Reader_June9_2022

2 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 946-4368

The week in random review

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

75,000

That’s the number of miles an average adult will walk in their lifetime. For scale, that distance would get you about a third of the way to the moon.

Bug Fact

We all know that dragonflies are awesome, and a lot of us know that they used to be among the apex predators on Earth — growing to immense size (with wingspans up to two-and-a-half feet, or about the same size as a big crow). What I didn’t realize until I watched a documentary about these bugs this week, is that they’ve been on the planet 80 times longer than human beings — about 300 million years. And, in all that time, their body plan hasn’t changed, other than making them smaller. Which I think we can all agree is a good thing, since they used to feast on our distant ancestors.

love your lake

The water is rising on Lake Pend Oreille (or “Pend Oreille Lake,” as the sign on the Long Bridge would have it), so it’s good to remember just how big and deep our local waters really are. According to best estimates, LPO is 1,150 feet deep — the fifth-deepest lake in the country and deep enough that if you sunk the Empire State Building in it, only the spire would rise above the water. The lake also covers 148 square miles, roughly the same area as the Caribbean islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — but it’s a lot chillier.

things that happen to my kids

My son is about to finish fourth grade. For an end-of-year field trip, his awesome teacher organized a visit to the mines in Wallace a week or so ago. Well, my son somehow managed to get a piece of mine rock stuck in his ear (to no fault of his teacher).

Trouble was, he didn’t tell anyone about it all day — including us, his parents — until right before bed. Then, flashlight in hand, I peered into his ear canal and, sure enough, saw a big chunk of Wallace in there.

Then, as I was figuring out how to deal with this situation, it fell deeper into his head. It was “do-we-go-to-the-hospital?” time. I didn’t want to do that, so I had him lean his head over the arm of the couch (rock-ear down), and laid down on the floor like I was examining a car chassis. After a few wiggles, I saw the rock working its way out and — thank God — it dropped right out into my hand. Phew.

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Cassandra Robinson (cover), Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, NASA Bill Borders, Kelcie Moseley-Morris Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Tim Henney, Emily Erickson Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $155 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.

The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism.

Free to all, limit two copies per person.

Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics.

Requirements: –No more than 300 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About the Cover

This week’s cover photo was taken by Cassandra Robinson.

Don’t forget to check out the Sandpoint Renaissance Faire this weekend!

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 3

NEWS

Sandpoint P&Z approves use permit for 130-unit apartment complex on N. Boyer

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Members of the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit application June 7, moving a proposed mixed-used development one step closer to bringing more than 130 new apartments to North Boyer Avenue.

The development, by Sandpoint Opportunity Zone Fund, LLC, would be located on the four-acre vacant lot bounded to the north by the railroad tracks, to the east by Sixth Avenue and to the south by Chestnut Street, and consist of two four-story buildings each with a footprint of about 22,400 square feet.

Located within the Commercial B zone, the ground floors of both buildings would be made up of 12,014 square feet of residential apartments — including one three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit; 10 two-bedroom, two-bath units; and two one-bedroom, one-bath units. That’s in addition to 3,150 square feet of common space, 1,486 square feet of storage and decks, and 5,700 square feet of non-residential, which could include retail, facilities infrastructure, office space, workout space or some other combination.

The non-residential spaces would face North Boyer with glass storefronts and be accessed from the 204-stall parking area located in the rear of the buildings.

Upper floors in the buildings would be almost entirely residential, with 20 units per floor including two three-bedroom, two-bath units; 14 two-bedroom, two-bath units; and two one-bedroom, one-bath units. As with the ground floor, upper stories would also have about 3,000 square feet of common space.

Altogether the project would feature 67 dwelling units per building for a total of 134 apartments.

Todd Butler, of Coeur d’Alene-based Forte Architecture and Planning, represented the applicant, telling commissioners that his client is currently wrapping up a similar large-scale mixed-use development in Missoula, Mont., and the vacant property just west of the Milltown apartment complex — and a short walk north of Super 1 Foods — “was a really good fit for this zone and this context area, in our opinion.”

Asked by Commissioner Slate Kamp whether the units could be considered workforce housing, Butler said “by the nature of apartments you get that.”

However, pricing for the units would be “just market. It’s a market income,” Butler said.

“There will just be continual market research on this,” he added. “Historically 4 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

the most marketable seem to be two-bedroom, two-bath units. We’re going to have to make some of those final decisions at the end. … There will be flexibility built into the design, but we don’t have all the answers at this time.”

The site plan calls for a courtyard separating the buildings and providing a pedestrian connection between the parking lot and North Boyer frontage, as well as a playground and sports court near the southeast corner. The developer also intends to include electric vehicle charging stations.

While commissioners voted unanimously to approve the application, it came with a number of conditions, including a required traffic impact study. North Boyer is already considered an arterial road, and poised to become orders of magnitude busier as other high-profile housing developments progress along the road farther to the north, including University Place and Boyer Meadows.

Because it’s a principal arterial, Sandpoint City Code doesn’t allow direct access onto North Boyer unless it’s determined acceptable and approved by the traffic study, which is getting underway.

Commissioner Amelia Boyd expressed some concern about an existing road on the northern edge of the property that connects to North Boyer within a short distance from the railroad crossing.

“My concern is if the traffic impact study does approve this, I find it hardpressed for that even to be a viable access point because of the proximity of the railroad track,” she said.”It’s always backed up there anyway.”

Butler said the trip generation letter for the project “raised some red flags about this many more trips per day,” but noted that the site has plenty of access off of Sixth and Chestnut.

Another sticking point was the timeline for delivering the project.

One of the conditions stipulated that “work shall commence within one year following the date of approval by City Council,” while another stated that “duration of the development shall be completed and certificates of occupancy issued within three years of the CUP issuance.”

Owing to the size of the development and the construction labor and materials crunch, Butler worried about those conditions, noting that he’s been working on

An artist’s rendering of the 130-unit mixed-use development proposed on N. Boyer Ave. Courtesy image. the project in Missoula for close to a year already and it’s still unready for tenants.

“I’m sure this will be a year or more in the build of one [building],” he said, adding that planning for the project has already been pushed back to spring 2023 and may even be extended into next summer.

“A year could be very tight,” he said.

City staff said the condition regarding the one-year requirement for work to commence is from City Code and so is required, but three-year occupancy deadline could be adjusted by Planning and Zoning.

Commissioner Ben McGrann proposed that the three-year condition could be amended to provide for two one-year extensions to be granted at the discretion of city staff, which fellow commission members approved with their vote in favor of the application.

Officers release identity of body recovered at City Beach

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Local law enforcement officials have identified the man whose remains were pulled from the water June 7 at Sandpoint City Beach as Gary Bonser, 40, of Sagle.

According to the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, “It is unknown at this time how long Mr. Bonser had been in the water. The cause and circumstances of his death are currently under investigation.”

Sandpoint Police were first to respond to the call at City Beach at around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, after a juvenile who had been fishing off the Statue of Liberty pier reported that he’d hooked onto Bonser’s clothing about 15 feet out in the water.

Police were joined by the Selkirk Fire Department as well as the BCSO Marine Department, Dive Team and detectives, who took up the investigation.

The Dive Team recovered Bonser’s body as a number of beach users looked on.

Sandpoint resident Tammy Shivel confirmed to the Reader at the scene that

she saw three or so kids fishing at the pier before first responders arrived.

Oldtown resident Kourtney Tucker was visiting a friend in Sandpoint and swimming near the north side of the pier when officers arrived and told her to return to the beach. She also saw a number of young people fishing from the pier, and later told the Reader that one of them had snagged

Law enforcement personnel recovered the body of Gary Bonser, 40, of Sagle at the Sandpoint City Beach June 7. Photo by Ben Olson.

Bonser in the water.

“They pulled him up right where I was swimming,” she said. “Things like this don’t happen here.”

No further details were available by press time.

NEWS

Idaho Republicans concerned over environmental, social investment standards Business organization leader says ESG standards are the next legislative ‘boogeyman’

By Kelcie Moseley-Morris Idaho Capital Sun While some Idaho legislators and interest groups have expressed deep concern about environmental, social and governance standards in the business world and say it’s part of a “woke agenda” from liberal activists, the president of the Gem State’s largest business organization says the standards are the latest “boogeyman” meant to sow political chaos and division.

A large group of Idaho politicians and lobbyists met at the Statehouse on June 7 for a discussion about the standards — which are better known as ESG — in the credit rating and business investment space. ESG ratings are part of a process meant to measure certain aspects of a company or entity that may indicate social consciousness, commitment to sustainability and potential investment risks.

The environmental factors for ESG scores include considerations such as carbon emissions, air and water pollution and green energy initiatives, while the social components include commitment to diversity and customer satisfaction, and governance includes factors such as diversity of board members, executive pay and lobbying activities.

Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth hosted the discussion with U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who joined remotely, as well as Sen. Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens, and Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay. Guest speakers included Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur who wrote a book called, Woke, Inc: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam, Utah State Treasurer Marlo Oaks and Derek Kreifels, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation.

ESG as a business concept isn’t new and has been around for more than a decade, particularly in the natural resources space, said Alex LaBeau, president of the Idaho Association of Commerce

and Industry.

What is new? Recent updates from federal organizations, including Standard & Poor’s, a global credit rating agency, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, a federal agency that regulates market activities. Both organizations have announced efforts to update and clarify ESG standards over the past year.

LaBeau said he does have issues with what he considers the arbitrary way the federal standards were decided without input from stakeholders. The Securities and Exchange Commission largely focused on climate factors as part of President Joe Biden’s focus on climate change.

“These criteria may seem innocuous on the surface, but unfortunately many standards are subjective and grant regulators and corporations undue influence on public policy,” Crapo said during the meeting. “Rather than going to state legislatures and Congress to debate and pass laws and policies, there’s an effort to bypass voters and pressure financial institutions to reduce lending to disfavored companies or states.”

Utah officials objected to ‘moderately negative’ climate rating Standard & Poor’s released a subscriber-only report at the end of March assigning ESG ratings to states, with most states, including Utah, rated as “neutral.” Idaho’s rating was not publicly available on June 7.

Utah’s environmental score was “moderately negative,” according to a report from Bloomberg, because of concerns around its long-term water supply.

California and New York received the same rating.

