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Vol. 13 Issue 23
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(wo)MAN
Susan Drinkard on the street compiled by
How will you spend your summer? “I’m going to a Warped Tour [a traveling rock festival that has toured the U.S. annually each summer since 1995] in Portland, but mostly I am staying in Sandpoint—adventuring in the woods, swimming at City Beach and Sunnyside.” Aidan Vernon SHS junior Sandpoint
“My mom and I are driving to Arizona to visit my grandparents— who emigrated from Argentina many years ago—in Lake Havasu. I’ll be there two and one-half weeks.”
DEAR READERS,
One thing I don’t express enough is how much we rely on you, dear readers, for keeping us up to date with what’s going on out there. Sometimes we’ll get a phone call or an email from you letting us know about an awards presentation or a fun school project, and every time I think to myself, “I’m glad they called, because I wouldn’t have known about that at all.” Maybe someday, when we have a big staff of minions and ride to work on our golden bicycles, we’ll be able to suss out all the happenings without your assistance. But now, from our quiet little office overlooking Second Avenue and Cedar Street, it’s all we can do to keep up with this busy town’s activities. Long story short, we always appreciate when you send us a press release, a news tip, a story idea or anything else that you think will make the Reader a better publication. A lot of times, people will think, “Of course the newspaper knows about this,” but sometimes we are out of the loop and need a nudge. Send all story ideas, tips, ideas and winning lottery numbers to ben@sandpointreader.com. I read them all. Every damn one. -Ben Olson, Publisher
Hunter Elliott SHS freshman Sandpoint
Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Cover Artist: Alexandra Iosub Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Louie de Palma, Jim Healey, Eli Sevenich, Brenden Bobby, Jim Mitsui, Linda Jones, Amy Craven, Julie Reister-Keaton, Laurie Brown, Marcia Pilgeram, Tim Henney
Advertising: Clint Nicholson clint@keokee.com Web Content: Keokee
“I’m going to a pre-college program at Smith College in Massachusetts to study science and maybe robotics. I earned a scholarship from the John Ernest Foundation and from the Panhandle Alliance for Education.”
“I’m going to Denver, Colo., to visit my uncle and aunt. I will probably go swimming at the beach and come to school to lift weights in preparation for football. Also, to open gym for basketball. I’ll be able to drive this summer because I get my license in June.”
Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com
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Brennan Till SHS freshman Sagle
Hayden Emerson SHS freshman Sagle
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“I plan to do a lot of lifting, swimming, driving and going to church at Cedar Hills. I plan to fix my truck and move to Sagle.”
“I plan to do a lot of swimming at city beach and fishing on the lake and sometimes in some of the smaller lakes around here—for trout, bass and crappie. I am also going to a Christian camp—CYI or Christ in Youth—on the Oregon State campus in Corvallis.”
111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724
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Alex Brown SHS junior Sandpoint
Lauren Sfeir SHS junior Sagle
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The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers. 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 is a piece titled “Falling Asleep” by Sandpoint artist Alexandra Iosub, originally from Romania. It is a reduction lino cut finished with block printing ink. See more of Alexandra’s work at www. alexandraiosub.com.
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COMMENTARY Stagging in Sandpoint By Louie de Palma Reader Road Warrior The weather is hot. The water is nice. It’s the perfect environment to lure creatures of the north from colder climates down to our summer paradise. It’s a virtual utopia for stags to hoof it down and imbibe the resort town vibe. They drink from our watering holes and cut loose. It makes it all too common for me, a humble chauffeur of the people, to nail these creatures while speeding through the concrete jungle. All too often these stags charge my vehicle in groups, bouncing off the sides to drop in the downtown streets. Looking out my window I’ll see their bodies lying askew. Red liquid, slow and frothy, seeps from their mouths. These stags are not deer. They are not down from the mountains. They are Canadians, and the red liquid is not blood but usually a mix of Washington apple cocktails and our huckleberry-themed goodies, of which they have foolishly gorged themselves. These visitors from the north are excited and celebratory after a long Canadian winter. From my understanding, a Canadian stag can be a man or a women. They migrate down here in droves during the summer months to have what they affectionately call a stag party—a bachelor or bachelorette party in our lingo. This probably stems from the phrase “going stag” or the fact that stags usually go solo. These visitors come here because it is warm, nice and close to the border. This, combined with our state’s lax seatbelt laws and cheap booze prices, makes Sandpoint the Canadian Tijuana, a party wasteland to cut loose before tying the noose. The herds typically travel in sizes of eight to 16 and are known to get into some pretty interesting situations. 4 /
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Maybe it’s because they are not used to drinking anything other than Molson, which is made with prairie barley as opposed to regular old field barley and has a lower alcohol content. Another factor is their recent winter diet of heavily salted or pickled foods, which does not agree with sweet stuff like the Washington apple cocktails, Twisted Teas and Four Lokos they inhale. Lastly, they are used to packing around heavy loonies and toonies everywhere, while our money is light and functional. Not realizing weight has no bearing on currency value, they consume twice their normal beverage intake. Now that we’ve defined the garden variety stag, here are the main things to know if you ever find yourself surrounded. First, Canada is progressive and a huge believer in equal rights, but don’t let that make you drop your guard. One night, I noticed the stag party of males I had dropped off at a bar hours before were quarreling. Tempers enraged, eyes bloodshot and obviously under the influence of fruity beverages, they kept yelling, “Sorry!” at a group of young women. But it sounded more like a taunting insult than an apology. It was baffling, but the maple leaf had
not yet hit the fan. That happened when one woman hit a stag, who then decked the woman back, hurling her across the pavement. This escalated into a full-on slap-wrestle match between the groups. It was then I learned that some Canadians, progressive as their nation might be, will hit women. Be aware. (It should be noted I condone no violence regardless of sex, race, species or spirit. Hitting is always bad and should be punished with a timeout). Second, they will beg you to take them to Tim Hortons. I have no idea who this is, but I’m fairly sure he doesn’t live here. Do not attempt to find him. He is apparently in cahoots with some burger king, who may or may not be a fair ruler. Third, the women stag parties will invite you and anyone else to come skinny dipping with them. Do not go! It’s a trap. I’m fairly certain they only want to turn you into round bacon. If you truly can’t get away, your only hope is to challenge them to a game of rock, scissors, Blarney Stone. If you win, you leave. If you lose, there’s absolutely no way to zamboni the situation smooth again. Fourth, they will convince you to play outlandish foreign drinking games that have bonkers rules. You will find
yourself not only paying for their shots but buying them souvenir T-shirts from every bar. I’ve seen it. It’s real. Finally, their polite nature is a ruse to make accept their virtually worthless currency. No banks anywhere local exchange it. The casino in Bonners will, but for a hefty price. Be safe out there. Look for the warning signs: the red-oozing mouth that smells of sugar, the large herds, the fighting or the questions about Tim Hortons. If you end up taking one home, it’s catch and release unless you fill out a ton of paperwork. Word to the wise: It’s better to release. Look what happened with Bieber. Enjoy stag season, everyone.
PERSPECTIVES
Coming out in North Idaho By Jim Healey Reader Contributor
I’d like to introduce myself. I pay federal and state taxes. I am in a committed relationship. I volunteer my time and services to several 501(c)(3) organizations that are making a difference in the quality of life for all citizens of North Idaho. I support locally-owned businesses and restaurants, thus keeping my dollar in the community. I have had a successful 30-year teaching career at several universities, both in the U.S. and overseas. I am an Eagle Scout. See, in many respects I am just like many of you. But I am also not like many of you in a very important way: I am gay. What I just did in the opening paragraph is what Kenji Yoshino, in his 2006 book “Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights,” calls covering: toning “down a disfavored identity to fit into the mainstream.” A classic example of covering is Franklin D. Roosevelt and his disability. He could not get around without crutches or a wheelchair, but he did everything possible to downplay his disability and to keep it from being in view. Covering is a strategy that many lesbian/gay/bisexual/ transgender (LGBT) people use in order to survive in a country that does not recognize their basic rights. Yes, LGBT people can get married and serve in the military, but in Idaho, like many other states, an LGBT person can be fired from a job or denied housing and services because the phrases sexual orientation and gender identity/expression are not part of the state’s existing Human Rights Act. Some Idaho cities, such as Sandpoint, have included those words in their human rights ordinances in the absence of statewide protection, but as evidenced in North Carolina, a city ordinance like the one in Charlotte can be trumped by a state bill (HB2). Why stop covering now? I have been “out” to my
family and friends for years, but I have never really thought about coming out to my community—to those fellow North Idahoans I don’t know but come in contact with on a daily basis. Overall, all states have similar LGBT populations statistically, but according to Michelangelo Signorile in his recent book “It’s Not Over: Getting Beyond Tolerance, Defeating Homophobia, and Winning True Equality,” “the openly gay populations are very, very different.” So, why come out now to North Idaho? Many years ago I did not come out to family and friends until I was mid-career in the classroom. One reason I came out when I was a university teacher was for my students. I needed to be honest with them so that they—both my straight and LGBT students—could see an openly gay person surviving, functioning and thriving in the larger world. According to Signorile, “LGBT teens, who are believed to make up fewer than 10% of all teens, still account for between 30% and 40% of teen suicides, according to several studies.” It is not in suicides alone that LGBT teens are at a higher risk. In the 2012 article “America’s Shame,” the Williams Institute, a think tank at UCLA Law, writes that “about 40% of homeless youth are LGBT . . . Nearly seven in 10 (68%) respondents indicated that family rejection was a major factor contributing to LGBT youth homelessness.” So, by “uncovering” myself now to North Idaho, I want to give visible hope to the LGBT teens in our community. You are not alone, and life does get better if you receive the necessary love and support from your family and friends. A word to parents, family members and friends of an LGBT teen: Love them for who they are, not for who you want them to be. They will be facing a world where people will hate them and discriminate against them, and they will need your love and support as a foundation for their self-esteem. Unfortunately, for many LGBT people their families
are the first to reject them upon their coming out. Several years ago I went to a concert at the Festival at Sandpoint wearing a white T-shirt that had the word “Queer” in rainbow letters on the front. I was standing up between acts when three young girls around middle-school age came up to me. They all had braces on their teeth and were obviously a little nervous. I said hello, and one said that they liked my T-shirt. I didn’t know where to go with that comment. I wanted to ask them why they liked my T-shirt, but I didn’t want them to feel more uncomfortable. So, we chatted a bit about the Festival, and I thanked them for coming up to me and introducing themselves. They then disappeared into the crowd. I have often thought about this incident and wondered why the three girls approached me. Could it have been that I was the first openly gay person they had ever come across in a public setting in Sandpoint? Are we— LGBT individuals—so hidden and out of sight that many citizens of North Idaho forget that we walk, work, play, shop and pray in their midst? According to Signorile, “antigay conservatives understand that one of the best ways to slow, halt or even roll back progress toward LGBT equality is to keep gay lives invisible and gay voices silent.” Well, my life is no longer invisible and my gay voice no longer silent. Heterosexual Privilege
