collect false electoral slates. The fifth Jan. 6 hearing, on June 23, included White House call logs, with testimony focused on Trump’s efforts to get the Department of Justice to declare the 2020 election was tainted by fraud. Those who served in the Trump Administration at the tail end of his term were questioned: Jeffrey Rosen, who became acting attorney general in December 2020; Richard Donoghue, then-acting deputy AG; and Steven Engel, then-assistant AG for the Office of Legal Counsel, serving basically as the attorney for the AG and the president. Rosen testified that Trump pressured top DOJ officials to side with him against the will of the voters. The department did investigate Trump’s election claims, but found no supporting evidence. Trump’s DOJ effort failed, so he went public, claiming the department refused to do its job; far-right members of Congress repeated the lie and met with Trump at the White House to discuss “voter fraud.” Five days after the Jan. 6 riot the White House received a request for presidential pardons for lawmakers who voted to reject Electoral Commission vote submissions from Arizona and Pennsylvania. In calls to DOJ officials’ homes on Dec. 27, 2021, Donoghue told Trump, “DOJ can’t and won’t snap its fingers and change the outcome of the election.” Trump said it didn’t have to, “Just say it was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.” DOJ environmental attorney Jeffrey Clark met with Trump — against departmental policy — and joined an effort to press Rosen and Donoghue to sign a statement on DOJ letterhead dealing with voter fraud and competing slates of electoral certificates. Rosen and Donoghue refused, based on the letter’s falsehoods. Trump backed off when his threat to fire Rosen and Donoghue and name Clark as the AG was met with the potential for mass resignations at the DOJ, casting doubt on his election claims. At the end of the hearing, Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney addressed Trump supporters, saying it can be hard to accept that they were deceived by Trump, that their trust was abused. “Many will invent excuses to ignore that fact.” She added that she wished the deceit was not true, “But it is.” A surprise House hearing, June 28, on “recently obtained evidence,” was too late for this column to report on. Speculation was it could bring more people into the fold of “seditious conspiracy.”
PERSPECTIVES
Not long after starting our arborist business, Tyler and I decided we needed one more iron in the fire. Tree work was good, but we wanted something more recession-proof. Turns out that, when times are tight, no one cares about the health or happiness of their trees. Based on Tyler’s years of experience in wildland fire, we hatched a plan to become contractors. (A contractor is a private entity the federal government can call upon when short on other firefighting resources.) If we bought a water truck, we could be a ma ’n’ pop show — only two of us being required to run it. No need for employees, workers comp or many other responsibilities, about which I was then blissfully naïve. It would be our Next Great Adventure… and it would pay well. I quickly cracked open the trusty laptop and whipped up an official business plan. Though enthusiasm abounded, we lacked capital. I intended to remedy that at the local credit union. Wearing our nicest attire (read: no bar oil stains) and with a perfect plan in hand, we marched down to the bank. The kindly woman behind the desk never even glanced at the pages. She smiled, handed me a lollipop (for real) and ushered us back out the door with promises that someone named Josh would be in touch. He never was. And guess what: Lollipops can’t be traded for heavy equipment… except for in preschool sandboxes. This episode immediately followed the Great Recession, and I understand that banks
Jen Jackson Quintano. were then wary about offering loans. It was a tough time to go begging for money. However, I was never taken seriously enough to even get rejected. I failed before I started. That could easily have been the end of our wildland fire dreams. Instead, I floated the idea by my aunt. She believed in it enough to loan us the $13,000 necessary to buy our first beater truck, Swamp Donkey. That loan, and that truck, made all the difference in our lives. This story, however, is incompatible with the notion I carry of Tyler and I being bootstrappers. I love our trajectory. It’s built of so much grit and determination and hard work and all the things that make folks living in the American West special. Sometimes, I look at where we came from and can’t help but beam with pride at what we’ve accomplished.
When we started out, Tyler and I were living in a 1971 Streamline camper trailer (replete with eight-track player and cigarette lighter next to the toilet) at the fringes of Moab, Utah. Our first winter together, we subsisted on little more than homemade tortillas, PBR and a prayer. Come spring, we desperately needed a plan. Tyler had a small collection of equipment that he occasionally used to help people with trees: a couple quirky chainsaws, a climbing harness, some rope and an ugly trailer we affectionately referred to as the Afghani Pawn Shop Trailer; as if we knew anything about Afghanistan and the state of its pawned trailers. These became the seeds for our future business. God knows why anyone hired us in the beginning. We operated out of a beat-up Toyota pickup, and the trailer was the kind of thing that immediately gets reported in good neighborhoods. Neither of our saws liked to run if you looked at them the wrong way. Our helmets were ill-fitting thrift store finds. We also purchased an old Army stretcher from said thrift store to help carry heavy logs from one place to another. This was looooong before the skidsteer. We had no chipper, and our initial plan was to simply dispose of branches deep in the desert where no one would ever find them. Thankfully, we soon connected with someone who would take our slash for a price, meaning there would only be a small handful of random branch piles scattered among the desert
sage. Every day ended with us tugging tangled limbs out of a trailer we had just painstakingly packed. We sometimes employed the help of tallboys and ’80s rock to get us through the tedium. We looked a sight, but we got the job done. Somehow. On our thrift-store-and-PBR budget, we slowly saved money. We bought a new flatbed trailer and built walls from scavenged scrap metal (likely radioactive from Moab’s uranium boom days). Our saws eventually crapped out and we bought better ones. We tossed out the Army stretcher and purchased a portable winch. And, wonder of wonders, we could eventually afford a six-inch chipper. We started to look and feel legit. Work increased apace. Eventually, we had enough in our pockets for a down payment on a ramshackle log cabin nearly nine miles up Rapid Lightning Road. In the predawn darkness of a November nearly a decade-past, we said so long to our camper trailer and drove north. Our first months in Sandpoint were lean times. We drummed up a little work by placing flyers around town, but mostly, we watched our savings dwindle. By June, we had nothing. But that month, we were dispatched to our first fire assignment. Swamp Donkey carried us to the fireline in Colorado and away from the poverty line here. Our business expansion paid off. My aunt’s loan saved the day. Our business has since expanded to include more than I could have dreamed in our first
years: employees, successively bigger trucks and chippers and trailers, a skidsteer, a freaking bucket truck. Go team! I want to attribute that meteoric rise to our mental and physical fortitude. I want to assure everyone that the American Dream is within reach, if only you work hard enough. Yet I realize that we were — and are — in a privileged position. Our families had our backs every step of the way. They could afford to have our backs. We had a safety net. We could take risks with our business because, if we failed, we had a support network to ensure we wouldn’t go hungry or homeless. My aunt had faith in our dreams when financial institutions did not. She was our springboard. My in-laws have been behind us every step of the way, ready to help if we reached too far or risked too much. They have been a source of meals and childcare and home improvements and so much more. Which begs the question: How many hands have been on those bootstraps we’ve been tugging on over the years? Yes, I believe our combined work ethic has taken us far. Yes, that’s something in which to take pride. Grit counts for a lot, but so do foundations and family. Jen Jackson Quintano writes and runs an arborist business with her husband in Sandpoint. Find their website at sandcreektreeservice.com. See more of Quintano’s writing at jenjacksonquintano.com. June 30, 2022 /
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‘A better world is possible’…
Bouquets: • It’s a tough week to feel good about the world.
