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PEOPLE compiled by

Zach Hagadone

watching

“Quotes about Ukraine.”

“Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself and won’t give up its freedom no matter what Moscow thinks.”

Volodymyr Zelensky President of Ukraine

“Peace on our continent has been shattered. Russia is using force to try to rewrite history and deny Ukraine its free and independent path.”

DEAR READERS,

Here I am again, filling this space for Publisher Ben Olson, who made it to the Caribbean after a few bumps last week and sent word that he’s finally setting sail on Thursday, March 3. He won’t be back until mid-month, so News Editor Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey and I are at the helm for the papers of March 10 and March 17. His last report was of gorgeous weather and plentiful rum.

Things have been a little less idyllic (to say the least) elsewhere in the world, specifically in Ukraine as it suffers a military invasion by Russia. That’s a long way from home, but those unfolding events have been on all our minds. They have also featured in some of the antics of far-right political characters, with cheers going up for Russian President Vladimir Putin at a recent gathering of the America First Political Action Conference in Florida. Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who is running for governor, took part in that event, but is distancing herself — saying she didn’t know about the organization’s extreme politics and bristles at the old adage that you’re judged by the company you keep. Find a report on that story on Page 6.

How extreme conservatives can keep a straight face while expressing sympathy and support for Ukraine — after years when their standard-bearer Donald Trump praised the Russian dictatorship and bullied Ukraine — is truly an achievement in political theater, and one that shouldn’t be applauded.

– Zach Hagadone, editor

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, Kelsey Knight, Jill Trick, Barbara Montgomery Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Jim Woodward, Sandy Compton, Rebecca Holland, Carolyn Knaack, Tim Henney

Jens Stoltenberg NATO secretary-general

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com

“We will target strategic sectors of the Russian economy by blocking their access to key technologies and markets. We will weaken Russia’s economic base and its capacity to modernize.”

Subscription Price: $155 per year

Ursula von der Leyen European Commission president “Stop calling it war, for war implies faults on both sides. It’s an invasion, where the state of Russia is the aggressor and the people of Ukraine are the victim. And stop saying that your prayers are with the Ukrainian people, for prayers may give you comfort, but it does nothing to alleviate their suffering.”

Abhijit Naskar Neuroscientist and author

“We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all. As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged and if I was the president.”

Donald Trump ex-U.S. president

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NEWS

BoCo voids ice rink lease in face of open meeting violations Sandpoint, Ponderay ice rink groups join forces to bring their combined vision to Ponderay’s Field of Dreams

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff Bonner County commissioners voted unanimously March 1 to void a lease with the Sandpoint Community Center Corporation, which had proposed to bring an $8 million indoor ice arena to county property near the fairgrounds and sheriff’s complex.

The lease spurred vigorous debate since its adoption on Oct. 26, pitting Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler against both the nonprofit group and commissioners.

The vote to void the lease accompanied a vote to acknowledge that Bonner County violated Idaho open meeting law when noticing the lease late last year.

Wheeler, who has opposed the ice rink being located on what he sees as sheriff’s complex property, lodged the OML complaint in December, alleging that commissioners failed to adequately notify the public of “misappropriation of county property,” as he called it on the Bonner County Sheriff’s Facebook page.

In an opinion released Feb. 16, the Idaho attorney general’s office called the agenda item in question too vague under Idaho Code. The original description on the agenda stated: “FAIR — Darcey Smith 1) Action Item: Discussion/Decision Regarding Lease Agreement, Sandpoint Community Center Corporation.”

“As written, the agenda item appears to involve the ‘fair.’

There is no mention of ‘ice rink,’ ‘parking lot’ or ‘property adjacent to the fairgrounds’ — all terms that would have assisted the public in identifying the probable item of discussion,” the AG’s office determined.

Wheeler, in a Nov. 4 Facebook post, called the lease an attempt to “defund the police,” 4 /

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“giving away” county property that he sees better suited for an expansion of the Bonner County Jail or a new justice center.

According to Commissioner Dan McDonald, who worked closely with the fairgrounds and Sandpoint Community Center Corporation (SC3) to create the lease agreement, Wheeler has taken “creative license” with his claims to county property and “so-called facts.”

“The sheriff keeps claiming we are giving the land away, and that is of course factually incorrect, as the county retains ownership of the land,” McDonald told the Reader on Feb. 7, shortly after Wheeler hosted an informational meeting on the ice rink issue at a local church.