Straight people may not realize it, but they have many cultural and personal advantages in their daily lives over LGBT people. Above all, straight people never have to come out concerning their sexuality. They don’t have to announce their heterosexuality to the world. They don’t have parents or friends who are surprised, upset or ready to reject them because they are straight. Straight people do not have to worry about violence or harassment due to their sexual orientation. In
Sandpoint, straight couples can walk up and down First Avenue holding hands in public without any thought of being closely watched, verbally abused or risking violence done to them. They might even share an embrace and a kiss without any risk. When I was growing up in the 1950s, I had no role model for who I was. I knew I was different even before I had words to describe my difference. In later years I have come to realize that there probably were gay people in my church, school, scout troop, neighborhood and local government, but at that time I had no idea of who they were. I thought I was alone, the only person on the entire planet who was dealing with being different. My straight friends didn’t have role model issues growing up. They had their parents, extended family members and the media to reinforce their heterosexuality. They enjoyed all the rites of passage of straight dating and relationships. They never questioned their straightness; They just assumed it with all of its privileges. Like many LGBT people I had to find my own tribe. Though straight parents raised me, I had to go elsewhere to find like-minded people. And once I found them, I knew that I had found my second family, my own kind. Finding out that one is not alone in the world because of one’s sexual orientation is truly liberating. Tolerance One hears the word tolerance when talking about LGBT people and the larger straight society. I do not want to be tolerated. The word has a negative connotation for me. For example, I go back to the Midwest during the summer to visit family. I do not enjoy humidity, but what can I do about it? Nothing! So, I tolerate the humidity, knowing full well that if I could live without it, I would. The same holds true for many straights concerning LGBT people. Since there is nothing that straights can
do about LGBT people existing in their world, at best they can tolerate them. But given half a chance they would love to have them nowhere close to them. I do not speak for all LGBT people. They have their own voices, but I am not in this world to be tolerated or accepted by anyone. Nevertheless, I demand the same rights as everyone else in this country, even if some of those rights have to be guaranteed by Supreme Court rulings. Let’s face it. Many human rights acts and laws are on the books because some people’s thinking will never change. People do have the right to believe whatever they want to believe and hate whomever they want to hate, but that right goes only so as far as the end of their noses. They have zero rights to discriminate, harass or do violence to others based upon their race, gender, religious beliefs, national origin, age, disability and sexual orientation and gender identity/ expression. Now That I’m “Out” Well, where do we go from here? I am now visible and vocal. But being gay is not the only minority group to which I belong. I am also left-handed, and one day left-handed folks will rise up and demand the rights and privileges that right-handed people enjoy in this society. In the meantime I will continue to walk down First Avenue in Sandpoint as an extremely proud left-handed gay man. And I will do this not only in June, Gay Pride! month, but also during the other 11 months of the year as well! June 9, 2016 /
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NEWS
County working with feds on emergency planning By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff
In any job, practice makes perfect, and that’s especially important when human lives are on the line. This week at Bonner County Emergency Management, practice is the order of the day as state and local authorities work with federal agencies to test emergency management procedures and infrastructure. Training in North Idaho started Tuesday and continues until Friday, with Bonner County activities taking place Thursday, June 9. “We’ll work with [other agencies] to see what our successes are and see what changes or improvements we need to make for the future,” said Bob Howard, director of Bonner County Emergency Management. The practice sessions are specifically related to the Cascadia Subduction zone, a convergent plate boundary stretching from Vancouver Island to California. Geological experts predict that sooner or later, that plate will slip, triggering a 9.0 earthquake along the western coast and creating an unprecedented disaster. According to some studies, the event is likely to take place within the next 50 years. While Idaho is far enough inland that damage from the quake will be minor compared to coastal states, Howard said the crisis would still test infrastructure and emergency planning. The biggest impact would come from people fleeing devastated coastal cities. The influx of people would put Bonner County’s housing, electrical grid, Internet services and medical care to the test. 6 /
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“If we start receiving a lot of people from western Washington, we’re going to need to locate places for them to stay,” Howard said. “We’d have to find places to put people in shelters, set up temporary housing, find alternate food sources [and more.]” The training taking place this week should better prepare Bonner County for that possibility, Howard said. Dubbed Cascadia Rising, it’s just one branch of a largescale training campaign occurring in communities throughout the western states. The idea is to treat the event as if it actually happened. To that end, newspapers have published stories, governors have issued statements and emergency personnel have mobilized in response to the mock crisis. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown gave a speech Tuesday kicking off training as though the crisis was ongoing. “The ground will shake for four to six minutes, buildings and bridges will fall, landslides will sweep down hillsides and in some places the ground will liquefy,” she said. “Then a tsunami will inundate the coast with as little as 15 minutes warning.” Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter got in on the action, too. He issued a video statement informing the public of the Cascadia Rising training and encouraged citizens to always be prepared for the worst. “It’s just as important that you and your family be prepared for any type of emergency, so develop a family communications plan and start building your emergency kits to include non-perishable food and water,” he said. According to federal officials, more than 20,000
A map of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Map courtesy of FEMA. people will be involved in the training exercise. In Bonner County, that will include workers and officials from the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the nine northernmost counties of Idaho. Practical exercises will put current procedures to the test. For example, more than 50 volunteers will help Bonner General Health staffers learn
how to handle huge spikes in demand for medical care. The training exercises will include staff members from law enforcement, fire protection, hospitals and more. Others, like amateur ham radio operators, will learn how they can lend their skills when more conventional forms of communication are knocked out. According to Howard, the training exercises will almost
certainly produce recommendations to improve procedure and enhance responsiveness during emergencies. That’s his assessment based on his experience in similar training scenarios. “In my years doing exercises, you always come out with recommendations for potential changes,” he said. “It’s the best way to identify problems before we have an actual event.”
Idaho vaccination rates trending upward By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Last year, data indicated that Idaho’s vaccination exemption rate was the highest in the country, with Bonner County topping the list. However, new studies indicate that might be changing. Idaho Education News reports that Idaho’s vaccination rates have reached a five-year
high. In total, 86.7 percent of students in the 2015-16 school were categorized as “adequately immunized” compared to 85.6 percent last year. In addition, parent-requested exemptions dropped to 6.3 percent from the nationwide high of 6.5 percent last year. Idaho Health and Welfare officials told Idaho Education
News there’s no one cause for the shift. One factor might be the vigorous information campaign the agency launched after the 2015 Disneyland measles outbreak crossed into Utah. Health and Welfare staffers have also coordinated with healthcare providers, encouraging them to emphasize the importance of vaccination.
FEATURE
Human trafficking in the U.S.
An issue that nobody knows how to deal with
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
•The Global Slavery Index recently estimated there are almost 46 million people living as slaves globally. This number includes people born into servitude, trafficked for sex work or trapped in debt bondage or forced labor. The number increased dramatically from 35 million in 2014.
Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a series on human trafficking. In the first article [May 26 issue] we shared an incredible true story about human trafficking in Southeast Asia. In this article we discuss how human trafficking is happening inside the U.S. Few situations could be worse than an innocent child being taken for nefarious purposes. We often think we’re safe from human trafficking in the U.S., but the truth is, it happens here just like it does everywhere else. We just don’t see it. Last week, a 30-year-old man was arrested after trying to abduct a 13-year-old girl in broad daylight at a dollar store in Florida. The child was saved by the heroic efforts of her mother, who forcibly stopped the man from taking off with her child. “In my 10 years on the road I have never seen anything like this,” said Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Craig Callahan. “He truly intended to abduct this child right in front of everyone in the store.” However, the vast majority of human trafficking cases inside the U.S. aren’t straightforward abductions but instead involve the grey area of sexual exploitation and prostitution. “There is no Costco for children where you can buy kids as sex slaves,” said a spokesperson for the FBI, who wished to remain anonymous. “What we do see are disenfranchised runaways out on the street who are approached by a trafficker, or pimp, and groomed into that activity.” Lots of runaways come out of foster home programs or the juvenile justice system. Most of them have fled due to less than stellar situations in their home lives. The “grooming” usually takes place via social media. The kids find a sympathetic ear in the traf-
FACTS ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
fickers, who send them attentive messages and eventually arrange to meet them. “Pimps are very mobile,” said the FBI spokesperson. “Once the pimp gets control of this person, especially the young ones, they think they have found themselves a boyfriend; someone to take care of them.” This grooming cycle often happens in such a way that the child may not understand that they are a victim. By the time they realize they can’t get out, they are already in too deep. The circuit In November 2013, Derrick Hicklen and Gypsie Akers were arrested in connection with a sex ring run out of hotels near the Boise Airport. The cases of Hicklen and Akers helped shed light on the hidden world of sex trafficking, which includes Idaho as part of a prostitution circuit that includes California, Nevada and Utah, including Oregon and Washington. “Boise is kind of a hub stop where you have these human traffickers who travel with these girls all over the country,” Ada County Sheriff’s Detective Ryan Pacheco told the Boise Weekly. “They may be on their way from, say, Denver or Salt Lake City. What’s a natural place to stop but Boise? They may be in Boise for a day or two, but then
they’re gone.” Often, pimps will post ads online at sites such as Backpage.com advertising escort or massage services. They’ll then travel to the locations where they receive the most hits. In a matter of days, they’ve already moved to the next location. “It’s 100 percent out in the open,” said the FBI spokesman. “I tell people to go to sites like Backpage.com and really see how prolific this issue is. Look under escorts and body massages. In my own subjective opinion, all of those ads are for prostitution. Nobody who wants a legit massage will go to Backpage.com. It’s hiding in the open.” Legal grey areas For Jessica Tschida, an advocate who works with the Coalition to Abolish Human Trafficking in the Inland Northwest, Idaho’s laws are one of the most frustrating parts about human trafficking. “Idaho has very poor laws that don’t go after the buyers and sellers of prostitution, but instead target the victims,” said Tschida. For example, if a prostitute is arrested in a sting operation, more often than not the “john” or the pimp will either evade authorities or not face prosecution at all while the prostitute will.
