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PEOPLE compiled by
Susan Drinkard
watching
“If you could volunteer for a one-week intensive experience at a charitable organization, where would you volunteer?” “I would volunteer for the humane society or for an organization that works with animals.” Cheyanne Cochran Mom, R.N. Sagle
“I would spend a week working at the Bonner County Museum doing research on the history of our county and helping to create great exhibits.” Ruth Wimberly Human resources consultant Sandpoint
READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724
www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover), Lyndsie Kiebert, Todd Fulmer, Susan Drinkard, Bill Borders. Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Chris White, Brenden Bobby, Mark Reiner, Mike Wagoner, Marcia Pilgeram, Ammi Midstokke. Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $115 per year
“I have some friends who have to use the Food Bank, so I would volunteer there.” Gideon Cudmore Eighth grade Sagle
“The Food Bank because I have always wanted to do that. They do so many good things for so many people.” Phil Dommes Retired educator Sandpoint
“The Salvation Army. It would be a way to give back to the community.” Sarah Hubbard Homemaker, home school teacher Sandpoint
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 features a photo publisher Ben Olson snapped while walking around the frigid Sandpoint streets last week. It seems to speak to this early spring quite well. March 11, 2021 /
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NEWS
Groups urge reconsideration of Trestle Creek development
The 105-slip marina and residential project received unanimous BOCC approval Jan. 13
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
A handful of local conservation groups are joining forces to push back against a marina development planned for the Trestle Creek area of Hope, arguing that impacts on threatened bull trout were not adequately considered during the permitting process. Groups and individuals bringing the motion include Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper, Idaho Conservation League, Panhandle Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and the Clark Fork Coalition. The Idaho Club North Lake project, located just north of the Trestle Creek Recreation Area managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is defined by Bonner County planning staff as a “large-scale mixed use planned unit development.” The proposed project — brought by applicant Valiant Idaho, LLC — would feature single-family homes; boat storage, mooring and repair; and a 5,000-squarefoot pavilion on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille, where the North Fork of Trestle Creek meets the lake. The Board of Bonner County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the application for the project on Jan. 13, after the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval in December. Opponents filed the motion to reconsider two weeks after the BOCC’s decision. According to a March 9 media release from the groups bringing the motion, “The U.S. Army Corps and Idaho Department of Lands permits for the marina were initially issued 12 years ago, and the reconsideration argues that conditions have since changed, calling for a new consultation with [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services]. After permits for the wetland 4 /
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fill expired, they were renewed without the consultation.” The groups are “concerned that the disturbance caused by the development, plus the 12 variances to county code — including reducing the rear lot line and wetland setbacks to [zero feet] and doubling the impervious surfaces such as asphalt and roofs to 70% — will contribute to pollutant-riddled stormwater runoff that will damage water quality and result in negative impacts to natural resources.” The groups also reiterated comments from Idaho Fish and Game sent to the county in December, which noted that, “Trestle Creek supports a very high density of spawning bull trout relative to other bull trout spawning streams in their range across the northern Rockies” — highlighting the importance of the habitat to the threatened species. Those bringing the motion to reconsider also allege that “project approval occurred
even though the developer has not obtained a required permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the removal or ‘taking’ of a well-established bald eagle’s nest.” “This is one of those unfortunate situations in which many of the key agencies and other [non-governmental organizations’] comments have been completely dismissed throughout the process,” said Steve Holt, executive director of the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper. “This project deserves more public scrutiny because of the potential impact it could have on the treasured natural heritage we all share.” Limited access to the site for emergency personnel has also been a focal point for critics of the project. The proposed 105slip marina would be accessed by crossing railroad tracks, and will host 51 vehicle parking spots, seeing as property owners maintain that most visitors will arrive by boat.
“The marina is private, not public,” said Marty Taylor, project planner and representative for the applicant, during the Jan. 13 hearing. “It’s important to recognize that this is not a Sandpoint City Beach situation where you can have quite an impacted facility — pick your weekend, Memorial weekend, Fourth of July weekend. This is a private facility. There are no boat trailers that are going to be parked along the access road, that’s what the boat storage buildings are for. It’s important to distinguish.” Still, during the hearing, local fire officials remained unconvinced that there will be adequate access for fire vehicles, especially all the way down at the docks. “I am for responsible development, but what I am seeing here — relative to the marina development — is that we do not have a way to get there,” Sam Owen Fire Co-chief Stu Eigler said, adding that “boats
A map indicating where the proposed Idaho Club North Lake project would be located in Hope. Courtesy image. are basically bombs waiting to go off, and when they do, it’s not just one — it goes from one to the other to the other.” The hearing also saw comments from local agencies and citizens with concerns about wildlife habitat, many echoing the comments from IDFG. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the application for the Idaho Club North Lake planned unit development. As of March 9, LPOW and associated groups report they have yet to receive a response from Bonner County regarding their motion to reconsider, which was filed Jan. 27. Planning Director Milton Ollerton told the Reader in an email March 10: “The County is working on a response. The county has 60 days to respond to the reconsideration request. It may take the full 60 days.”
NEWS
Council approves $1M+ contract for Memorial Field parking, boat launch improvements
Yet minimum no. of parking stalls, landscaping requirements do not meet City Code
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Back in the days before COVID-19 dominated every aspect of American life, in Sandpoint, the big issue was the War Memorial Field reconstruction project, which saw the installation of artificial turf, new multi-use designations, a host of other infrastructure improvements, and retrofits of the parking and boat launch facilities. That project is nearing its completion, with Phase IIB of reconstruction — focused on parking and boating facilities — unanimously approved by the Sandpoint City Council at its March 3 meeting to Rathdrum-based contractor LaRiviere Inc., for the sum of $1,098,737. “I’m super excited for this phase to improve the waterfront and the boating improvements,” said Parks and Rec. Director Kim Woodruff. City Engineer Dan Tadic told the City Council that the contract with LaRiviere stipulates that the project will increase Memorial Field parking to 73 car parking spots — up from the 40 current slots — as well as 24 boat trailer spots, up from 19. “Those 19 are not terribly the most terribly functional,” he said. “These 24 are highly functional given the orientation of the parking spaces to the drive lanes.” Tadic said the work will be “substantially completed” by May 27, “Which is to allow public access to the launch ramps for Memorial Day weekend, with final completion no later than June 11. So that’s just the minor remaining punch list of items.” The boat parking spots are reserved for trailers during the high season, but during the offseason, they can double as vehicle slots — essentially turning the lot into a 151-space facility. However, Tadic said, City Code requires 294 parking spaces for a sports venue such as has been constructed over the past year and more at Memorial Field.
Beyond that, according to Code, there is a 10% landscaping requirement, translating to 22 trees and 30% tree canopy coverage at the site. “In all of those situations we are not achieving the letter of the law here with the landscaping; we’re approximately at 8% with total number of trees; within the parking lot we’ve got nine, with canopy coverage we’ve got under 5%,” Tadic said. “For all that being said, Code, as it’s being interpreted, does not give us any consideration for these large, significant trees that are immediately adjacent to the parking lot, and of course provide an ample amount of shade; they also don’t allow us to account for all the trees that we are planting along the edge … to provide a buffer for the neighbors.” Councilman Joel Aispuro questioned the misalignment with Code, asking directly: “So we don’t meet code?” “That’s correct,” Tadic answered. Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said it’s a matter of working with the site as it exists — not as it would be if it was being constructed from the ground up. “If we were building something new, we would have to meet the Code,” she said. “But given our current conditions we have moved the increased parking
to the maximum amount that we could for this space; also increased the amount of landscaping at that site as close as we could considering that, prior, when this was constructed we didn’t have either the minimum parking code and we didn’t have the landscaping. … There was a balance in trying to move this
as close as we could to what code would require should we be building something brand new.” Tadic added that, “[I]n terms of parking, what’s provided here is probably sufficient for 95% of the activities that would be provided at the site,” going on to describe Friday night football and The Festival as the events that the parking area would not accommodate. Yet, park-
A rendering of Phase IIB of the Memorial Field improvements. Courtesy City of Sandpoint. ing remains available on both sides of Ontario Street and the lot at the Bonner County Museum is capable of taking up after-hours overflow. “There is other public parking within the vicinity that certainly supplements this,” he said.