“Should the ice rink fail, the county retains all improvements

by SC3 at no cost.”

However, the success or failure of the Sandpoint Ice Arena — at least located on Bonner County-owned property — is now off the table. Aside from the voided lease, in conjunction with the open meeting law violation, another development has paved the way for this shift: the collaboration between SC3, North Idaho Ice and the city of Ponderay, now working together to bring an ice rink project to fruition at the city’s Field of Dreams.

“Ponderay Mayor Steve Geiger has held discussions with Commissioner Dan McDonald and Dr. Robert Pierce, SC3 board president, and has advised them that the city of Ponderay is open to all public-private partnership options,” according to a Feb. 18 media release from the city of Ponderay.

The potential collaboration would “help the city to leverage the local option tax funds to further our vision for the Ponderay Field of Dreams,” city

officials stated.

NIICE has been working with Ponderay to build an ice rink with the goal of having an ice sheet accessible to the public by next winter. In an interview with the Reader in early February, NIICE representative Tim Wilson recognized that his group and SC3 shared a common goal: to provide local people a place to ice skate.

However, what set them apart was their project scale and timelines.

NIICE’s motto, “attainable, affordable, achievable,” did not align with the $8 million indoor Sandpoint Ice Arena vision.

On March 1, Pierce told the Reader that members working toward both SC3 and NIICE’s goals are “all friends” who have simply gone different routes with similar visions. “[W]e believe and will support NIICE and the portable rink idea — we need to get kids skating as soon as possible,” Pierce said. “We also believe that we can work with NIICE and the city of Ponderay, to polish the plans for a quality indoor rink for our community.”

While Pierce said not everyone involved in the ice rink project is convinced that they can raise money for an indoor

facility, he still hopes to convince them to try.

“To us, it makes perfect sense to ask the public to help us with this community project,” he said.

“We will support NIICE and get something on the ground ASAP, and we can raise funds for the greater vision together.”

Pierce said that the SC3 proposal for the Bonner County property suffered from a lot of “misinformation,” and reiterated that the goal was always to help the fairgrounds supplement its income while providing after-school programs for local children.

“Personally, I expect my elected officials to have mature, factual discussions in a conference room rather than on social media or in the paper,” Pierce said, referring to the opposition from Wheeler.

“I know for a fact that the county commissioners were doing something for the good of local kids and families, while also being fiscally responsible,” he added. “In the end, elections decide what is acceptable behavior for our leaders.”

As for SC3’s current goals, the ice rink is still front and center — a project that Pierce

A rendering of of the proposed Sandpoint Ice Arena. Courtesy image. called a “no-brainer” as an option for local recreation and a complement to the area’s tourism economy.

“Ponderay’s excitement and willingness to embrace the Ice Arena project led us to join them,” he said. “NIICE has done an amazing job keeping this on the front burner. We are all pulling on the same rope and any differences of opinion will be sorted out over a conference table.”

McDonald noted March 1, as commissioners voted to void the SC3 lease and effectively leave the ice rink issue behind them, that he had secured a letter from the nonprofit confirming that they also wished to “void the contract.”

“We covered our bases,” he said.

In an email to the Reader the same day, McDonald said that while the fairgrounds will miss the potential income from the ice rink, he is glad to see the dream live on in Ponderay.

“Everyone is on the same page and it only makes sense to have everyone rowing in the same direction on this project,” he said.

NEWS

Hoodoo Valley rezone denied on split BOCC vote Connolly: ‘disingenuous’ to proceed knowing there will be no future public process for subdivision

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff The Bonner County Board of Commissioners voted March 2 to deny the rezone of a 160-acre property in the Hoodoo Valley, putting the kibosh on a proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment and zone change by Hayden-based company Daum Construction, which sought to change its property from an agricultural/forestry designation to rural residential — and from a 10-acre parcel minimum to a five-acre minimum.

Bonner County Planner Jason Johnson presented the applications at the hearing, adamant to remind attendees and commissioners what, exactly, the file was meant to address.

“We’re not here today so consider a split — we’re here to consider a Comp Plan amendment and a zone change,” he said. “There is no proposal to split land. It wouldn’t be appropriate to review this Comp Plan amendment or this zone change request as though it’s a subdivision.”