For this reason, Tschida said the Coalition’s main goal is to stop human trafficking, but also to establish the non-criminalization of trafficking victims. In comparison, Tschida said, Washington state has “much better laws” than Idaho. According to the FBI, one main problem is what happens to the victims after they are arrested, freed or otherwise get away from their pimp. “There are no resources readily available for these kids,” said the FBI spokesperson. “If I recover four or five kids engaged in prostitution, a lot of times they are uncooperative. They’re runaways and they left a home environment that wasn’t great. We end up putting them right back into the system they fled from.” Often, the only choice is to arrest the victim for prostitution, but there are no shelters or state funding for victims of trafficking. “Nobody wants to talk about this dilemma,” said the FBI spokesperson. “These people are discarded. You have this victim that may or may not want help, but you can’t charge the trafficker because they’re not there. Now you have a victim to take care of but not a whole lot of resources. The only thing they know is sex. It’s the only way they can survive. Somehow, this has to change to get ahead of this problem.”
•Forced labor generates $150.2 billion per year in illegal profits globally. According the U.S. Department of State, two-thirds of those profits are generated by commercial sexual exploitation. The other third is generated by forced labor exploitation. •Annually, instances of human trafficking are reported in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. In 2014, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline received multiple reports of human trafficking cases from every state. California had the most complaints with 223 cases reported in 2014. • The average cost of a slave around the world is $90. • Immigration agents estimate that 10,000 women are being held in Los Angeles’ underground brothels; this does not include the thousands of victims in domestic work, sweatshops or other informal industries. •Human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world— just behind drug trafficking. June 9, 2016 /
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On your marks, get set, Fun Run!
By Reader Staff
Bouquets: •There are a lot of people behind the scenes who help the Reader operate as smoothly as it does. One of the most integral parts of our operation is our bookkeeper, Sandy Bessler. I’d like to give Sandy a bouquet because she always has a fun attitude and does such a great job keeping our accounts straight and the invoices going out. I can honestly say that we would be in the weeds without her. Thanks Sandy, we really appreciate your hard work. •A bouquet to the rafting guy in Missoula who clued me and my girlfriend into floating the main stem of the Flathead River last weekend. It was an epic one-day float that we turned into three days and two nights. I didn’t have to answer any emails or phone calls. Bliss. Barbs: •Recently, a Facebook user labeled us as a “socialist rag” because I shared an article in The Guardian in which frequent Sandpoint visitor Ben Stein talks about Donald Trump. The Reader a “socialist rag?” Hardly. Let me tell you about how I started this newspaper. In 2004, I helped write the first few issues of the Reader. I contributed to the paper over the next seven years until it went out of print. Then, in defiance of all common sense and the advice of most of my friends and family, I brought it back into print. We started small. We struggled to pay our bills like a lot of small businesses in Sandpoint. Through our pluck and sheer determination, we have continued to bring a weekly newspaper to a loyal and eager audience. We provide a service to our advertisers, who in turn pay us to keep printing. Socialism? Nope. Just good ol’ American capitalism at work. Save your “socialist rag” garbage, people. It’s the most tired of insults to a newspaper. 8 /
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It’s time to lace up those running shoes and hit the trail—the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, to be exact—for the fouth annual Bay Trail Fun Run. Located along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek in Sandpoint, the Bay Trail Fun Run is both a competitive run and a family friendly run/walk. Participants have their choice of either a 5K or 10K course and all races begin promptly at 9 a.m., Sunday, June 12 in front of Trinity at City Beach Restaurant. Hosted by the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, the Idaho Conservation League and Trinity at City Beach Restaurant, proceeds from the race will support efforts to protect, steward and extend the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail – a public, non-motorized trail, connecting the communities of Sandpoint and Ponderay. The event is sponsored by a host of local businesses and
individuals including the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, Evergreen Realty, the Equinox Foundation, Sandpoint West Athletic Club and KPND Radio. This year’s race again features professional chip timing, a professionally measured course and awards for top finishers in each and every age group, as well as great prizes for overall winners. All participants will receive this year’s race T-shirt and water bottle and other giveaways and will have the satisfaction of helping to protect a beautiful greenway along Lake Pend Oreille. There will also be a Packet Pick-up Party on the eve of the event at the Idaho Pour Authority. From 4:30-7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 11, participants can pick up their T-shirt, race bib and freebies at the Idaho Pour Authority and enjoy a pre-race beverage while perusing and bidding on the silent auction items. Last minute registration will be
And they’re off! Photo by Chris Bessler. available at both the Idaho Pour Authority and at the starting line at the day of the race. To ensure your correct T-shirt size, participants are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible. Online registration for the Bay Trail Fun Run is available at www.pobtrail.org until June 11. Mail-in registration forms can found at various locations
around North Idaho and must be received by June 6. Registration is $25 until June 11 or $30 on race day. Kids 12 and under are free but must register. Strollers are welcome to participate in the race but no dogs are allowed on the course from 8-11 a.m. Dogs are welcome on the trail at all other times.
Solar Car project teaches students about alternative energy By Ben Olson Reader Staff This Tuesday, the Sandpoint Middle School quad was transformed into a bonafide racetrack with the Solar Cars project. The project is in its 8th year at SMS, thanks to a generous grant provided by Panhandle Alliance for Education (PAFE). “Our hats are off to Panhandle Alliance for Education,” said Marcea Marine, one of the teacher advisors for the popular project. “We wouldn’t be able to do this without them.” During race day, students take turns competing, running stopwatches and judging the performance of each vehicle. The Solar Cars project aims to teach the value of alternative energy to every seventh grader at SMS, especially solar energy. Each student has two weeks to build their own car, which will then be powered by fitting a solar panel to the top of it. “They build everything from scratch,” said Marine. “It’s a great collision of science and math.” “This is one of our
longest standing grants,” said Marcia Wilson, executive director for PAFE. “Teachers love it, kids love it. Our purpose is to expose kids to a lot of enrichment activities they wouldn’t otherwise get.” The grant is just one of 52 grants that PAFE awarded to different schools in the Lake Pend Oreille School District. The total amount PAFE awarded in 2015/16 school year is just over $100,000. “Over time, we’ve awarded 617 grants totaling about $1.5 million,” said Wilson. “Teachers don’t have very much excess money to do things like this in their classroom. This gives them the outlet to do some fun stuff. We want to give kids a taste of something they might want to pursue as an adult. We like to plant seeds.” For seventh grader Nathan Ford, the project was as fun as it was educational. “It teaches you how to build
stuff and to keep everything straight and working,” said Ford. “I built the bottom of my car out of balsa wood and used cardboard for the sides and strips of colored tissue paper with liquid glue.” Marine, along with fellow teacher advisors Caitlen Sandell and Shonne Hartz, believes the Solar Cars project is a meaningful way to help to pass the torch to future generations to become stewards of a healthy planet. “These young ladies and men are the future,” said Marine.
Nathan Ford (crouching behind car) launches his solar car during Tuesday’s competition at SMS. Photo by Ben Olson.
“They will help solve the energy crisis.” Wilson added that this, as well as their many other grants, wouldn’t be possible without the power of community: “We’d just like to thank the community because they’re the ones who give us the money. This wouldn’t be possible without a community that cares so much about its children.”