Barbs: • As I wrote a few weeks ago, my heart hurts for women right now. Somehow, in this era of expanding people’s rights, we have instead shrunken them by overturning Roe v. Wade. I wouldn’t feel quite so bitter if I didn’t know the great lengths the religious right has gone to in this country the past few decades to affect our laws to cater more to their religion. Four of the last six Supreme Court justices were nominated by presidents who lost the popular vote (not to mention one nomination by former President Obama who wasn’t even given a hearing by the Republican-led majority even though Obama still had 10 months left before the election). It’s easy to build a legacy when you don’t play fair. Also, churches are allowed to generate millions of untaxed dollars every year, all while increasing their influence on politics and American life. I say if religion wants to impact our politics, we need to eliminate their tax-free status once and for all. No matter how many times religious leaders and so-called constitutional scholars have attempted to explain that our nation was founded under Christianity, it wasn’t. Our Founders made it very clear that religion and politics shall never mingle. We’re now seeing the ramifications of what happens when we blur that sacred line. Before you start sending me angry emails, know this: I have always respected anyone believing in any religion they wish to believe in. It’s in the First Amendment, for crying out loud. However, I draw the line when those who believe their religion attempt to impose laws on the entire country. I respect everyone’s choice and opinion when it comes to abortion — if you are pro-birth (I refuse to use the term “pro-life” anymore), that’s your right. But isn’t it ironic, as we are surrounded by all these loud, angry voices shouting for “liberty” and “freedom,” that they now applaud the stripping of rights women have had for 50 years. Don’t be surprised if they go after gay marriage next. Nothing like taking away rights from people while also arguing that people deserve more rights. What a bunch of hypocrites. 8 /
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Dear editor, The Sandpoint (Idaho) Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) shares this statement of support and solidarity with all LGBTQIA+ people, following arrests of 31 people police labeled “white nationalists,” allegedly planning to disrupt the Pride in the Park event held by North Idaho Pride Alliance in Coeur d’Alene, June 11, 2022. We affirm not just the legal and civil right of the CDA4Pride participants to assemble in mutual support, but also their moral right and their courage to do so, to raise up the struggle against injustice, discrimination and “othering.” We deplore the intentions of the people arrested. We acknowledge the painful depth to which social media and politics are promoting racism and fear of difference over inclusion and equality. We affirm our belief that the divine and sacred is in every person and all have the ability to be led by that Spirit. We encourage those arrested and their supporters to open themselves to the inner truth that we are all equal in Spirit, that messages of hate and oppression degrade our humanity, that we do have the Power within us to love one another. We know that a better world is possible, that indeed we are blessed with the abilities to bring that world into being. Let us set aside all fear and hostility towards differences, attitudes that undermine what we could achieve together. Pride in the Park was a step in that direction and we value that work and thank those who do it. Sandpoint Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Sandpoint
Is this the outcome of tribalism and jingoism?… Dear editor, A short excerpt from a futuristic novel series, The Expanse, by James S.A. Corey, Persepolis Rising, Copyright 2017, Book 7 of 9: Singh speaking, “The sad fact of the human species that High Consul Duarte understood so well was that you could never overcome tribalism and jingoism with an argument. Tribalism was an irrational position, and it was impossible to defeat an irrational position with a rational argument. And so, instead of presenting a logical plan for why humanity needed to give up the old national and cultur-
al divides and become a single unified species, he obeyed the old forms that everyone would understand, and went to war.” Don Moore Sagle
The Wild West via the Supreme Court… Dear editor, Well, I reckon the Supreme Court wants us to strictly uphold the Second Amendment written a few hundred years ago to make sure the British or French weren’t going to try to take us down. Based on that, except for those already convicted of serious crimes, the rest of us ought to be toting firearms with no restrictions. Spending 20 years in my youth in Colorado and 30 years in Bonner County, plus a few nights in Tombstone, I still wouldn’t want to wear a flak jacket on a subway in New York or on a train ride across this country. If people start wearing their pieces in open carry mode, the parking lot at my local grocery store will soon look like the O.K. Corral. Therefore, for our children, our senior citizens and the sanity of this nation, I strongly recommend a law or mandate that all sidearms must be worn as concealed carry. Outside of the home, on personal property or in vehicles, weapons should be concealed. The AK-47s, shotguns and rifles belong in trunks, not openly carried to show the macho ability to kill a fellow American. Anything else represents a threat to all normal, sane humans who want to live in a civilized America. The violence in movies, the internet and on television makes the hippie movement pleading for peace and love in the 1960s seem like a good thing in retrospect. I was drafted and spent ’68 and all of ’69 in Vietnam serving my country, but I still find it absurd to see anyone walking in public openly wearing a killing weapon on their body. This is not acceptable for a nation that believes in seeking peace in the world. Open display of a weapon in this nation should be outlawed. James Johnson Clark Fork
Our future depends on solidarity… Dear editor, In the late 19th century, the well-to-do and those in power perpetrated a racial genocide against the native peoples by intentionally spreading infectious disease and
cruelly exterminating their main source of livelihood, the buffalo. Today, we see a class genocide taking place nationwide, also in the form of spreading a contagion and waging an economic war intended to crush the common man. Closer to home, we see Sandpoint being taken from the native people once again. It’s easy to be blindsided when it happens one square foot at a time. The livelihoods of many local residents are now lost with the sale of the Cedar Street Bridge, and our community is losing a historic treasure. It won’t be long until the bridge is off limits to the lower classes, conquered by its wealthy benefactors in the form of over-thewater luxury housing and upscale establishments. The lower class — just like the Native Americans — are but a scourge in the eyes of the wealthy, and to destroy us is no loss. A solution? We, the people, need to stop quarreling amongst ourselves and form connections of solidarity, no matter the color or creed. Our futures depend on it. Jim Littlebird Sagle
Calling all mugwumps… Dear editor, “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.” — Mark Twain Historically speaking, what happened in our recent primary elections rhymes… with mugwump. The mugwumps, who came from every party and economic class, were not an organized party. Some historians credit them with tipping the White House to Grover Cleveland in 1884 by only around 1,000 votes. I am a mugwump. I registered as a Republican in name only (“a rose by any other name”) to vote against extremists, so that our choices in November would include fewer extremists. Were moderates successful? Partially. Jim Woodward, lost to an extremist with enough money and spite to out-mailer Jim. On the other hand, Mark Sauter will run for District 1 state representative, a seat formerly held by an extremist. You can be a mugwump, too. Vote for less partisanship and more compromise. You don’t need a button, hat or T-shirt to vote, you don’t have to make any donations or give away your privacy — just get registered, anyhow you like. Vote for anyone you like in November — you don’t have to be a member of your party. It’s our right as Americans. In Idaho, 21st-century mug-
wumps have already broken legislative stalemates over health care, for example, by putting medicaid expansion on the ballot and passing it. This fall, let’s pass funding public schools by voting for another citizens initiative. No party affiliation required. “Mugwump” was a slur, not chosen by the mugwumps themselves. I chose to call myself one, because I like the way it rhymes. Nancy “Rose” Gerth Sagle
The GOP has abandoned ‘small government’ and the protection of rights… Dear editor, The GOP is fast becoming the party of more laws and more restrictions on our individual liberties. Trump’s recent three Supreme Court nominees led the court to repeal Roe vs. Wade — which for the past 50 years has protected a woman’s right to control her own body and health care decisions. The court’s decision has triggered laws in Red states — such as Idaho — to ban abortions and impose penalties on those who perform or help those seeking abortions. And for some time, many Republicans have urged more arrests and longer sentences for citizens lawfully protesting excessive or illegal police actions. What else can Trump and his followers do to restrict the rights of others? Some, including Justice Clarence Thomas, have threatened to repeal gay marriage rights or the rights of married people to have access to contraception. Fortunately, for those in North Idaho there are health care clinics across the border — in fact, most abortions involving North Idaho citizens have been performed in clinics in or near Spokane. And Washington’s governor has vowed to make abortions or health care treatments available to those from other states. Jim Ramsey Sandpoint
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PERSPECTIVES
A personal story
‘She survived and thrived because the abortion gave her that opportunity’
By Dorothy Prophet Reader Contributor It started when she was 5. It was simple enough, starting with touching non-private parts, tickling and hugging, and moving on from there. Then it escalated when her mother was in the hospital giving birth to her first stepbrother and she was left at home to be cared for by her stepfather. In those days, women stayed in the hospital for days even with a healthy birth. Looking back, she can see that what was happening is now known as grooming. The invitation of, “I’m going to take a nap, come lay down with me,” was the start of things to come. Being a child of divorce and living in an alcohol-soaked home, she had felt the sting of neglect and this attention felt good. She always had clothes, shoes, food and even toys, but was shuffled aside to busy herself while the adults led their lives. The “special” attention her molester gave her was as close to love as she had ever experienced. The incidents became more frequent and, at 7 years old, she was skilled at pleasing her molester. Now in school, she began to have the sense that what was happening was not normal, which made her begin to have feelings of shame because her body betrayed her. It is biologically natural for a body to feel pleasure when stimulated, but the shame that accompanied it ate at her. There were times the molestation would subside for months at a time, but then would start up again randomly. When she started her period at 12 years old, there was almost a year without any incidents. But then she began to develop and look more like a woman and it started again, this time with much more aggressiveness. While she had already technically had lost her virginity, at 15 she re-lost it of her own accord by becoming sexually active with her boyfriend. Sex really didn’t seem like anything valuable — after all, it had been a part of her life for 10 years at this point. Then it happened, she discovered she
was pregnant, but was it her boyfriend’s or her stepfather’s? At that time abortion was illegal in the state she lived in, so the decision was made by her mother and stepfather that she would fly to Seattle through an Underground Railroad-style network to have an abortion. By the way, her stepfather graciously said he would pay the bill. She flew alone to Seattle on a Friday afternoon and was met by a very kind, gentle woman, who drove her to a nearby hotel. The makeshift abortion clinic inhabited adjoining rooms — one room set up as the surgery room, and one as recovery. The recovery room had seven gurneys around the perimeter for women to rest after the procedure until they were ready to leave. At most they had an hour. The doctor was rough, and told her he hoped she had learned her lesson. It was over in minutes. In the recovery room the moans and cries of the others still ring in her ears to this day. She laid in silence waiting to leave. That night, at the home of the kind woman who had picked her up at the airport, she had soup and was treated with empathy, although she did not share her story of what happened to bring her to this place. The woman did. It seems when she was in her 20s and found herself with an unplanned pregnancy, she had to fly to China to get her abortion. Then, 20 years later, she was helping other women to be able to have safe, if not sensitive, care when in such a situation. Saturday afternoon she was on a plane back home. Monday morning, she went to school like nothing had happened. It was never spoken of at home and she never told her friends — it was just locked away. However, secrets locked away tend to fester. In her case, it resulted in acting out in promiscuous ways and drinking. She moved out of the home she grew up in when she was 17. She finished high school while holding down a nearly full-time job and living on her own. Many years later after many other twists and turns of life, she tried to
commit suicide to stop the pain and shame of having been molested and the consequences of it. While in the hospital after the suicide attempt, she was given a choice: jail time or court-ordered counseling. Trying to commit suicide is illegal. She chose counseling. With time and trust built, for the first time she admitted out loud to the counselor what had happened to her as a child, as well as the shame, anger and helplessness that had taken root in her soul. How it changed the very essence of her personality; and, consequently, her entire life. I won’t bother to tell you the rest of the story, as that is not the point. The bottom line: She survived and thrived because the abortion gave her that opportunity. If she had been forced to give birth, that life trajectory would have been too much to bear. Not allowing safe, empathetic and compassionate care for women in such unfathomable situations is tantamount to bondage by the government. Additionally, limiting access to birth control will only exacerbate the situation. More people — mostly women and children — will become dependent on government programs to survive. Programs that are already overburdened and insufficient. Taxes will rise and poverty in this county will explode in ways you probably don’t want to imagine. Is abortion a good solution? No, but at times it is a solution. Sometimes the only one. No one makes the choice without profound consideration. No one forgets they made the decision. This is not a black-and-white topic. It has many shades and circumnstances — pedophilia, rape, incest and financial strees — and each stands alone. Now we must all either fight for a better world, or be complacent and wait until what they come after next affects you personally. Oh, and by the way, this is my story. Author’s note: The only reason I’m willing to share such personal information is so people can see that this is not a black-and-white issue.