“We’re told that unless we deal with climate change, then we’re going to lose the globe, we’re all going to die because climate is an existential threat,” Oaks said.

“What we don’t hear about is what is the cost of going down the path that we’re being led down. What is the cost of getting rid of traditional

energy? … Think about living an 1800s Amish lifestyle. That’s what we’re talking about.”

Oaks said the insurance company for one of Utah’s utility companies was recently informed that coverage for their vehicle fleet wouldn’t be renewed because the company owns a coal-burning power plant and has stakes in two other related companies. The utility company was told the insurer’s underwriting company was cutting ties with companies that profit from coal power.

“It’s very easy to see that if (you and I) at some point in the not-too-distant future don’t have the right profile, if we’re not acting appropriately … we may be denied services as well,” Oaks said. “This is what I call the politicization and the weaponization of capital. And this is what we have to stop.”

The Idaho Legislature’s interim Committee on Federalism met right after the ESG discussion and continued to discuss the issue with Jonathan Williams, a chief economist from the American Legislative Exchange Council, and Scott Shepard, director of the Free Enterprise Project. Williams said Idaho should consider more legislation next year aimed at keeping ESG out of public pension investments.

Idaho governor, attorney general and others sent letter objecting to ESG rating In May, many Idaho officials, including Idaho’s congressional delegation and Gov. Brad Little, sent a letter to Standard & Poor’s objecting to the March report assigning ESG ratings to states.

The letter cites Idaho’s solid credit ratings and robust reserve funds, saying the state carefully manages its finances.

“In short, Idaho is solvent and should not be penalized by you or any other entity for its sovereign decisions,” the letter said.

The officials also said the score for governance attributed to Idaho should not have been anything other than positive, because the

agency’s own explanation of the rating discussed forward-looking governance decisions and risk mitigation without naming any means of measuring those factors.

“This can only mean that either the ratings are political, or S&P is not actually making any inquiry and simply publishing generic ratings,” the letter said. “Neither scenario is acceptable to Idaho.

We respectfully request that S&P immediately take down these ratings and cease from engaging in any non-objective ratings criteria.”

Other states have been discussing the issue and taking action related to ESG scores as well.

In June 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill banning state investments in businesses that had cut ties with the oil and gas industry. At the end of May, The New York Times reported West Virginia’s state treasurer pulled money from one of the world’s largest financial institutions, BlackRock, because the company flagged climate change as an economic risk.

Idaho has already taken action on ESG during 2022 legislative session Idaho legislators already passed one ESG-related bill during this year’s legislative session with Senate Bill 1405, which prohibits any public agency in Idaho that is engaged in investment activities from considering ESG characteristics in a way that would override typical prudent investment rules.

The House of Representatives also voted in favor of a concurrent resolution stating opposition to the standards, saying the standards are “designed to create a ‘great reset’ of capitalism.”

LaBeau said that line of think-

Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth, center, holds up a copy of Woke, Inc: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam, a book written by a guest speaker at Tuesday’s discussion of environmental, social and governance standards. Photo by Kelcie Moseley-Morris/Idaho Capital Sun. ing is driven by people who want to sell books, including conservative commentator Glenn Beck, who visited Republican legislators at the Idaho Capitol in February and discussed the issue with lawmakers, and conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation.

LaBeau expects the issue will be a focus of the 2023 legislative session, and said he is frustrated by the fact that the conversation isn’t focused on the broader issues related to climate change and instead on what he calls fear mongering.

“It’s become more of a bumper sticker battle than actually talking about the issue itself,” LaBeau said. “Climate change is real, we know it’s real, we all know the factors that are associated with it. So, what are the technologies available [to mitigate it], and how can we bring them online in a way that makes sense, and what is capital willing to risk?”

This story was produced by the Idaho Capital Sun, a Boise-based independent, nonprofit online news organization delivering in-depth coverage from veteran Idaho reporters on state government and policy.

The Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit funded by tax-free donations in 22 states. Learn more and follow daily updates at idahocapitalsun. com and statesnewsroom.com.

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 5

NEWS

Lake refill remains on track

Unseasonably cold temperatures contribute to high snow water equivalent

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

As Lake Pend Oreille approaches its summer pool level and temperatures continue to rise to more seasonal heights, one statistic is raising eyebrows in the Pend Oreille Basin: the snow water equivalent, which, as of June 8, sat at 280% of normal, according to USDA and NRCS National Water and Climate Center.

The data, according to Lakes Commission Executive Director Molly McCahon, isn’t quite as outrageous as it seems at face value. “​​It isn’t that there is more snow this year than average,” she told the Reader.

“It is that on this date there is way more snow than normal for this time of year. It has normally run off by now.”

In its latest report on June 3, the Army Corps of Engineers stated that “Lake Pend Oreille elevation is expected to increase gradually.”

“Albeni Falls operations during May and June will be set according to observed and forecast conditions in order

to manage flood risk,” the report continued. “The Corps monitors snowpack and weather forecasts to determine timing to reach the summer operating range of 2,062 to 2,062.5 feet. In a typical nonflood year, this summer range is reached in mid to late June. The current seasonal water supply forecast for April-July inflow volume is 95% of average.”

On June 8, lake elevation at the Hope gauge — where the lake’s overall elevation is measured — sat around 2,060.34 feet. Predictive data currently estimates that Lake Pend Oreille will reach summer pool (2,062 feet) around Saturday, June 18. With weather forecasts predicting more rain events in coming days, those numbers are subject to change.

“Inflow may slow, but overall, will likely continue to increase,” McCahon said. “It is difficult to know how the anticipated heavy rain will affect inflow.”

The lake’s level can be monitored in real time by heading to nwrfc.noaa.gov/ rfc and clicking on the Hope gauge plot point on the map.

Johnson Creek Bridge to be replaced this fall

Load limits now in place, alternate driving routes recommended

By Reader Staff A bridge across Johnson Creek that accesses Forest Service lands and private properties along the eastern shore of Lake Pend Oreille has a reduced load capacity for large trucks and machinery, and will be replaced this fall.

Passenger vehicles can still use the bridge.

Large trucks and vehicles, or heavy machinery that exceed the recommended load, are recommended to take alternate driving routes from now until construction is complete.

Johnson Creek Bridge, a treated timber structure built in 1957, is located at mile marker 0.71 on Johnson Creek Road, immediately south of the Clark Fork River delta in the northeast corner of Lake Pend Oreille, near Highway 200, just west of Clark Fork.

Forest Service engineers have identified structural deficiencies that require a reduced load rating until the bridge can be replaced.

Construction is scheduled to begin in September and continue through May 2023 to replace the current structure with a concrete bulb tee bridge. The road segment will 6 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

be closed entirely during construction. Until work begins, travelers with heavy trucks or machinery should contact Road Manager Joseph Heisel at 208-265-6619 to inquire about U.S. Forest Service load permits.

For travelers heading south from Highway 200 driving to Lakeview, Cedar Creek, Whiskey Rock and Granite, the recommended detour from the north is taking Dry Creek Road/Forest Service Road 230 to High Drive Road/Forest Service Road 332, then tie back into Johnson Creek Road via Johnson Saddle Road/Forest Service Road 1066 to Forest Service Road 278/Johnson Creek Road.

Alternatively, another detour would be Twin Creek Road/Forest Service Road 277 to Ruen Creek Road/Forest Service Road 1021 to High Drive Road/Forest Service Road 332, then tie back into Johnson Creek Road via Johnson Saddle Road/Forest Service Road 1066 to Forest Service Road 278/ Johnson Creek Road.

These locations can be accessed from the south on Bunco Road/Forest Service Road 332 to Johnson Creek Road/Forest Service Road 278.

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact.

A recent sampling: According to NPR, eight primetime televised hearings of the Jan. 6 House Select Committee will begin on Thursday, June 9. Included in the summary of evidence collected so far will be previously unseen material documenting the first nearly successful presidential coup in the nation’s history.

A federal jury has determined that Hillary Clinton’s campaign lawyer Michael Sussman did not make a false statement to the FBI regarding Russia and ties to the 2016 election, Reuters reported. After ignoring a subpoena, former Donald Trump presidential adviser Peter Navarro has been indicted for refusing to cooperate with the Jan. 6 House Select Committee. Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert, of Texas, complained to Newsmax about Navarro’s jailing and Sussman’s acquittal.

“If you’re a Republican, you can’t even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they’re coming after you,” Gohmert said.

As Business Insider noted, lying to the executive, legislative or judicial branch of the U.S. government is a felony, regardless of party affiliation.

In filing a “superseding indictment” against members of the Proud Boys, including seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding for their role in the Jan 6 riot, the Department of Justice stated that the men’s purpose was to “oppose the lawful transfer of presidential powers by force.”

Retired Harvard law professor Lawrence Tribe tweeted: “Seditious conspiracy is huge. [There is] no more serious federal crime short of treason.”

The recent deaths of three women at a Chicago senior nursing facility has brought into focus lack of access to air conditioning during heat waves, which have grown in severity and occurrence fueled by global climate change. The facility in question had experienced interior temperatures of 102 degrees Fahrenheit, CBS reported. Last summer in the Pacific Northwest more than 1,000 people died during the so-called “heat dome” event in 2021, which sent temperatures throughout the region to record-breaking heights during the early summer season.

The G-7 countries of Japan, the United Kingdom, the U.S., France, Italy, Canada

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

and Germany have agreed to cut funding for overseas fossil fuel development by the end of 2022, putting an end to taxpayers funding overseas oil, gas and coal projects, meanwhile redirecting $33 billion to renewable energy projects.

Vaccine manufacturers across the planet are now geared up to mass produce COVID-19 vaccines, but unable to do so without a good recipe. citing intellectual property rights, big-name COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers have so far refused to share a recipe.

According to the investment banking group African Alliance, 78.7% of Africans have not had a COVID-19 vaccination.

An Alliance spokesperson said, “If you have the answer to reducing death and hospitalization … and you are refusing to share with us, that tells us you are not on the side of humanity.”

Ukraine-Russia headlines: “Sexual violence worsens in Ukraine”; “After Russian threat, UK says it will send Ukraine rocket launchers”; “Another Russian general killed in Ukraine”; and “Russia seeks buyers for plundered Ukraine grain, U.S. warns.”