artwalk 2016
featured artist Alexandra Iosub
By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff
ArtWalk is back, and this year, it’s bigger than ever. The good folks at Pend Oreille Arts Council have been hard at work organizing artists, venues and art lovers for the annual ArtWalk, which debuts Friday, June 17, with a host of receptions. According to POAC arts administrator Hannah Combs, this is likely the biggest ArtWalk the organization has undertaken, with 30 local venues hosting work from veteran and newcomer artists alike. Every year, ArtWalk unifies the local art and business communities by turning banks, coffee shops, restaurants, retail stores and more into art galleries. For the next couple months, art lovers can drop by the businesses to appreciate or purchase the pieces on display. Since not every business is ideally suited to displaying art, POAC staff work with owners to make the most of their space. “We spend a lot of time making sure venues and artists have everything they need,” Combs said. “We provide sales sheets and gallery tags and everything they need. Since most of our venues are not galleries, we offer training. Venue participants learn how to run a gallery, basically.” Just as big a process is finding art to fill out those venues. POAC staff put out a call each year for work submissions and reliably get returns from local mainstays in the art community. They also make an effort to highlight work from lessknown artists, requesting that people encourage their artistic friends and family to submit work. This year saw an expansion in the number of participating venues, with businesses like Snow River, Infini Gallery, Whiskey Jack Pottery, 7B Boardshop, U.S. Bank and Azalea Handpicked Style coming on board. Likewise,
“Urbanization of the Countryside” by Alexandra Iosub. By Eli Sevenich POAC Member artist Reader Contributor
Top: Cody Newton works on a piece in the the interest among artists grew, “Galaxy Gallery” in the alley between First with more first-time exhibitors and Second Ave. in Sandpoint. Photo by applying this year. Lisa Turner. Bottom: A photograph that is “I’m very excited about all part of ArtWalk by Alan Barbar. the young artists we’ve had apply,” Combs said. Next Friday, June 17, kicks off this year’s ArtWalk with a bang. The venues (including a regular local art tour. Check this here newspaper office) out next week’s Reader for a host receptions and welcome full list of locations, and plan visitors to drop by, moving yourself the perfect ArtWalk! from location to location for
ArtWalk is coming up and I want to talk about a new art talent that has arrived in Sandpoint. I first saw her work at the Arts and Crafts Fair last summer. She was sitting on a blanket in the midst of the more sturdy booths with her drawings, lithographs and etchings. I was struck by the simplicity of her display area and especially by the caliber of her art. Nothing was framed, and prices were more than reasonable. She also had intricately made wooden boxes. Fast forward to the Infini Gallery at their March opening. There she was again. I had to find out more. Her name is Alexandra Iosub and she found her way to the U.S. from Romania when she was barely 19. That in itself is a long story. As a teenager in middle school, she and her friend already had their English skills honed so perfectly that I could barely detect her accent. This was accomplished in Romania by watching American movies and other U.S. programs, enabling them to communicate in American English—as if they were your neighborhood typical teenagers. At 10 years old, she was placed in an art-based program in the Romanian public school system. She was awarded a scholarship to enable her to obtain her MFA from Penn State after an unsuccessful marriage, threw her secure future to the wind and decided to join the tiny house movement. Not knowing how to build one, she got on the Internet, found a
source in Oregon and headed out West in her small car, packed with her worldly goods. She eventually found her way to Sandpoint because her tiny house instructor was headed that way. In the industrial area behind MakerPoint Studios, the two started to build their tiny houses. Her house is off-grid with solar panels. The inside feels like walking into a creative mind. The red roof reminds her of Eastern Europe and it is the quintessential color of a roof in children’s stories. All I could think of, since I am from the ‘60s, is here is a person who never sold out and certainly did not need a personal coach to find her way. Her next longer term goal is to journey to Sweden to pursue a PhD in Art and is already learning the language, paving her way for her future goals. You can now find her at the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays with her simple card table filled with her own hand spun and dyed yarn and journal books that she has bound herself. The journals feature covers made with collaged fabrics and stamped images, showing her printmaking talents. She is also offering a class in printmaking at Sandpoint’s Infini Gallery on Monday nights. She will show her art at the Reader office during ArtWalk with her large drawings. Don’t miss this charming, just turned 30, adventuresome spirit. Since I will be turning 70 next year, I thought I better set some meaningful personal goals and without her knowing it, Alexandra is my personal coach by example. You can find out more at alexandraiosub.com. June 9, 2016 /
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Mad about Science:
Brought to you by:
Fish
By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Fish! Everyone loves fish, whether it’s between a pair of chopsticks downtown or flitting about your custom 272 gallon aquarium. Fish are magnificently primordial creatures, with some virtually untouched by tens or even hundreds of millions of years. Not all of them taste great. Some are actually poisonous. Ever heard of fugu? It’s a Japanese delicacy, but if it’s cut improperly you’ll be sleepin’ with the fishes! Here in Mad About Science, we like to do it big. When you think about big fish, you probably think about sharks. Man, they’re ugly. The larger great whites reach to be about 20 feet long, about half the size of a school bus. What about his ancestors? Prepare to be horrified! The megalodon lived as recently as 2.6 million years ago, and was estimated to stretch up to 75 feet long. A Mini Cooper could drive into its mouth and back out after realizing what a stupid idea it would be to drive into a shark’s mouth. Giant prehistoric torpedos with jaws full of serrated teeth the size of my whole hand are cool, what else do ya’ got? I’m so glad you asked. Meet the coelacanth. He looks like some ugly thing you’d find in a pond, other than his weird name, nothing special about him, right? Wrong. The coelacanth (pronounced see-la-kanth) is a glimpse of a world before even the dinosaurs, what you would call a living fossil. It is more closely related to the first animals to flail about the ocean depths than most other creatures alive today. The ability to see something that has remained virtually unchanged for tens of millions of years gives us a unique perspective on how life on Earth has evolved to the state that is. That’s nice, but not nearly as cool as a giant shark. Fair enough, let me introduce you to the piranha family. 10 /
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FSPW announces kids’ hikes
FSPW volunteer John Hastings shows kids the view from Star Peak Trail #999. Photo by Ben Olson.
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The pacu fish, with oddly unsettling teeth that appear human. You’ve probably heard of them before: schools of these savage fish turning a grown man into a skeleton in a matter of seconds. That’s them, but to be fair, they’ve gotten a bad rap and should really consider hiring a new PR manager. Piranha are largely scavengers, like the vultures of the Amazon river. When dead things fall in, they clean it up. They may get a few lucky chunks out of a living creature, but unless it’s profusely bleeding and on the verge of death, they don’t seem to want to risk the effort of tearing it apart. Dead things don’t fight back. Piranha make for popular aquarium pets as well, as strange as it sounds, since they integrate well with Oscars and other South American Cichlids. They’re a joy to watch if you toss a piece of bloody steak in the water with them, especially if you own a small school of them; but be warned, they can grow up to 11 inches under certain conditions. This is considerably smaller than their prehistoric ancestor, the megapiranha, that could grow up to three feet long, but a lot larger than you can fit into a goldfish bowl. Some people have made the mistake of not realizing how large these fish grow, and have figured the humane option is to set them loose in their local pond or river. This is a terrible idea, and it plays an incredibly detrimental effect on the local ecosystem that can end up causing in upwards of tens of millions of dollars (or more) in damage
when local authorities try to quell the surging population of invasive fish. This case is made clearer by no other fish than the pacu, a cousin to the Piranha. Indigenous to the Amazon river. Pacus look like Piranha with human teeth. It’s just as weird as it sounds. Over the course of decades, people bought pacus for their aquariums, thinking a school of two-inch darting piranha-lookalikes were cute additions to their tank. After a few years, those itty bitty guys ballooned up to between 15 and 30 inches long and have either eaten or outcompeted everything else in the tank. The pacus presented a problem identical to the one posed by boa constrictors in Florida. What do I do with them now? Many people thought taking them to their local river was a humane farewell to their old friend. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so humane for the rest of the ecosystems around the world that would be impacted by this invasive fish. Pacus have been fished up from multiple rivers throughout Europe and North America. Several states in the Midwest are currently combating a problem of pacu domination that are destroying native fish and flora species en masse. On the plus side, they are edible, and considered a delicacy through most of the Amazon basin, so if the problem gets even bigger, enterprising entrepreneurs may have a future in pacu-themed restaurants!
Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness (FSPW) is partnering with Bonner Homeless Transitions for the third year in a row to promote children enjoying the great outdoors. Families with children 12 and under are invited to join FSPW and Bonner Homeless Transitions on four separate hikes this summer. “This is a great opportunity for families to breathe in some fresh air, explore our beautiful area and maybe even make some new friends,” FSPW assistant program coordinator
Britta Mireley notes. “Some of the kids on the hikes have never had the opportunity to go hiking and enjoy nature. I’m looking forward to seeing their worlds open up through this program.” The hikes will be to Regal Creek Trail #556 and Morris Creek Trail #132 on June 24, the Ross Creek Cedars Nature Loop on July 15, the East Fork of Blue Creek on Aug. 5 and lastly, Big Eddy Trail #999 on Aug. 26. For more information on the hikes, or to sign up for them, visit www.scotchmanpeaks.org/ hiking/current-hiking-schedule/.
Random Corner cockroaches
es in North Idaho. We don’t have cockroach ny reasons people love it That’s just one of the ma know more info about here. In case you want to e random facts: these vile things, here’s som
•Cockroaches can live for weeks with their heads cut off. They die of starvation. •A group of cockroaches is called an intrusion. •Cockroaches raised in space become quicker, stronger, faster and tougher than those raised on Earth (wait, why in the hell are we raising these things in space?). •Cockroaches are among the world’s “fartiest” species (is “fartiest” really a word?). •Catnip is a natural cockroach repellent. •Cockroaches have a much higher radiation resistance than vertebrates, with the lethal dose 6 to 15 times that for humans (hint: mutant cockroaches from space are soon to come).