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Mad about Science:
Brought to you by:
ponderosa pine By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Living in 7B, you can look in virtually any cardinal direction and spot a ponderosa pine. They are massive trees with thick trunks that can stand nearly 300 feet tall. The oldest and largest of these trees have branches so high you can’t reach them with your two tallest ladders stacked on top of each other. Ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa), sometimes called bull pine, ponderosa white pine, yellow pine and a host of other names, can be found across most of the Western United States. They are especially clustered throughout the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast. These trees are perfectly suited to their environment, with a taproot that may plunge up to two-thirds of the height of the entire tree below the surface of the soil. This makes ponderosa pines extremely drought resistant, as they can capture water far below the surface to outcompete neighboring flora. Forest fires are devastating events capable of wiping out entire swaths of forest — calamitous events that we’re seeing happen more frequently thanks to our changing climate. Many ponderosas have adapted to not only survive forest fires, but use them to their advantage when reproducing. The tall, bald trunk of the tree is very much intentional, as the tree sheds older branches over time to keep its precious needles from catching alight during 10 /
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wildfires. It also has thick, layered bark designed to protect its core during intense heat. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean the tree is impervious to fire. It has developed to survive a fire every five to 10 years, but forests have struggled as the climate has changed and fires have become more frequent. The combo of being structurally weakened by fire one year, then suffering an intense drought the next several years means the trees don’t have access to the resources they need to reverse the damage done to them by the initial blaze, leading to dying trees and a greater number of snags. Generally, ponderosa pines are wind resistant due to their staggeringly huge taproots acting as anchors, but as we’ve seen in recent years they are not impervious. In particular, the tops of the trees with the freshest growth are the most vulnerable to snapping away. Sometimes, the trees will be able to overcome losing their crown, though it will sometimes lead to unusual growth patterns such as a C-shaped portion of the trunk, or even splitting into two new crowns growing alongside one another. If you’ve ever taken a road trip around the American West, you’ve likely seen ponderosa pines everywhere. Montana, Northern California, Oregon, and even Nevada and Utah all serve as diverse homes for this species of tree. What you might not realize is that these are often unique subspecies of ponderosa pines that have adapted differently to survive and thrive in their respective climates.
Many of the adaptations displayed by these subspecies are fairly minor, such as different needle lengths or the amount of needles in a cluster. Driving by, they’d all look like the same tree. One of the most noticeable differences is the color of the cone. The Columbia ponderosa pine, which blankets the lovely green mountains of Bonner County, has a green and reddish-brown to dark purple cone, which darkens to a deep chocolate brown once it has fallen and opened. The Pacific ponderosa pine, found throughout Northern and central California, produces a green to yellow cone with no traces of red or purple. If you’re wondering why these very similar and related trees produce different cone colors, your guess is as good as mine. It likely has something to do with genetics, and those colors being more appealing to birds and rodents that feast on the seeds and spread them accidentally as they transport them to store for later. You might notice that the area directly below pine trees is often barren and riddled with dead brown needles. You’ve probably heard from others, myself included, that pine needles make the soil more acidic. Apparently that is incorrect and many seasoned gardeners have likely gotten a good laugh at me over the years. That’s fair! A number of factors play into why vegetation doesn’t often grow beneath pine trees. Ponderosas in particular not only send down huge tap roots, but create massive root
networks all around the base of the tree that may stretch farther than even the longest branch. These roots eagerly suck up all the water they can, which dries up the surface soil and hampers competition. Additionally, they will often create a large amount of shade for
several feet around their base for a modest portion of the day, which further hampers pesky competitors from trying to muscle into their territory. Now that’s one tough tree. Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner hing?
Don’t know much about laug • Laughing releases endorphins that make us happy; and, the happier we are, the less pain we experience. • An average person laughs about 13 times every day. A 6-yearold child laughs about three times more than an adult. • Heavy laughter every day can strengthen your immune system. Laughing also brings in much more oxygen to the lungs than normal breathing, which not only helps expand our lung capacity, but brings more oxygen into the bloodstream. • Research shows that there is a considerable drop in the levels of stress hormones after a good laughing session. • Laughter is contagious. If you see people laughing, the chances are it will make you smile, even if you are unsure of the context. This is because our brain recognizes the sound of laughter and prepares our facial muscles to join in with the happiness. A study from the
We can help!
University College London concluded that we know that humans will mirror or mimic the actions of other humans, of which laughter is included. • Too much laughter, on the other hand, can be a sign of mental illness. Deliberate laughing can signal problems or insecurities within us. Your brain can usually tell the difference between someone faking a laugh and a genuine laugh. • Laughter is a form of communication, indicating that we are fond of someone. Also, humans are 30 times more likely to laugh at something if we are with another person. • Just 15 minutes of laughter a day can burn up to 40 calories. Laughter also works out your abdominal muscles. • Both rats and monkeys have been observed laughing. Koko, the gorilla who knows sign language, even had a special “ho, ho” for visitors she likes.
OUTDOORS
Schweitzer adds three new biking trails
By Reader Staff
With increased interest in outdoor adventures, mountain resorts are enhancing their amenities and activities, providing year-round opportunities for their guests. Schweitzer is no stranger to these endeavors and is dedicated to growing summer season offerings while improving the overall resort experience for winter guests. This summer, visitors to Schweitzer can enjoy hiking, lift-accessed downhill mountain biking, on-site lodging and varied dining options. Three new bike trails have also been added to the resort’s mountain bike trail network. The first trail, built by Schweitzer’s in-house trail crew, is an expert-level, partially machine-built trail that is roughly a mile long with natural rock features and drops as it descends. Trail building companies Terraflow and Collaborative Trails each created a new intermediate trail that ventures off Schweitzer’s existing Bear Grass trail. These are both machine-built trails and have great flow, berms and jump options. This past winter, Schweitzer opened Humbird — a contemporary boutique hotel
in the heart of the existing village. The first summer season for new property is now underway and guests will be impressed by the views of Schweitzer and Lake Pend Oreille. Humbird’s signature restaurant, Crow’s Bench, provides visitors a unique dining option with Alpine-inspired cuisine. Summer also finds Schweitzer busy laying foundations for future ski seasons. Work has begun on a new road that will lead to “Base Camp,” an area with approximately 1,400 additional parking spaces and a new chairlift, expected to be in place for winter 2023-’24. The new road will connect to Schweitzer Mountain Road from the existing roundabout, and future developments in the area will include enhanced skier services and expanded beginner terrain with snowmaking, increasing Schweitzer’s overall skiable terrain to approximately 3,050 acres. Employee housing continues to be an area of concern in many resort towns around the county. Schweitzer is working to find solutions and recently broke ground on a new employee housing project in Ponderay. The 84-unit apartment complex will consist of pet-friendly one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and feature efficient, flexible designs
with amenities including washers and dryers as well as bike and ski storage. Occupancy is slated for summer 2023. This is Schweitzer’s second project directly related to employee housing. In the summer of 2021, the resort acquired and renovated a former assisted living facility in Sandpoint, creating dormitory style housing for 16 seasonal and full-time employees this past year. Dubbed Hemlock House and located in Sandpoint, that first foray into employee housing officially opened in December 2021. In an industry dominated by consolidation, Schweitzer remains independently
A mountain biker prepares to descend one of Schweitzer’s many trails. Courtesy photo. owned and proud of the improvements the resort is making under the guidance of an active and engaged board of directors. Schweitzer is unique in that it does not exist on Forest Service property and owns all 7,000 acres of land on which it operates. For more details or information, contact Schweitzer Marketing Manager Dig Chrismer at dchrismer@schweitzer.com.