The U.S. economy is poised to grow faster than China’s for the first time since 1976, and ranks the strongest of the G-7 democracies. The most recent job report shows 329,000 new non-farm jobs added in May, unemployment at 3.6% and a wage growth of 5% for the year. Detracting from that: the influence on markets from the war in Ukraine, a continuation of supply chain problems and oil producers being slow to respond to demands after COVID-19 shutdowns (while still raking in record profits).

President Joe Biden commented in the Wall Street Journal that he ran for office because, “I was tired of the so-called trickle down economy.” Biden noted that in 2021 the U.S. created more manufacturing jobs than in almost any year over the past three decades.

Blast from the past: In the first three years after Franklin Delano Roosevelt became president during the Great Depression, gross domestic product grew by 10.86% and unemployment fell from 20% to under 10%. FDR’s success in sidelining the would-be fascist grip of oligarchic business interests resulted in his re-election three more times. Historians say FDR explored fascism, and rejected it. Biden has been accused of emulating FDR.

PERSPECTIVES

We need to be nice

By Tim Henney Reader Contributor Here are some things I thought about during a Lakeview Park stroll with Man’s Best Friend Tippy a few mornings ago: The fellow dogsters who meet regularly at the boat dock are among the most fraternal, humorous and thoughtful neighbors I’ve ever known. But I have reason to suspect they don’t share my political beliefs.

Never in an extra-long life has this been troublesome. But today it definitely is.

“Politics,” someone once quipped, “makes strange bedfellows” — meaning people who have little in common can come together over shared

political views. Turned on its head, it means people with opposing political beliefs can be buddies, if they value friendship over ideology.

“So,” I say to myself, “as the Eagles rock band recorded: ‘Get Over It!’” Waiting in the patient room on a recent morning at Advanced Dermatology in Spokane for surgeon (and frequent Sandpoint visitor) Joel Sears to appear with results from fiendish carvings on my forehead, a fellow bandaged guest came in, sat down, smiled and started talking.

“Damn,” I thought, “a talker — so much for my book.”

Annoyed, I decided, nonetheless, to be nice. Well, irritation quickly became admiration. And not just because my

talkative seatmate and I were equally distraught about our country’s ugly cultural divisions since the 2016 election and subsequent violent attack on the national Capitol.

Greg Douglas was (is) 73, a jolly retired Spokane school teacher, wed 45 years and still in love. He was a 21 year-old white guy from Spokane when he led a combat patrol in Vietnam. His squad were 17- and 18-year-old rural Black kids from the Deep South. Some, he said, remain his pals to this day. That spoke volumes about this guy.

Greg’s insides are a disaster, demanding regular medical treatment because of constant exposure to Agent Orange and napalm in ’Nam. Yet I’ve seldom met a man so grateful,

so upbeat, so optimistic and so in love with life. What a great guy with whom to start a day. Yet no better than Bonnie, Frank, Ed, Pete or Tom — dogsters who gather at the Lakeview Park boat dock every morning.

What if I had decided not to hang out with and enjoy the camaraderie of these congenial fellow Sandpointians because some might disagree with me about the seriousness of today’s scary anti-democracy drift? And what if I had just mumbled “hi” and kept reading my book when citizen role model Greg Douglas of Spokane sat down and started

up a conversation?

Well, for one thing, I wouldn’t feel as happy as I do during this walk in the park with Man’s Best Friend Tippy.

Or about life itself. We need to be nice.

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 7

Home fire suppression system…

Bouquets: • A big Bouquet goes out to the board, staff and volunteers from Kinderhaven. I’ve had the pleasure of touring the Kinderhaven facility and saw with my own eyes how warm and comfortable it is there.

This organization has helped so many kids in need in this region.

It’s a shame that sweeping federal legislation is now forcing the facility to close. Let’s hope they find a new way to keep helping those precious young people in our community who need a refuge when family matters prove too difficult.

Barbs: • To see just how ridiculous the Republican Party has gotten, all you have to do is read a recent quote from Texas Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert. Gohmert was being interviewed on Newsmax (a nuttier clone of Fox News) about former Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who had just been arrested for contempt of Congress. Gohmert had, of course, objected to Navarro’s arrest, but not for reasons you might think. Instead. Gohmert said, and this is verbatim: “If you’re a Republican, you can’t even lie to Congress or lie to the FBI agent or they’re coming after you.” Again, this is a real quote, from an elected lawmaker representing the state with the second-largest population in the country, lamenting the fact that Republicans can’t lie to Congress or the FBI without consequences. You can explain it away as Gohmert being obtuse, or saying the wrong words, but I think he said exactly what many in the Republican Party truly believe: that they are above the law, or think we’re too stupid to see through their scofflaw mentality masquerading as a political philosophy. The so-called “moral high ground” of the Republican Party is closer to a quagmire, and they keep on sinking lower.

• I’m not into motorcycle riders blaring their music loudly for the whole town to listen to when driving by. I just like the sound of the engine and the wind whipping by when I’m riding my motorcycle.

There, I said it. I’m now officially an old man.

8 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

Dear editor, Having discovered a fire on my deck in late November, with flames racing up the cedar siding, I was fortunate to discover that a nearby hose bib was not frozen. If I had to access water otherwise, I would have been running from the kitchen sink with a bucket.

I did not want to chance another episode like that.

Upon contemplation, I came up with an easy to operate, inexpensive and easy to install home fire suppression system that would cover my whole house. It entails basic plumbing skills but would be very inexpensive if one had to hire a plumber (or a handy neighbor).

One has to merely tap into the cold water piping; I used the inlet to my hot water heater, as it is centrally located in the house. I replaced an ell with a tee and added a short nipple and a ¾-inch full opening ball valve (can be opened rapidly), as opposed to a gate valve. I then installed another short nipple, a hose adaptor fitting and a collapsible hose. I chose a 100-foot hose for long reach. The collapsible hose fits in one hand.

I also incorporated a nozzle on the end to serve as a secondary shutoff. This could be operated easily by virtually anyone even if confined to a wheelchair. I supplemented this system with several fire extinguishers in case of a power outage and resultant well shut down.

Wishing you all to be safe.

Larry Pedersen Sandpoint

‘Idaho’s heritage’ hasn’t always been gun-centric…

Dear editor, With our country still grieving from recent shooting massacres, there may be some who are still championing the right to carry guns anywhere — even in music festivals — as if Idaho’s heritage has always cherished such a gun culture.

Yet we learn from former Idaho Attorney General and combat veteran Jim Jones that this was not always the case.

In 1889, Idaho’s Territorial Legislature ordered it unlawful for any person, other than on-duty law officers and certain company officials, to “carry, exhibit or flourish” any pistol, gun or sword within city limits or in any public assembly.

It may surprise some of those moving to Idaho from states with stricter gun controls that Idaho hasn’t always had looser gun regulations.

According to Jones: ”Our present congressional delegation in Washington is shamefully afraid to get crosswise with the National Rifle Association,” which is a “mouthpiece for the gun industry.”

President Joe Biden is asking Congress for a federal ban on AR-15 military-type rifles and high-capacity magazines. He supported such a ban that was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1994, after former Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan supported it.

President Bill Clinton signed it into law the same year. The ban was allowed to expire in 2004, under the presidency of George W. Bush.

Another country with a gun culture, New Zealand, banned all of the most lethal types of semi-automatic weapons after a horrific gun massacre at a church. As a result, New Zealanders voluntarily turned in 50,000 guns in a buy-back program with the government.

As a veteran who risked his life for our country, I believe there is no reason why an 18-year old should be able to purchase a firearm designed for military combat, as was in the case of the Texas school shooting.

Jim Ramsey Sandpoint

Have something to say? Write a letter to the editor. We accept letters under 300 words that are free of libelous content or excessive profanity. No trolling or lying. Please elevate the conversation.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Ulterior motivation

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist Of the few human behaviors I dislike outright, one that I particularly struggle with is ulterior motivation — being deliberately unclear about agendas in order to achieve some secret or unexpressed goal. My dislike applies to interpersonal relationships, like someone wanting something from me, but instead of explicitly asking for it, trying to con or manipulate me into giving it of my “own” volition (I’m the youngest sibling of three, so I have a lifetime of experience seeing through veiled coercion).

But, more vehemently than at the interpersonal level, I dislike ulterior motivation from people and organizations with influence and power. It occurs regularly in politics, with candidates masking their primary agendas of being reelected or personally profiting, by parroting the “beliefs” that they feel most likely to achieve those ends. And it occurs, with exceeding prevalence, at the hands of corporations tokenizing social movements for capitalistic gain.

Every year on June 1 we’re inundated with business and brands turning their products and services “rainbow” — from clothes to food labels to corporate logos — kicking off Pride Month with technicolored mayo (or whatever). If the majority of these efforts were actually aimed at benefiting and supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer plus (LGBTQ+) community, it

Emily Erickson. would be amazing.

But, when corporations engaging in Pride branding either fall short of promoting equality and furthering the efforts of the LGBTQ+ community — or in some cases, even actively fund politicians opposing equitable legislation — this celebration isn’t allyship. It’s marketing.

This marketing, or a version of performative allyship, is the act of making a broad and symbolic gesture, without taking any action to actually improve the status of the marginalized group being “championed.”

It’s Home Depot and AT&T rainbow-washing their logos for a month, while simultaneously donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to legislators with anti-LGBTQ+ voting records.

It’s in even less obvious examples, like Kim Kardashian posting a rainbow-backed avatar to promote her video game while exclaiming, “Happy Pride!” on June 1 last year — promptly to be destroyed by Twitter, with my personal favorite retort by @TMahogany44 exclaiming, “What’s wrong with y’all?! Can’t you say Happy Pride Month

without selling something?” @TMahogany44 got to the heart of it. If people and businesses are going to celebrate a social movement, they should do it without an ulterior motive. If they’re going to be about something, they should be about it authentically.

Being about something honors its history and origin story, with the first Pride marches commemorating the Stonewall Uprising in 1969; thousands of people gathering to demonstrate for their right to live openly and safely as themselves. Activist Foster Gunnison Jr. reflected on the first march, explaining “Each of these 5,000 homosexuals had a new feeling of pride and self-confidence, for that was one of the main purposes of the event-to commemorate, to demonstrate, but also to raise the consciences of participating homosexuals-to develop courage, and feelings of dignity and self-worth.”