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Lake Pend Oreille tour Win Throwback Thursdays at the 219 1pm @ Kramer Marina (East Hope) 6pm 7-11pm @ 219 Lounge A tour of Lake Pend Oreille in teh Shawno- Featuring live music with Brian Jacobs Heal dese led by Anna Armstrong of the Kalispel and friends, $2 domestics and $3 crafts. Dolla Tribe. We will board at 12:45 p.m. and the oat Join in playing in this informal open mic 8pm launches promptly at 1 p.m. and will return to night setting every Thursday night Good the dock at 4 p.m. Live Music w/ Still Tipsy and the Hangovers Live Music w/ Mobius Riff 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Mix of jazz, rock, Celtic, classical, MidRockabilly jams on the patio! Live Music w/ Chris Lynch dle Eastern, and originals. Free show 6pm - 9pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante Live Music w/ Ben and Cadie Live Music w/ Ron Keiper 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Multi-instrumental duo with lots of fun Jazz saxophone of originals and covers originals and covers KRFY Annual Membership Drive Huge Tailgate Sale 9am-9pm @ KRFY 88.5FM 8am-1pm @ Memorial Community Center Shoppers will find lots of vendors, a yummy Sand Creek Paddlers Challenge bake sale, and lunch items available to pur9am @ City Beach Check in and on-site registration is at 9 chase! 264-5481 a.m. in the City Beach Pavilion; a pre- Cornhole Classic Tournament race meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. and the 1pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall race begins at 10 a.m. Fee is $10/boat. Register at noon, first toss at 1pm. $10 The Paddlers Challenge is a four-mile buy in per team, tourney happens rain paddle up and back on Sand Creek or shine! 209-6700 Live Music w/ High Treason Ammunition 8:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Great punk duo from just over the state line in Montana. Awesome lyrics and a fresh sound that reminds us of Sonic Youth back in the day Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am. All are welcome Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
KRFY An 9am-9pm Tune into sic, interv KRFY’s a stop by th lo (former Here’s a q 10am - E 12pm - M 2pm - M 4pm - B 6pm - B 7pm - J
Game Night at the Niner 9pm @ 219 Lounge
ULTIMATE Frisbee – 5:30pm @ Great Northern Field Fast-moving fun, non-contact Olympic-grade sport with a Frisbee! Teens and adults welcome
Open Mic at MickDuff’s 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Hosted by Ben and Cadie, this open, positive forum for Karaoke Night area musicians of all skill levels is a great time. Plus 10pm - Midnight @ 219 Lounge there’s beer, also known as “liquid courage.” S Five Minutes of Fame 3 Turnt up Wednesday 6:30pm @ Cafe Bodega (Foster’s Crossing) G Writers, musicians, listeners - welcome all! Open w/ DJ Josh Adams o mic meets on the third Thursday of every month 9pm @ 219 Lounge I Live Music w/ John Firshi DJ Josh Adams plays a 3-hour set filled 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub with reggae, hip-hop, and electro vibes 6 T A phenomenal solo artist o b Dollar Beers! Throwback Thursdays at the 219 a 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub 8pm @ 219 Lounge Good until the keg’s dry Featuring live music with Brian Jacobs ULTIMATE Frisbee and friends, $2 domestics and $3 crafts. 5:30pm @ Great Northern Field Join in playing in this informal open mic Fast-moving, fun, non-contact sport with a night setting every Thursday night Frisbee! Teens and adults welcome Trivia Night 7pm - 9pm @ MickDuff’s
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Winter Ridge Speaker Series 6pm @ Winter Ridge Healing salves and balms class
Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry
A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com. Reader recommended
Jazz ‘n Java 6-8pm @ Monarch Mountain Coffee All players welcome! Sit in with a rhythm section, play solo or just listen! Hosted by Larry Mooney
KRFY Annual Membership Drive 9am-9pm @ KRFY 88.5FM Tune into 88.5FM all day to hear live music, interviews and special giveaways for KRFY’s annual membership drive! Or stop by the Crosby Building to say hello (formerly the Snowy River building). Here’s a quick list of who is performing: Summer Sounds w/ Fiddlin’ Red 10am - Betsy Hammet 12pm - Truck Mills 4-6pm @ Park Place Stage 2pm - Ken MayGinnes 4pm - Patrice Webb Fiddlin’ Red plays at the Summer 6pm - Ruff Shod 7pm - RFB band Sounds (right in front of Arlo’s) KRFY Annual Membership Drive Live Music w/ Chris Lynch Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-9pm @ KRFY 88.5FM 6pm - 9pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante 9am - 1pm @ Farmin Park Tune into 88.5FM all day to hear live muLocal produce, great food, Live Music w/ John Firshi sic, interviews and special giveaways for always fun. Live music with 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority KRFY’s annual membership drive! Or Monarch Mountain Band Vocalist and guitar player stop by the Crosby Building to say helo (formerly the Snowy River building). Live Music w/ Devon Wade Here’s a quick list of who is performing: 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Sandpoint-based country rocker with his big ol’ band on the patio 10am - Emily Baker 12pm - Music Conservatory of Spt Community Assistance League Book Sale 2pm - Monarch Mountain Band 10am-4pm @ Bizarre Bazaar 4pm - Bruce Bishop This is from a private collection recently donated to CAL. There are 6pm - Brandon Watterson many new and unique books on art, cooking, history and other sub7pm - Jake Robins and Friends jects. Find some great books to add to your collection
Hall Midow
Field with a
Eureka Institute Open House Bay Trail Fun Run 11am-3pm @ 6162 Eureka Rd, Sagle 9am @ Trinity at City Beach Celebrate National Trails Day and help Learn more about the Eureka Institute at this protect a treasured waterfront trail with open house for kids and adults. Play disc golf, your choice of a 10k or 5k run or walk. horseshoes, ping pong and check out the challenge ropes course. Food by Eichardt’s 265-9565 for more information Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs & Chris Lynch 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Chris and Brian always put on a great show, with danceable tunes you know and love
The Jordan World Circus 7pm @ Boundary County Fairgrounds (Bonners Ferry) forum for Three rings of affordable family fun. See the death-defying ime. Plus, aerial acts, plus animal attractions including tigers and elephants. $18 adult, $14 kids. 702-456-2642 Sandpoint Farmers’ Market June 17 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park Get your local produce, plant starts, crafts and The 39th Annual other great items. Live music with Mobius Riff ArtWalk @ DownIntro to Woodworking t filled town Sandpoint vibes 6-9pm @ MakerPoint Studios Ju ne 17-19 This fun one-day Intro to Woodworking class will give you the opportunity to design and build your own hardwood cutting Pend d’Oreille Winboard set! $71 fee. Pre-register by June 9 at Sandpoint Parks ery 21st Anniversa19 and Recreation, 1123 Lake St. or call 263-3613
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Live Music w/ JR Simms and Steve Neff 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Eclectic Texas style blues
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LITERATURE
Vanderford’s to feature six local authors By Ben Olson Reader Staff
What does a lake monster, a psychic, time traveling, murder, Christianity and a Small Town Ho have in common? No idea? They are all subjects of books by local authors who will be making a special appearance in Sandpoint this weekend. Vanderford’s Books & Office Products, 201 Cedar. St., will be featuring six local authors Saturday, June 11 from 12 to 2 p.m. The authors will be available to meet and greet readers, sign copies and sell their literature to potential readers. The six local authors include Duke Diercks, Mary Haley, Tom Reppert, George Brinkman, Whitney Palmer and Marsha Lord. Duke Diercks’ novel “Small Town Ho” is a humorous account of the author’s decision to uproot his family and move from the big city to North Idaho. Written in a smart, self-deprecating style, “Small Town Ho” is the funny struggle of an ordinary family of three boys, one black lab and one cat trying to acclimate to life in North Idaho. After 25 years volunteering for junior high age kids, author Mary Haley has a pretty good idea of what that age level wants for reading material. Her murder mystery novel “Ghostwriter: The Great Potato Murder” was written very much with the tween audience in mind. It focuses on young Julie Ann, who is no stranger to death. She has endured the death of both parents, but that didn’t prepare her for finding that her beloved Aunt Cynth is now a ghost. Cynth, a famous mystery writer, was murdered by one of her own storylines – a poisoned potato. Now, she
stays behind to help her niece solve her own murder. “This is a fun genre,” said Haley. “There is very little for this age group out there. What there is mostly is fantasy … but mysteries teach you math and science. They teach logic. Who are my suspects? What are their motives? Fantasy doesn’t teach you that.” Army veteran and author Top Reppert’s will be presenting two novels at Vanderford’s: “The Far Journey: A Timeslip Novel of Survival on the Oregon Trail” and “Captured Girl.” “The Far Journey” melds two very different worlds together, when sharp-tongued Paula Masters suddenly finds herself thrust back in time to 1848 and the Oregon Trail. Though she rebelled against curfews and restrictions in her modern life, in this alien world of buffalo stampedes, wild Indians and deadly pestilence, she is about to find out what real hardships are. “Captured Girl” is a saga that follows Lt. Will Raines’ crucible of combat and young Morgan O’Connor’s struggle for survival after her capture by the Cheyenne. Filled with fascinating characters, this story of love and survival transports us from the Indian camps of Montana Territory to the mean streets of Gilded New York and back again, right into the heart of the Great Sioux War. Have you ever wondered why people believe what they do? Why are there so many different religions? These are questions that George Brinkman hopes to answer with his book “Origins of Christianity: From Genesis to Jesus” on Saturday. Brinkman, who grew up in a strong Christian fam-
ily, attended a church school, married within his religion and also taught religious classes. While in his 40s, Brinkman because interested in historical nonfiction. As he read, he started questioning his “Christian beginnings,” with his book being only the beginning of his quest for answers. Like many who grew up in Sandpoint, Whitney Palmer was always intrigued by the mythological lake monster we love to call the Pend Oreille Paddler. In “Suessian” style rhymes, Palmer’s illustrated book “The Mysterious Pend Oreille Paddler: Part 1” caters to grade levels three through six. It’s the first book in a series that serves as an introduction, to be followed up with more elaborate stories and accounts of everyone’s favorite mystical lake monster. Marsha Lord has been a practicing psychic for 35 years. She has traveled all over the world lecturing and speaks three languages. She has appeared on ABC, NBC and CBS as well as several radio shows during her spiritual quest. Lord’s book “Call Me Crazy: Adventures of a Psychic,” is equal parts biography, adventure tale and exposition of the intuitive powers she supposedly inherited from her grandmother and father. All of the authors’ books are available for sale at Vanderford’s during and after the event, so be sure to head down and get an autograph while you’re at it.
Clockwise from top right: “Call Me Crazy: Adventures of a Psychic” by Marsha Lord, “Origins of Christianity: From Genesis to Jesus,” by George Brinkman, “Ghost Writer: The Great Potato Murder,” by Mary Haley, “The Mysterious Pend Oreille Paddler,” by Whitney Palmer, “Small Town Ho,” by Duke Diercks, “The Far Journey: A Timeslip NOvel of Survival on the Oregon Trail,” and “The Captured Girl,” by Tom Reppert.
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Jim Lippi family scholarship winners announced
By Reader Staff The Angels Over Sandpoint is proud to announce the winners of the Jim Lippi Family Scholarship of $500 to $1,000 each for 2016 to the following from Sandpoint High School; Destinee Holliger, James Bradley, Alexandria Fredericks, Justin Marks and Genevieve Price. The Angels Over Sandpoint, a long time Sandpoint nonprofit, has been distributing money to those in need in our county for many years. A joint venture between Ivano’s Restaurante and the Angels Over Sandpoint, “The Italian Open Golf Scramble” is held each September, to benefit this scholarship fund. Jim Lippi was a role model for his Ivano’s employees and many in our community. He led by example in caring for others, not just for some, but treating everyone with respect and dignity. Jim had patience, a great sense of humor and humility. He did much for our community, not for praise, but because it was the right way to live. Most importantly Jim had great love
Since 1993, Sandpoint Property Management has provided property management services to a diverse range of clients. Our trained staff of professionals understands the local market and the highly specialized needs of our property owners and tenants. Our priority is in developing long-term successful relationships with our tenants and property owners, and providing them with exceptional real estate management services, including experienced 24/7 maintenance, fast application processing, electronic bill pay, thorough property inspections, detailed accounting, and aggressive marketing, With a reputation built on integrity and experience, Sandpoint Property Management has evolved into Bonner County’s County leading property management firm.