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FEATURE
‘A friendly place to do business’
A new generation continues community legacy with Little Heisel Service Station
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff The Chevron station on the corner of Main Street and Highway 200 in Clark Fork has existed in that spot “since Clark Fork started selling gas,” estimates lifetime local George Thornton. By all accounts, the business — through all its owners and iterations — is approaching a century serving the town. Nearly 60 of those were spent with another lifetime local, Bob Hays, at the helm. “It went pretty good,” Hays told the Reader, his customary humble tone carrying through the phone line over the sound of the train passing by his Clark Fork home. Hays — known affectionately as “Haysie” to everyone around town — bought the Chevron station from Thornton’s father in the early ’60s. He spent the next 59 years greeting people at the pumps and helping locals and visitors alike who needed air in their tires, various mechanical repairs or simply a hand up during a hard time. “I met a lot of people, and generations of kids went through there,” he said. “I gave lots of bubblegum and suckers out to them. Their mothers sometimes would give me heck for their dentist bills.” Hays has often been recognized for his volunteerism and financial support for the Clark Fork school and other local organizations, but is quick to give all the credit to the town he has always called home. “We had ups and downs of course, like everybody,” Hays said of his time in business, adding: “It was like a big family for a long time there. We made our own fun.” After nearly six decades as Hays Chevron, the business is entering a new era in 2022 as Little Heisel Service Station under new owners Jensen Heisel and Alex Brown. They’ve made their presence known over the past couple of months, as the blue-and-white pillar of Clark Fork boasts fresh paint and a new blacktop. It was Thornton who encouraged Heisel and Brown — both 24 years old — to buy the Chevron 12 /
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from Hays, who knew that if he ever sold, he’d want the new owner to be a local. Both Heisel and Brown were born and raised in Bonner County, with Heisel having grown up in Clark Fork. “Who better to do it than a local boy who has the talent to do it and takes the initiative to step up?” Thornton told the Reader. “They’ve got ties to the town. Jensen seems like he wants to stay around here, and he’s got all the essentials to run that station.” Heisel’s background in mechanic work and Brown’s experience in customer service, combined with support from their families, made the decision easy. “It felt like a gift, more than anything,” Brown said. “We would have never thought to go talk to Bob.” Aside from the paint and pavement, the pair has been working hard to give the business — which offers fuel, convenience store staples and basic automotive repair services — a refresh, while still incorporating nods to the station’s history, like getting all of the photos hanging on the walls professionally restored and framed. More than anything, Heisel and Brown aim to remain true to the legacy of community support that Hays established. “Haysie made it a focal point of the community with everything he did — his sense of humor, talking to people and making it a friendly place to do business,” Thornton said. “[It’s] not just a business you go into to do your business — but a business you go into to visit with friends.” It’s a lot of work, and no one knows that better than Hays. “They’re both full of energy,” he said of Heisel and Brown, “and that’s what it takes.” That youthful energy has already come in handy, as the pair joins the short list of people who have owned the Clark Fork Chevron. “I never thought that we’d be stepping into the roles that we have stepped into. It’s nerve-wracking, but you’ve got to take it one day at a time,” Brown said, adding later: “We just want to do what we can to help anybody.”
Jensen Heisel and Alex Brown stand outside the freshly repainted Chevron gas station — now known as the Little Heisel Service Station — in Clark Fork. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey. That philosophy and energy was on full display just before Heisel and Brown sat down to talk to the Reader. With the sun shining and temps finally reaching into the 80s, Clark Fork came alive on
a recent Monday afternoon, with vehicles flowing in and out of the Little Heisel Service Station parking lot and a steady stream of customers lining up at the counter. The new owners wrote receipts,
fielded questions and scheduled ice and oil orders. The air buzzed with the pleasantries of small-town commerce — “thanks so much,” “no problem at all,” “say hi to your folks for me” — and then, once the rush settled, they took a seat at the Chevron’s best window to tell the Reader what people should know about their new place at the head of one of the community’s oldest businesses. “We’re here to stay,” Heisel said, and Brown concurred. “There’s going to be some changes,” Heisel continued. “Change is good,” Brown chimed in. “And we sell cold beer,” Heisel added, with a smile. To reach Little Heisel Service Station, call 208-266-1338. Stay up to date on all the business’ offerings by finding Little Heisel Service Station on Facebook.
Fore before the Fourth
Annual Clark Fork High School golf and disc golf tournaments slated for July 2
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff Before the Old Fashioned Fourth of July festivities bring the streets of Clark Fork to life on Monday, community members and visitors alike will have the chance to kick off the weekend with some fun on Saturday, July 2, as volunteers host the annual Clark Fork High School Golf Tournament at Wampus Park — a golf course located behind the school’s football field on Stephen Street. Organizers Lewis and Patti Speelmon started hosting a ninehole golf tournament in 2015, but the event — and the grass course — has since grown to encompass disc golf as well. “We’ve got all these people around [town] and a lot of them come early [for the Fourth of July festivities],” Lewis said. “Yes, we do have the lake, we have the river, we have hiking — all those types of things. But there
A sign marking the first hole on the Wampus Park golf course in Clark Fork, sponsored by the Speelmon family — also the hosts of the Saturday, July 2 golf and disc golf tournaments at the park. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey.
are some who would like to do something else.” That “something else” will come in the form of two separate tournaments this year, both held on
the same day. The golf tournament will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. and play commencing at 9 a.m. Disc golf registration is slated
< see DISC, Page 13 >
HOLIDAY
Clark Fork’s Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration
The schedule of events for the best day of the year on Bonner County’s east side
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff 7 a.m. Freedom 5K Fun Run @ the Filling Station (108 First Ave.) The 10th annual fun run on Independence Day morning, this event — formerly known as the Haden’s Heart Fun Run — aims to raise funds for college scholarships for local kids as well as for Clark Fork’s local youth center, the Filling Station. Adults pay $25 to run, while teens and kiddos pay $15. Everyone gets a T-shirt. Learn more and sign up at fillingstationyouth.com/freedom-fun-run. 8:30 a.m. VFW Flag Raising @ Clark Fork High School (502 N. Main St.) 8:45 a.m. Clark Fork Rod and Gun Club Fourth of July Parade Lineup There is no entry fee to participate in the Clark Fork parade, which lines up on Stephen Street. This year’s theme: “We are proud to live in Idaho.” 9:30 a.m. Parade starts @ the corner of Stephen Street and Highway 200 The parade hits Highway 200 and then turns at Main Street in order for floats to enter the school parking lot. Local businesses, organizations and just plain ol’ locals participate, throwing candy and other goodies to spectators. This year’s grand marshals are Chris and Jenny Shelton. 10:15 a.m. Foot races and boosters BBQ @ CFHS
The author, left, participates in the watermelon eating contest in Clark Fork in the early 2000s. Photo by Cindy Kiebert. Immediately following the parade, snag an early barbecue lunch from the Clark Fork Boosters Club on the school grounds and check out the foot races for all ages on the lawn. Winners earn shiny new coins. At noon, festivities move to the Clark Fork Veterans Memorial Field (Ninth Avenue and Cedar Street); and, at 1 p.m., an airplane will drop certificates from local businesses onto the ball field for kids to pick up. 1:30 p.m. Ball field activities Turtle races and watermelon eating contests will keep kids busy until Clark Fork’s annual log sawing competition commences at 3 p.m., featuring different chainsaw classifications, a women’s chainsaw category and several crosscut events: Jack and Jill, Jack and Jack, as well as Jill and Jill. There may even be pole climbing and ax throwing. The Rod and Gun Club will hold their raffle drawings at 4 p.m. Clark Fork launches fireworks from the ball field at dusk.
< DISC, Con’t from Page 12 > for 12:30 p.m. and play will begin at 1 p.m. The cost is a $25 donation per person for either competition, with all proceeds going toward maintaining Wampus Park and other CFHS athletic program needs. Participants will receive three golf balls, tees and water. Men’s and women’s winners in both events will receive prizes. Wampus Park is free and open to the public for golf, disc golf and for those simply looking to go for a nice walk in the woods. It is a joint effort between the school and
community, which has rallied to sponsor the landscaping and signage on the property. Signs, benches and disc golf baskets are still available for sponsorship, which can be secured by contacting CFHS directly. Lewis said he hopes to someday see a gazebo in the park, and would encourage those who enjoy the property to consider dedicating their time to events like the annual golf and disc golf tournament. “It’s time for some others to take it over if they like it,” he said. June 30, 2022 /
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HOLIDAY
Sandpoint Lions Club to host Fourth of July festivities in Sandpoint By Ben Olson Reader Staff There are many timeless pairings in life: Romeo and Juliet, peanut butter and jelly, Batman and Robin. When July rolls around, though, Sandpoint gets to enjoy the winning combination of Sandpoint Lions Club and Independence Day. The philanthropic organization has hosted Fourth of July festivities in Sandpoint since the early 1950s, providing generations of families with memories of this special holiday in which we celebrate our independence. The theme this year is “One Nation Together,” which the organization said was a nod to “showcase the community and how, united, it can do anything.” The fun starts at 9 a.m. Monday, July 4 with the Children’s Parade — an endearing hors d’oeuvre for the Grand Parade main event kicking off at 10 a.m. There is still time to sign up for a float in the parade. “To take part in the parade, go to the Lion’s Club Facebook page or website,” the organization wrote in a press release. The cost is $25 per float if paid before June 30, or $30 if paid after June 30.