Work planned on Long Bridge, U.S. 95-Lakeshore intersection By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
A number of changes and improvements are slated for the Long Bridge and its surrounding southern roadway, with the Idaho Transportation embarking on a project announced March 3 to work on the understructure of the iconic causeway. According to a news release from ITD, both the 40-year-old vehicle bridge and pedestrian bridge, built in 1956, are in need of joint replacement and upgrade — that is, “the parts of the bridges that allow them to expand and contract with the weather,” according to the agency. “Most of the work will take
place underneath traffic as crews will be wrapping the piling that supports the vehicular bridge with a protective coating. Workers will use barges and start at the southern end of the bridge, with boat traffic restricted from entering the work zones in the water,” ITD stated. Motorists and other bridge users will begin seeing work in June, as crews replace the joints and repair portions of the deck. No work is planned to impact the pedestrian bridge at night or on weekends. This part of the project could take up to 12 weeks to complete, according to ITD. One lane will be closed at night beginning in late July to replace the joints and apply a
protective coating to the guardrail. Officials expect that work to take a month to complete. ITD emphasized that, “No work is allowed on either structure during weekends or city events.” Deck repairs are not included in the work planned for the vehicle bridge, but plans to address damage caused by waves to the retaining wall for the path were added to the project earlier this year. McMillen Jacobs Associates is the primary contractor on the $9.7 million project. They estimate that all work will be finished this fall. Learn more about the project at itdprojects.org/us95longbridge. Meanwhile, another project is intended to make navigating the
intersection of U.S. 95 and Lakeshore Drive — long a bothersome point of congestion at the southern end of the Long Bridge — safer with new traffic alignments that would allow for acceleration lanes and the ability to make U-turns. According to transportation planners at both the state and county, the plan would call for northbound traffic off Lakeshore to be able to turn southbound before being re-rerouted via U-turn into the northbound lane — like the alignment in use on U.S. 95 in Ponderay, which currently employs U-turn lanes to speed southbound traffic. Work on that traffic realignment is expected to last two years and begin in the summer. March 11, 2021 /
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NEWS
School levy elections: West Bonner fails, Boundary and Lakeland squeak by at the polls
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Voters went to the polls March 9, weighing in on a number school levies throughout the state — including in the West Bonner County, Boundary County and Lakeland school districts. Preliminary results, as of March 10, show that West Bonner’s two-year $6.8 million replacement levy went down to defeat with 943, or 53.46%, votes against to 821, or 46.54%, of votes in favor. The district relies on levy funds for about 25% of its budget. Not replacing the levy means the district will not be able to count on $3.4 million in funding each year for two years. District officials stated that the operations and maintenance levy had helped pay for teaching materials and supplies, curriculum and staff development, special education and advanced placement programs, technology and library updates, and continuing and enhancing extracurricular activities such as music, performing arts and athletics. Levy dollars also went to help provide all-day kindergarten. The maintenance portion of the levy would have been earmarked for facility heating system updates, roof repairs, crosswalk lighting and gym siding repairs at Priest River Elementary. As well as that, administrators plan to dedicate a portion of the levy funding to maintaining safe transportation and continuing to support the district’s school resource officer. The current levy, approved by voters in 2019, will expire at the end of the 2020-’21 school year. Meanwhile, in Boundary County, voters narrowly approved a $4.8 million two-year maintenance and operations levy, 1,051 in 6 /
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Courtesy photo. favor, or 51.4%, to 995, or 48.6%, against, according to the Kootenai Valley Times. The levy is intended to help fund paraprofessionals and staff who support student learning; curricular materials, digital licenses and professional development; computer and technology replacements and upgrades; student transportation, field trips and all extracurricular activities; electives, humanities and courses beyond state requirements; and facilities maintenance, grounds keeping and improvements. As with the previous levy, the new measure would cost taxpayers $187 per $100,000 of assessed value, with the district noting that about 21% of its general fund budget comes from levy dollars. The district relies on the state for 76% of its revenue, while local sources provide $2 and county revenue contributes 1%. Finally, in the Lakeland School District — which is primarily in northern Kootenai County but includes a small number of Bonner County residents — voters also squeaked out a win for a $19 million two-year supplemental levy, with 50.4% in favor. Kootenai County residents pushed the measure to victory — in the Bonner County portion of the district, 19 voters, or 59.38%, were against while 13, or 40.63% were in favor. Lakeland relies on its levy dollars for about 30% of its budget, supporting everything from school safety and security to technology education, all athletics and academic extracurriculars, full-day kindergarten, all curriculum materials and additional nurse time. Taxpayers in the district would see a bill of $222 per $100,000 of assessed value — an increase from the previous levy rate of $210 per $100,000, but offset by a bond levy expected to decrease by $12 per $100,000 at the same time.
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: A positive impact from COVID-19 in 2020: new business applications rose significantly, The Wall Street Journal reports. The Economist noted that “a recovery with lots of start-ups tends to be more jobs-rich than one without.” Merck is joining forces with Johnson and Johnson to hasten the production of the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, according to The Washington Post. The joint effort is expected to allow the government to have enough vaccines for U.S. adults by the end of May, two months ahead of schedule. To accomplish this, the Biden administration used the Defense Production Act, which enables the government to manage production of a product that’s in the national defense. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fully vaccinated people can mingle with each other free of masks and social distancing, and can visit indoors with unvaccinated family members (if no one is at severe risk) once they’ve gotten two weeks past their final COVID-19 vaccination. On average 2.2 million are being vaccinated daily, but 90% of the population is not yet vaccinated, The Washington Post reported. A fully vaccinated person can still get the virus, but is expected to have a reduced reaction. According to the CDC, the least risky activity would be small private gatherings of vaccinated people. As long as they remain symptom-free, fully vaccinated people will not need to quarantine if exposed to a case of COVID-19. Had Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax been passed in 2020 it would have raised $114 billion for federal coffers from the nation’s 650 billionaires, Americans For Tax Fairness recently reported. Warren and two U.S. Representatives are trying again, with the introduction of the Ultra Millionaire Tax Act, which could raise $3 trillion over the next decade by putting a 2-cent tax on every $1 of wealth between $50 million and $1 billion, and a 3-cent tax per $1 on wealth more than $1 billion. The New York Times called parts of the Senate-passed American Rescue Plan “the largest antipoverty effort in a generation,” noting it seeks to curtail
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
the pandemic, address an ailing economy and protect the neediest. It was 100% opposed by Republicans. The House will review the bill this week. The bill calls for: $1,400 stimulus checks for those earning less than $75,000; jobless aid of $300 a week through summer (down from the request for $400, due to resistance by two Democrats); money for COVID-19 vaccines, testing and tracing; relief for small businesses; aid for states, cities and schools; tax credits for children (which could cut child poverty in half); broadening eligibility for the Affordable Care Act; expansion of food benefits, and help with rent. At $1.9 trillion, it is less than the $2.2 trillion package approved by a Republican-dominated Senate last March. Barring unforeseen events, it should become law in time to avoid a lapse in unemployment benefits, which would have kicked in March 14. To pass, the bill had to omit the $15-an-hour minimum wage. Columbia University research declared that the overall aid package will lift more than 13 million people out of poverty this year. Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell called the bill “haphazard spending” and the Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said “the danger of undershooting is far greater than the danger of overshooting.” On Sunday, the 56th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attack on Black protesters in Alabama, President Joe Biden signed a voting rights executive order. The president stated that “every eligible voter should be able to vote... If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote.” The executive order calls for federal agencies to create a strategic plan for promoting registration and participation, and includes voter access expansion among active duty military members. In 43 states 250 bills have been introduced that would make it harder to vote, The Washington Post said. Blast from the past: Having witnessed the unsavory political control wielded by corporations in Great Britain, Adam Smith, regarded as the founder of modern economics (1723-1790), thought corporations should have a charter for 10 to 20 years. After that, the charter would be reviewed for social impact and rejected if found wanting. This became law at the time in Pennsylvania.
FEATURE
Idaho debuts online tool for COVID-19 vaccine scheduling Anyone can pre-register, and a local provider will make contact when an appointment is available
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Idaho launched a new website for people hoping to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, in an effort to offer a one-stopshop to connect patients with those providing the shots. The site essentially functions as a single, master waiting list for people who desire a vaccine, regardless of whether they currently fall under prioritized vaccination groups. People who sign up will be contacted by an enrolled provider in their area when they are eligible and a vaccine appointment is available. The web address for the pre-registration site is covidvaccine.idaho.gov. In a media release March 5, Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s office said the new online system is an attempt “to help alleviate the frustration of many Idahoans in trying to make an appointment to get the vaccine.” “The ability for Idahoans to get a vaccine — should they choose to do so — is my top priority,” Little said, calling the site “user-friendly, easy to understand, and it
was built from the ground up with Idahoans in mind.” Little told the Sandpoint Reader during a visit to North Idaho in January that the state has “no intention of mandating” the COVID-19 vaccine for Idahoans, and instead hopes that the more people get vaccinated, the more people will feel comfortable pursuing inoculation. Little issued a statement March 9 commemorating nearly a year of COVID-19 in Idaho; the state recorded its first case on March 13, 2020. He acknowledged that almost 1,900 Idaho residents have died of “this new, dangerous, and aggressive disease.”
“We mourn the loss of life and pray for strength and peace for the loved ones they left behind,” he continued. Little also touched on the “progress” that state has made in fighting the virus, including the nearly 300,000 Idahoans who have received at least one dose of the vaccine — just more than 4,000 of those, as of March 10, being fully-vaccinated Bonner County residents. “I want to thank the people of Idaho, from the bottom of my heart, for the sacrifices you have made over the past year,” Little said.
sole “nay” vote when the board considered filing the complaint, while McDonald and Commissioner Steve Bradshaw supported the litigation. “My objection is, here we are, suing another entity, again … I’m saying there’s a better way to do it,” Connolly told the Reader in July. The objection went forward on a vote of 2-1, and the state moved to dismiss the case in early October on the grounds that the county’s argument was “misguided and legally flawed,” and that because the county failed to officially apply for the CARES Act funds before the state-mandated deadline, their “claims are moot due to the county’s own decisions and inaction.” According to a Bonner County media release, the county “preserved its right to receive funds under the program by timely submitting a letter of intent to participate while also seeking a declaration from the United States District Court to clarify several aspects of the program and to ensure that the use of such funds would be permissible under federal law.” In November, the Treasury Department released new guidance to help municipal
governments navigate the ins and outs of requesting CARES Act funds — guidance that Bonner County announced “makes it clear that the County is legally entitled to reimbursement of its payroll costs for public health and public safety employees.” The county has since submitted $1.1 million in expenses for reimbursement. “[W]e were able to recapture not just COVID-related expenses that were not in our original budget, but [were] also able to include payroll values for EMS which was the big-ticket item,” McDonald told the Reader on March 8. Additionally, through communication with the state’s Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee, Bonner County will be able to participate in a new property tax relief program similar to the governor’s Public Safety Initiative, which provided 10% to 20% reductions in tax bills for residents of counties who opted in. Bonner County did not originally choose to participate in the tax relief initiative due to what officials saw as discrepancies between federal and state guidance. According to the county, CFAC is supporting a new program for counties who opted out the first time.
A closeup view of coronavirus. Image courtesy CDC. Appointments for a vaccine clinic hosted by the Panhandle Health District in Bonner County are now open. Visit panhandlehealthdistrict.org/covid-19/vaccine to sign up. Those with questions about COVID-19 or receiving a vaccine in North Idaho — or who lack access to the internet and need help scheduling an appointment — can also call the PHD hotline at 877-415-5225.