Johnson pointed to a portion of county code called the “clustering provision,” which dictates that when a property is “in an area already developed at or near one dwelling unit per five-acre density,” then the higher density can be deemed appropriate. Located directly northeast of the Daum property is a subdivision with lots at or near five acres.

“At a previous hearing, there were some questions as to why this language was included, what does it do, why is it here?” he said.

“There were public comments to the effect of, ‘Just because it was done before, does that mean we have to do it again?’ In a word, per the Comprehensive Plan, yes, that is what that means — you have to do that again.”

Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson, serving as legal counsel for the board during the hearing, asked Johnson to “discuss the basis” for the P&Z Commission’s recommendation to deny the file, stating it was inconsistent with the county’s

Comp Plan.

“I wish I could,” Johnson said.

“To be honest, I’m not terribly clear. … They adopted the findings of fact as record, but then came to a different conclusion. I can’t speak to the mindset of the P&Z Commission.”

Jeremy Grimm of Whiskey Rock Planning + Consulting, a representative for Daum, also argued that the P&Z Commission’s recommendation was not legally sound.

“If you had the chance to listen to that hearing or read the minutes, you’ll see that, in a quasi-judicial hearing, prior to starting the public hearing and hearing testimony, members of the planning commission were already … showing a bias and a definite opinion on the application prior to hearing details and facts of the case,” he said.

Though the hearing was not meant to address any potential subdivision plans for the property, Grimm emphasized the local need for housing as a reason to support the file.

“If we want our government to work, we want our schools to have employees, we want our hospitals to have employees, if we want [Bonner County] Road and Bridge to have employees, or fire or EMS, we have to provide places for people to live,” he said.

Public testimony at the hearing ran exclusively against Daum’s proposal, with many residents expressing concerns about the ability of the area to absorb up to 32 new homes. Those concerns centered mostly on increasingly dangerous traffic conditions on Spirit Lake Cutoff Road, which will service any potential Daum development on the property, as well as worries about the land’s ability to handle more wells.

Attorney Norm Semanko spoke on behalf of project opponents, citing what he called a couple of “fatal legal flaws” in the planning staff report.

“You can not interpret this code to allow five-acre [parcels],” he argued.

Also among the commenters

were Hoodoo Valley residents Doug and Maureen Paterson, who have been vocal opponents of the Comp Plan amendment and zone change since they first surfaced.

Maureen stated that approving the file “undermines our farming community.”

“The staff conclusion was embarrassingly wrong — embarrassing to the county, embarrassing to the staff itself,” Doug added.

Jonna Plante, a Sagle resident who has been involved in county land use issues since she helped lead the successful campaign against a proposed asphalt plant near her home in recent years, urged commissioners to hear the “will of the people.”

“This is not ‘mob rule,’ as [Commissioner] Dan McDonald describes on social media,” she said. “It’s called the majority, and it’s the basis of how we elect people, decide laws and how communities decide planning. So, please, let’s not force the community to sue the county, costing the taxpayers double.”

During deliberations, Connolly said he couldn’t approve the Comp Plan amendment and zone change in good conscience, knowing that any future development would not see a subdivision application.

Though not public knowledge at the top of the meeting, Connolly revealed that Daum had already filed minor land divisions on the property — an administrative

method of land division that allows an owner to create four lots out of a parcel without public review.

Though, according to planning officials, Bonner County has closed the loophole that allowed for contiguous MLDs, some property owners filed applications prior to the code change, and those must be honored under the code that existed on that filing date.

“I’m sorry, but it is disingenuous to present this as if it’s going to come back before the Planning and Zoning [Commission] and be discussed and all of those things addressed,” Connolly said, those “things” being a traffic analysis, well study and other data that must be compiled under the subdivision process.

Bradshaw disputed the precedence of the clustering provision

A map of the Hoodoo Valley area, with the 160-acre Daum Construction property highlighted in blue. Courtesy of Bonner County Planning staff report. as a reason to allow five-acre parcels, and said he saw “no reason to go smaller than 10” on the Daum property.

McDonald dissented, stating that while the Planning and Zoning Commission is made up of “great volunteers and they do a good job,” he could see some “built-in bias in their decision to begin with, and they really fumbled the football here by adopting these findings of fact.”