314 N. 3rd Ave. Sandpoint, ID 16 /
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(208) 263-9233 www.SandpointRentals.com
Left to right: Julie Smith (representing the Lippi Family), Destinee Holliger, James Bradley, Alexandria Fredericks, Justin Marks, Genevieve Price and Dee Ann Smith (scholarship committee chair for Angels Over Sandpoint).
and caring of family and the Sandpoint community. To honor Jim and his family, donations made in memory of Jim will go into this future fund along with the proceeds from the golf scrambles. Thanks go out to all those in the community who have contributed with donations, or by participating in the September event. This coming year’s “Italian Open” will take place at StoneRidge on September 16. The scholarships have, and will continue to assist students in Bonner County who wish to improve their lives through furthering their education. Beyond financial need, Lippi Scholars show resiliency, special drive, courage and determination to be successful in high school, overcoming obstacles that might have derailed others. These students have a plan for college or trade school that will lead to sustainability as productive adults.
LITERATURE
breaking curfew on fry creek by Linda Jones
This open
Window poetry and prose by local writers
edited by Jim mitsui
Writing contemporary poetry and prose often involves a process of discovery; it is not the type of writing that you were taught in a composition class, everything structured to end with a conclusion that proves the point that you are trying to make. One of the most successful poets today is Billy Collins, past U.S. Poet Laureate, whose books of poetry regularly sell over 250,000 copies. He said, “The hope for the unexpected is so essential to my process, I wouldn’t bother to start a poem if I already knew the ending. The pen is not just a recording device; it can also be an instrument of discovery.” My favorite writing teacher, Richard Hugo, who was the Director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Montana said it this way: making the jumps. Instead of being predictable and thinking you know how a poem, story or article should end, you should trust the process of writing and follow your stream-of-consciousness until you discover the line or sentence that closes your piece. Another former U.S. Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser, said: “You have to trust the process of writing to lead you toward the heart of the poem.” Everyone is invited to submit poetry or prose (memoirs) for this column. Subject is open, although it would be nice to have a connection with this upstate Idaho place that we live in. Limit: 400-500 words; send to jim3wells@aol.com. Please include a brief bio, including where you live and your writing background. No age limit. Author retains copyright.
Suddenly he is there, standing in the flickering light of the television. “I’m taking a kayak out,” he says. “Now?” I ask incredulously. “Yes, now.” Like Wendy to Peter Pan I cry out, “Take me with you!” Out the door we fly, down the dark lawn to the dock. Unafraid of pirates or crocodiles, we launch our vessels into the blackness, barely making a ripple in the reflection of constellations. We chart a course up creek to the mysterious inlet on the left. Gliding past the lighted windows of less adventurous people we are in deepest, darkest Africa seeking the source of the Nile. Dr. Livingstone, I presume? Wary of hippopotami, we navigate a return to the main creek and head towards Comeback Bay. To the right, laughter from a darkened deck—can they see us? Further on, to the right, a dog barks--he knows we’re there. Who are we? We are explorers, Lewis & Clark, searching for a water route to the Pacific. No Sacagawea to guide us, no portage necessary. Invisible to each other, still we move on and on into the night. Headlights cross the Bottle Bay Road Bridge overhead, we have traveled this way far enough. We turn homeward past the barking dog, the laughter in the dark, and the mysterious inlet. The forest primeval rises up beside us. Startled, something scrambles through the cattails and reeds, up the bank to safety. On we paddle, we are the last of the Mohicans, hunting Big Bear in the light of the half moon. Orion points the way. Another dog barks, it is our own, welcoming us back from our evening expedition We stow our kayaks and head back up the dark lawn to the lighted house knowing who we are. Linda Jones actually lives along Fry Creek at a good spot to slip her kayak into the water. She’s a native of Pennsylvania. This poem takes us along on an evening expedition under the stars.
a typical baltimore summer day, 1962 by Amy Craven
the unavoidable humidity, relentless as a dinner guest who can’t take the hint to go home my “sun headaches” that keep me logy and unwilling to play dodgeball at Vacation Bible School Dixie Cup popsicles savored on our wobbly swing set in the backyard on Underwood Road running through the Donald Duck head sprinkler, mystified by the surprising rainbow that hangs in the saturated air
puzzlement
by Julie Reister-Keaton some people treat themselves to lattes at Yoke’s I treat myself to four inch potted perennials therapeutic aromas from facials and massages don’t come close to soothing me like the scent of crumbling soil or wild roses on a breeze perhaps it’s in my peasant blood generations of German farmers inside sod houses eating root vegetables perhaps it is my birth sign the earth keeping me grounded nothing is more satisfying than pulling weeds except maybe pinching shriveled blossoms from their stems or digging a plant hole and patting the ground around it and then there’s the discovery of a lost favorite that’s migrated to its new perfect spot when did the land take ahold of my heart? I detested watering my father’s huge garden when did the vines of flowers seep into my brain and keep me from caring about time or dirt on my face? several years ago our daughter treated us to a day at Esalen the Pacific crashed against the cliffs the sea-sprayed air cooled the many pathways while top-notch executives, between self-awareness workshops, paid to toil in the gardens and wash dishes I don’t get this my husband muttered It’s beautiful here, but why would you PAY to hoe? I replied Hard to imagine scanning the flora planning my next botanical therapy at home Julie Reister-Keaton is a retired elementary teacher who fell in love with the Sandpoint area while crossing the Long Bridge on her way to a job interview close to 40 years ago. She and her husband, Kim, a Sandpoint native, enjoy the many amenities of Idaho’s outdoors.
listening for the bells of the Good Humor truck, revving up our whines for a dime or just a nickel my parents drinking gin and tonics in the evening, luminous wedges of lime floating in the sweaty glasses and the fan in the bedroom window blowing insufficient puffs of air over my body which is stretched out in a “X” on the bed Amy Craven is a singer, songwriter, poet and retired teacher. She was born in Pittsburgh, grew up in Baltimore, lived in New York, and fell in love with a Sandpoint native. She lives in Sandpoint with Rob (the native) and their dog, Hazel. She hopes that some of you will fall under the spell of poetry, either while reading or writing it. June 9, 2016 /
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Gardening with Laurie:
Deadheading for more bloom
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist
Despite the name, deadheading has nothing to do with following a ‘60s jam band around. It’s simply removing blossoms after they die. Why do that? Well, for one thing, most plants look better without brown, wilted things hanging on them. For another, some plants will reward you with more flowers if you remove the dead ones! By removing the dead flowers, you are preventing the plant from making seeds. A plant figures that once it’s set seeds, its job is over for the year. Thwart them, and they’ll try again. Pretty much all annuals can be made to continue blooming in this way. It’s vital for petunias and pansies, especially in containers. Who wants a hanging basket on the porch covered with soggy brown wads? Plants like petunias and pansies spring back with more flowers promptly; some annuals like salvia and cockscomb are much slower. Some perennials can be made to bloom more, too. Most perennial salvias, coreopsis, foxgloves, rudbeckias, tall phlox, heucheras, delphiniums (remove the whole stalk) perennial bachelor’s buttons, Jupiter’s beard, lavender, lupines, Shasta daisies, veronicas, yarrow and echinaceas will repeat if their flowers are cut as they fade. A lot of other perennials, sadly, will not rebloom no matter what you do: Most iris and most daylilies, hostas, astilbes, rodgersias, bergenias, and peonies are examples. One perennial that will have extended bloom but come to a full stop eventually is columbine; if you clip off each spent flower when it loses its petals, you can make it bloom for almost three months instead of one month. It’s an everyday job, though; it’s much more sensitive than, say, echinaceas. Every 18 /
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year I start off religiously deadheading the columbines and then I give up because they just go through flowers so fast! There are two methods of deadheading: the individual flower method, which you use on any large flowered plant; and the complete cut-back, which you use on plants with many small flowers, like alyssum, lobelia, the short catmints and the thread-leaf coreopsis like ‘Moonbeam’ and ‘Golden Showers’. With the individual method, you have to keep doing the cutting every few days. Remove not just the flower petals but the stem down to the next set of leaves. The stems will start branching at this cut and the plant will enlarge. With the complete cut-back, wait until the plant stops blooming, then take scissors or hedge shears to the plant. Cut down a good way to make sure to get below the bottom of the flowers. The plant will look sad for a while, then regrow and bloom again. While most plants look nicer with the dead flowers removed, there are a few, like astilbe, goldenrod and grasses that look nice through winter when left intact. They won’t rebloom anyway, so you might as well leave them. There is one bad side to deadheading: it removes seeds that birds eat. Many plants are useful for fall and winter food for birds. Come the start of September, I stop deadheading the echinaceas and rudbeckias, as they make large heads with many desirable seeds. Also remember that this is a form of pruning and is stimulating new growth in the plants. If you have a plant that is iffy on making it through our winters, stop deadheading in August because you want only mature growth on it when it gets cold.
Shakespeare in Sandpoint seeks artisans and foodies By Reader Staff Last year, for the first time since the opening of its first season in 1973, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks was held in Sandpoint. There were over 1,000 folks in attendance. Attendees enjoyed a huge range of medieval entertainment, including an authentic medieval village, tribal-style belly dancers, a juggler and musicians playing flute, mandolin, percussion and lute. Venders were on hand to demonstrate their crafts, which included jewelry-making for children and adults, a spinning wheel demonstration, an herb and basket-making demonstration, a purveyor of poetry books and a demonstration on the art of fencing. Shakespeare in Sandpoint is now soliciting artisans and food purveyors for this year’s Montana Shakespeare in the Parks to be held at the Bonner County Fairgrounds on August 21. They are seeking artisans who make jewelry, hair accessories, beadwork, parasols, musical instruments, candles, sheepskin items, magic wands, fairy gardens, metalwork, leather items, pottery and ceramic
art, books, handmade paper, woodwork, lotions and potions, clothing and costumes, enchanted hats and other suitable items to offer to the public. Food sellers are also needed to provide the audience with victuals you might find in a medieval village, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, nuts, crepes, baked goods, soups, turkey legs, sweet potato fries, roasted chicken, corn on the cob, sausage on a stick, BBQ pork of beef, baked potatoes, beef jerky, root beer floats, apple dumplings with ice cream, brownie sundaes and pretzels. Vendors are also sought who provide other services, such as; face and body painting, chair massage, fantasy hair weaving, fortune telling, tarot card reading or other metaphysical activities, musicians and genealogy. Rental rates are $10 for a table, plus 5 percent of all sales. Those interested should email MontanaShakespeareInSandpoint@gmail.com, or contact organizer Christine Holbert at 208-255-4410.