BoCo v. Governor suit over CARES Act funds sees ‘amicable resolution’ By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff A lawsuit between Bonner County and Idaho Gov. Brad Little regarding the allocation and use of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds has come to an end, with commissioners announcing that the suit saw an “amicable resolution” in December 2020. On July 14, commissioners voted to file a complaint against Little and several other Idaho officials, alleging that the state’s interpretation of how to distribute money authorized under the CARES Act was inaccurate. Commissioner Dan McDonald told the Reader at the time that “none of what the state is telling us is found in the outline from the Treasury Department as passed by Congress,” and expressed concern that the elected officials of Bonner County would be charged with crimes should they mishandle the funds under the state’s advice. “[W]e had grave concerns about the differing messages being received,” McDonald told the Reader on March 8. Commissioner Jeff Connolly was the
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Save the singlefamily backyard…
Barbs: • Idaho made national headlines again last week. Like usual, it wasn’t for anything good. On March 2, Rep. Charlie Shepherd, R-Pollock — a first-term Republican — testified against House Bill 226, which would allow the State Board of Education to use almost $6 million in federal grants to increase early childhood education by making it more available and more accessible. It wasn’t necessarily the bill that made the headlines, but rather the outdated and downright sexist remarks Rep. Shepherd made that generated controversy. He said, “I don’t think anybody does a better job than mothers in the home, and any bill that makes it easier or more convenient for mothers to come out of the home and let others raise their child, I don’t think that’s a good direction for us to be going.” Later, Shepherd issued an apology for his remarks: “I stand before you now to admit that I failed miserably. After hearing my remarks played back, I recognize how my remarks sounded derogatory or offensive and even sexist towards the mothers of this state.” While I appreciate Rep. Shepherd’s apology, the fact that such outdated thinking gets routine play at the Idaho Legislature is at issue here. News flash for Idaho Republicans: It’s not 1950. Women are very much a vital part of our workforce. Remarks like his — during Women’s History Month, no less — shows how we have such a long way to go in Idaho. • Last week, a couple of “mask-burning” events took place — one in Boise, another couple here in Bonner County. I’m not sure what this type of event accomplishes. If you don’t want to wear a mask, don’t wear it. But what exactly is accomplished by burning face masks that could have been donated to health care professionals or people who actually care about the health of their community members? Try as you might, burning a mask doesn’t stop COVID-19. Maybe they should try burning their tinfoil hats and take a flying leap into the world of rational thinking and science. 8 /
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Dear editor, Ken Burns said before he was famous, “The single-family home backyard is sacrosanct and essential for the development and transformation of children as well as socialization of the family unit.” Today the city of Sandpoint has chosen to destroy the single-family backyard by allowing developers to purchase single-family homes. In the process they are raping the land by destroying mature fruit trees, well tended flower gardens, established bird sanctuaries and bee habitats. All that to build small cottages and/or a trailer park that will cause ground pollution on the land we plant, the air we breathe, light pollution so we can’t enjoy the night sky. Also contribute CO2 from vehicles and the trailers/ cottages. We know this because it is happening right now next door to us at 701 N. Division. By eliminating single-family backyards the city is helping to destroy the family unit and forcing children to play in the street. No parent wants that to happen, or do they? Please contact your local city council representative and tell them you want single-family backyards and our “hoods” intact for our children and future generations to enjoy. Phil Levesque and Barbara Hennessy Sandpoint
Protect rural living at the ballot box... Dear editor, In the March 4 issue of the Reader there was an article about land use [Feature, “Land use tug-ofwar: Neighborhood winners and losers”]. As a former property owner in the Selle Valley I understand the desire to keep the density low with larger parcels. That is the appeal of living rurally. The article ends with property owners feeling unheard by the Bonner County commissioners and feeling powerless to impact the commissioners’ decisions. I believe the property owners do have the power to impact decisions and that power is in their vote at election time. Commissioners Dan McDonald and Steve Bradshaw have been largely supported by rural voters. Maybe it is time to vote them out. Dan Logan Sandpoint
COMMUNITY Amber Coffman Campbell New Direction Grant presented By Reader Staff The Angels Over Sandpoint has presented a New Direction Grant from the Amber Coffman Campbell Memorial Fund to Amanda Knapp. The grant is presented to a Bonner County resident who has come to a crossroads in life and is trying to start in a “New Direction,” assisting with tuition for a college, university or trade school. Amber Coffman Campbell was passionate, inspiring and generous of spirit. She brought forth an idea that there was always something beautiful about to unfold. Although she left us too soon, this grant is a way to honor her joy and hope for the future. Amanda Knapp embodies this spirit with her attitude and generosity, as well as the desire to fulfill her dreams and give back to our community. She was a teacher at the Waldorf School for 15 years. When schools closed due to COVID-19, and Knapp was home-schooling her own two children, she had lots of time to reflect on her past and how she wanted to shape her future. With soul searching and finding that her passion for baking was a great part of her life, she decided to learn the trade and become a professional baker and pastry chef. After giving her talents as a teacher for nearly 15
years, she is now seeking to give her gifts in a new way, formulating ideas of how to pay it forward. These things include: teaching bread baking, donating food and meals to Jo Roseborough, Carolyn Sorentino of the Angels those in need, and Over Sandpoint presenting Amanda Knapp with much more. $5,000 New Direction Scholarship. Courtesy photo. The Angels Over Sandpoint is your life, visit the Angels website, pleased to be able to help Amanangelsoversandpoint.org, to find an da fulfill her dreams. If you are application and criteria for the grant. interested in making a change in
KLT launches Folk School for adults By Reader Staff Registration is now open for Kaniksu Folk School, a traditional skills education series designed for adult learning. Kaniksu Land Trust launched the folk school in response to requests for adult nature education. “Parents of the kids who attended our WildCrafting classes would always come up to me and ask when we would start adult classes,” KLT Education Director Dave Kretzschmar said. “We have a lot of talented, qualified local artisans teaching the classes. We are excited to be able to help share their gifts with our community.” The spring 2021 series of Kaniksu Folk School begins Saturday,
March 20 and extends through May 15. Topics include pack basket weaving, spoon carving, leather tooling, buckskin leather crafting, drop spindle spinning and “Connecting with your Children Through Nature.” All take place at Pine Street Woods and are beginner-level, small group classes with participation limits of eight to 12 people. Adults can register for one or more sessions at kaniksulandtrust. org/kaniksu-folk-school. Kaniksu Folk School is a new initiative by KLT that aims to enrich lives and foster an ethic of stewardship through the sharing of traditional crafts and music. For more information, visit kaniksu.org or call KLT at 208-263-9471.
PERSPECTIVES
The anvil’s ring
The often forgotten art of forging metal
By Chris White Reader Contributor There are times when I despair at the losses that are critical to our collective cultural soul. It’s more than a mental emotion; it is visceral. The loss might be a once wild place, a language facing extinction for lack of speakers or the nearly lost art and skills of blacksmithing, once critical to human evolution. Doors I marvel when doors open in our lives. They beckon us to step through and fulfill our destiny, find our purpose. For me, I stood mesmerized in one doorway before a blacksmith at Colonial Williamsburg as he stamped my name into a glowing, child-size horseshoe. Though only 8 years old, I felt the same powerful draw to forge metal and work with my hands 20 years later while strolling through a small town in northern Minnesota. I heard the distant but distinctive ring of an anvil. Some anvils “thunk”; the good ones “ring.” I followed the sound, met the retiring blacksmith and felt compelled to buy his magic anvil and all the tools in his shop. My wife and I towed this load to Colorado — breaking two U-Haul trailers in the journey. We set-up our teepee and I commenced a five-month winter apprenticeship at a working/teaching forge. Origins The first honored blacksmith was the Greek god, Hephaestus — counterpart to the Romans’ Vulcan. He was the son of Zeus and forged lightning to compliment his father’s thunder. The myth I embrace is that Hephaestus was angrily thrown from heaven after a dalliance with one of Zeus’s mistresses. He landed hard as a mere human with a crippled leg, but became beloved as a blacksmith for all mankind. Smiths did everything: besides shoeing horses (one who only shoes horses is a farrier) they made the plows, the swords and armor, yet still had time to
make a hinge or hearth tool for a household in need. Smiths were craftsmen and artists. Some made Timex swords; others, Rolex. Japan today honors their finest sword makers as national treasures. Metal Special alloy metals infused in the thrust cones that withstand the heat at the bottom of a space rocket, or the durable metal in my artificial knee, are way beyond a traditional smith. For simplicity here, blacksmiths worked with two basic metals: wrought iron, which has minute carbon content, resists rust, is tough but cannot be hardened. The other, carbon steel, can be hardened through tempering. If you could hold these red hot metals in your hand, you could mold them like clay — enter the blacksmith’s hammer. The old sailing ship anchors you might see decorating seaside towns are wrought iron; carbon steel anchors would eventually appear as a wicked witch in mid-meltdown, rust piling up in the grass below. Tip: touch metal to a grinding wheel, more sparks equals higher carbon content. Fire Early forges were fired by homemade charcoal, which produces twice the heat of the wood from which it is made. Later, coal was used when available. Coal is not created equally. There are four general types. The coal heating a smith’s bellowed, forced-air forge is hopefully anthracite — high heat, less slag (dirty coal byproducts). When heated, it turns to
coke, which is as pleasing as a sharp knife is to a chef. Coveted like a secret stash of standing buckskin firewood, a friend once drove 1,000 miles for a load of this “good” coal. Bituminous coal was used by a sad smith, burning cooler and leaving large chunks of useless slag behind. Tools A good shop will have specific tools of the trade. The anvil is a brilliant invention. Each surface serves a different job shaping metal. The square “hardie” hole in the “heel” (opposite the “horn”) is a receptacle for numerous inserts that can cut, bend or form hot metal. A “leg vice” has a support post extending to the floor and can handle the wailing of a heavy hammer. A 200-pound “witches hat” cone mandrel will create various sized round rings and a “swage block,” with perhaps 50 different holes and curved valleys, will produce about any shape you desire. Blades Carbon steel is necessary for a durable blade that will hold a sharp edge. A 10-inch file is a good start. This is so hard it will snap like dry spaghetti when placed in a vice and whacked. But heat the file red to 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit, sink it into a bucket of sand for slow cooling and you have essentially sent the carbon molecules to a sunny beach and relaxed them. You have “annealed” the metal. When finally cool it will bend like a stick of gum in your vice. A traditional smith will repeatedly heat and hammer the