Being about something authentically is being about it year round, not just when there’s a marketing opportunity associated with it. Businesses that allocate resources to continued education around the LGBTQ+ community and their initiatives, who actively seek a diverse and inclusive workplace (and unique workplace benefits), and who take measures to support aligned organizations are actual allies.

It’s Coca-Cola scoring 100% on the Human Rights Campain Corpate Equality Index, offering transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage and funding legislation aimed at fighting anti-LGBTQ+ bills. It’s Ralph Lauren supporting the LGBTQ+

community for decades, partnering with the Stonewall Community Foundation, working with LGBTQ+ teens, and creating a gender-neutral polo line, with a portion of proceeds being directly donated in impactful ways.

And it’s Apple, with a celebrated Employee Resource Program dubbed Pride@Apple, and a yearly Pride watch line financially benefiting organizations like GLSEN, PFLAG, The Trevor Project and more.

At a time of rising social awareness, it’s important to also be wary of ulterior motives — people and businesses tokenizing important causes for profits that the community being “celebrated” will never see. And, when we can, we should extend our support to those who are authentic allies, peeling back the rainbow labels to discover who is doing the real work and who is simply marketing.

Retroactive

By BO

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 9

Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

Photo courtesy NASA.

the surface of the moon

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist We learned a lot about the moon last week. We learned about the prevailing hypothesis surrounding its formation and also how it influences the tides of Earth’s oceans. Now it’s time to take a much closer look at the moon — specifically, at its surface and come to the disappointing realization that it’s not actually made of cheese.

The surface of the moon reveals a lot about our celestial neighbor. The side that perpetually faces Earth has an iconic appearance, with big dark spots and a number of craters across the surface. Up until 1959, when the Soviet Union’s Luna 3 circled around the far side, we had only seen the nearest demisphere of the moon. The far side of the moon is pockmarked by innumerable craters and markedly devoid of the large dark lunar maria that we’re all familiar with.

You might be asking yourself what a lunar maria is. Maria is Latin for “seas,” which is what early astronomers thought the moon’s dark spots were: literal seas of water. It turns out that was not the case; rather, those big dark spots are huge plains of volcanic basalt. Yes indeed, the porous rock you find extruded from volcanoes on Earth is the same stuff that made dark spots on the moon.

Now you’re wondering why you’ve never seen a volcanic eruption on the moon’s surface.

If there is volcanic basalt present on the moon, that means there are volcanoes, so what gives?

A number of the lunar maria may have been formed a very long time ago. Life may not have existed on Earth at the time of the last lunar eruption. Scientists 10 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

hypothesize that many of the lunar maria may have been formed by large asteroid impacts on the far side of the moon, slamming into the surface and sending energy into the moon’s mantle.

This rush of energy may have triggered a ripple effect on the moon’s mantle, causing the pressure to release on the opposite side, which would release massive amounts of molten basalt to the surface that would cool into basins over time.

If you had been standing on the moon to watch this event, it would have been a surreal experience. The moon has a very thin atmosphere, unlike Earth.

Energy is able to travel between atmospheric particles here on Earth, which our ears pick up as sound. That’s not the case on the moon. Instead, most of the energy from these impacts reverberates through the rocky crust.

The sound you experience on the moon would be a lot closer to what you feel at a really loud concert, with the sound reverberating through your body.

You might think this is just speculation, but this has been measured by man-made instruments. Between 1969 and 1977, NASA astronauts set up seismometers on the moon to track two very specific events. The first was the descent of the Apollo 12 landing module after the mission.

Astronauts Pete Conrad and Al Bean used the lander to ascend back to the command module in orbit, then detached the lander and sent it falling back to the lunar surface, where it impacted with the force of one ton of TNT. Back on Earth, NASA scientists found that the seismometers picked up the “sound” traveling through the rock and, curiously, it behaved almost identically to a bell being rung.

This is tricky wording, because you’re undoubtedly imagining a loud and hollow bell noise resonating from the moon every time something hits it, and that’s not what’s happening. On the surface, you’re going to feel the energy transfer, but you’re not going to hear anything. What this means is that the energy transferred by the impact is moving around and bouncing back on itself many times over like a ringing bell. This doesn’t happen with impacts on Earth, and NASA scientists figured out why.

The lack of a strong atmosphere on the moon means that liquid water doesn’t exist there.

It’s either eternally frozen in the rims of craters, where the sun never touches it, or it’s evaporated and split into hydrogen and oxygen molecules, respectively.

This makes it a very dry place.

There is water everywhere on Earth. There’s water in the air you breathe and there’s water in the ground you step on.

When there’s a sudden release of energy, like an impact or an explosion, these tiny instances of water absorb and distort the sound waves, causing the energy to dissipate very quickly.

If you want to test this theory in action, now is a time for a perfect home experiment. Pick up a simple bell from a store and ring it. Now expose that bell to different watery conditions, from submersion to soaking to a gentle spray and see how the sound will change. Water is such a powerful tool for dissipating sound that rocket engineers around the world will actually spray thousands of gallons of water at the bottom of a rocket as the engines ignite. The water disrupts the sound waves and keeps the rocket from literally

vibrating itself apart.

I can’t take credit for leading you down this rabbit hole.

This portion of the article was all thanks to a question asked

by Lawrence Fury to Reader staff. That’s what this article is all about: being curious, asking questions and seeing what happens when I get lost in research.

Do you still have unanswered questions about the moon? Maybe you just want to get a better look at it? If you’re anything like

me, you probably just want to throw golf balls into baking soda and see what happens. Stop by Sandpoint City Beach this Saturday, June 11 at 8 p.m. for our Moon Party. We’re going to gather to check out the moon through telescopes and binoculars while also performing a fun experiment where you get to emulate impacts on the moon’s surface using basic household supplies.

Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner d?

Don’t know much about seafoo • Oysters can change their gender. Research suggests all oysters will do this at least once during their lifetime.

• Seafood is chock full of vital nutrients. Some fish, such as salmon, are filled with vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids. Other nutrients found in seafood include vitamin D, vitamin B1, vitamin B3, vitamin B12 and more.

• Collections of empty shells were found at a sea cave in South Africa, dating back 165,000 years.

This means early humans consumed seafood, and early cases of humans living a more stationary (as opposed to hunter-gatherer) lifestyles were probably because tribes were able to live by the sea and had a regular supply of food.

• The mantis shrimp is small, but packs a punch so powerful it has the same force as a rifle shot. Their strike has so much force it actually creates a shockwave that boils the water around it and can dismember their prey.

• A shrimp is not just a smaller prawn. They’re both crustaceans and each have 10 legs, but that’s

We can help!

where the similarities end. Shrimp can be found in both fresh and saltwater, while prawns can only live in freshwater. Prawns have three sets of claws, shrimp only have two.

Prawns are generally larger than shrimp because the latter are found in colder water and generally tend to grow to much smaller sizes.

• There’s no such thing as “organic” seafood. To be classified as organic, food needs to be free from artificial chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides. There also needs to be a governing body to set regulations to ensure everything is chemical-free.

This exists with agriculture, but not for the seafood industry.

• All seafood contains trace amounts of mercury, but some at the top of the food chain should be eaten in moderation because of their high levels of mercury. This includes fish such as king mackerel, swordfish and sharks. As larger and larger fish get eaten by predators, the mercury they contain is digested and becomes more concentrated, which means top-of-the-food-chain predators usually contain more mercury.

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 11

FEATURE

Conservation: From the Timber Wars to collaboration

The Timber Wars move from the coastal forests to the inner-mountain streams

By Zach Hagadone Special to the Reader This article is part of a series supported by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council and sponsored by Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Previous installments were published in the Feb. 3, Feb. 10 and June 2 edition of the Reader. For more information on this series, which will conclude in the fall, visit scotchmanpeaks.org.

Anyone who lived in the Northwest in the 1980s and ’90s heard an opinion about the spotted owl. Despite being a rare species — and not present in Idaho at all — the diminutive bird loomed large in the political imagination of Northwesterners as the symbol of the “Timber Wars.”

The habitat of the spotted owl — Strix occidentalis to specialists — consists almost entirely within the temperate rainforest climates from the southwest of British Columbia down the coastal regions of Washington, Oregon and California, and including a swathe of the desert Southwest U.S. and into northern Mexico, being especially habituated to coniferous forests and canyons full of dense woods.

As The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds puts it, the spotted owl “is rather rare in much of the West.

It lives in dense stands of mature forests.

The cutting of roads through forests has been followed by the disappearance of the spotted owl in the area.”

Typically, spotted owls grow to between 16 ½ and 19 inches, and are characterized by their dark brown coloration with white spots and large, dark eyes. They lay between two and three white eggs in the natural cavities of trees or canyon walls, and sometimes repurpose abandoned hawks nests. They are delicate creatures, with great sensitivity to changes in the very specific environments in which they live.

“That status of the spotted owl is under study to see what additional protection it needs beyond that which covers all owls,” according to the 18th edition of Audubon, published in 1992 — right in the thick of the conflict around which the species revolved.

Slugs, bugs, owls and fish In 1992, it was common in Northwest lumber towns — even far from the range 12 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

of spotted owls, such as in North Idaho — to see bumper stickers, signs and T-shirts bearing the iconic Campbell’s soup label, though altered to read: “Logger’s Cream of Spotted Owl Soup.” There were similar sarcastic food items such as “Spotted Owl Helper,” riffing on Hamburger Helper, and restaurants in the region even offered menu items satirically referring to the spotted owl as a foodstuff.

Few animals have ever drawn such widespread — and vitriolic — condemnation, all because their habitat happened to be the same acres of ground on which the country had been increasingly “getting out the cut” to feed its need for lumber to build the suburbs and provide the timber products demanded by the people who lived in them in the decades following the end of World War II. With private timber stands cut over yet the demand for wood ever increasing, the public forests set aside during the Theodore Roosevelt administration in the first decade of the 20th century had been nibbled at for the greater part of three decades by the time then-President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law in 1973.

By the 1980s and early ’90s, that nibbling had progressed into some of the most ecologically fragile acreage in the West.

That wouldn’t have raised much political opposition in previous decades, but by the waning decades of the 20th century, the public had more tools with which to oppose timber sales on public lands.