The board denied both the Comp Plan amendment and zone change on Daum’s 160-acre property on a split vote, with Connolly and Bradshaw voting to deny on both counts, and McDonald voting to approve.

Veterans services to host Priest River outreach March 8

By Reader Staff Bonner County Veterans Service Officer Bryan Hult will visit VFW Post 2909 in Priest River on on Tuesday, March 8, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m, assisting with ongoing claims, answering questions about current veteran’s benefits, and taking new claims for benefits from eligible veterans and their dependents.

VFW Post 2909 is located at 113 Larch St. in Priest River.

Veterans officials advise that attendees schedule an appointment ahead of time by calling Mary Lindgren at 208-255-5291.

If there are no appointments scheduled for this outreach, or if winter weather conditions prohibit travel, the outreach will be canceled.

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NEWS

Idaho Lt. Gov. McGeachin in hot water over address to white nationalist group Says ‘guilt-by-association’ is ‘not appropriate’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin is running into some trouble and having a harder time than usual shaking it off, as her recent participation in the America First Political Action Conference event in Florida has drawn calls for her resignation and, on March 1, a statement from the Idaho Republican Party.

AFPAC is an avowed far-right group that advocates for U.S. isolationism, stricter border controls and a suite of other positions that are widely identified as white-nationalist. Organizer Nick Fuentes is personally known for his anti-semitic statements, including Holocaust denial. He also attended the violent “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017 and participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection in 2021, for which he was subpoenaed by Congress in January.

Fuentes spoke at the Feb. 25 gathering of AFPAC, as did controversial Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and McGeachin, the latter via a prerecorded video.

According to a Feb. 26 report from the Associated Press, McGeachin — who is in a hotly contested GOP primary race for Idaho governor — “appears to be one of the highest-ranking elected state officials to have ever participated in one of the group’s gatherings.”

Backlash to McGeachin taking part in the 2022 AFPAC event has been swift, prompting her to push back against criticism with the claim she is being unfairly targeted by “the media” in a “guilt-by-association game.” “[C]onservatives (and only conservatives) are accused of believing everything ever said by anyone with whom they share a stage.

Don’t tell me what I believe. Listen to my words,” McGeaching wrote on Twitter.

She went on to state that she “support[s] America First policies including individual liberty, election integrity, a strong and secure border, school choice, energy independence, reducing taxes and regulations and supporting American businesses.”

McGeachin added that she had been asked to contribute a video to the event, “and I took the opportunity to share my views about these vital America First policies.”

The lieutenant governor concluded by denying that she supports “identity poltiics or other discriminatory views that only seek to divide us and not unite us.”

The AP reported that McGeachin in her speech to AFPAC called for “freedom fighters all over this country that are willing to 6 /

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stand up and fight,” including “amongst our own ranks.”

Social media footage, according to the AP, showed event participants applauding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Moderate Idaho Republicans as part of the Take Back Idaho organization pressed McGeachin to resign. In a tense Statehouse interview with Boise-based KTVB-TV, she said she had not been familiar with the political extremism espoused by AFPAC and its founder Fuentes prior to taking part in the event, telling a reporter, “Well, you know what, Nick Fuentes, as I said, I don’t know him. I, he’s never, I’ve never met him. I don’t know, you know, what is everything that he says or doesn’t say, is not, does not reflect on who I am or who the thousands of others that are participating in this movement.”

In a particularly testy moment in the interview, McGeachin said, “That every time, any time there’s any kind of affiliation with anybody at any time on any stage that we’re guilty by association. And it’s not — it’s not appropriate.”

Greene also minimized the significance of her appearance at the AFPAC event, telling CBS News on March 1 that she had been unfamiliar with the beliefs and activities of the organizers prior to taking part.

“It wasn’t an alignment. It was to talk about getting everyone together to save our country,” Greene told CBS News, echoing McGeachin’s remarks to KTVB that she spoke to the “young conservatives” of AFPAC because they are in a fight for the “soul” of the country.

Responding to the participation of fellow Republicans at the AFPAC event, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney told CNN on Feb. 27, “I’ve got morons on my team.”

The Idaho GOP weighed in March 1, with state Party Chairman Tom Luna commenting: “White supremacy, antisemitism, bigotry and neo-Nazism are reprehensible and have no place in the Idaho Republican Party.

We always have and will continue to stand against these divisive ideologies. We are the Party of Lincoln, which stands for individual liberty, inclusion and diversity of thought.