soft metal into the desired form, shaping the final edge with a stone-wheel grinder. Then it’s time to rudely jerk those relaxed carbon molecules off the beach by again heating the blade red hot and quenching in cold water. The carbon molecules are now back to brittle hard. Now the art of tempering comes into play. Directly heating the backbone edge of our blade, colors start presenting and, as the temperature rises, moving toward the sharp edge like a rainbow. Each color represents a particular temperature and hardness. Colors start at blue and end in straw yellow. For a screwdriver we’ll quench the metal (possibly in oil) when it moves from blue to purple; for an axe we’ll stop at orange. We will quench our blade when yellow reaches the edge leaving us with a durable backbone and a hard cutting edge. To demonstrate the extreme differences in hardness, one teaching smith I worked with would stab his knife into a post and bend the soft tip 90 degrees, then pull it out and shave a nail with the hardened edge near the handle. Tip: To weatherize and stave off rust in carbon steel, heat it to a “black heat” (about 700˚F, just before red appears) and quench in motor oil. Graduation Making use of all our acquired skills, forging Damascus steel was our graduation challenge. We made a sandwich from a section of straightened, high-carbon railroad car spring and an equal piece of wrought iron or mild steel. The
Left: The mighty anvil and hammer. Center: “Witches hat” cone mandrels, which help the smith create various sized round rings. Right: Damascus blanks to form knives and blades. Courtesy photos. former starts burning at 2,400˚F; the iron hotter at 2,600˚F. Just like those life doors that momentarily open, there is but a moment in the fire when these two hot metals can be pounded and married as one — this is “forge welding.” It is a moment similar to when liberals and conservatives come together and find common agreement. (Oops… sorry… another lifetime.) The metal is now one piece. Next it is folded and melded again, creating four layers. This is repeated until there are perhaps 128 layers or more. Polished, the layers visually appear. Some of the finest blades and metal art in the world are made from this fantastical steel. Our graduation ceremony consisted of beer and the “blowing of the anvil.” The bottom of an anvil is concave, resembling a shallow soup bowl. We inverted one anvil, filled the bowl with gunpowder and placed a second upright anvil on top. Spectacular would describe the 150 pound anvil turning end-over-end 100-feet in the sky. Thankfully, the art of blacksmithing is still kept alive and passed on by a tenacious few. They stay connected through abana.org. Keep an eye open for those doors of opportunity, take the risk. March 11, 2021 /
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Mad about Science:
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baby chicks By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist One springtime activity that’s in full swing is the rearing of baby chicks. We covered ducklings a few weeks ago, which present many of the same challenges, but chickens always deserve a special mention. Baby chicks sell in much higher quantity than waterfowl and are generally seen as easier to raise and more useful for your average backyard farmer. Additionally, baby chicks are often impulse buys this time of year because they’re just so darn cute — this is bad behavior, and if you consider buying an animal you’ve never raised on impulse, step back and do a little research at the library, first. These animals deserve that much. If you’re ready to pull the trigger and bring home some peeping boxes of joy, I can help you get started with a little information here. Just like ducklings, chicks will need a brooder box — I made mine out of the base of a pallet and used plywood for the sides and floor, which gives plenty of room for about 30 chicks. Fill their brooder with softwood shavings so they have something soft to stand and sleep on — never use cedar shavings, as cedar oil is poisonous to chickens and it will kill them. Worth noting: Plastic sterilite containers can make for good brooders, but they are highly susceptible to heat and can melt when in close proximity to heat lamps, which will cause lethal vapors for both 10 /
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yourself and the birds. Chicks can’t regulate their body temperature for several weeks, until they start growing feathers, so a heat lamp should be provided for them. Their living area should be 95 degrees the first week of their little life, and it should be moved about an inch further away every week until they are feathered, or the ambient temperature is suitable. A handy way to identify the happiness of your chicks is if they are all huddled under the center of the heat lamp, they’re too cold; If they’re pushed to the edges of the box and won’t venture towards the lamp, they’re too hot. Chicks that are running around and scattered intermittently throughout the brooder are happy, and the temperature is perfect for them. Your chicks should also be provided with food and water. Specialized feeders and fonts are sold from the same farm and feed stores from which you buy the chicks, and while they may seem like a steep investment, they will last for several years — especially the metal ones. It may be tempting to buy your chicks lots of treats like mealworms or bagged salad mixes, but you will want to wait at least a week (preferably more), before you start giving them foods other than the chick starter crumble from the farm and feed store. Additionally, you’ll have an urge to pick them up and marvel at how cute they are, but you should wait to do this for at least a week. They are extremely fragile for their first
week of life, and should only be picked up if they are being aggressive, are sickly and need to be quarantined, or you are dealing with pasty butt. What is pasty butt, you might ask? As self-sufficient as baby chicks are, able to perform virtually every task a chicken needs to perform shortly after hatching with no parental guidance, they aren’t very good at cleaning their rumps after relieving themselves. Sometimes, their waste will get trapped around their cloaca (essentially a dump-all orifice from which waste, and eventually eggs will emerge) and create a blockage. If this blockage is not dealt with by a human in the absence of a mother hen, it can cause waste to build up inside of the chick, which can be extremely painful and eventually lethal. Cleaning pasty butt can be a bit of a chore, because you cannot simply grab the waste and pull — baby chicks are fragile, and that could easily disembowel the poor bird. Instead, the waste must be dabbed with a warm, dampened towel until it can break up enough for you to gently remove it, and then the baby chick must be dried off. Hilariously, they seem to find a hair dryer on a low setting most relaxing, and will generally begin to fall asleep while you dry them. Once the chicks have grown, you probably won’t want them stinking up your house in their brooder anymore. Make sure you have a coop of some sort ready for them outside. You don’t want them to be cooped
up all of the time — many of the birds are specially bred for a specific trait that makes them great to look at and, besides that, how would you like to be confined in a studio apartment unable to escape? Don’t force your birds to live in a perpetual state as shut-ins, so make sure they have some outdoor space to run around. Just be mindful of your garden and your lawn. While
chicken manure is fantastic for your garden, an unguarded garden is like an all-you-can-eat buffet for a flock of chickens. Now that you’re ready to rear your own chickens, I should probably let you in on a little secret: chickens are a gateway drug. Your backyard will be a barnyard before you even realize it. Stay curious, 7B!
Random Corner an body?
m Don’t know much about the hu • A human’s nose can remember 50,000 different scents. • Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour. Most of the dust underneath your bed is actually your own dead skin. • An adult human being is made up of around 7,000,000,000 ,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms (that’s 7 octillion atoms). • The strongest muscle in the human body is the masseter, or jaw muscle (unless you’re Chuck Norris, then it’s the biceps). • People with blue eyes have a higher alcohol tolerance. People with bloodshot eyes have had a bit too much to drink. • The human eye can distinguish about 10 million different colors. • We spend about 10% of our waking hours with our eyes closed, blinking. • If the human eye was a digital camera it would have 576 megapixels.
We can help!
• All of the bacteria in our body collectively weighs about four pounds. • Your heartbeat changes and mimics the music you listen to. • Your brain uses 20% of the total oxygen and blood in your body. • If uncoiled, the DNA in all the cells in your body would stretch 10 billion miles, from here to Pluto and back. • When you take one step, you are using up to 200 muscles. • Human fingers can feel objects as small as 13 nanometers. If your finger was the size of the Earth, you would feel the difference between houses and cars. • Your taste buds are replaced every 10 days. • Borborygmus is the scientific name for when your stomach growls.
OPINION
Want to find partisan common ground? Eliminate the Patriot Act By Mark Reiner Reader Contributor There are many articles decrying the chaos of the recent past. Most of them call for a unity based upon real communication, tolerance, and a healthy dose of American pride. All of them have good points, but none have specific actions that may be taken to reduce or eliminate the specific areas of friction. One area of friction is the perceived overreach of the federal government in many areas, notably with the reduction of freedoms and increase of surveillance resulting from the various Patriot Acts. By October of this year, a special “enhanced” driver’s license is required if one is going to be allowed to fly commercially, even if only domestically. The X-ray and searches required to enter an airliner assume one’s guilt until proven innocent. Most of these are justified as safety measures, but all are based upon a “what-if” fear. There are many others, and with these a large portion of the population is fed up, for they are perceived as unnecessary intrusions into one’s privacy and at the same time reinforce the fear. Now that the Capitol in Washington, D.C., has been subjected to the anger of a lot of these people, we have to ask what is going to be the response? It is at this point where one can see an unexpected union of understanding between the right and the left, for many on the left foresee a further set of restrictions, and recognize these as unnecessary and even counterproductive to the professed call for unity. In the February issue of The Nation, a very left-leaning monthly periodical, there are three articles that demonstrate this common recognition. The first is “No New Terror Laws,” which states in part, “Reacting to the recent spate of politically motivat-
ed violence by granting more power to national security and law enforcement agencies won’t solve anything.” It later states, “We should not enlarge the reach of the War on Terrorism to the point where we all, in one way or another, fall under its umbrella. We should instead be aiming at ending it.” Another article titled “The Security Blanket” details “The Department of Homeland Security’s overreach into local law enforcement [which] has led to the investigation of matters laughably unrelated to terrorism.” It offers examples and later states, There are, “reports detailing protests that, far from being terror threats, would appear to be constitutionally protected First Amendment activity that is supposed to be exempt from law enforcement monitoring. The National Capitol Region Threat Intelligence Consortium even lists a report explicitly titled ‘First Amendment-Protected Events,’ claiming the activities under investigation have the ‘potential for low-level violence.’” The third article perhaps offers the most down-to-earth suggestions. The author writes, “Since people are taught by example and not only by precept, bad examples on any side should not be tolerated.” The article ends with a quote from President Abraham Lincoln’s “Lyceum Address” of 1838: “Passion has helped us, but can do so no more. It will in future be our enemy. Reason is an honored word in the constitutional lexicon. Responsibility is another.” With members of both the political right and left agreeing in this area, much tension would be eliminated or reduced if the Patriot Act and other laws were reviewed and possibly eliminated, thus reducing the intrusions by the government into our private lives.