Empowered by the wave of federal environmental legislation enacted in the Kenne-

dy, Johnson and Nixon eras — as well as the Administrative Procedures Act of 1946 — it was now possible for conservation activists to take their concerns into the courtroom, and the spotted owl became a powerful lever with which to slow or even halt timber sales in the Pacific Northwest, particularly.

Each owl needs a wide range of territory in which to hunt, mate and rear their offspring.

So one strategy to oppose timber cutting in their old-growth habitat was to establish buffer zones around their nests — often so large as to make tree harvesting impractical.

The result was a raft of lawsuits and judicial decisions that ground timber sales and harvesting to a near standstill by the late-1980s and early-’90s. In the meantime, direct action against timber operations was making conditions tense in the woods of Washington, Oregon and California.

People climbed into trees marked for cutting and refused to move. Some drove spikes into trees as an act of sabotage — hit by a chainsaw, the metal would shear away into potentially deadly shards at worst but, in the meantime, disable the equipment.

There was also vandalism of bulldozers and logging trucks.

The most dramatic conflict occurred in Oregon, where protesters against one timber-cutting operation built an encampment that the NPR series Timber Wars in 2021 described as “a 17th-century fort,” which looked more like a latter-day motte-andbailey stronghold. Some protesters chained themselves to concrete blocks sunk into the soil of logging roads in order to block

Left: A coho salmon leaps from the water. Right: The spotted owl was made a central symbol of the Timber Wars during the 1980s and ’90s Courtesy photos. access. There were physical confrontations, arrests and a mood of impending violence.

Collaboration had never been further from the agenda in the woods.

Conditions had become so dire — both with the suspension of lumbering operations and the potential for loss of life — that then-President Bill Clinton in his first term intervened.

“President Clinton called a timber summit in 1994. He hadn’t been president for very long and he said, ‘Well, we’re going to break the logjam,’” said Jay O’Laughlin, a nationally-recognized scholar of forestry and professor emeritus of forestry and policy sciences at the University of Idaho.

Clinton brought Vice President Al Gore, as well as the secretaries of the interior, agriculture and commerce, to Portland, Ore., and, “What they decided was that they would do a special plan for all the spotted owl forests … and we will have one plan for all of these forests and it will save the spotted owl.”

The Northwest Forest Plan of 1994 represented a seachange.

“This is where the ‘survey and manage’ thing came about — it was part of the Northwest Forest Plan, and they were to protect every plant and animal in these forests — not just those that are threatened and endangered; all the slugs and bugs as well,” O’Laughlin said.

< see TIMBER, Page 13 >

< TIMBER con’t from Page 12 > Spotted owls may have featured as the central species in the fight in the forests on the West Coast, but close watchers of the Timber Wars agree that it was “a surrogate for saving the big trees,” O’Laughlin added.

Indeed, even at the time, some conservation activists worried that putting so much emphasis on the spotted owl as the avatar for all forest protection could end up backfiring and ultimately endanger the environmental protections it had been framed to serve.

“They said, ‘How can we save these big trees, save them from the chainsaw, the timber harvesting that’s spreading across the forests that we love. What if we could find a species that was threatened and endangered and fell under the Endangered Species Act and its habitat would have to be managed specifically for that species?’ And, lo and behold, they found the spotted owl.”

Other species had factored in similar ways in similar conflicts. In Tennessee, it had been the tiny snail darter fish at the center of a conflict over a dam to build a reservoir.

“That was an interesting case that parallels the spotted owl, but it’s really not about timber; it’s about managing the resources for what different people want from them,” O’Laughlin said, and, in Idaho, with its non-existent spotted owl population, the contest over resource management had more to do with the “spotted fish,” that is, salmon.

From the forests to the mountain streams Amid the escalating conflict in Northwest forests, the Clinton plan in ’94 added yet another level of complexity to the philosophy of “management” of forestlands. Between the Endangered Species Act, the various wilderness plans and the Northwest Forest Plan, the “everything for everybody” concept of the previous decades was cracking apart.

“What people feared was, ‘They’re going to reduce the timber harvest on the federal forests in spotted owl country, but all that’s going to do is push the demand east, across the Cascade Crest into the other federal forests, so we can’t allow that to happen,’” O’Laughlin said.

The result of that fear was an offshoot of the Northwest Forest Plan, which was crafted to address the non-coastal Columbia River Basin — the so-called Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project, or ICBEMP, planned to manage the enormous region east of the Cascade Mountains to Montana and south to Boise.

“This plan came up with, ‘Oh gosh, we don’t have spotted owls but we have spotted fish so they need wider buffer zones than the Forest Practices Act,’” O’Laughlin said, referring to another piece of legislation from the 1970s that sought to establish best practices for commercial activities on state, county and private lands. In Idaho, the FPA passed the Legislature in 1974, with the mission to “assure the continuous growing and harvesting of forest tree species and to

protect and maintain the forest soil, air, water resources, wildlife and aquatic habitat.”

As with the spotted owl in the forests of the West Coast rainforests, in the Intermountain West it would now be the fish who needed buffer zones — increased from 150 feet to 300 feet, or the span of two “height potential” trees on a given acre of ground.

“So that effectively took right around 10% of the federal forests in Idaho off the table as a result of that just for the riparian buffers,” said O’Laughlin, who was deeply involved in the studies that led to implementing those policies. “It’s a similar effect to the spotted owl, but it was done for a spotted fish.”

One of the first studies O’Laughlin performed at the Policy and Analysis Group at the University of Idaho was focused on how to protect water quality in forests; and, among the key findings, was to leave stream-side buffer zones.

“The question was, and we were asked to answer this question, ‘How wide should these buffer strips be?,’” he said.

After reviewing the prevailing literature and publishing a review, O’Laughlin’s group found that “everything is site specific.” In some cases, a five-foot buffer of grass was found to be sufficient on grazing land. On steep mountain sides, about 150 feet was usually sufficient.

However, “citizen conservation groups” — a term that O’Laughlin prefers to “environmentalists” — argued that wasn’t adequate; and, noting that there were threatened and endangered fish throughout the West, made the case that the buffer strips should be wider than what the Forest Practices Act said they should be.

“As a result, we have — and this was a direct offshoot of the spotted owl battle during the Timber Wars — we had the riparian buffer zone battle, which extended the fight outside the spotted owl forests and into the rivers and streams in the mountains,” he said.

By the mid-1990s, policy had become so labyrinthine, and the passions so high, that the disposition of these lands was being debated in the courtroom instead of the boardrooms of industry, as well as on the ground, with activists putting their bodies between the managers and the acres they were supposed to be managing.

“It’s at that point — that’s when the strength of the grassroots activism and these laws finally come to bear, and it’s at that point when you see timber harvest levels really radically drop,” said Adam Sowards, a professor of environmental history who also serves as director of the Pacific Northwest Studies Program at the University of Idaho.

According to Sowards, “massive timber sales and poor management of endangered species is what actually set the stage” for the turning point of the trouble in the forests during the 1980s and ’90s, with opponents in the citizen conservation groups now using the law to make their case.

“I think bad stuff happened on the land

and I think people called the Forest Service and timber companies out on it,” he said.

‘These forests belong to all of us’ While the Timber Wars grabbed a lot of headlines for the conflicts in the forests of the West Coast — and especially Oregon — Idaho experienced the era of unrest in different ways.

For one thing, Sowards traced the debate back to the very essence of the “forest reserve” policy of the early 20th century, as Idaho politicians — often on behalf of the country as a whole — made it their job to parse through just what it meant to manage public lands.

A case in point was the Roadless Area Review and Evaluation process kicked off by the Wilderness Act of 1964. In essence, RARE required the Forest Service and other land management agencies to survey roadless areas within a period of 10 years in order to formulate recommendations for formal wilderness designation.

That should have happened, but as Sowards said, “The Forest Service did a crappy job.”

Conservation groups used the court system to force a reformation of the process, demanding more rigorous study and resulting in RARE II, around which Idaho U.S. Sen. Jim MClure, as chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, launched a series of hearings throughout the state in 1983, including in Boise, Idaho Falls and Pocatello in the south and Lewiston and Coeur d’Alene in the north.

He was looking for input on recommendations for wilderness areas in Idaho, with two terms at the center of the debate: “hard release” and “soft release.”

A strong supporter of industry, Republican McClure became a lobbyist and consultant for mining interests after declining to run for reelection in 1990, after which he was replaced by Sens. Larry Craig and Jim Risch. He favored “hard release,” meaning that some places would be declared wilderness and therefore protected, but, “There will be nothing else after this,” Sowards said. “Never again will that be something in Idaho that people will have to consider.”

On the other side were advocates of “soft release,” which meant some areas could be set aside as wilderness, with the option to add others in the future.

However, McClure’s fact-finding tour came at a time of particular insecurity for the timber industry — with a “hard release” policy he and lumber executives were seeking long-term stability. It’s hard to plan future timber harvests on public lands if those lands might one day wind up being carved out for wilderness protection.

“He loses in that case,” Sowards said, adding that one of the results is in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness designation in 1984.

“Everyone wants to have some certainty

< see TIMBER, Page 14 >

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 13

< TIMBER con’t from Page 13 > looking ahead,” he said. “Activists don’t necessarily agree, but the politicians that are friendly to the timber industry want some of the certainty around it.”

Lacking that certainty, and with “soft release” the policy going forward, timber companies and the communities that relied on lumbering felt threatened.

That added additional fuel to the conflicts that developed throughout the later 1980s and 1990s, up to the Northwest Forest Act, and helps explain some of the intensity of feeling on behalf of timber towns.

“Here’s the thing about people in the timber industry: They live near these areas that they harvest. They don’t have any place to cut-and-run anymore — that’s all over with. That was over with way before World War II,” O’Laughlin said.

“A century ago that was the criticism of the timber industry … [But] the people that work in the woods, they don’t want to despoil the same place that they work, which is the same place that they recreate,” he added. “They don’t want to destroy the wildlife habitat, they want to go out there and hunt birds, and hunt elk and hunt deer.

They want to go out there and fish in clean water, not dirty water.”

According to O’Laughlin, that simultaneously complicates and simplifies the story of the Timber Wars and how it moved from conflict to collaboration: These were and re-

14 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

main lands on which everyone relied, whether for their livelihood, recreation or (in a basic ecological sense) their survival. He didn’t see ideology at play as much as pragmatism.