The promotion of hatred, bigotry, or the anti-American values of Russia is fundamentally incompatible with our shared conservative ideals and values.”

Regarding McGeachin’s participation in the AFPAC gathering, the Idaho GOP referred to the lieutenant governor’s Twitter statement.

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: President Joe Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would be the sixth woman to serve. With 8.9 years of prior judicial experience, she has more experience than Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett had at their confirmations — combined, according to University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck.

If you live where hospitals are not strained by COVID-19 cases — 70% of the U.S. is now considered low or medium risk — then the CDC says masking will be relaxed. That doesn’t mean the end of masking: people can wear them if they wish, if they are at high risk and if conditions warrant it. The recommendation for universal school masking is being dropped, except where high risk levels exist. Determining if a community should mask up will be based on the proportion of beds in hospitals used by COVID-19 patients, rather than only examining rates of new infections, NPR reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin commenced with an attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24, claiming he aimed to “denazify” the country, and did not want Ukraine to join NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed out the Nazi absurdity, since he is Jewish, Politico reported.

He also asked if children in schools hit by the Russians are Nazis. (Zelensky, who was elected with 73% of the vote, rejected offers to transport him to safety). The attack launched not only death and destruction, but an accounting of who favors authoritarians and who favors democracies.

A U.N. condemnation of the invasion was backed by 87 countries. Even normally neutral Switzerland has dedicated aid to fleeing Ukrainians and imposed sanctions on Russia as well as Putin.

Recent Ukraine headlines: Shell follows BP out of Russia as oil companies abandon Putin (estimated loss for BP: $25 billion); Russia’s ultra-rich count cost of $83 billion wealth wipe-out; EU will buy weapons for Ukraine in historic first; Belarus issues dire WWIII warnings as it gets ready to send troops; Facebook and Twitter remove disinformation and hacking campaigns targeting Ukraine; European Union needs to prepare for millions of Ukrainian refugees; Almost treasonous: Romney condemns GOP voices backing Putin;

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

Russia holds drills with nuclear subs, landbased missiles; Ukraine accuses Russia of “war crimes” targeting civilians; Russian oligarchs call for an end to Putin’s war; More than 3,000 detained in Russia for protesting against Ukraine invasion.

According to the UK-based Daily Mail, more than 150 senior Russian officials signed an open letter condemning the invasion of Ukraine. They urged Russian citizens not to participate.

The Week shared text messages between a dying Russian soldier and his mother. She wondered if he was really in training exercises, and could she send a parcel? Her son said there “is a real war raging here. I’m afraid. We are bombing all of the cities … even targeting civilians.

We were told they would welcome us, and they are falling under our armored vehicles, throwing themselves under the wheels and not allowing us to pass. They call us fascists. Mama, this is so hard.”

Congressional candidate Lucas Kunce led arms control negotiations with Russia and NATO as a Marine. He says the “only way we’ll destroy Putin is by defunding his war machine.” That involves curing Europe’s “addiction to Russian oil and natural gas.”

Russia supplies 40% of Europe’s gas, and has used those funds to modernize its military and boost Putin’s plans to conquer Eastern Europe. Along with supporting Ukraine, Kunce says, “We need to sanction Russia’s oligarchs … cut all the pipelines … build renewables here and end addiction to fossil fuels.”

Blast from the past: In his 1941 State of the Union speech, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that worldwide there was a struggle between democracy and dictatorship. He warned of a “small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American eagle in order to feather their own nests.”

Another blast: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1950 by 12 North Atlantic Treaty ally nations. Its purpose was to provide defense against Russia or another aggressor. Following WWII, Western European nations were weak and could not foresee easily defending themselves — especially since Russia seized former-Czechoslovakia in 1948 (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia). By 2020 there were 30 members. At that time, then-President Donald Trump reportedly discussed the U.S. withdrawing from NATO.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Spirals

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

Living in the world of late feels like being strapped into a roller coaster with only a few boards in front of the ride visible, the rest shrouded in a murky unknown. As the safety bar closes over our heads and the latches click shut, we’re locked into a trajectory that feels anything but secure.

The ride rumbles forward, and all we can do is grip, white-knuckled, leaning into the turns and bracing ourselves for a possible drop.