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By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor
seven miles to the tater The time I spent in Nashville trying my hand at being a songwriter called for the need of a day job. I scored a teaching gig at a private high school. The place had a workout facility that was really quite something. It was there that I tried to work up a sweat from time to time after classes. One day while pumpin’ on a stationary bike I reflected on something a math teacher just down the hall from my room had said. This guy rode his bike most everywhere. You’ve seen those guys: all the gear from head to toe, rearview mirrors. Anyway he had worked out something that struck me: “I get about seven miles to the tater.” “You what?” “Yeah, after eating a decent-sized potato, I can go around seven miles on the flat from the energy it gives me.” Anyway, as I continued to pedal I looked down the row at many students and staff
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doin’ the same thing. Then I glanced over to the stair-step machines. I wondered. What if all these machines each contained a little generator and they were all hooked up somehow to the electrical system of the building? Could we be operating the lights and ventilation system right now? Maybe be charging a half dozen computers or phones? Being a science teacher, I posed the question to my students. They perked right up. It was well received. We imagined the school operating at least partially via the students and staff. P.E. classes, the sports teams. What if an accountability system could be established, maybe a password or thumb print recognition could keep track of the watts each contributed to the grid. A student proposed the idea of creating a watt generation contest between the grade levels. (They all really liked that idea.) We then moved on to the concept of
office buildings around the city being somewhat self-powered by the employees within them. A certain amount of the workday being allotted to employees for working out, their contribution could be recorded and on payday a reward for their efforts could be reflected in their checks. A few cents per watt. The cost of this to the company being offset by the crazy-low utility bill and possibly carbon credits. There also would be the intrinsic rewards to both employees and the owners themselves concerning their overall health and well being. Productivity would most likely go up. So if you’re thinkin’, Well this sounds a little too pie in the sky to ever really be practical, let’s bring it down to individual homes. A few Americans watch a little TV at night — yeah, just a little. How about running the tube on an exercise bike. Maybe 15 minutes could result in two hours of viewing. Charge the computer the same way. Oh and maybe get the whole family in on charging that electric car out in the garage. In this modern age where most of us are sittin’ way too much tryin’ to figure out which buttons to push, maybe it’s time to take another look at human power. It’s what built the pyramids. Yeah… could be time to remove the laundry hangin’ off the bars of that forgotten exercise bike downstairs and put it to good use.
A very happy birthday goes out to Sandpointian Maebeth Fulmer, seen in the top photo. Maebeth turned 100 years old this month! To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.
Top (and inset): Maebeth Fulmer celebrated her 100th birthday in grand style recently, with a big sign outside on her front lawn. Photo by her son, Todd Fulmer. Bottom: A family waits for their pizza order at the Powderhound after a day of skiing at Schweitzer. “They love their troll hats,” the mother said of her children. Photo by Ben Olson. March 11, 2021 /
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LITERATURE
Bus, library, beacon of knowledge
The Bookmobile continues to serve rural library patrons after 20 years
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Most great ideas are born of necessity. The East Bonner County Library District’s Bookmobile is no different. Library Director Ann Nichols said the district purchased the beloved bus in 2000, when the current Sandpoint branch was built, in order to “help bring materials to those in the far reaches” of the library’s territory. “Those people were instrumental in helping to get the library funded,” she said. “Our goal is to serve everyone to the best of our ability.” The Bookmobile is a Blue Bird bus, designed and built especially to become a library on wheels. Current Bookmobile
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driver Michelle Shorman said the 26-foot vehicle weighs about 26,000 pounds. “It’s a different experience than driving a little, newer car around,” Shorman said with a laugh. “You’ve got to pay attention constantly because everything is totally different in the bus.” The Bookmobile’s shelf-lined walls allow for easy browsing, just like in a regular library. It also operates just like a regular branch — people can request materials from the library’s catalog, and Shorman brings them out on her next visit. Books, DVDs, CDs, magazines and games are all available, and Shorman is even able to fire up her wifi hotspot in most locations so that visitors can access the internet from their devices while visiting the Bookmobile.
“People request things and I bring those out, and people also just walk on the bus and are looking for movies for the week,” she said. “I switch them all, so there’s a new selection [each week].” Also reminiscent of a regular library branch, there isn’t just one age demographic visiting the Bookmobile, according to Shorman. “It’s a wide range,” she said, noting that everyone from families with children to elderly folks make regular appearances. “It is utilized by all ages.” Shorman said she enjoys working with the Bookmobile because it means she’s “not stationary.” “I get to go out and see the beauty of our county in all kinds of weather — except extreme weather,” she said. Beyond the joy of the scenic drives, Shorman said she also enjoys visiting with the patrons and seeing all the reasons why people might be using library resources. On Thursdays, she alternates between visiting two area child care and preschool programs: The Kids Castle in Kootenai and Storybook Nook in the Bonner Mall. Seeing the kids enjoy the Bookmobile is particularly fun, Shorman said. “The children … can come and get used to a library setting on the Bookmobile,” she said. “And they’re just intrigued anyway, because it’s a bus — it’s a library on a bus.” Nichols said the Bookmobile continues to serve the library district’s mission to “provide access to opportunities for
Left: A patron browses selections inside the Bookmobile. Right: The iconic Bookmobile parked and waiting to provide enlightenment. Photos by Lyndsie Kiebert.
discovery connection, and lifelong learning” — particularly to those who call the outlying areas of Bonner County home. “We have many patrons who are off the grid. They may live miles away from our two brick-and-mortar buildings, so we want to be able to get as close as possible to where they are to give them better access to all the library has to offer,” Nichols said. “It is important to help all Idahoans receive the information they need in today’s environment.” Visit the Bookmobile on Tuesdays at the Pack River General Store (9:3010:30 a.m.), Selle Valley School (11 a.m.-noon) or Samuels Store (12:30-3 p.m.); on Wednesdays at the Vay Store in Priest River (10-11:30 a.m.), Careywood Fire Station (12:30-1:30 p.m.) or Westmond Store (2-3 p.m.); or on Thursdays at The Kids Castle or Storybook Nook on alternating weeks (10:15-11 a.m.) and at the Old Hope School (noon-2:30 p.m.). Please respect current COVID-19 restrictions, including wearing a face covering and limiting the Bookmobile to one patron/family at a time. Learn more at ebonnerlibrary.org, or call the library district at 208-263-6930.
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COMMUNITY
Zebra mussels found living in aquarium products By Reader Staff
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Nonindigenous Aquatic Species program recently issued a national alert, making consumers aware that aquarium products known as “moss balls,” sold for betta and shrimp habitat, were discovered to have zebra mussels living inside of them. A Seattle PetCo employee made the discovery. Meanwhile, moss balls have been found containing zebra mussels in North Idaho pet stores and other parts of the state. They have also been found in Oregon, Washington and Montana. All submerged moss ball products are currently being pulled from shelves and are decontaminating store equipment as needed. According to reports, the affected moss balls were shipped to California from a company in Ukraine. The larvae of zebra mussels are microscopic, so consumers who purchased these products should assume all equipment, plants or rocks that have come in contact with a moss ball need to be decontaminated. Officials emphasize that potentially contaminated water or aquarium products should not be flushed, dumped or thrown away. Instead, transfer fish and animals to a new container. Keep moss ball(s), water,
Zebra mussels found in the aquarium product called “moss balls.” Courtesy photo. rocks and other products in the aquarium and add one cup of bleach per gallon. Let sit for at least 20 minutes before pouring water down the sink or toilet. Find detailed information on invasive zebra mussels and the harm they do on the Lakes Commission website: lakescommission/aquatic-invasive-species. The organization will be updating this page as it receives more information. In Idaho, the Idaho Department of Agriculture is responsible for aquatic invasive species. To report any information related to invasive species or ask questions please call the Invasive Species Hotline at 1-877-336-8676.
Local Rotarians want to send you to Cabo By Reader Staff
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How does a seven-day escape to Los Cabos, complete with two roundtrip airline tickets and other amenities sound? Sandpoint Rotarians kicked off raffle sales for the Great Escape 2021 this week. The $10 tickets — or three for $20 — can be purchased from any Sandpoint Rotarian or at several local businesses. There are only 3,000 tickets printed and the drawing will be March 30. The lucky winner will stay in a two bedroom, three bathroom exclusive condo at the Club Casa Dorada spa and golf resort at the Hilton Los Cabos. The exact departure date will be set between the winner and condo owner and will possibly be in October, November or December of this year or could even roll into 2022. “We are all starting to go a little stir crazy, so our club decided to raise some money and send someone to Cabo to get past the Coronavirus, etc.,” said Rotary member David Keyes. “A $10 ticket could send you and anyone you choose to Cabo for seven days. Who is not going to want to buy at least one ticket?” The funds will go to help Sandpoint Rotary with its many local and international activities.
“Sandpoint Rotary has had a very strong year helping to support numerous local activities even though our main fundraisers were cancelled due to Coronavirus,” said Rotary President Ken Wood. The condo is an ideal size for a family of four, or two couples. Located on an inlet bay in the Sea of Cortez, Casa Dorada Spa and Golf Resort is the perfect escape and opportunity to put 2020 in the rearview mirror. The new resort is adjacent to a five-acre swim jetty, championship golf, tennis, jet skiing, hiking, biking and ATV adventures. The winner will also receive a $200 gift certificate to Flora Farms, an amazing organic farm to table operation nestled within a culinary and arts community and an organic farm. Flora Farms has a spa and fun, intimate cooking classes on making traditional Mexican fare. What better way to say goodbye to 2020 than by toasting to 2021 or 2022 in Cabo? Tickets will probably sell out but can be purchased from any Sandpoint Rotarian, the Daily Bee, 219, Idaho Pour Authority, Columbia Bank or Northwest Auto Body in Sandpoint. For more information, contact Keyes at: davidkeyes09@gmail.com.