“They want things from the forest. And the harvesting of timber removes some of the things that the timber adversaries want. … They think that, ‘We like the big trees, we like the wildlife habitat, and if you’re going to go out there and make stumps, we’re going to fight you.’ And that’s exactly what happened. They don’t like stumps on their land, and they view it as their land,” he said.

However, O’Laughlin added, the fact remains that, “These forests belong to all of us. The ownership is actually Congress and then Congress delegates the management authority to whoever they see fit.”

The collaborative spirit may have seemed distant in the 1990s — and it was, with unrest in the forests throughout the West — but the notion of collective ownership and how it should be structured got new life toward the end of the 20th century. But it wasn’t easy, and remains uneasy to this day.

This article is the conclusion of the second part of a series supported by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council and sponsored by Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Previous installments were published in February and the June 2 edition of the Reader. For more information on this series, which will conclude in the fall, visit scotchmanpeaks.org.

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 15

COMMUNITY

Huzzah!

The Sandpoint Renaissance Faire returns for fourth annual medieval funfest

ertheless capable of capturing the imaginations of lords and ladies of all ages.

Organizers aim to “ignite and Get ready for a good time, foster the creativity and curiosity or rather — prepare thyself for of our community through a lively, merriment! enlightening, entertaining expeThe Sandpoint Renaissance rience in a renaissance-themed Faire will grace the Bonner environment.”

County Fairgrounds for two days “We want to encourage, supof chivalry, excitement and fine port and exhibit our local talent,” entertainment on Saturday, June the group shares online. “We are 11 and Sunday, June 12 from 10 dedicated to creating an event that a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. is both spectacular and engaging.”

The fourth annual faire, hosted The 2022 event will include by the nonprofit demonstrations Sandpoint Renaisfrom Idaho ArSandpoint sance Association, mored Combat, Renaissance Faire will feature many which will put of the hallmarks of Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; tickets are $15 for adults on a full-conmedieval culture, ($13 for those who bring a bag of tact historical including jousting, canned food to donate to the Bonner reenactment of turkey legs, music Community Food Bank), $10 for seniors medieval combat; and children ages 5-17; children 4 and costumes, and under get in free. Bonner County as well as Wild Fairgrounds, 4203 N. Boyer Ave. Learn all in an effort to Hearts Equestrimore and see complete schedules for celebrate a time an Connections. each day at sandpointrenfaire.com. long past but nevBy Reader Staff

16 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

The weekend will also feature performances by Zoupa de Zonia, Braeside Celtic Music and Vertical Elements Entertainment — a Spokane-based circus performance troupe that includes aerialists, fire dancers and stilt walkers.

The Epona Equestrian Team will be holding jousting tournaments at noon and 5 p.m. both days of the faire.

Vendors will also be selling period-inspired wares all weekend, and food and drink options will be available to purchase on site. Outside food and drink, as well as pets — aside from service animals — are not permitted at the faire. Costumes are encouraged for attendees.

“We are all so very happy to hold this event again for our community,” organizers stated on Facebook, “and are overwhelmed with the prospect of seeing you all again.”

Purchase tickets at the fair-

grounds gate: $15 for adults ($13 if you bring canned goods for the Bonner Community Food Bank), $10 for seniors and children ages 5-17.

Children 4 and under get in free.

Learn more about the event, see detailed schedules and submit questions at sandpointrenfaire. com or on Facebook at facebook. com/sandpointrenfaire.

Top: A royal order of knights gathers outside the castle. Above: Tanya Anderson assumes her role as Queen Elizabeth I for the upcoming Sandpoint Renaissance Faire June 11-12.

Photos by Cassandra Robinson.

COMMUNITY

WaterLife Discovery Center to host open house June 11 Event will include a youth fly fishing clinic

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff For the past two years, as North Idaho and the rest of the world navigated a pandemic, the WaterLife Discovery Center has “been a bit more quiet,” according to WDC Chair Deborah Crain.

In an effort to “reintroduce the community to the WaterLife Discovery Center,” as Crain put it, the facility and expansive grounds will host an open house on Saturday, June 11 to launch the summer season.

“It’s just a special gem in our community that we want to share,” Crain told the Reader.

The WDC is an Idaho Fish and Game-operated, education-based nature area complete with a signed wetland trail, wildlife watching areas, underwater viewing opportunities and an indoor science center located on the Pend Oreille River. It is also home to the historic Sandpoint Fish Hatchery and serves as headquarters for the Pend Oreille Master Naturalist Chapter — the local group representing Idaho Fish and Game’s volunteer arm.

“We’re a group of folks who love the outdoors and volunteer to help with the conservation of our beautiful Idaho,” Crain said.

As part of the June 11 open house, North 40 Fly Shop and Trout Unlimited are teaming up to offer a youth fly fishing clinic from 9-11 a.m.

“I love that little bay, I love the fish hatchery and I love the WDC,” said event coordinator Tim Cahill. “I proposed the idea of adding on a youth fly fishing clinic to help talk about conservation in the community, and try to get that into the heads of these kids.”

There are only 25 slots available for the fly fishing clinic. To sign up, head to idfg. idaho.gov/news/panhandle, and click on the link titled, “Let your kids kick off their summer by learning the basics of fly fishing on June 11.”

The Army Corps of Engineers will also be assisting in the event, offering water safety tips to kids. Cahill said the involvement from all parties has been incredibly enthusiastic.

“We’ve got this train rolling down the tracks and everybody’s pretty stoked about

it,” he said.

Apart from the fishing clinic, visitors can enjoy painting, a treasure hunt and many more activities during the open house.

“It’s all about the WDC,” Cahill said. “Its rich history and what a great educational center it is — and to try and reacquaint people to that wonderful property.”

The WaterLife Discovery Center is located at 1591 Lakeshore Dr. in Sagle, and open every day for self-guided tours until Sept. 3. Master Naturalist guides will be

Ponderay Rotary honored as Club of the Year

By Reader Staff The Rotary Club of Ponderay Centennial was honored with District 5080’s Rotary Club of the Year, which recognizes a club that has performed in the highest of traditions of the service organization during the year.

The award is chosen from within District 5080, which includes parts of Washington, Idaho and British Columbia. The Ponderay Club consists of only 16 members, including two corporate and two young professional memberships, and earned its recognition from among clubs with fewer than 35 members.

“It was such an honor to be able to attend and receive recognition at the District Conference,” said club member Jacelyn Lawson. “I’ve always heard our club internally referred to as ‘tiny but mighty’ and have felt it in everything that we pour our energy into.

It’s great to know that that is seen and appreciated beyond our little bubble.”

The outstanding Rotary Club

The WaterLife Discovery Center in Sagle.

Courtesy photo. on site Thursday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. throughout the season. Those with questions about the youth fly fishing clinic can contact the IDFG Panhandle Regional office at 208-769-1414.

Forest owners invited to field day at Pine Street Woods

By Reader Staff

must demonstrate high achievement as an effective Rotary Club.

It is mandatory to show a net increase of membership for the year. Beyond the membership, the following are also evaluated: membership development, service projects, The Rotary Foundation and service beyond the club.

“We aren’t a club that creates projects that move mountains or puts awe in others. We are a club that believes in the everyday — in

The Rotary Club of Ponderay Centennial gathers in Sandpoint. Courtesy photo. our youth, education, wellness and whatever locally we can potentially inspire, influence, and encourage,” said Club President Kari Saccomanno. “Our club lives by that every day; and one day we will realize looking back, that we did move mountains.”

The Idaho Forest Owners Association will host its summer field day at Pine Street Woods on Saturday, June 18, and registration to attend the event is now open.

Experts from the Idaho Department of Lands and other regional specialists will present their fields of expertise on a range of topics, including noxious weeds, conservation easements, rodent control, forest pollinators and wildlife friendly forests.

Other presentations will address the correct way to plant tree seedlings, pruning to help improve the forest health, which mushrooms growing in your forest are safe to eat and more.

The field day runs from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and is structured like a fair with booths and stations.

Talks and demonstrations will be given a short walking distance from the central location.

Located just west of downtown Sandpoint, Pine Street Woods Community Forest was purchased

by Kaniksu Land Trust in 2019 for the purposes of education, conservation and recreation.

Attendance costs $25 per person or $35 per family of two or more if registration is received by Friday, June 10. A catered lunch is available for $12 per person with early registration. After June 10 or at the gate, registration is $35 per person or $45 per family. Attendees are welcome to bring lunch.

For more info contact the Idaho Forest Owners Association at evpifoa@gmail.com or 208-7558168. A registration brochure is available on the IFOA website at: idahoforestowners.org/event-registration.

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 17

events June 9 - 16, 2022

thursday, june 9

Culpepper & Merriweather Circus • 5pm & 7:30pm @ Bonner County Fairgrounds Come under the bigtop for the Culpepper & Merriweather Great Combined Circus, one night only with two showings; 5pm & 7pm. Tickets $12/adult, $7/kids

FriDAY, June 10

Charles Hall Jr. comedy show 8pm @ Little Panida Theater Spokane comic’s show: “Lost in Idaho.”

Also featuring comedians Rob Wentz, Laura Branning and Chris Jessop. $20 Live Music w/ Baker Thomas & Packwood 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Karaoke at the Tervan 8pm-closing @ Tervan Live Music w/ Mobius Riff 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery An eclectic mix of jazz, classic, celtic, folk Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 6-8pm @ The Back Door

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park Fresh produce, artisan goods, live music

by Ian and Dynah WaterLife Discovery Center Open House 10am-2pm @ Sandpoint Fish Hatchery Tour the beautiful Idaho Fish & Game property, 1591 Lakeshore Dr.

4th annual Clark Fork garage sale 8am-3pm @ The entire Clark Fork area Hit up Clark Fork’s annual area-wide yard sale to find some treasures

Live Music w/ Joey Anderson 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Steven Wayne 6-8pm @ The Back Door

SATURDAY, June 11

Sandpoint Artists Showcase 4-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Featuring local musicians, with proceeds benefiting Music Bridges Borders cultural enrichment and exchange program Youth Fly Fishing Clinic Book signing: Jim Payne’s In Dutch-Again!

8:30-11am @ Waterlife Discover Center 11am-1pm @ Vanderford’s For ages 10-17. Learn all about fly fishing, Join local author Jim Payne as he signs his with the last lesson being actual fly casting new book In Dutch–Again! about kayaking on a pond. Bring eye protection. $9.75.