Following coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, watching people’s lives fall out from under them in real-time, I’m incessantly aware of the fragility of the existence we create for ourselves. Trivial things like, “They were out of oatmilk at the store,” and, “My car wouldn’t start this morning,” can quickly turn into, “Should I stay and fight for my future or leave everything behind in the hopes of creating a new one?”

Anger over the price of gas or pining after a job promotion can shatter, being replaced by an all-consuming desire for safety and the logistics required to create it.

As I watch civilians queue up for firearms, shaking in fear and bolstered by duty, their titles shift from “teacher,” “computer programmer” and “office manager” to “soldier,” and the futures they envisioned

Emily Erickson.

for themselves and their families turn myopic — survivalist.

Listening to sound bites of people arranging their escape from their homes, their voices are heavy and tired, forever changed by the magnitude of the choices they’re being forced to make.

All of the coverage of this war, and the nature of Russia’s relationship to the rest of the world, makes the conflict feel a lot closer than 7,000 miles away. Having notifications flash on my screen with headlines like, “Russia-Ukraine live updates: 3rd world war would be nuclear,” and, “Ukrainian Fighters Battle to Hold Capitol,” all while going about life as usual, creates dissonance, with the unprecedented clashing against the mundane.

Standing in line for coffee, my pondering of medium or dark roast is disrupted by questions about the reach of a nuclear bomb (seven miles of high-impact) and the quantity of nuclear weaponry possessed by Russia

(about 6,000 warheads — the largest such arsenal in the world). While folding laundry, thoughts about what I’d take with me if I had to leave at a moment’s notice (pets, clothes, food and water, headlamp, phone charger) break into my consciousness.

These disruptions feel like a falling away of the veil of ignorance — the belief that we had evolved past the threat of global warfare being understood as arrogance rather than reality.

Arrogance is what made me think of this generation of humans, responsible for cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and TikTok, as incapable of descending into global warfare — as if our advancements were a shield against widespread war-related destruction.

Arrogance is what made me think of us as different than the generations before us; the generations responsible for enabling human flight, for creating industry, transportation and infrastructure — who all watched the products of their innovation turn into apparatuses for destruction.

As I scroll through videos of dogs licking peanut butter off the camera lens, I’m also served clips of children being cared for in bomb shelters, of tanks rolling into city centers, of civilians brandishing weapons and people protesting for peace, all stark reminders of the connection

I share with the humans that came before me.

War and destruction and loss are baked into the patterns of our evolution; lessons we seem destined to learn over, and over again.

But, the theory of learning is that lessons are more akin to spirals than straight lines; that we do not simply arrive at the finish line of knowing, rather, can only get

deeper into our comprehension. As we descend into this spiral — this lesson that war causes irreparable damage, that it brings out the worst and the best in us, and that its ripples extend far beyond the fields of battle on which it’s waged — I only hope we deepen our understanding of the preciousness of life, love and peace.

Retroactive

By BO

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Panida plan will include Little Theater…

Ben might be on vacation and his column, “Bouquets and Barbs,” on hiatus, but that won’t stop me from handing out some bouquets of my own this week.

First, a bouquet for Dr. Z at Mountain Lake Dental. Having cavities as an adult is a shameful thing. I recently found out I had two. My soft enamel is familiar with the anesthetic needle and subsequent drilling, prodding and drooling — still, getting dental work done sends my body into an anxious spiral.

Dr. Z was kind, funny and, most importantly, fast. I escaped the dentist’s office with two new fillings and no water up my nose in just over an hour. Thanks a million, Dr. Z. The second bouquet is for Quinnette at Bradley Insurance.

She helped me sign up for a new health plan in just two short meetings, and made me feel comfortable and heard throughout the entire process. This was huge for me. I am beyond thankful to you, Quinnette.

Another bouquet, for the bagger at Super 1 Foods in Sandpoint last Friday. I missed your name, but thanks for pushing my reusable grocery bags to their absolute limit. My groceries were snug and secure the whole way home, and I was able to limit my plastic use because of your dedication. Keep kicking ass.

Bouquets all around for the various people who have paid it forward at local coffee stands the past few months. I get drive-thru drinks only once or twice a week, and I’ve been fortunate to stumble across a paid-forward line at least three times since the new year began. The essence of this act — buying someone a treat who you’ll likely never meet — is so purely North Idaho. Cheers to that.