STAGE & SCREEN
Nomadland is a pensive portrait of economic and social dislocation
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff It’s unclear what critics mean when they say Nomadland is a film that mingles joy and sorrow. There is very little of the former and much of the latter — watching it with closed captioning, it’s striking how often the phrase “pensive piano music” shows up on the bottom of the screen. Star Frances McDormand spends the vast majority of the runtime with a 1,000-yard stare into the blasted void of a desert. Barring that, she’s toiling in halogen-lit Amazon “fulfillment” centers or scraping grease off a grill at Wall Drug — all the while exuding so much weariness and sorrow that it takes a person of normal fortitude more than one go at viewing it. People like to think that they understand movies; that they’re entertainment. Nomadland is exhausting in the ways that some people might call art, but which a more considered opinion might describe as depression porn. Critics, of course, aren’t poor, so they don’t know that Nomadland is depressing. They see some kind of Old West rumination on love, loss and yearning. For sure, there are elements of that, but the most maddening aspect of Nomadland is the muddled sense that 60-somethings are suddenly realizing the American dream is bogus. By now anyone with brains should know that the American dream has taken a beating in the
past 20 or so years, and precious few people who were “coming up” during that time period have found it possible to access the kind of financial opportunity and stability enjoyed by their elders. In the meantime, smart publications have exhaustively excavated the systematic hollowing out of life in this country, heisted by the hoarding that has gone on with increasing rapidity since the turn of the 21st century — hoarding of wealth, hoarding of land, hoarding of opportunity. In case anyone is unaware, there is a crushing affordability crisis in the United States right now, with at least an entire generation completely unable to invest in a home of their own. That rootless sense of dread and the foreclosure of participation in the economic life of the country animates Nomadland, and as a person born in the tail end of Gen X, it’s really hard to see any glimmer of the romance of hitting the road to live in a van. That’s not to suggest that Nomadland is trafficking in romance — set in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse (which could just as well be today), our heroine, Fern, played by McDormand, is a casualty of the system. When the gypsum plant in her community of Empire, Nev., shuts down the whole town disappears almost overnight. At the same time, her husband dies, leaving her with precious little to hold her in one place for long. Thus begins her nomadic
A still frame of Nomadland’s star, Frances McDormand. Courtesy photo. life, piloting a retrofitted van she names Vanguard. Along the way we meet the winsome, unmoored masses who inhabit the ghostly, lonely desertscapes of the Intermountain West and places like North Dakota. It’s a gorgeous, windy setting evocative of the nothingness left in the wake of post-post industrial capitalism. Fern keeps mostly to herself, picking up odd jobs here and there, eating her meals in a succession of deserted, depressing fast food diners. Human connections come and go with a light touch — there is camaraderie, but it’s spiked with a shared sense of bereavement for jobs, for homes, for family. If Fern finds any kind of solace it’s in clinging to her independence, though the degree to which she is actually “free” is doubtful, as she’s tethered to a seasonal migration of low-paying work, the mechanical vicissitudes of her aging vehicle and, at one point, must even reconnect with her sister — holding her nose for a brief stay in the suburbs in order to get a loan so she can keep moving. Nomadland rightly earns its mass critical success, including a recent Golden Globe win, but don’t go into it thinking you’ll be treated to a honey-hued portrait of late-middle age self discovery. There’s very little out there but the open road and it’s a lonely place.
Lyndsie Kiebert gives Cindy Derr a big hug after a match during Kiebert’s senior year at CFHS. Photo by Brenda Haase. I started this column a few years ago to pay tribute to the people and things that influence my work, but that don’t necessarily appear in my stories. Cindy Derr is one of those people. Derr and I first joined forces in 2013, when she reclaimed the helm of the Clark Fork volleyball program after taking a hiatus. I was a senior, in love with volleyball and eager to please. It didn’t take long to recognize that Derr was a tough nut to crack. She held me to a higher standard than I ever thought myself capable of achieving. We won the district championship that year, despite a rocky season, and — as it turned out — Derr and I made a great team. In 2017, I was a freshly minted college graduate living at my parents’ house. I applied to be Derr’s assistant coach, and thus began a partnership that has persisted to this day. No one wanted to see her players succeed like Derr. She taught me early on that you can’t make kids want to win, but you can definitely show them how badly you want it. You can celebrate. You can yell. You can give them every single volleyball tool you know to impart. You can’t make a kid want the game like you do, but you can be a vulnerable and passionate force to be reckoned with while you coach them. Derr died on March 5, after a long, brutal fight with cancer. It doesn’t really feel like she’s gone, and it won’t until we start volleyball practice in August. I take solace in knowing that Derr’s afterlife is a volleyball tournament. She’s wearing Wampus Cat blue and gold. There’s a clipboard in her hand, likely with a crack down the middle from one quick slap against the hardwood in a moment of weakness. She’s sitting with her legs crossed in the coach’s chair, poised to jump up at any moment and remind her setter: “Square up! Finish!” Alternatively, she might be sitting lakeside at her favorite spot in Hope right now, reading a good book. The summer sun is hot and the lake is quiet, lapping against the smooth rocks in a familiar rhythm. No matter where she is, I know I’ll see her again. In the meantime, I look forward to representing her legacy. RIP Coach Derr. Go Lady Cats. March 11, 2021 /
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events March 11-18, 2021
THURSDAY, march 11
Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Alex and Maya 7-9pm @ The Back Door
Live Trivia at the Winery 5:30-7:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
FriDAY, march 12
Live Music w/ Devon Wade 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 7:30-9:30pm @ The Back Door
Live Music w/ One Street Over 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Art exhibit w/ Jennings Waterhouse 4-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
SATURDAY, march 13
Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 7:30-9:30pm @ The Back Door Live Music w/ Pamela Jean 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Okay, Honey 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Art exhibit w/ Mike Thompson 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
SunDAY, march 14
Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am
Piano Sunday w/ Tom Pletscher 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Bingo at the Winery 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
monDAY, march 15
Outdoor Experience Monday Night Group Run – All levels welcome 6pm @ Outdoor Experience Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “Hell: Does it Really Exist?”
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
tuesDAY, march 16 wednesDAY, march 17
Live Music w/ Scythe & Spade 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority A livesly instrumental Irish duo
St. Paddy’s Day live music w/ Brendan Kelty & Chloe on banjo 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
ThursDAY, march 18
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COMMUNITY Bonner Co. Human Rights Task Force opens 2021 scholarships, hosts logo design contest By Reader Staff The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force is offering two human rights scholarships to graduating seniors in Bonner County. The Darby and Amber Campbell Memorial Scholarship varies from $500 to $2,500, depending on the number of scholarships awarded, and the Erik Robin Bruhjell Memorial Scholarship varies from $500 to $1,000. In order to apply, students are asked to submit the common application as well as the Campbell and/or Bruhjell application. Both BCHRTF applications ask students to write thoughtful essays on human rights as well as to respond to questions on the application. Applicants’ involvement in activities supporting human rights and financial need are also considered. Applications are available on the BCHRTF website at bchrtf.org and on local school websites. The deadline for applications is 9 a.m. Monday, April 12 at area high-school counseling centers. Applications may also be submitted directly to the task force by the same deadline at: Darby and Amber Campbell and/or Erik Robin Bruhjell Memorial, P. O. Box 1463, Sandpoint, ID 83864. Contact BCHRTF with any questions at 208-290-2732 or bchrtaskforce@gmail.com. Meanwhile, the task force is also sponsoring
a contest, inviting members of the community to rethink and redesign the organization’s logo in preparation for its 30th anniversary in 2022. “We’d like the help of community members in thinking about what human rights means to them, and how to symbolize that in a simple and understandable way,” BCHRTF stated in a news release. “We are offering a prize of $500 for the selected design — plus recognition in our publications. The current logo is nearly as old as the organization itself, which was founded in 1992. It incorporates the words “Bonner County Human Rights Task Force” and shows members of the community joining hands and standing together for human rights. The logo is intended to symbolize unity, tolerance, equity and fairness for all — it is also a design that can be easily printed in one color for brochures, letterhead and communications. Organizers suggest that new logo designs may include elements representing the natural setting of the area or illustrate the need to reach across ideological divides. “Most of us would also prioritize creating a community in which all of us feel safe and in which our children can grow up and thrive,” organizers stated. Visit bchrtf.org for details about entering the contest, and submit logo ideas by April 20.
STAGE & SCREEN
Where history POAC and live theater meet brings Living Voices to the Panida Theater March 19 By Reader Staff The Pend Oreille Arts Council is slated to host its first live performance in more than a year, presenting the Living Voices’ production of “Northwest Passages” on Friday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at the Panida Theater. As was the case for arts presenters across the country, nonprofit POAC was forced to postpone or cancel performances scheduled for the 2020-2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those performances have been rescheduled for the 2021-2022 season, and POAC’s Performing Arts Committee is busy lining up the organization’s trademark mix of music and live theater offerings for the Sandpoint community. “We have survived and thrived during these times thanks to our
loyal supporters who recognize how important the arts are to our community,” said POAC Executive Director Tone Lund. “We have been able to pivot and adapt the visual arts and educational aspects of our mission, and now we look forward to reviving our live performances at the Panida Theater.” “Northwest Passages” tells the story of the development of the Pacific Northwest, focusing primarily on the years 1880-1920. It is the examination of forces that pulled people here from regions throughout the United States and the world, the dreams they hoped to fulfill, the realities they encountered and the established communities of people who were affected by this great influx. The “passage” in the title refers not just to a journey from one place to another, but also from one time and one way of life to another, charted through the experiences
of a young girl, Anna Julia Larson, whose family emigrated from Sweden to the United States in the late 1800s. The production depicts Larson’s life from her youth as a recent immigrant in Preston, Wash., to her career as a nurse in Seattle, to her growing realization that she has become more American than Swedish. Living Voices is also part of POAC’s Ovations program, a free K-12 outreach that provides quality educational experiences in the performing arts for students who would otherwise not have the opportunity. Living Voices, in conjunction with the Seattle-based Nordic Heritage Museum, has produced a study guide focused on the history of the times to accompany performances in multiple elementary schools in the Lake Pend Oreille School District prior to the public performance at the Panida. Tickets are $16, and are
available at the POAC Office, located at 110 Main St., Suite 101 in downtown Sandpoint; Winter Ridge Natural Foods; online at ArtinSandpoint.org; or by calling 208-263-6139. Tickets will be limited due to reduced venue capacity for safety reasons during the pandemic.