Holland Questions? imn.sandpoint@gmail.com Live Music w/ Okay Honey Sandpoint Renaissance Faire (June 11-12) 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 10am-6pm @ Bonner Co. Fairgrounds An eclectic mix of jazz, classic, celtic, folk Prepare thyself for merriment. Joust, merKaraoke at the Tervan chants, live music, aerial entertainers, 8pm-closing @ Tervan equestrian performances and even giant Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes turkey legs! $10-15. Sandpointrenfaire.com 5:30-7:30pm @ Drift (Hope) Wild Idaho Rising Tide celebrations • Various @ Kramer Marina / City Beach Join WIRT for their annual celebrations. There will be a Lake Pend Oreille voyage from 12-3:30pm at Kramer Marina in Hope, followed by an open mic potluck gathering from 6-9pm at the City Beach Park pavilion in Sandpoint. wildidahorisingtide.org

SunDAY, June 12

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Karaoke at the Tervan 8pm-closing @ Tervan

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 1-4pm @ Pearl’s at Beyond Hope Live music by the shore of the lake

monDAY, June 13

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi Group Run @ Outdoor Experience 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Modern folk duo w/ guitar and fiddle Blind Beer Tasting 6pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Try something new and challenge existing thoughts on beer. $15

tuesDAY, June 14

Paint and Sip w/ Lori Salisbury • 5:30-7:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery $45 includes supplies, instruction and a glass of house red/white. 208-265-8545

wednesDAY, June 15

Live Music w/ Johnathan Foster Live Piano w/ Dwayne Parsons 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Open Mic Live Music w/ Larry Mooney 6-10pm @ The Tervan 6-8pm @ The Back Door NAMI Far North monthly meeting • 5:30pm @ VFW, 1325 Pine St. Guest speaker geologist Victor Vosen, presenting new scientific findings about art & your brain 18 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

STAGE & SCREEN

An evening of stand-up comedy comes the Panida Little Theater

By Reader Staff Catch a quartet of the region’s comedian crowd with an evening of stand-up Friday, June 10 at 8 p.m. at the Panida Little Theater.

Featuring headliner Charles Hall Jr., the “Lost in Idaho” show also includes Laura Branning, Chris Jessop and Rob Wentz.

Hall started his career in 2019 in Seattle, quickly going on to open for a number of stand-ups while headlining and featuring in comedy shows around the country.

Now based in Spokane, he was voted one of the Lilac City’s funniest comedians, with his routine focused on quirky observations about everyday life and what it’s like to be a dad.

With 60,000 followers on social media and more than 2 million likes, Hall can safely be described as “a rising star.” Find more about his act at facebook. com/Mrchuckhall.

Laura Branning, also based in

Spokane, is a divorced mother of three small kids — who she calls her “little army” — and a Washington real estate agent. Her wry, world-weary but fun-loving material revolves around the foibles of motherhood, sex and aging. She also hosts the podcast Welcome to the Wild: Life Before, During and After Divorce. Get more at bit.ly/wttwpod.

Another Spokie, Chris Jessop is a self-described “religious apostate and stand-up comedian” with the podcast Polyganometry, in which he “sits down with his seemingly-infinite number of relatives to discuss what it’s like growing up in polygamy. It’s cooky!

It’s culty! It’s Polyganometry!” Find it at anchor. fm/polyganometry.

Finally, Sandpointian Rob

Wentz will bring his mix of observational humor and stories about his family — spiced with riffs on his days partying at the University of Idaho in 2019 — to the Panida Little Theater, proving why he’s been in demand as a performer throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Doors are at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 online and $25 at the door. Get more info at panida.org.

Comedian Charles Hall Jr. Courtesy photo.

Local Artists Showcase features music for a good cause

By Reader Staff The Local Artists Showcase returns to Sandpoint on Saturday, June 11, bringing musicians to Matchwood Brewing Co. (513 Oak St., in Sandpoint), including Buster Brown at 4 p.m., Brenden McCoy at 5 p.m., Riley Christman and Liam McCoy at 6 p.m., and closing with John Firshi at 7 p.m.

The performances will be accompanied by a silent auction and Mexican-themed desserts and beverages in a benefit for the volunteer group Music Bridges Borders, which brings student musicians from the large orchestras of northern Baja California, Mexico, to practice and play with Sandpoint and Spokane student musicians.

Foreign students will also teach

a limited number of Sandpoint children in a musical exploration camp for free. Interested parents should feel free to inquire at the Music Bridges Borders booth at Matchwood after 4 p.m.

The event is sponsored by Ponderay Rotary, Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, Ting, Angels Over Sandpoint and Ziply Fiber.

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 19

FOOD

New life on Pine and First

Heart Bowls and Blue Room move into former Ivano’s location on First Ave.

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff The building at 102 S. First Ave. in downtown Sandpoint — known so long as the home of Ivano’s Italian Ristorante — is launching into a new era this summer as two local businesses look to bring fresh life to the space.

The first of those businesses is Heart Bowls, the plant-based cafe known best for slinging its smoothie bowls in the Oak Street Food Court.

Heart Bowls made the change from food truck to storefront on June 4, fulfilling a longtime vision for owner Katie Adams.

“It was always the master plan,” she told the Reader.

Adams, who grew up in Sandpoint, called the well-lit cafe space in the former Ivano’s building a “dream spot.”

“I have been holding out for a spot on First Avenue,” she said.

“Others have become available over the past two years elsewhere that were tempting, [but] I really knew that being on First Avenue

20 /

R

/ June 9, 2022

was what we needed for Heart Bowls.”

Adams said she and her dad worked together to remodel the new location over the past few months.

“I had a very specific vision for exactly how I wanted the space to look and feel,” she said.

Heart Bowls’ new space is bright — white, pink and accented with natural wood — with plenty of plants and a neon “coffee” sign over the hot-pink espresso machine. The inclusion of a full coffee menu, using only plant-based milks at no extra charge, marks a new addition to Heart Bowls.

“We expect the coffee side of our business to be a really fun and passion-infused arm of Heart Bowls,” she said, “as I, along with my team, love coffee.”

Adams said the rest of the menu will remain largely the same, including smoothie bowls, baked goods, avocado toast, rice bowls and more — all vegan.

Adams said she is most excited for Heart Bowls, which is open every day from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., to have finally found its “home” —

“a space where we can cultivate our values in our business and create a safe and welcoming space for all.”

“Inclusivity is our main goal with the space,” she added, “and only love will be welcome.”

Just across the patio, Heart Bowls will also gain a neighbor: Blue Room, a new fine dining restaurant. Owner Kim Bond said the name is in reference to the cool, gray-blue shade of paint she and her team chose for the walls while remodeling the space.

“It doesn’t have any deep meaning, but it does have a good vibe for us and … the way we want people to feel when they’re at the restaurant,” she told the Reader. “It’s a little fun, and a little mysterious in a way.”

Kim’s son, Poppy, will manage Blue Room, while local chef Kait Reynolds will guide the culinary offerings.

“We’re calling it fun, healthy fine dining,” said Bond, adding, “We’ve made sure that we have plenty of offerings to please any palate.”

Blue Room will feature live

music every night, and open officially on Friday, June 17.

“We’re trying to bring Sandpoint an awesome experience of the meal,” Bond said, “but also, of the whole time that you’re here.”

Learn more about Heart Bowls and order online at heartbowls.com. Keep up to date on Blue Room hours and offerings at the restaurant’s Facebook page: facebook.com/ blueroomsandpoint.

Top: Blue Room owner Kim Bond, center, surrounded by her crew at the new restaurant on First and Pine. Bottom: Heart Bowls owner Katie Adams shows off her business’ new brick and mortar location. Photos by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey.

MUSIC

This version of her

Seattle’s Kate Dinsmore to play Matchwood Brewing on June 16

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff In life, some seasons feel like a relaunch, a new beginning, a brand new chapter. For Seattle-based musician Kate Dinsmore, that season is now.

From musical theater to lounge singing to front-girling for other people’s bands, it wasn’t until recently that Dinsmore started creating and performing songs under her own name.

“Musically, it is so much more fulfilling than anything I’ve done before,” she told the Reader.

Dinsmore and her band will be at Matchwood Brewing on Thursday, June 16 at 6 p.m. as part of her “What’s the Point?” tour across the Pacific Northwest — marking the outfit’s first major outing from the Seattle music scene.

“That’s why I’m so excited for this tour,” she said. “It’s the first time I’ve taken my band out on the road.”

While Dinsmore says her music is generally categorized under the “Americana umbrella,” such a general term is a disservice to the soulful indie rock concoction she’s managed to brew up.

Instrumentation aside, what makes Dinsmore memorable is her pipes. What it takes another artist to express in an entire chorus,

Dinsmore shares in a matter of six words with both lyricism and gut-punching vocals.

“It’s Americana with a pop, indie flare,” she said. “There are soul elements, and I am a jazz singer, so there are a lot of those elements as well.”

With a choir teacher for a mom and an early affinity for theater, the Washington native has always found herself in the musical world.

During college in Oklahoma, she found jazz singing, and spent a stint as a performer on a cruise ship.

“Then, there was just a series of me trying things out over the next, almost, decade,” she said.

“This project, however, under my name, is the first time I’ve ever committed to writing my own music.”

That commitment arrived as a way for Dinsmore to start over after 10 years in Oklahoma, during

Kate Dinsmore will play Matchwood Brewing Co. on Thursday, June 16 at 6 p.m. Photo by Center Point Photography. which she said she spent a lot of time watching “from the sidelines” as musicians, including her then-boyfriend, worked. When she moved back to the Pacific Northwest, she decided it was her turn.

“That was a huge deal,” she

said. “I grew up a very confident, self-assured person … and I lost a lot of that in Oklahoma. So, coming back here, it felt really great to reclaim my confidence and my artistry.”

That reclamation is on full display on Dinsmore’s 2021 EP Version of Me, including a title track that’s liberating, resonant and rich as honey.

“That was what I needed to put out in that moment, for myself,” she said, noting that a lot of her new music — which she and her band will play on tour — features a “groovier, poppier” sound.

As she launches into this new chapter under her own name, Dinsmore said she’s excited to “play in front of different audiences and see different places.”