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During both parades, and throughout the day, the Lions will be roaming around selling their annual raffle tickets. You can also find them selling tickets at North 40, Super 1 Foods, Yokes, Walmart, Co-Op Country Store and the Hoot Owl. This year, the raffle prizes are a $5,000 shopping spree anywhere in Bonner County (including gas stations) and the second prize is $1,000 cash. “Those are the best prizes we could think of for this economy,” the club wrote. There will be plenty of food vendors and fun to be had in downtown Sandpoint leading up to the biggest attraction: the annual fireworks display at dusk at Sandpoint City Beach. Be sure to head down to the beach early to claim a blanket spot, as thousands of locals and visitors alike gather to watch the display. Dusk on Monday, July 4 will occur around 9:30 p.m., so expect the fireworks anywhere within a 30-minute window of that time. The displays vary each year, but always seem to outdo the previous year. The Fourth of July is one of the many philanthropic events the Sandpoint Lions Club hosts in the community every year. Proceeds from their raffle will help fund the
group’s other community projects, including an annual Easter Egg Hunt, a sight and hearing program providing eyeglasses and hearing aids for the community, the annual Halloween Haunted House, books provided to the local day care centers, support for the Canine Companions for Independence program, Toys for Tots and more. Visit the Sandpoint Lions Club’s Facebook page for more information.
Photos taken during the Grand Parade on July 4, 2019. Photos by Ben Olson.
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LITERATURE
Collier releases third book about experiences flying helicopters After Vietnam and Air America, Collier’s next book focuses on ‘the rest of the story’
By Ben Olson Reader Staff If it involves a helicopter, Bill Collier has probably done it. In his first book, The Adventures of a Helicopter Pilot: Flying the H-34 Helicopter in Vietnam for the United States Marine Corps, Capt. Collier USMCR shares firsthand accounts of his experiences flying combat helicopter missions in Vietnam. In his second installment, Air America: A CIA Super Pilot Spills the Beans, Collier covers the next stage of his career with stories about piloting helicopters in Laos for Air America during the CIA’s secret war waged into the 1970s. Both memoirs captured the gritty details of Collier’s combat experiences in the air, while also adding just the right amount of self-deprecating wit. With his newly released third book in the series, The Worldwide Adventures of a Helicopter Pilot… The Rest of the Story, Collier details the wayward civilian life he lived after his service, flying for every outfit imaginable to satisfy his yearning for adrenalin. “After my military and quasi-military career, I continued to fly for many more years,” Collier told the Reader. All told, Collier flew 40 different kinds of helicopters in 13 countries and 27 states. He flew for 22 different companies or government entities, experiencing his fair share of whisker-thin close calls. “I was suffering from a pretty big case of post-traumatic stress
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and had trouble focusing in one place, so I took a lot of seasonal work,” Collier said. “There were a couple of experiences in Vietnam and Air America that just scared the ever living beans out of me, so I would often find myself in the fight-or-flight syndrome. I’ve never really been a fighter, so I would always flee. In a helicopter, that’s pretty easy to do — you just fly away.” With his characteristic style of writing — dispensing unvarnished truth laced heavily with raw, often humorous details — Collier hits his stride with this third book. He takes readers along while he bounces around like a ping pong ball from gig to gig, as only a combat veteran helicopter pilot could. “My first civilian job was in the north of Alaska in 1969, doing oil surveys,” Collier said. The state of Alaska had huge tracts of land leased out to oil companies to drill, but since the tundra was too soft to accommodate land vehicles, helicopters were the preferred method of transportation. “Think of trying to walk around on 18 inches of sponge,” Collier said. “To drive a vehicle on it would bog it down or tear up the tundra, so helicopters were everywhere up there.” From there, Collier moved to the very western edge of the Aleutian Islands, almost into Russia, where he shuttled environmentalists around to survey what potential damage underground atomic bomb testing had on flora and fauna. “We flew around with this
big Hasselblad camera and took pictures of the ocean around the island,” Collier said. “I think only one sea otter died — of natural causes. The underground blasts never broke the surface.” From there, Collier traveled back to Southeast Asia to fly for Air America, which he outlined at length in his second book, before returning to civilian life again. He dusted crops, lifted construction equipment to the top of tall buildings and shuttled executives from place to place. He flew for utility companies, for the U.S. Forest Service and even for an orange juice commercial with Bing Crosby. Still unable to remain settled down, Collier then took a job in the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific, supporting the “Star Wars” ICBM testing program. He describes in entertaining detail how odd it was to live on an island in the middle of the South Pacific that was essentially just a small town transplanted from Alabama, where all the personnel were from. As the years piled up, and Collier transitioned from one flying gig to another, he began questioning his wanderlust. “I think at times, I was always looking for a way out, because the way I was doing it was so unstable,” he said. “I wasn’t getting anything put away for retirement. I’ve often wondered if it wasn’t just an addition — this flying. Part
of it is the adrenalin rush addition. It’s like acid or speed or heroin — you just gotta have it again.” At one point, Collier did break away from flying, obtaining a chiropractor’s license, but the pull of the rotors was too strong and he returned to the cockpit. “I came back to California, then went back to Alaska for helicopter logging,” Collier said. “Long-lining is probably the most dangerous job in the whole world, for any occupation anywhere. We lost three helicopters and three pilots just the summer I was there.” Collier’s last job turned out to be one he held the longest. “I was a senior pilot for the Orange County Fire Department, flying the Super Huey for rangeland fires,” Collier said. Filling and dropping buckets with 3,000 gallons of water at a time gave him the adrenalin rush he was still seeking, while also protecting homes from out-of-control rangeland fires. “I think my story is complete with this third book,” Collier said. “I may do an offshoot about flying in Alaska, and I’ve got a silly Indiana Jones-kind of slapstick novel in the works, which I may or may never finish.” A longtime resident of Sandpoint, Collier was recently forced to move over to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington because persistent wildfire smoke each summer was wreaking havoc on
Left: Capt. Bill Collier, USMCR, tests out the aerodynamics of this peculiar new airplane. Right: The front cover of Collier’s third book, The Worldwide Adventures of a Helicopter Pilot. Courtesy photos. his wife’s respiratory system. Nonetheless, Collier plans to return to Sandpoint often, especially to parade with a military surplus H-34 helicopter he and a group of veterans purchased in 2011. Collier will return to read from and sign his new book at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 2 at Vanderford’s Books and Office Products, 210 Cedar St. in Sandpoint. He will also parade with the salvaged H-34 during the Sandpoint Lions Club Grand Parade on July 4 in Sandpoint. After many years engaged in combat, Collier said his mission now is peace. “After my experiences in Vietnam, Air America, the Star Wars missile program — all these experiences have made me extremely anti-war,” Collier said. “We waste so much money preparing for war. I used to be a warrior, but now I’m the anti-warrior. That’s my mission now.” Purchase The Worldwide Adventures of a Helicopter Pilot at Vanderford’s in Sandpoint, or online at Amazon or similar book sellers.
COMMUNITY
Bite-sized bliss By Ben Olson Reader Staff There’s one thing both visitors and Sandpoint locals can always agree on: our restaurants are top notch. There is no better — or cheaper — way to taste morsels from a variety of Sandpoint’s premier eateries than attending the annual Summer Sampler from 5-8 p.m., Thursday, June 30 at Farmin Park. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the popular event, which doubles as a fundraiser for the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. Litehouse Foods also partners as a sponsor for this event. The event is free to attend, but ticket bundles will be on sale at the gate. Each ticket represents $1, and tickets can be used to “purchase” samples from each of the 10 participating restaurants. “This is a great fundraiser for the Chamber,” said Membership Specialist Keely Gray-Heki. “At the end of the night, we’ll cash out all the tickets and each restaurant generously splits it with the Chamber. We raise funds for the Chamber and also make some dough for our amaz-
ing local restaurants.” As a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, which is unable to apply for grants like 501(c)(3) organizations can, events like the Summer Sampler, the upcoming BeerFest on Saturday, July 9 and others are the Chamber’s main source of funding. Participating in the Summer Sampler this year will be: Breakfast Cantina, Farmhouse BBQ, Ivano’s Catering, Local 41, MickDuff’s Brewing Co., Panhandle Cone and Coffee, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Sweet Lou’s and Trinity at City Beach. Each will feature bite-size portions for attendees to enjoy, either from their regular menus or as a special. Wine and beer will also be available for purchase and the good times are always free. “Events like the Summer Sampler help people remember what we have to offer here in Sandpoint,” Gray-Heki told the Reader. “When it comes to food, we are very lucky. One of the things I always tell visitors when they come to town is, ‘You can’t go wrong with the food in Sandpoint. You won’t be disappointed wherever you go.’” New this year is the partnership between the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Com-
Summer Sampler fundraiser offers tastes of local cuisine
merce and Mattox Farm Productions, which is kicking off their Sandpoint Summer Music Series in tandem with the Summer Sampler (see story on Page 21). There will be live music from Oregon-based band Cedar Teeth playing a free live show starting at 6 p.m. “I always appreciate the camaraderie we experience with our restaurants at the Summer Sampler,” Gray-Heki said. “They’re so great at supporting each other. Right now, it’s really good to remember we are a community despite all the crap that’s going on. We are a community and we need to take care of each other.”
The Summer Sampler at Farmin Park. Courtesy photo.