“Northwest Passages” tells the story of the development of the Pacific Northwest, focusing primarily on the years 1880-1920.Images courtesy Pend Oreille Arts Council.
The Swedish Forrest Gump — with dynamite By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The literature and cinema of the Scandanavian countries has enjoyed a robust yet still niche following in the U.S. for some time — seemingly specializing in moody, violent police procedural dramas. The long dark nights, cold gray skies and sweeping landscapes of the former Viking lands seem perfectly primed as backdrops to desperate murders and growling detectives in black overcoats. So it’s with some surprise to watch a film like The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared, which showcases a peculiar sense of Swedish humor that weaves whimsy with cynicism, toying with brutality while leavening it with absurdity. As its title aptly describes, the 2015 film — with the same name as the best-selling 2009 novel by Jonas Jonasson — focuses on a man, named Allan Karlsson, who on the occasion of his 100th birthday decides to give the whole thing a miss and escapes through
the nursing home window. From there, he embarks on an aimless yet chaotic journey through rural Sweden as well as the fantastical events of his own life. The film opens with Karlsson in his tiny cabin in the woods, already clearly nearing advanced old age, as his beloved cat — Molotov — jumps out the window and disappears. Karlsson finds the cat has fallen victim to a marauding fox. Angered, the old man deftly constructs an explosive trap, which the fox quickly triggers — detonating in a bloody blast of fur, snow and parts of his own chicken coop. That incident lands Karlsson in the old folks home, where he hilariously upsets a gaggle of care workers, local journalists and clearly annoyed family members when he’s nowhere to be found as they prepare to present him with a ludicrously candle-laden cake. Meanwhile, he’s shuffling to the bus station, bound for anywhere. Fate intercedes at the station, however, when a chance encounter with a motorcycle thug ends up with Karlsson absconding with the guy’s rolling suitcase. Karlsson
simply didn’t want to miss his bus, but by taking the luggage he has unwittingly placed himself at the crucial center of a criminal enterprise involving gangsters from Sweden to Bali. Bodies can and do pile up. Karlsson is a simple man living in complicated times, though it soon becomes clear that his simplicity has acted as a kind of armor for navigating the (literally) explosive vicissitudes of his life. Audiences are introduced to Karlsson’s early life, which takes a series of dark turns with the loss of his parents — his father executed by Russian firing squad for trying to establish a pro-contraception independent republic in downtown Moscow, while his mother succumbs to an illness. Moorless, young Karlsson spends his days blowing things up, first with firecrackers then bigger and bigger homemade bombs. A grisly, yet comedic, accident lands the orphan in an asylum, where he grows into his distinctive quirks. Mutilated by a sloppy sterilization surgery, Karlsson has only three real ambitions upon leaving
the asylum as a young man: “eat, sleep and blow things up.” He’s in luck, as the rest of the world in the early 20th century is precisely as preoccupied with blowing things up as he is. First stop: a weapons foundry, which leads him to serving as a demolitions expert fighting with the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. From there, the story embarks on a sort of Forrest Gump-meetsBad Grandpa-meets-Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as the dual narrative of past and present brings Karlsson into contact with everyone from world leaders like Franciso Franco, Harry S. Tru-
A still frame from The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared. Courtesy photo. man and Joseph Stalin to a trio of fellow screwballs who transform — somewhat reluctantly — into his centenarian running crew. The history in the film is almost completely invented, and the shifting temporal perspectives get a little wearying; but, overall The 100-Year-Old Man is simply a really good time and proof that the Swedes can be just funny as they are dark and dour. Stream it on Amazon Prime. March 11, 2021 /
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FOOD
The Sandpoint Eater
How does my garden grow
By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist
Last June, from my quarantine fortress, I made one of my rare, early-COVID outings. Circumspect but determined, I donned a mask and gloves and made a quick trip to the abridged Farmer’s Market to pick up a variety of heirloom tomato plants. I’m not known for my green thumb, but I can usually produce a few, token edibles from my yard (fortunately my thriving, perennial herbs practically raise themselves). With great determination and anticipation, I planted and fertilized and watered my little treasures. Then along came fall, and it was time to harvest my heirloom tomatoes (both of them). That day, I decided I was tossing in my trowel for good. It was not a decision easily made. There is a lot of self-imposed pressure where I live, bordered by green-thumbed, master-gardener-type neighbors. Over a picket fence, I watch my next-door grower, Eric, literally fill bushel baskets of bright red, ripe Roma tomatoes waiting to be sauced. Right across from my driveway, once they’ll have their fill of harvest, my neighbors, the Shays, will invite me to glean their still jungle-like patch of Italian basil. There’s always enough for me to whip up at least a year’s batch of pesto. I’m so grateful for their generosity because my basil never lasts past a (teensy-small) Caprese salad or two. I’m also envious of the fruitful garden my daughter Ryanne tends all summer long down in Moscow. A spring highlight for her is hauling in Alpaca manure by the truckload and then spending days spreading this coveted 20 /
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byproduct. Once her seedlings come to life, she’s content to sit among her brood of clucking hens, picking handfuls of weeds in the summer sun. She says these are some of her happiest days. Truth be known, I’d rather make a tiered wedding cake than whack a weed. Last fall I came to terms with my plan to let someone else tend to the gardening. I was going to hang up my hoe, hand the starters over to professionals and hang out at the Saturday market, or subscribe to one of our local CSAs. Then, a month or so ago, for some reason, my algorithm inspired Facebook to lure me back to this world in which I’ve spent little time in the past 30 years (I used to grow some mean green beans back in my ranching
days). Since I still don’t see myself doing much global trekking for another year, maybe Facebook was onto something. Luring me in with lush gardens on Pinterest and Instagram, sponsored by countless companies like Burpees and Bentleys and Dutch Gardens, I decided to give it another go. With all my heart, I’m hoping that Miracle-Gro will live up to its name. I’m going to give it my all this season. I mean, I already know the vernacular: peat, pots, moss, compost, stakes, manure, fertilizer, straw, bedding (frost, flood, blight and bugs). Ryanne says if I really embrace this, endorphins will be released and not only will I be eating nature’s best, I will be experiencing a natural high. I can hardly wait. Now, surrounded by seed
catalogs, I’m making some real decisions, like heirloom or hybrid? Do I need open-pollinated or non-GMO seeds? Buy soil by the bag or truckload? Raised beds or flat? Should I have a greenhouse built, or see how this first season goes (grows)? Though I plan on growing an assortment of food stuffs, tomatoes, with all their different varieties, sizes and colors, have a special allure. And though they’re yet but a twinkle in my Jiffy Pots, I have great visions of big, red, plump and juicy tomatoes, falling ripe from their vines. Tomatoes seem to appeal to everyone’s palate. I once had a wealthy client from the South, and her favorite appetizer was a tomato pie. She would instruct me to buy the best and most beautiful hybrids I could
get my hands on for this dinner-party go-to. When she first gave me her recipe to follow, I was surprised to learn that store-bought mayonnaise was a key ingredient. Though It was a delicious dish, the purist in me really wanted to find a substitute for the mayonnaise. I tried eggs, Greek yogurt and ricotta, but it turned out that the marriage of tomatoes and mayo are key to the success of this savory pie. Though I have modified it with bits of bacon and fresh, fragrant basil, I’ll never again consider mayonnaise to be an unworthy partner of my garden fresh, red, plump, juicy tomatoes. Meanwhile, until summer, you’ll find me picking the best of the pie-worthy tomatoes in the produce section at Yoke’s.
Southern Tomato Pie This pie is perfect for all meals, in all seasons. It also makes a great hot dip — just ditch the crust and cook in an au gratin or small casserole vessel.
INGREDIENTS: • 1 pie crust to fit 9” pie pan • 4 best quality tomatoes, sliced thin • 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese • ½ cup finely grated Parmesan Reggiano • ½ cup Best Foods mayonnaise • 1 tsp each, salt and pepper • ½ cup finely shredded basil leaves (chiffonade), reserve 4 large basil leaves
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F Line pie pan with favorite crust Peel and slice tomatoes, place in colander and sprinkle with salt. Allow to drain for at least 30 minutes. Stir together mayonnaise, the first two cheeses and salt and pepper. Pat thin layer of cheese mixture on bottom of pie shell. Next layer tomatoes and basil. And remaining cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes on bottom rack, reduce heat to 350 F, and move to top shelf. Cook another 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned and cheese is melted. Remove from oven. Cool slightly. Serve warm, garnished with basil leaves.
MUSIC
Singing praises to movie musicals that work The Irish film Sing Street is endearing and gritty all at once
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Movie musicals are tricky. At their best, they weave a story around infectious melodies that leave viewers still humming long after the movie has ended. At their worst, they make you cringe every time a new song flops onto the script. The past decade has seen a reinvigoration of the movie musical with an attempt to downplay some of the grandeur and paint a more realistic picture of the fraught relationship some artists have with music. Think of Jeff Bridges’ tormented character in Crazy Heart. He plays a washed up country artist who has fallen on hard times, pissing in jugs and gigging at bowling alleys while nursing a serious alcohol problem. Or Nick Offerman’s dad character in Hearts Beat Loud. Offerman plays a musician who never really made it. He owns a record store and somewhat accidentally becomes a new indie sensation when releasing a track with his daughter from a practice session. Offerman and bright newcomer Keegan DeWitt actually play their parts live during filming, doing away with the awkward lip synching and fake dubbing of past movie musicals. In this spirit, the 2016 Irish coming-of-age film Sing Street breathes fresh air into this genre. Set in 1980s Dublin, a 15-yearold boy named Conor grows up in a home reeking of failure. His parents are splitting up, his older brother once had dreams, but now just wanders around the house. Everyone dreams of getting out of Ireland. Director John Carney paints the picture of Dublin in the mid-’80s: depressed, hungover from the punk explosion and dabbling in New Wave bands like The Cure, Duran Duran and Depeche Mode — all of whom were releasing videos during the
This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone
READ
Russia is notoriously hard to figure out. Even Russians don’t know what it means to be a Russian — evidence: every piece of Russian literature, ever. For such an enigmatic place and people, it should come as a no surprise that sci-fi is an apt medium through which to explore the dark chambers of the Russian soul. Brothers Boris and Arkady Strugatsky were the best: their books carry a pitch-black humor twisted with a profound Janus-faced cynical optimism. Roadside Picnic is a master class in the Strugatsky style. Check it out at the library… I’m done with it now.