“The response has been really positive,” she said. “It feels like it’s time to start expanding.”

Listen to Kate Dinsmore at katedinsmoremusic.com. See her perform for free at Matchwood Brewing (513 Oak St.) on Thursday, June 16 at 6 p.m.

The Pend Oreille Chorale and Opening the program will be the Orchestra recently announced the chorale singing six selections, ranging from the 1600s to 2008. Various dates for its 29th annual spring concerts, this year scheduled for Friday, periods of music will be showcased June 10 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June including late Renaissance, Roman12 at 3 p.m., to be held at St. Joseph tic, Contemporary, and 20th and Catholic Church (601 S. Lincoln 21st century.

Concert organizers highlighted St., in Sandpoint).

Free and open to the public, the theme of the concerts through pre-program music the titles of the varPend Oreille Chorale and will be a rhythmic ious pieces: “O Be Orchestra spring concerts Joyful,” “Cantate and lively scherzo Domino (Sing a movement from a pi- Friday, June 10; 7 p.m.; Sunday, ano trio by 18th-cen- June 12; 3 p.m.; FREE. St. Joseph New Song),” “Chetury composer Franz Catholic Church, 601 S. Lincoln St. rubic Hymn,” “The Lachner.

Last Invocation,”

“Time is Eternity” and “Invocation for Easter.”

“We are trying to uplift the audience with our concerts,” said Chorale Director Caren Reiner. “We are in need of so much shared joy, love and deep spirituality particularly at this time. Hopefully this music will help do that.”

The second half of the concert will feature the orchestra performing two well-known pieces: Symphony No. 101, “The Clock,” composed in 1794

by Franz Joseph Haydn, and “Peer Gynt Suite No. 1,” by Norwegian Romantic composer Edvard Grieg.

READ

In a recent article by Robert Isenberg, Thomas Stevens is described as “the 19th-century hipster who pioneered modern sportswriting.”

Specifically, Isenberg is referring to Stevens’ travelog Around the World on a Bicycle, published in 1888 and in which Stevens recalled in vivid language the sights, sounds and smells he encountered riding over 13,500 miles on a penny-farthing, no less. Find the article at longreads.com. Find Stevens’ book through various online retailers, but first try to pick it up at one of your local brick-and-mortar shops.

LISTEN

This may well be a sign of my advancing decrepitude, but I’m kind of starting to like disco. At least some disco and, specifically, “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie,” by Spanish duet Baccara. It must have been because of the near-universal hatred of disco during my formative years in the 1980s and ’90s that I didn’t hear Baccara until about a month ago — and even then it was only because Scotland’s national team adopted it as its unofficial anthem in 2020. Meanwhile, put aside your disco bias and YouTube this top-selling single by an all-female group ever.

WATCH

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Pend Oreille Chorale presents spring concert

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

“Haydn has a lot of subtle humor written into many of his pieces. Audiences can hear a musical reference to the ticking of a clock in Haydn’s second movement,” said Orchestra Director Mark Reiner.

Between the Haydn and Grieg pieces will be a performance of the third movement of Reiner’s violin concerto. Written in 2020, the first two movements were performed in the spring concert of 2021, featuring soloist Gayle McCutchan.

“The final movement is a cautionary piece dealing with humanity’s move into the future,” Reiner said.

Amazon Prime series The Boys is most certainly not for the faint of heart. But if you can stomach the ultra-violence and profound cynicism baked into the story, you’ll find some salient lessons about celebrity worship, power-seeking and the dangerous sham of blind patriotism. The new season just dropped on the streaming platform, and it takes the supremacy out of superheroism in whole new (and grotesque) ways.

June 9, 2022 /

R

/ 21

BACK OF THE BOOK

On the end of the school year

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

From Northern Idaho News, June 6, 1922

TOWN PREPARED FOR THE FORDS Arrangements are practically all completed for Ford day — June 14 — report the committee having the matter in charge, for the most unique celebration ever staged in the history of Sanpdoint, and all indications point to a success meeting the most sanguine anticipations. The flivvers will own the town that day. There will be old flivvers and new flivvers, quiet flivvers and loud flivvers — all kinds of flivvers in fact — and prizes for the best of each kind.

Then there are prizes for the folks too — the old married folks and the young married folks, and for the pretty girls — but no, not for the others, for they all look good though the judges may have their preferences.

Not least among the attractions will be the Forst parade at 11 a.m. on First avenue, and the slow race at 1:45 on the same street. The latter, especially, is likely to prove exciting, as the award will be made to the Forsd taking the longest time over the course.

Also there is the Mysterious Ford Man and the Mysterious Ford Woman who will each have four prizes for good guessers. Only one person will know the mysterious man and woman. The four persons who can pick them out and can go through the proper ceremony of identification will get the prizes.

It also happens that June 14 is Flag Day and the Elks’ lodge will observe the day by giving their flag ceremony at 7 p.m. on the school grounds. This will be a very impressive cermonial and should be witnessed by every one in town. *The term “flivver” is 1920s slang for a Model T Ford.

22 /

R

/ June 9, 2021

By the time this story makes it into newsprint and the hands of our readers, I’ll be neck-deep in the final two days of school.

I am blessed to be able to split my workweek into multiple parts, pursuing different passions in the process. One of those passions is teaching, which I do as a paraprofessional in first, second and third grades in our local school district two days a week.

The end of the school year still holds the same feelings of excitement and sadness that it did when I was a student.

Those feelings are accompanied by the same smells: wet grass, the last pizza lunch, emptying the pencil sharpener. I remember writing my home phone number on scraps of old spelling assignments and passing them out to my classmates.

I remember pushing my small backpack to its limits with papers, projects and long-forgotten winter clothes from the back of my cubby. I remember getting on the bus after the last day of school, convinced that September was only weeks ago and there’s no way I’d just completed an entire grade.

I see these scenes play out with my own students, but with the added awareness that summer break will bring many changes to some of their lives.

A first-grader, finally comfortable with her quirky sense of humor and confident in her unparalleled ability to draw, will move away this summer. A second-grader will miss her favorite teacher next year as he takes on a different position in the district. Third-graders, on the top of the food chain at this end of the hall, will soon be

STR8TS Solution

the youngsters in their new homeroom classrooms.

The very nature of education — to grow, to change, to move ahead — is at odds with the comfort and security we aim to foster in our students all year long. In June we are all mother birds, pushing their chicks out of the nest. We know we have to, but — at least for me, as a very young and inexperienced teacher’s aide with no children of her own at home — it is not easy.

So, if you’re reading this, I’m soaking up every moment of the last two days of school. I am setting the intention to be present for every question, comment and unprompted joke or riddle. I am probably being gifted random sketches and coloring pages — as is the case every week — and I am collecting every single one, making sure they each attach an “artist signature” before they hand it to me. I am loving every minute until that last bell rings and three months of summer vacation begin.

Of course, the truth is that we all need a break — the full-time teachers, especially.

Society shouts platitudes all year long that teachers are incredible, caring and important. The truth is that there is no adequate word for what teachers do for our community. I watch the teachers I work with dedicate their lives to making sure children grow to be kind and thoughtful people who will contribute to our world in unique and powerful ways. This is detailed, exhausting and sometimes demor-

A chalk art collaboration between the author and one of her students. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey. alizing work. It is also (as I have come to learn in my own, small way) the most rewarding thing a person can do.

Teachers are heroes. At the end of the school year, I hope we can all remember that.

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution Here’s a good joke to do during an earthquake: straddle a big crack in the ground, and if it opens wider, go “Whoa! Whoa!” and flail your arms around, like you’re going to fall in.

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

dauntless

Woorf tdhe Week

By Bill Borders

/DAWNT-lis/

[adjective] 1. fearless; intrepid; bold.

“The gunner’s dauntless decision to hold fast against the invading army proved to be his downfall. He held them off, but lost his life in the process.”

Corrections: The band Boot Juice is not from Boise, they are from Davis, Calif. We still like them anyway. — ­ ZH

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Clothed 5. Portion 10. Impressed 14. Was a passenger 15. Novices 16. Beak 17. Act of showing affection 19. Not any 20. Snake-like fish 21. Raise 22. Monarch 23. Gift 25. Assumed name 27. Witch 28. Pin for a man 31. Cirrus or cumulus 34. Door pivot 35. Consumer Price Index 36. Boor 37. Funeral piles 38. Three-handed card game 39. Choose 40. Abnormally active 41. Noodles 42. Gesticulates 44. Dike 45. Mineral excavator 46. Under 50. Legislate 52. Encourage 54. Darjeeling or oolong 55. Seals a champagne bottle 56. Exchange letters 58. Give as an example

Solution on page 22 59. Gastric woe 60. Initial wager 61. Once, long ago 62. Brute 63. Not more

DOWN 1. Move furtively 2. Hermit 3. Confuse 4. D 5. Powerful 6. Boundary 7. Angers 8. Basket or bowl

9. Estimated (abbrev.)

10. Yearly 11. Bags of wool 12. Slave 13. Elk or caribou 18. Coming up 22. Oriental grain 24. Close 26. Limbs 28. Rubber wheels 29. Expectorated 30. Falafel bread 31. Blockage 32. Easy gait 33. Outthinks 34. Exaggeration

37. Combustible pile 38. Identical 40. Stalk 41. Trousers 43. Instrument of admission 44. Wasteland 46. Drills 47. Expiate 48. Canvas dwellings 49. Hell 50. Behold, in old Rome 51. French for “Black” 53. Whale 56. Baby bear 57. Buddy June 9, 2021 /

R

/ 23

LOVE LOOKING AT CLASSIC CARS? JOIN SASI AND INJECTORS AUTO CLUB AND HELP FEED SANDPOINT SENIORS!

BBQ!

Saturday th June 18 ATTHE

SANDPOIN�

...

IDAHO

Burgers/Hot Dogs, Salads, Desserts Classic Cars on display Cornhole Tournament with 7B Baggers OnSite4Seniors Adult Day Center Open House Live Music with Brian Jacobs

Sandpoint Senior Center parking lot!

10am -- 2pm $5 per plate $1 sodas/water * Special thanks to Wood's Meat Processing, and Super 1 for their support.

Info: 208.263.6860 820 Main Street, Sandpoint, Idaho www.sandpointareaseniors.org Proceeds support the SASI Nutrition Program

I HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!