Those interested in the Summer Sampler might want to mark their calendars for the companion event, the ninth annual BeerFest on Saturday, July 9 at the Sandpoint City Beach. Hailed as the annual “beer bash on the beach,” this year’s theme will be “Tiki,” which will also feature 20-ounce cups that come with ticket purchases. Early bird tickets are available for $50 on the Chamber’s website, or search “Sandpoint BeerFest” on beerfest.com to find the link.
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events
June 30 - July 7, 2022
THURSDAY, June 30
Sandpoint Summer Sampler 5-8pm @ Farmin Park 10 participating local restaurants giving a taste of our regional cuisine. Free to enter
Sandpoint Summer Music Series 6pm @ Farmin Park A free outdoor concert featuring Oregon-based band Cedar Teeth
Live Music w/ Benny Baker • 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
FriDAY, July 1
POAC Art Party fundraising gala 5pm @ Sandpoint Organic Ag Center Gourmet dinner, no host bar, live entertainment and silent/live auctions Live Music w/ Zachary Simms 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Nashville-born singer-songwriter Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 7-9:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Trails and Tails w/ Geezer Forum 11am-12pm @ Pine St. Woods Free weekly outings. 425-577-1197 Free First Saturday at the Museum 10am-2pm @ BoCo History Museum Live Music w/ Devon Wade 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Book reading w/ Caroline Patterson 7pm @ Bonners Books (Bonners Ferry) Caroline Patterson will be reading and discussing her novel, The Stone Sister Pints for Paws 5-7pm @ Laughing Dog Brewing Laughing Dog will donate 10% of proceeds to the B.T. Animal Alliance. Raffles, live music from Turn Spit Dogs Author Caroline Patterson event 7pm @ Bonners Books Patterson reading from Stone Sister POAC Artist of Month: Kathy Gale 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Check out Gale’s paintings at this event
SATURDAY, July 2 Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park Fresh produce, artisan goods, live music by Bright Moments Jazz
Live Music w/ Truck Mills & Carl Rey 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Blues, rock, Afro-Latin sound Karaoke at the Tervan 8pm-closing @ The Tervan Live Music w/ BTP 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Karaoke at the Tervan 8pm-closing @ The Tervan
Live Music w/ Hillfolk Noir 9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge
Live Music w/ Biddadat 7-9:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Book Reading with Capt. Bill Collier 2pm @ Vanderford’s Books Collier will read from his third book Author Caroline Patterson event 4-6pm @ Hope Memorial Comm. Ctr. Patterson reading from Stone Sister
SunDAY, July 3
Magic Night at Jalapeño’s 5-8pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant Starring veteran magician Star Alexander
monDAY, July 4
Fourth of July Celebration and Fireworks show (Thank you Sandpoint Lions Club) Kid’s Parade: 9am / Grand Parade 10am / Fireworks: Dusk Parade is downtown, fireworks at the Sandpoint City Beach at dusk. Enjoy! Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Group Run @ Outdoor Experience 6pm @ Outdoor Experience
wednesDAY, July 6
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park Benny on the Deck • 6-8pm @ Connie’s Featuring Oak St. Connection
Live Piano w/ Dwayne Parsons 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Open Mic 6-10pm @ The Tervan
ThursDAY, July 7
Live Music w/ Brendan Kelty Trio Wine and Dine Beneath the Pines 5:30-8:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Various @ Pine Street Woods A benefit where you stroll through Pine St. Woods and stop along the way to enjoy 5 paired wines from Pend d’Oreille Winery. 4 departure times: 5, 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m. $125/person 18 /
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COMMUNITY Students awarded scholarships from Sandpoint Tomorrow By Reader Staff Sandpoint Tomorrow, an organization tasked with awarding local scholarships for Sandpoint High School and Lake Pend Oreille High School students recently announced its 2022 recipients. Nine graduating Class of 2022 students were awarded scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000: Anna Auld, Emma Brown, Spencer (Trey) Clark, Ben Jordan, Jessica Lotze, Jessica Mancuso, Ava Mazzilli, Kate McGregor and Aiden Smith. Five continuing scholarships were awarded to second-year college students (who graduated from high school in 2021) ranging from $2,000 to $5,000: Darren Bailey, Ellen Clark, Olivia Lynch, Stephanie Sfeir and Kaya Wright. The awards given by Sandpoint Tomorrow totaled $49,000. The Sandpoint Tomorrow Scholarship prioritizes students who want to make a positive impact on the world. It is open to all students with 3.5 GPA or higher for any accredited trade and technical schools, as well as traditional four-year universities. The scholarship is based on two essay questions: “What is the most important thing you have learned so far in your life?” and,
Winners of the 2022 Sandpoint Tomorrow Scholarship. Back row, l to r: Emma Brown, Anna Auld, Aiden Smith, Spencer (Trey) Clark, Ben Jordan. Front row, l to r: Jessica Lotze, Ava Mazzilli, Jessica Mancuso, Kate McGregor. Courtesy photo. “If it was in your power to change one thing about our society, what would it be? How would you go about making that change?” “It was really humbling to read through all of the scholarship essays and learn how these students are planning to take their education,” said Jessica Lippi, with Sandpoint Tomorrow. “Whether it’s conservation, dental hygiene, engineering, education or medicine, they were all very passionate about the fields that they were going into — it was really hard to choose.” Visit sandpointtomorrow.org for more information.
STAGE & SCREEN
The Bob’s Burgers Movie is a satisfying theatrical serving of a beloved TV series By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff My house is a Bob’s Burgers house. I know the show isn’t technically all that appropriate for young kids, but my 10- and 7-year-old are pretty mature for their ages, and so I have little compunction about letting them crack up to the antics of the Belcher family as they navigate outrageous happenings in their fictional East Coast tourist town while trying to keep their burger joint afloat. We’re such a Bob’s Burger family that when we make burgers at home, we try to incorporate bizarre ingredients and come up with Bob Belcher-esque names for them (a recent example: the “Where the Buffalo Romaine” burger, featuring bison patties). We’re such a Bob’s Burgers family that my daughter owns an entire Louise costume — complete with pink bunny ears. We’re such a Bob’s Burgers family that when my wife periodically breaks out into off-key song, we call her Linda. That said, it’s safe to assume that not everyone’s family is so smitten with Bob’s Burgers; so, for those who have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s an animated TV series focused on the Belcher family: Bob, Linda and their three oddball kids Tina, Gene and Louise. Bob is the put-upon middle-aged dad for whom the family restaurant is named and Linda is his goofy, ever-supportive and also (more cheerfully) put-upon wife. Tina is the absurdly awkward but true-blue pre-teen eldest (obsessed with middle school boys’ butts, horses and zombies, in that order); Gene is the gassy mama’s boy showman; and Louise, the youngest, is the maniacal genius fourth-grader whose schemes more often than not pull her siblings into misadventure. Along with the Belchers are a host of equally eccentric characters inhabiting a little world that has far more depth and heart than almost any “cartoon” has ever achieved. Created by Loren Bouchard and Jim Dauterive (the latter being the writer/producer of King of the Hill), the show has so far aired 12 seasons on Fox — all to near-universal acclaim. Rogerebert.com goes so far as to call it “one of the best animated shows of the modern era,” while The New York Times rhetorically asks, “Why is Bob’s Burgers so freakishly lovable?” Given its popularity, it was only a matter of time until Bob’s Burgers made it to the big screen, which it finally did in late May with a feature-length theater release bearing the deadpan title, The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Naturally, my family counted down to
this event with great anticipation, and piled into the theater as soon as possible to see our favorite burger-flippers do what they do best: get into and out of trouble. In this case, that trouble revolved around a dilemma that every real-life restaurateur in Sandpoint can identify with — trying to make the most of a busy summertime influx of visitors. Things go awry for the Belchers (of course) when an enormous sinkhole opens up in the street right at their front door. At the same time, they have to make an equally enormous loan payment and, if they can’t, their unscrupulous, corrupt old-money landlords, Mr. Fischoeder and his brother Felix (voiced by Kevin Kline and Zach Galiafanakis, respectively) will turn them out. Not only would that mean the end of Bob’s Burgers, but because the Belchers live upstairs from the restaurant, they’d be homeless, too. Meanwhile, Tina, Gene and Louise are going through their own dramas — particularly Louise, who is tired of being treated like a baby. In an attempt to prove her bravery, she ventures into the sinkhole (more like falls into it), where she discovers a skeleton that proves to be the key to a much broader mystery that goes to the core of the grubby politics of the town. The kids’ investigation ultimately ensnares everyone else — including their parents, even as they desperately try to save the restaurant. All that might sound kind of dramatic, but the beauty of Bob’s Burgers is in the ability of its writers to turn seriousness to absurdity, and in the voice talents of H. John Benjamin as Bob, John Robers as Linda, Dan Mintz as Tina, Eugene Mirman as Gene and the inimitable Kristen Schaal as Louise. With upgraded animation, including improved lighting and 3-D backgrounds, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is satisfying, though it sometimes feels thinly spread across its extended run-time. Much of what makes the
TV series so engaging is the tightness with which its 22-minute episodes are written, keeping the plotlines brisk but never frenetic. Still at a modest one-hour, 42-minutes, that pace simply couldn’t be maintained in the theater. Regardless, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is worth the price of admission; though, unlike the series, maybe not for seconds.