SASi releases upcoming events By Reader Staff
The Sandpoint Area Seniors, Inc. (SASi) has announced some fun upcoming events that go nicely with this amazing weather we’ve been having. Saturday, June 18, the Injectors Car Club will be hosting a fundraiser BBQ for SASi at the Sandpoint Senior Center. The BBQ takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot. There will be seating outside as well as inside, so all weather possibilities are planned for. A $5 donation includes hot dogs or hamburgers, plenty of side dishes, salads, desserts and drinks. This is a family event, so bring the kids and grandkids, and don’t forget dad since this is Father’s Day weekend. SASi will also be drawing the winners to the two “Staycation” raffles at the fundraiser. You can either win a seven-night stay at Pend Oreille Shores Resort for
$5 a ticket or five for $20, or a one-night stay at the Holiday Inn Express for $1 per ticket or six tickets for $5. If you can’t make the fundraiser on June 18, there will be a SASi Summer Picnic hosted by Donna Peterson on Friday, June 24 beginning at 3 p.m. Donna’s sons are serving up hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, watermelon and cookies. Swimming and kayaking/canoeing will be accessible on the river. Bring chairs and blankets if you’ll need them. The area is flat and easy to walk on, and is also wheelchair friendly. To get to the SASi Summer Picnic, go 8.6 miles down Lakeshore Drive (south of the Long Bridge) until you reach railroad tracks. Stay on the pavement and cross the tracks. Turn right under the archway to the beach. Watch for balloons.
STAGE & SCREEN
Reader Reels presents
By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff The pressure to find a significant other comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s your parents wondering when you’re going to settle down with a nice guy or girl. Or perhaps you attend a church with a strong emphasis on marriage and family. But at least it’s nothing like the dilemma facing Colin Farrell in director Yorgos Lanthimos’ absurdist comedy, “The Lobster.” It’s the next film in the Reader Reels film series, a partnership between the Sandpoint Reader and the Panida Theater, and it’s coming at local audiences 8:30 p.m. June 24 and 25, at the Panida Theater. An experimental sci-fi film, “The Lobster” explores societal pressure to find a spouse or long-term partner and settle down. David (Colin Farrell) is a resident of the City, a dystopian location where singles are obligated to find a romantic partner within 45 days or be turned into an animal of their choice. Taken to the Hotel, a location where match-ups occur, the recently separated David selects the lobster as his animal of last resort. Dark comedy is the order of the day as Hotel residents become increasingly desperate to secure a partner before their time runs out. Farrell and a strong supporting cast undergo strange rituals and employ bizarre tactics to attract a mate. It’s a near-perfect satire of real-world dating in all its artificiality, awkwardness and adherence to unspoken rules. Farrell stars in a departure from his past movie star flash. Packing a few extra pounds and sporting an unkempt mustache, his turn in “The Lobster” is a long way from the big budget Hollywood movies of his earlier career. It continues the Irish actor’s preference for smaller, more artistic projects kicked off in films like “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths.” Since debuting in festivals, “The Lobster,” Greek director Lanthimos’ first English-language film, earned critical acclaim as a wholly original and incisive work. Critics praised the performances and writing as exceptional, hailing it as a surreal satire in the spirit of Franz Kafka or fellow filmmaker Charlie Kaufman. “Lanthimos forgoes easy sentiments about the transformative power of love,” writes Leah Pickett of the Chicago Reader. “This may turn off some viewers, but there’s a certain liberation and even some relief in knowing that societal pressure
to settle down can be just as cruel as loneliness.” That, plus its off-beat sensibilities, make it a perfect fit for the Reader Reels series, planned with the Panida Theater as a showcase for the odder corners of independent cinema. It also gives adults entertainment options a little later in the evening, and true to form, beer and wine will be available. So come on by, grab a drink and enjoy the unbridled creativity that some of today’s most exciting directors are bringing to the table. Catch “The Lobster” 8:30 p.m. June 24 and 25 at the Panida Theater. The film is rated R for sexual content including dialogue and some violence.
Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz star in “The Lobster,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. In this dystopian society, single people must find a mate within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choice. Sounds interesting. Courtesy photo.
‘Animation Show’ hits Kickstarter
After we published our article about “The Animation Show of Shows,” series curator Ron Diamond had some very kind words for us. We hope to return the favor—and keep the show on the road—by sharing Diamond’s new Kickstarter campaign for film series. If you checked out “The Animation Show of Shows” at the Panida last month or simply enjoy animation in general, check out Diamond’s Kickstarter at https://www. kickstarter.com/projects/1828913661/the-animation-show-of-shows/description or use the Kickstarter search function. The more you donate, the better the rewards you’ll receive!
Crossword Solution
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FOOD
The Sandpoint Eater
My Kitchen Companion
By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist The front of my refrigerator is currently decorated with fanciful invitations. One reminds me to RSVP for a graduation party I don’t want to miss, and the rest are summer wedding invitations for a handful of special young ladies in my life. I haven’t attended a lot of weddings because if I wasn’t the bona fide caterer, I was arriving early to the reception venue to supervise the DIY crew. Other than one long-promised, small wedding cake for August, I am duty-free for the other weddings, so I’ll dress up and show up like the rest of the guests—an entirely novel concept for me. Since I bought a new specialty pan for the August cake, I decided I’d better make a test run to check the baking time. With all the ingredients assembled, I pulled out the flour shield for my trusty Kitchen-Aide mixer, my steady companion for more than thirty five years. I love that mixer like a trusty old friend. It was a gift from my husband on my first Christmas as a married woman—or, more accurately, a young bride, eager to begin her new life. Zane was an older rancher-bachelor when we married, and I moved to the remote ranch so far from town. Everything I did was under the watchful eye of his mother, and I’m sure she thought me young and wasteful. I know she was entirely disappointed that I didn’t sew, ¬¬and though she never said so, I’m sure she was surprised that I was actually a pretty damn good cook. It was a handy skill to have on a ranch filled with lots of hungry men. In the first two years, there were as many babies. To ward off bouts of baby blues and longing for my own mother, I would often bury myself in baking. I whipped up adorable first birthday cakes to share with friends and relatives along with miniature versions for 20 /
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the birthday baby. I mixed up countless layer cakes for the hired men and softened mounds of cream cheese into tasty and savory sandwich loaves for baptismal receptions. Every Christmas I made elaborate gingerbread villages and became adept at royal icing, achieving the perfect consistency for lifelike icicles that hung from roof and gable. Nearly every holiday picture taken in my kitchen includes that mixer, sturdy in the background. Life in the country was busy, measured by seasons of hard work. Calving season, planting season and haying season were followed by the seasons of fall: roundup, weaning and finally, the daily task of feeding hungry cows when the snow-covered ground would yield no more feed. Each season brought many helping hands to the ranch, and
not a day went by I wasn’t using that mixer to prepare a table laden with food to share with neighbors and city folk alike. With little helping hands, I fed bushels of fall apples through the grinder attachment, making gruel for orphaned baby deer, brought to us by the Department of Fish and Game, to raise and return to the wild. More than 25 years and two food-related careers have passed. Though I’ve experienced some epic (life and recipe) failures, the universe has mostly presented me with amazing moments and myriad opportunities. My own three children are grown (each, I am proud to point out, with their own color and model of Kitchen-Aide), and the little helping hands now belong to seven adorable grandchildren. These days, as
I line them up on sturdy chairs to watch the magic, I’m still baking my heart out, and so grateful for the extra time on my hands and patience of my spirit. Whether I’m whipping egg whites that peak to the rim of the bowl or whipping a batter light and fluffy, there’s usually an audience, with little fingers waiting to lick and savor whatever remains at the bottom of the bowl. This recipe for chocolate cake is about as reliable as my mixer, so if you want to create your own delicious magic without wasting precious summer moments on preparation and dishes, this moist and rich cake leaves you with only the bowl for cleanup and a beater to lick. If you don’t have an electric mixer, a sturdy wooden spoon will do just fine—for mixing and licking.
One Bowl Chocolate Cake This one-bowl chocolate cake is rich, moist, fast and easy to make. Frost with your favorite chocolate icing, or serve with freshly whipped cream and a handful of ripe garden berries.
INGREDIENTS: •1 cup white sugar •1 cup brown sugar •1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour •¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder •1 ½ tsp baking powder •1 ½ tsp baking soda •1 tsp salt •2 eggs •1 cup milk •½ cup vegetable oil •2 tsp vanilla extract •1 cup boiling water
DIRECTIONS: •Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and with a little of the cocoa powder, dust a nine by thirteen inch cake pan. •In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
•Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water (batter will look thin). Pour evenly into the prepared.
•Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Place on a wire rack until completely cool.