LISTEN
explosive first years of MTV. Overall, the film pulls no punches. It’s tender, mean and hopeful all at once. Conor, played by a ruddy-cheeked Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, drowns out his parents’ fighting in the other room by strumming a clunky guitar and mashing together words. It could be the origin story of any famous or failed musician. Hard times cause Conor’s parents to pull him out of a private Jesuit school and he attends the rough Catholic boys school called Synge Street, where he is bullied by his peers and abused by the headmaster for being different. Like so many of us did when facing those same awkward times, Conor tries to dream his way out of his mundane reality. He spots a beautiful girl claiming to be a model, played by Lucy Boynton, who has dreams of going to London someday. Smitten with her, Conor lies and says he’s in a band, and they’re looking for a girl to star in their music video. Driven by his dreams of success — as well as the ageold desire to get laid — Conor scrapes together a rag-tag band of weirdos and ne’er-do-wells and they set about a fascinating
exploration of imitating popular bands’ sounds, and finally writing their own music. They eventually land a gig to play at a school dance, but Conor arranges a shoot for a music video beforehand. This scene, as the band sets up at the gymnasium, particularly shows the discord between an artists’ mind and reality. In his mind’s eye, Conor’s music video is well-produced, well-lit, filled with dynamic costumes and extras. His parents are there, beaming with smiles. His older brother fights off a brute with a knife, which turns into a synchronized dance. Cut back to reality and it’s just a dingy Irish Catholic school with a half dozen denim-clad preteens swaying awkwardly like animated ’80s corpses. That’s how it is when you dream. Everything has a golden hue, a beautiful purpose, a resolution. Everything hits on the beat and the dream is attainable. But the real world is filled with confusion, misunderstanding, bad habits and ruts into which our lives have drifted. The promise of art, the creative drive, is sometimes the only thing that makes sense out of this disjointed world. Sing Street does an excellent job capturing that
The youthful Irish cast of Sing Street, led by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (center left). Courtesy photo. “happy-sad” nature to creating art, especially music. It also shows that the muse — in this case a beautiful girl living at a public home with a bipolar mother and dead father — is beautiful inside the art, but just as messed up and lost as the rest of us. That’s the magic of art; it gives anyone a chance. The degenerate, the pious, the flawed and the damned — if you wrap it in something beautiful, we all have a chance to share in that emotional release. The film’s original music, written by Gary Clark and John Carney, is a character of its own. Like the best music movies, it carries the emotional weight of the characters’ struggles and releases a yawp of triumph at just the right time. It’s enthusiastic and youthful, a worthy homage to the New Wave period. There’s a good reason why Sing Street earned a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes; it’s different from the rest, cheesy enough to melt your heart but gritty in all the right places. Stream it free at tubitv.com.
Those Swedes, man. They’re onto something. From furniture to noir films, the Swedish oeuvre is characterized by quiet extremity. Miss Li, born Linda Karlsson in 1982, is something like a Scandanavian Amy Winehouse — minus the suicidal excess. Her smoky, tremulous voice; rockabilly sensibility; and catchy, sometimes carnivalesque instrumentals strike all the right notes. “Stupid Girl,” “Forever Drunk” and “Take a Shower” are choice tracks.
WATCH
When it comes to apocalypse — pre- or post- — Europeans in general are the experts. The continent has undergone some of the most terrible incidents in history, whether they be self-induced or not. From plagues to wars, climate change and all-out annihilationist politics, the “world” has “ended” in Europe at least a half dozen times since at least the first millennium CE. Netflix original series Tribes of Europa puts a brilliant German-language spin on post-collapse society in an inventive, slick and bingeable rumination on community, self-reliance and social responsibility.
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BACK OF THE BOOK
A grain of salt From Northern Idaho News, March 9, 1909
BONNER COUNTY WILL HOLD FAIR Bonner county will hold its second annual fair and agricultural exhibit in this city this fall and this year it will be bigger and better than ever. The Commercial club have taken hold of the matter and will push it to the utmost. Although a definite date has not yet been fixed, the agricultural committee of which Attorney B.S. Bennett is chairman, have signified their intention of doing so in the near future. They have definitely decided, however, that a fair will be held and urgently request all who care to participate for the liberal prizes offered to prepare for the event. The fair last year was a demonstration of what can be done in this the banner county of the state, and should only be a starter to show what can be done at another exhibit. Prizes will be awarded on produce in all lines as well as to works of art and fancy work as was done at the fair last season. Steps are to be taken to hold the fair this fall in a larger place than last year as the club rooms were filled to their utmost capacity and as the event has been announced earlier than it was a year ago the display will certainly be much more elaborate. More definite plans will be announced later as will the prizes which are to be offered by the business men. 22 /
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A health column... sort of
A non-vaccinator gets vaccinated
By Ammi Midstokke Reader Columnist
cinating experience, because I see the pain as a remarkable physiological response to outside As a natural health invaders. The body practitioner, it seems is a miraculous rather reasonable that creation, and that my expectation of is just going on the the human body is as stuff we actually follows: give it what it know. There’s a lot needs, and it will probhappening that is ably chug right along The author receives a COVID-19 vaccination at still just magic to with the occasional Bonner General Health. Courtesy photo. me. I recognize this is maintenance issues. also a privilege. Not surprisingly, I feel the same about So when it came time for me to decide my generator, children and marriage. whether to vaccinate or not, I found myself Inasmuch, I have few vaccinations for a looking down a confusing list of values and host of personal reasons, both physical and beliefs — many of them absolutely juxtaethical. This is easy to do when you live in posed. Could my body fight off COVID-19? a country that has relative limited risk, good Yes, it just did. Would the vaccine thrust a health care and you’re not malnourished. I host of unknown chemicals into my body? recognize all of those things are a privilege. Certainly not any more than that time I As a science-based practitioner and tried dirty meth or drank a Mountain Dew. member of society, I’ve watched this panWould vaccination cause a delayed immudemic roll through the world with an open nological response? Genetic mutations? mind and a blatant kind of curiosity that I Will I be microchipped? (If the latter, then hope is not mistaken for lack of compasat least my Amazon recommendations sion. I wondered what the disease might should be highly accurate in the future.) feel like for my healthy (although auto-imI don’t know all the answers, but my mune compromised) body. curiosity and broader socialist tendencies When I got COVID-19, my body became ultimately won. I felt better about taking on a petri dish for my latest case study, while personal risk than inducing social risk. This, my kitchen turned into a veritable suppletoo, seems rather a privilege, both that I ment warehouse. I did all the things and took have the choice and a faith in my body. notes on symptoms and, by around day five, The lessons that came to me in this gave up on the whole shebang and just let process (which has lasted months for me) my poor sick body rest. It sucked. And I was were not in a debate about vaccination or in grateful that I had known of my exposure heath care policy, but rather in the profound early, that I did not expose anyone else and internal struggle of something we so often that my kid knew how to log me into Netflix. resist: Changing our minds. I don’t mind being sick. It’s rather a fas-
STR8TS Solution
What I have learned is that absolutes do not really have a place in our lives. They force us to overcommit to a belief and then stubbornly cling to it with a vice-like grip and information bias until we identify solely with our conviction. Worse, dissenting from those beliefs confuses us about what we actually stand for, so we avoid contemplating the alternative altogether. I decided I stand for compassion, both for myself and others. Our community embraces the entire spectrum of values that are challenged as we navigate the outcomes of this surreal experience. As individuals and a society, we’re forced to re-evaluate some of our rigid beliefs, and that is scary territory. The kindest thing we can do for each other right now is acknowledge how hard that is, and have patience with the process. Ammi Midstokke can be contacted at ammimarie@gmail.com.
Crossword Solution
Sudoku Solution
I think the mistake a lot of us make is thinking the state-appointed shrink is our friend.
Solution on page 22
Solution on page 22
honcho
Woorf tdhe Week
By Bill Borders
/HON-choh/ [noun] 1. a leader, especially an assertive leader.
“You’ll have to get approval from the head honcho before running that ad.” Corrections: In our story of March 4, “Levy votes on the ballot in area school districts,” we incorrectly described the tax burder of the West Bonner County School District replacement levy. It should have been $1.46 per $1,000 of assessed value. – ZH
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
Laughing Matter
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Aqualung 6. Adjust again 11. Half of six 12. Found on an eyelid 15. Distributor 16. Clamber 17. Mistake 18. Bristlegrass 20. Not high 21. City in Peru 23. Wicked 24. Spinning toys 25. Skedaddled 26. Small mountain 27. Flake 28. School session 29. Be unwell 30. Squalid 31. Not an activator 34. Courtyards 36. Actress Lupino 37. Being 41. Seize 42. Remnant 43. Iridescent gem 44. Rind 45. Greek cheese 46. Portuguese folksong 47. Ribonucleic acid 48. Part of the inner ear 51. Bite 52. Eccentrics 54. Laud 56. Jungle fever
Solution on page 22 57. A small island 58. Provide with a permanent fund 59. Mobile phones
journalism 13. Lacking neatness 14. Chops 15. Dutch pottery city 16. Spontaneous abortions DOWN 19. Eighteen in Roman numerals 1. Barren 22. Naval officer 2. Ladies’ man 24. Thence 3. Website address 26. Laugh 4. Meat from cows 27. Chief Executive 5. Relating to aircraft Officer 6. Summon to return 30. Male deer 7. Lofty nest 8. Secure against leakage 32. Pen part 33. Something to 9. Shade tree shoot for 10. Sensationalist
34. Order of business 35. Foot lever 38. A breed of dog 39. They love to inflict pain 40. Run away to wed 42. Remove the claws 44. A formal high school dance 45. Page 48. Credit or playing 49. Sweeping story 50. Backside 53. Prohibit 55. Total
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