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FOOD
The Sandpoint Eater Baking for brides (and grooms) By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist
June brides have been a-blooming, and this month I was fortunate enough to witness the unions of two of them. More than 2,000 miles apart, a couple of my favorite 7B ladies (best friends and classmates of Casey) tied the knot with their long-time loves. Both sets of nuptials took place in storybook outdoor settings, and Mother Nature deserves all the credit for the incredibly stunning lighting, backdrops and photo ops. Finally, live events are happening again, and we’re all dressing up with somewhere to go! Love brings us together, then good food, great music and raucous merriment carry us into the wee hours. Neither wedding reception I recently attended had a traditional tiered wedding cake. Instead, a few close friends of each bride whipped up favorite cakes, cookies and bars. The assortments were tasty and beautiful and baked with a whole lot of love. Over the past three decades, I’ve made dozens and dozens of wedding desserts, but it’s been nearly five years since I assembled my last tiered cake (for another favorite 7B lass). Mostly I used to bake cakes for income, but I also made many as gifts for girls who were “like daughters” or girls who were best friends of my daughters. For love or money, every creation was a unique labor of love. I no longer have a commercial kitchen or a walk-in cooler (or the stamina of younger Marcia), so these days it would be a daunting task for me to whip up a multi-level masterpiece. So with swelling pride, I’ve been passing the torch (and whisks and ladles) to my 14-year-old granddaughter Miley, who’s nearly ready to take 20 /
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over the tradition. She’s already an ace baker and has a much steadier hand than me. In my day, I made some pretty dramatic wedding cakes and was always up for the challenge of pleasing a bride. But, without all the solid young crew who once worked for me, I never could have met the wedding cake challenge. More than once, we transported the separate, crumb-coated cake layers on a sturdy wooden door (which makes an excellent hauling platform) On either end were two strong helpers, toting the yet-to-be-assembled cake across meadows, down coulees and even over swinging bridges. My job was to take deep breaths, not look down and get to the other side with dowels, pastry bags of chilled buttercream, fresh flowers and other embellishments as quickly as possible.
Some of my favorite wedding cakes were not even cakes, though I can’t take credit for the inspiration. I collaborated with many creative minded brides and their big-budget parents, and I never said no to a challenge. I still remember an all-time favorite, served at an outdoor, French-themed garden wedding. Six beautifully stacked wheels of ripe French cheeses, embellished simply with apricot roses, champagne grapes and leaves, and served with vintage magnums of Champagne, supplied by the bride’s French grandfather. A showstopper dessert I once prepared (served at the Sons of Norway Lodge in Lolo, Mont.), was a kransekake. It’s a signature Norwegian wedding dessert — a tower made of 18 delicate cookie rings. It was my first attempt and I was terrified, but this
super-sweet stunner was surprisingly easy to make and even gluten-free. The dough is made from pulsing almonds until finely ground, adding sifted confectioners’ sugar, and finally egg whites are added as a binding agent. After an overnight rest, the dough is gently rolled into ropes and fitted into ring molds. Once baked, the ring cookies are stacked sky-high and held in place with royal icing piping. Another popular non-cake tradition comes from several Catholic-dominated regions in Europe. The “Cookie Table” is steeped in ethnic culture and arrived in the U.S. with immigrants who primarily settled in the Northeast, where the tradition is still as popular as ever. It’s considered a great honor to be asked by the bride’s mother to bake up a big batch of love in the form of
Tart lemon bars INGREDIENTS: Crust: • 1 cup butter, softened • ½ cup white sugar • 2 cups all-purpose flour Filling: • 4 eggs • 1 ½ cups white sugar • ¼ cup all-purpose flour • 2 lemons, juiced
a favorite cookie (and it’s a great source of humiliation and embarrassment to be overlooked). Ubiquitous on any Cookie Table is the butter cookie, rolled in powdered sugar and dusted with the same. It comes with many aliases: Greek cookie, Mexican wedding cookie, Russian tea cake and Italian wedding cookie. It’s a personal family favorite (I made dozens for Casey’s wedding), and I’ve been honored with more than one request to supply them for others’ Cookie Tables. For sure it will be featured in my long-rumored cookbook, but I’m still deciding what to call them. Another cookbook-worthy, Pilgeram family favorite is tart lemon bars with a delicate shortbread crust. It’s the perfect finale on a warm summer evening. Wedding or not, it’s about time to whip up a batch!
These lemon bars are rich and tart and perfect! Makes one 9”x13” pan (about 24 servings).
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and ½ cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased, parchment paper-lined, 9”x13” inch pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm and golden. Using the same bowl, wipe clean, then whisk together the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar and ¼ cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. Chill several hours before serving. Cut into uniform squares (or triangles) and dust with powdered sugar or miniature candied lemon slices.
For a fancier garnish, top with meringue piping: Reserve the egg white from one of the four eggs in the recipe. Whip with
¼ cup of white sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe a decorative meringue design on each chilled square, and brown tops of meringue just before serving.
MUSIC
Let there be (free) music
Sandpoint Summer Music Series returns
By Ben Olson Reader Staff They say there’s no free lunch, but free music? Sure, why not. Mattox Farm Productions is excited to announce the return of the Sandpoint Summer Music Series, during which nationally touring bands stop over for a free live concert in Farmin Park. The opening concert will feature Oregon-based Americana band Cedar Teeth at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 30. Spearheaded by Robb Talbott, the free concert series is made possible thanks to the support of top-tier sponsors Pend Oreille Arts Council, Washington Trust Bank and Ting. Tier 2 sponsors are KPND and Heartwood Center, and Tier 3 consists of Kochava, Misty Mountain Furniture, Upside Kombucha, the Sandpoint Reader, 7B Grooves, North Root Architecture, North Idaho Towing, Selle Design Group, the Novas at Evergreen Realty and the Mycelium Collective. “We have such great sponsors, who put the money out there and, for the most part, just want to see fun things happen in their community,” Talbott told the Reader. “We also get a lot of folks who have gone to the shows and have enjoyed them, so they also donate on a fairly regular occurrence as well. Between our locals and our businesses, we’re able to continue putting these free shows on every year.”
Normally a standalone outdoor concert, this year the Sandpoint Summer Music Series will join forces with the Summer Sampler, as both events will occur at the same time and place on June 30. “I’m excited to partner with them for this first show,” Talbott said. “I hope it’ll add a nice quality music element to the Summer Sampler. Hopefully we bring in more people who might not have gone to the Summer Sampler, and vice versa.” Talbott said he booked Cedar Teeth for the first show because he was impressed by their unique sound. “The way they bend genres and have a great time on stage is pretty cool,” Talbott said. “Their joy of playing music is infectious. Those things really drew me to them — a banjo never hurts, either.” Formed in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, Cedar Teeth’s 2014 debut album Hoot helped establish the band at live festivals like the Summer Meltdown and Wildwood, or at clubs throughout the Pacific Northwest where they have joined bands like Fruition, Motopony, Hot Buttered Rum, Magic Giant and Sandpoint’s own Shook Twins.
Cedar Teeth followed up their debut album with the 2017 EP Farewell to Green Mountain, on which the band explored more elements of indie rock and grunge, incorporating a touch of psychedelic folk and bluegrass to reflect the diversity inspired by their lives lived on the “dividing line of societal opposites,” according to the band. Filled with melodic harmonies, stomping good songs and a collective desire not to let the fire go out, Cedar Teeth playing live for free is just about as good as it gets. Whether you caught the band at Matchwood Brewing Co. in December 2021 during their Winter Solstice gathering or are hearing them for the first time, Cedar Teeth is certainly on the upswing. Talbott said this opening show is just one of three booked for summer. San Diego husband-andwife duo Little Hurricane will play Thursday, July 14 at 6 p.m. “It’s amazing what kind of sound these two can produce,” Talbott said. “Especially how
Cedar Teeth, above, will play the opening concert for the Sandpoint Summer Music Series July 30 at 6 p.m. at Farmin Park. Courtesy photo. clean they are about it. It’s really energetic, captivating music — it’s a hard one not to be drawn into.” Finally, Thursday, Aug. 10 at 6 p.m. will see Colorado’s Drunken Hearts, which gathers up the many strands of Americana into one clean, driven sound. “They go all over the place and hit all the right notes for someone who likes Americana,” Talbott said. A fourth free concert is in the works for September, but Talbott is awaiting funding to come through before booking it. Talbott remains proud of booking these nationally touring bands for free shows in Sandpoint. “I love being able to provide that for the community,” he said. “It’s a space where we can all get together and let all of our tensions loose, come together and hang out to enjoy each other’s company.”
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint
Hillfolk Noir, 219 Lounge, July 2 Few bands embody a genre. Fewer still invent a genre of their own — a feat accomplished by Boise-based trio Hillfolk Noir, which has brought its self-created “Junkerdash” sound to stages from SXSW to Treefort Music Fest to the U.K. Without a doubt one of the finest bands in the Northwest, Hillfolk Noir whips up an exquisite brew from the most evocative spirits on the deep shelf of Americana music. Sit for a spell and you’ll hear strains of Delta Blues spiked with
Depression-era holler-honkey tonk and shot through with good ol’ fashioned backcountry roots and bluegrass. For the first time ever, you can do that at the 219 Lounge in downtown Sandpoint. We reckon they’ll fit right in. — Zach Hagadone 9 p.m.-midnight, FREE, 21+. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208-263-5673, 219.bar. Listen at hillfolknoir.com, soundcloud.com/ hillfolknoir or spotify.com.