MUSIC
This week’s RLW by Cameron Rasmusson
READ
America’s music By Tim Henney Reader Contributor Asked to name their favorite song about the U.S., most Americans, I think, would say “God Bless America” or “The Star Spangled Banner.” Maybe “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee.” Or “America The Beautiful,” especially if they’ve heard Ray Charles sing it. Like you, I grew up to those anthems. Especially, in my case, listening to Kate Smith on the radio. But I like other songs about America just as much, some even more. For example, Woody Guthrie’s signature opus, “This Land Is Your Land.” Ferde Grofe’s “Grand Canyon Suite” is so gorgeous it makes you want to drop everything and hit the dusty trail to the Colorado River at the canyon’s bottom. A more recent nod to the homeland is Linda Ronstadt’s exuberant recording of “Back In The USA.” A song sacred to the Confederacy during the American Civil War, and no less so today below the Mason-Dixon line, is “I Wish I Was In Dixie,” or “Dixie,” a spirited salute to the Deep South. I have written previously in this column about early 1950s songfests in Albany, Ga.,with fellow USAF buddies. Among them were graduates of, or former students, at the Universities of Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. We seldom ended an evening of robust singing without belting out “Dixie.” Those proud 1953 great grandsons of 1865 rebel soldiers would shout out “... in Dixieland I’ll take my stand, to live and die in Dixie...” with conviction. Even defiance, depending on how many brews they had under their belts. In exchange I taught them “California Here I Come,” a rousing hosanna to my native state. Or to what my native state was before it exploded. Bing Crosby is partially to blame for that. In 1944 he recorded “San Fernando Valley” and every returning World War II vet who didn’t buy a house in Levittown on Long Island, N.Y., bought one in the San Fernando Valley. Later the Beach Boys harmonized about golden-haired California surfer girls. More people came running, especially young men. Then their parents. Many
millions chased the dream west. Some cities and states seem to lend themselves to memorable music. New York City has a zillion great songs about itself. “Take The A Train,” “The Sidewalks Of New York,” “Easter Parade,” “New York New York” (... the Bronx is up and the Battery’s down, and people ride in a hole in the ground...). “Give My Regards To Broadway.” “Autumn In New York.” “Manhattan” (... we’ll have Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island too ...). And hundreds of others. New Orleans might have even more. I usually don’t consult Google when producing Reader columns but this time I did. Browsing through an extensive collection of LP recordings and CDs at home, I found 22 songs about New Oreans. When I clicked Wikipedia it showed 430! The birthplace of jazz and of immortals Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino, New Orleans music is bluesy and jazzy. From classics like “Basin Street Blues,” “St. James Infirmary,” “When The Saints Go Marching In,” and “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans,” to Springsteen’s “The Big Muddy,” Dylan’s “Mr. Tamborine Man,” and “Mr. Bojangles” by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Thumbing through that same recorded library, a casual survey shows that the South easily leads all U.S. regions in musical ovations. Few can top “Georgia On My Mind,” another epic by the late Ray Charles, who was born there. “That’s What I Like About The South” was a huge hit by Phil Harris (band leader on Jack Benny’s radio program) back in the day. Here are other unforgettables: “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South.” “Stars Fell On Alabama.” “The Tennessee Waltz,” by Patti Page. Texas has a Stetson full of tunes. “Deep In The Heart Of Texas,” “The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You,” “El Paso,” “Streets Of Laredo,” and “San Antonio Rose” are a few. Perhaps less endearing are “Milk Cow Blues” and “Big Balls In Cow Town” by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Hoosiers love “Back Home In
Indiana.” Kansas jayhawks dance to “Kansas City” (...they’ve got some pretty little women there, and I’m gonna get me one...). Iowa composer Merideth Willson put Iowa on the musical map with the 1957 Broadway blockbuster, “The Music Man.” And “Oklahoma!” from the 1943 Broadway show, is that state’s global footprint. Nothing stirs memories of a place or person like an old song. Tunes about Florida cities were central to two of my early romances. In the sweet summer of 1947 at Pinecrest, an old-time California mountain resort, I fell madly in love with my first super serious girlfriend, Maryann. We were 17 and 15. She taught me to dance, both fast and slow. I remember Nat Cole’s “Route 66,” Frankie Laine’s debut hit, “That’s My Desire,” and “To Each His Own” by the Eddie Howard orchestra. They performed from a massive, multi-colored Wurlitzer juke box in the center of the big-timbered lodge. But most of all I remember Crosby & The Andrews Sisters swingin’ a song titled “Tallahassee” (...when you meet folks, all polite and classy, and every smile bids you stay and rest...get off that train, you’re in Tallahassee, the Southland at its best...). Perhaps not on everyone’s list of top romantic ballads, but when I play that record now, about once every 10 years, Maryann and Pinecrest pop up. The other ardent Florida moment occurred at a restaurant on the Gulf Of Mexico, in 1953. Crosby sang about that city, too. It’s called “Apalachicola, Fla.” About as passionate an aria as Tallahassee. En route to Sarasota from Albany to visit the sister of Peggy, at the time my steady Dixie chick, we stopped for dinner in Apalachicola. Under giant oaks with spanish moss hanging above
an outdoor dining deck overlooking the water, she showed me how to slurp down raw oysters on the half shell. Without throwing up. When I happily slurp a raw oyster today, some 63 years later, leggy Peggy’s reflection, draped in Spanish moss, sometimes appears briefly in the empty half shell. St. Louis, San Francisco and Chicago have been the affectionate subjects of many songs. Some are legendary. “St. Louis Blues.” “San Francisco” — a tribute to 1967, the “summer of love,” (...be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...). Tony Bennett’s indelible “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” “Also My Kind Of Town,” Sinatra’s love letter to Chicago. And Judy Garland’s rambunctious delivery of “Chicago” (...I had a surprise, the surprise of my life, I saw a man, dancing with his own wife...”). Few songs about American places are more comforting than “Moonlight In Vermont.” Or more frisky than “The Maine Stein Song” (...fill the steins to dear old Maine, shout ‘till the rafters ring...”). The Bee Gees sang “Massachusetts,” John Denver crooned “Rocky Mountain High,” Willie rhapsodized about “Sioux City Sue,” and the Kingston Trio had a hit, “M.T.A.,” about poor old Charlie, a prisoner on the Boston subway. Great songs about great American places. And there are many more. There might be dozens of songs about Idaho, but I know only one. It’s named “Idaho.” My record library includes a rousing, big beat instrumental by the famed Count Basie band. And also, a very mellow jazz cut by pianist Art Tatum, sax genius Benny Carter and drummer Louie Bellson. Alas, my collection of recordings includes no musical odes to Omaha, Boise, Baltimore, Los Angeles (“Hooray For Hollywood” doesn’t count) or Spokane. I do have a Perry Como recording called “Seattle.” It’s a terrible song. That’s why nobody remembers it.
If you know me well, you know I’m fascinated by religion and even studied Christian theology for a New York minute. Given that background, it’s been a pleasure digging into “The History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years.” Tracing the religion back to its twin roots in Judaism and Greek philosophy, author Diarmaid MacCulloch finds a coherent narrative in the numerous theological permutations that arose following Christianity’s foundation. For a comprehensive look at perhaps the most influential force within the Western world, it’s tough to do better.
LISTEN
I’m no fan of electronica, so it’s all the more surprising when artists within the genre transcend my distaste. Such is the case with Susumu Hirasawa. Little known in the states, Hirasawa’s 40-year career as a musician has spanned several bands and soundtracks for film and TV. His brilliant work with synthesizers creates richly textured compositions with strong melodic through-lines. Outside of Japan, Hirasawa is best known as the composer for the late auteur animator, Satoshi Kon. His soundtrack for the film “Paprika,” available on Spotify, is a good entry point to his work.
WATCH
Screenwriter and playwright Peter Shaffer passed away this week, so in his honor, I rewatched my favorite film he penned, “Amadeus.” Adapted from Shaffer’s stage play and directed by Milos Forman, the movie is a heavily fictionalized portrayal of the relationship between iconic composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his lesser-known rival, Antonio Salieri. While the bitterness Salieri held for Mozart is almost certainly a literary invention, the film is nonetheless a profound exploration of jealousy and the nature of artistic genius, each step of the journey punctuated by beautiful classical music. June 9, 2016 /
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w o N & Then compiled by
Ben Olson
Each week, we feature a new photograph taken from the same vantage point as one taken long ago. See how we’ve changed, and how we’ve stayed the same. Historical information provided and verified by Bonner County Museum staff and volunteers. The Museum is located at 611 S. Ella — (208) 263-2344.
Fosters Crossing on Fifth Avenue in Sandpoint. The pile of railroad ties are those that were removed from the Spokane International Railroad in May, 1997.
CROSSWORD
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
1997
ACROSS
Fosters Crossing today, almost 20 years later. The former railroad bed is now a paved bike path that travels along Fifth Avenue.
2016
Woorf tdhe Week
oenomel
/EE-nuh-mel/
[noun] 1. Something combining strength with sweetness. 2. A drink made of wine and honey. “Coffee for the morning, oenomel for the wee hours, please.”
Corrections: I made an editor’s error in Jim Ramsey’s Sandpoint Airport story, placing dollar signs on numbers that were meant to describe the airport’s number of operations, or aircraft movements. Sorry about that, Jim! [CR] 22 /
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1. Caper 6. Identical 10. Vipers 14. Hawaiian veranda 15. Astringent 16. Concern 17. Up to 18. Metal fastener 19. A ball of yarn 20. Spontaneous abortion 22. Nights before 23. Occupation 24. Malicious burning 26. Not digital 30. Oxygen and helium, for example 32. Offensively curious 33. Pertaining to judges 37. Branchlet 38. Round red root vegetables 39. Curse 40. Untarnished 42. A high-pitched woodwind 43. Layers 44. Antenna 45. Nimble 47. Arrive (abbrev.) 48. Close violently 49. Marked by tact 56. Decorative case 57. False god 58. Habituate 59. Tease 60. Roman emperor
Solution on page 19 61. Well-known 62. No charge 63. International trade agreement 64. Thigh armor
DOWN 1. Add 2. Deliver a tirade 3. Against 4. Found on a finger 5. Party pooper 6. Sir, in India 7. Winglike 8. Be compelled 9. Inflection 10. Capable of being
reached 11. Artillery burst 12. Primp 13. Stitches 21. Mire 25. Scarlet 26. Picnic insects 27. Nothing (British) 28. Largest continent 29. Make legal 30. Estimate 31. The products of human creativity 33. Razz 34. Inner membrane of embryos
35. Initial wager 36. Lascivious look 38. Hemorrhaging 41. Zero 42. Vinify 44. To and ___ 45. Communion table 46. A type of bandage 47. Dole 48. Slave 50. Bright thought 51. Harbor 52. Dwarf buffalo 53. Sounds of reproof 54. Angers 55. Formally surrender
One of the worst things you can do as an actor, I think, is to forget your lines, and then get so flustered you start stabbing the other actors.
Six Local Authors Saturday, June 11 • 12-2pm
Listen in Sandpoint to KPND @ 106.7 in HD
VAnderford's Books & Office Products 201 Cedar St., Sandpoint, ID 263-2417 Duke Dierks “Small Town Ho” Mary Haley “Ghostwriter:
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The Great Potato Murder”
Tom Reppert “Captured Girl”
“The Far Journey”
George Brinkman
“The Origins of Christianity”
Whitney Palmer
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“The Mysterious Pend Oreille Paddler” Marsha Lord “Call Me Crazy: Adventures of a Psychic”
265-9724 June 9, 2016 /
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