Biddadat, Matchwood Brewing Co., July 2
Since their appearance on the Festival at Sandpoint stage opening for the B-52’s in 2017, Biddadat has continued to seal their fate as the soulful neo-funk trio bringing good times to Seattle and beyond. Making matters even sweeter, two-thirds of Biddadat hail from Sandpoint. Cameron Brownell (son of the longtime SHS Choir Director) and Kyle Miller have been making music together since attending SHS in 2009. Along
with Remy Morritt, the trio have cultivated a funky, energetic sound that combines the nostalgic sound of funk and blues with a more modern influence of electronics and rock. The result is fun and playful - guaranteed to get your toes tapping. —Ben Olson 7:30-9:30 p.m., FREE. Matchwood Brewing Co., 513 Oak St., matchwoodbrewing.com. Listen at biddadat.coma
This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone
READ
On everyone’s shortlist of Northwest writers to watch should be Leah Sottile — a former Inlander reporter-turned-national freelancer responsible for the acclaimed Bundyville podcast. Sottile is easily one of the foremost authorities on extremism in the 21st century, and her first book is a must-read: When the Moon Turns to Blood, a true-crime tale out of southeastern Idaho that sketches a portrait of how apocalyptic thinking breeds extremism and, in this case, a labyrinth of lies, obsession and murder. Learn more at leahsottile.com.
LISTEN
It’s become cliche to compare the 21st-century United States to the Roman Empire — almost always in reference to the collapse of the latter and what it portends for the former. Lately I’ve been looking to the eastern empire, that is Byzantium, as a better comparison. Helping me on my educational journey has been the excellent and aptly named podcast The History of Byzantium, which explores the era from 476 to 1453 CE. Find it on YouTube and you’ll be treated to a history that feels curiously modern.
WATCH
I consider myself a “moderate binger” when it comes to streaming series. Three or four episodes of a show are usually my limit. However, with the recent release of Season 4 of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, I really let myself go. In one night I consumed six episodes and felt no shame about it. Our favorite dysfunctional family of time traveling superheroes return in an alternate world in which they must deal with The Sparrow Academy — their nasty counterparts, who give them more than a run for their money as a fresh Armageddon looms. June 30, 2022 /
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BACK OF THE BOOK
Exploding sunroofs and time travel By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff
From Northern Idaho News, June 25, 1918
LARGE ATTENDANCE AT CLEARING DEMONSTRATION The land-clearing demonstration at the county poor farm Saturday under the auspices of the farm bureau was well attended and the results gratifying. Stumps were not only shot and pulled from the ground, but the atmosphere was severely jarred, resulting in a beneficial rain, which is worth thousands of dollars to the farmer. Boost for the farm bureau. Joe Sitko, chairman of the land clearing project committee, had charge of the program Saturday. Demonstrations of shooting were made by Mr. Sitko, Mr. Larenz of the state demonstration farm, Bud Woodward and J.E. Sanders. Mr. Sanders made his demonstration to back up his arguments favoring the placing of a shallow charge when blasting cedar stumps. Mr. Woodward showed the manner of pulling stumps by means of cable and blocks. This method was believed by many to be quicker, easier and cheaper than using a stump puller. The placing of three or four charges under the large stumps and firing them by battery proved to be a saving of powder. Lunch was served at noon at the county farm by Mr. and Mrs. Yagler, which was greatly enjoyed and appreciated by the hungry demonstrators and spectators. 22 /
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/ June 30, 2021
I very rarely indulge in extravagances, but when I bought an almost-new car in 2020, I decided that I wanted a sunroof. There was no logical reason for this decision, only a desire for something fancy and different, which nearly killed me once I let it sink in. Nonetheless, I’ve enjoyed having a sunroof. Flash forward two years, and that indulgence came back to bite me. On our way home from a four-day honeymoon road trip through western Montana, my husband Alex and I were about 10 minutes out of Missoula when a sound like a gunshot went off over our heads. We pulled over on the highway and discovered that a portion of the sunroof had shattered, and with no rock or other debris as the obvious culprit. Luckily, we’d had the fabric interior cover closed when it happened — otherwise, we’d both have been covered in glass shards. We borrowed a broom and dustpan from some roadside campers, cleaned up the mess and called our insurance company. We contemplated driving the remaining three hours home, but discovered pretty quickly that the now-exposed fabric topper on my car wouldn’t withstand speeds over 35 without acting like it was going to fly open. Plan B came as a suggestion from one of the insurance representatives over the phone: limp the car back to Missoula to the nearest auto body shop and ask them to “crash wrap” the roof with a special adhesive plastic supposedly capable of withstanding highway speeds. It took us nearly an hour to travel the 13 miles, but we made it, got the plastic applied and arrived home in Hope after about four hours on the road
STR8TS Solution
and with the help of two rolls of duct tape purchased at a gas station in Plains, Mont. As it turns out, crash wrap withstands speed better than rain, and Montana has plenty of the latter to offer in June. As I write this, my car sits safely under cover, waiting for the specialty glass replacement to arrive in Sandpoint. As rural people, we depend on our vehicles more than most. This is especially true of people in the far-flung reaches of Bonner County, who commute to work daily or to run errands several times a week. I, for one, love to drive. It is when I do my best thinking. Behind the wheel of my car is my happy place and, without that resource, I’m left to depend on others for rides or forced to stay home. While that may not be the end of the world, it is certainly an inconvenience. That’s why I’m thankful that my mom’s old car has been available to get me from place to place. It’s a mid-size SUV from the mid2000s with three rows of seats and boasting more than 200,000 miles. There isn’t anything technically wrong with it, aside from the mixed CD stuck in the stereo. All in all, it drives and runs great, and the CD is actually pretty good. It is understood that the closest humans get to time travel is with speed. Of course, the best examples would be by rocketship or even airplane. For us Everyday Joes, motorized ground travel is a more common occurrence, and when considered in the grand scheme of human history, cars remain an incredible advancement. It is this thought that crossed my mind on one of the first truly summery days this past week, driving the well-loved mom car home from the office. The Pack River flats shone bright blue and there were no clouds to be seen. With the AC on the fritz,
I drove with all the windows down and the stereo up loud. The mixed CD, crafted by my baby sister out of music that she learned to love from her three older siblings, featured a song I spent much of my adolescent years screaming at the top of my lungs. I seized the opportunity and, much to the dismay of the fishermen within earshot along the shores of Highway 200, I sang my heart out. Life has changed a lot since my mom bought that car. We are a far cry from the days of family road trips to Arizona; strapping my older sister’s college mattress to the roof and going through the McDonald’s drive-thru on the way to take it to her in Moscow; or singing along to Christmas carols on the way home from Thanksgiving dinner at my grandparents’ house. Still, the combination of the song, the summer and the sticky, cracked leather seats took me back in time. I look forward to having my extravagances back but, in the meantime, maybe the past was pretty extravagant after all.
Crossword Solution
Sudoku Solution
It’s not good to let any kid near a container that has a skull and crossbones on it, because there might be a skeleton costume inside and the kid could put it on and really scare you.
Solution on page 22
Solution on page 22
patronymic
Woorf tdhe Week
By Bill Borders
/pa-truh-NIM-ik/
[noun] 1. a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor, especially by the addition of a suffix or prefix indicating descent.
“My last name — Jackson — is likely a patronymic of my great-great-grandfather, who first came to the New World with the given name Jack.” Corrections: We haven’t heard from our usual suspects about any errors in last week’s Reader. Happy Fourth of July! — BO
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
Laughing Matter
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Water vapor 6. A tall mechanical lifting device 11. Motif 12. Let go 15. Commode 16. Smirked 17. Superior limb 18. Unbeatable foe 20. North northeast 21. Places for experiments 23. Broadcast 24. Leguminous plant 25. Type of fruit 26. Speaker’s place 27. Hitching place 28. Observed 29. Hotel 30. Dish 31. Shipwreck survivors 34. Office worker 36. Not a column 37. Outstanding 41. Relative of a rabbit 42. King of the jungle 43. Type of sword 44. Bottom 45. Small ball with a hole 46. Rip apart 47. Chapter in history 48. Pass through 51. Henpeck 52. Brainiacs 54. Moving
Solution on page 22
56. Remorseful act 57. Publish 58. Type of viper 59. Damp
10. Heartfelt 13. Upper legislative chamber 14. Biblical garden 15. Anklebone DOWN 16. Seminary students 1. Warehousing 19. Had in mind 2. Finger protector 22. Earnest 3. Snake-like fish 24. Braggart 4. Ends a prayer 26. Frisbee 5. Distribute 27. Layer 6. A crucial stage 30. Stooge 7. Send, as payment 32. Form of “to be” 8. European mountains 33. Forests 9. Born, in bios 34. Accuse
35. Layered dish 38. Aperture 39. Punishment 40. Marsh plant 42. A person who rules 44. Toot 45. Support 48. Be inclined 49. Little devils 50. Fat cut of tuna (Japanese) 53. Possessed 55. Large
June 30, 2021 /
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