Now, dear reader, go make someone else’s life better today.

Huzzah.

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Dear editor, The Panida Board of Directors is moving forward with a strategic plan that includes the main theater, the Panida rentals and the Little Theater.

The plan will address all aspects of sharing and protecting the historical integrity of the Panida Theater as a center of entertainment, education and community involvement.

With the 100-year anniversary fast approaching, the Panida’s strategic plan will support the theater campus as it enters into a new century as a carefully preserved historic jewel and a center of artistic activity for the North Idaho community.

Jim Healey

Chair, Panida Board of Directors Sandpoint

Instead of worrying about newcomers, get involved in your community…

Dear editor, Lately I’ve heard a lot of frustration, anger and despair from locals over the changes happening in Sandpoint. Community members are afraid that newcomers are either political extremists or wealthy tourists and that they bring unwelcome changes with them.

Most of the newcomers I have spoken to are like me and my family.

We moved here because we love this community and the place it’s in. We operate our small business right here: our customers are our friends and neighbors. We are civically engaged with local issues. Each day, we get to know our fellow community members better, to build stronger relationships, and to support them.

Newcomers aren’t the problem.

I feel anger and anxiety over the changes happening to our town too, but I disagree with those who despair and bemoan the situation. What we need is for locals and newcomers alike to get involved in local issues.

If you have ideas for what you want to be different or what you want to protect, you should make your voice heard and get involved. You might just change someone’s mind and help to save historic buildings, preserve mountain views, conserve our small town’s charm and protect the rights of those of us who lead normal, hardworking lives.

This is a call to action for everyone who wants to keep our amazing community vibrant and beautiful.

Join groups like Keep Bonner County Rural or Project 7B, stand up at City Council or county commissioner meetings, join a committee or a

OPINION

Legislative update

By Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle Reader Contributor Sales tax on groceries is an issue that comes up every legislative session. I believe most folks agree that we shouldn’t tax food.

We require it for our subsistence.

Why would we tax something that is a staple of life?

There are two methods of not taxing food. The first is simply to not collect the tax when selling food. This method does require distinguishing what is and is not food, which is a tougher question than it first appears. The second method is to collect sales tax on all transactions, but then return a certain amount of sales tax back to the taxpayer at the end of the year. That amount should reflect the sales tax paid by the average resident for groceries during the year.

In Idaho, we have the second method in place and have had for decades. The grocery tax credit is available to all Idaho residents through the Idaho Tax Commission. Most people receive the tax credit when they file their Idaho income tax return on Form 40. It shows up on Line 43 of Form 40.

For Idaho residents not required to file income taxes, the grocery tax credit is still available by filing Form 24.

The grocery tax credit is $100 per person. For a typical family of four, the grocery tax credit is $400. With a 6% sales tax rate, that means the family can buy $6,667 worth of groceries for the year and not pay tax on those groceries.

There is one bill this year to raise the grocery tax credit to non-profit board, run for office, or just stay informed and start a conversation. We have the great luck to live in a democracy, so exercise your power and make your town a better place.

Nick Belfry

Sandpoint

To Dover residents and staff…

Dear editor, In early February we experienced a water emergency. One of our water main transmission lines had a break overnight and we had to shut water off to the city on Feb. 7, 2022. As this was a new experience

Let’s talk grocery sales tax

Sen. Jim Woodward. File photo. $120. The same family of four could then purchase $8,000 of groceries with no tax paid. I would like to hear from people if they think $8,000 is somewhat close to the amount a family of four spends on groceries in a year. With the U.S. inflation rate now up to 7.5%, we are all feeling the pressure of ever-increasing costs.

I do hear from people who would like to switch to the other method of not taxing food. A number of states around us do not tax food at the cash register. There are pros and cons to switching. With no grocery sales tax at the register, it would be an exact system for each individual. You would not pay tax on food. However, Idahoans would end up paying more tax.

How is it that we would pay more tax? Idaho requires a certain amount of money for roads, police, jails and judges based on the number of people in the state full-time and part-time. Right now some of that money comes from for all of us, I am proud of how we all handled the situation. Dover residents were patient and understanding as it was a long day of waiting for water to be turned back on. Our City Hall staff worked diligently to update the public as they received updates from our Water Systems Management team.

A special thank you to Mike Wade and Bob Hansen with Water Systems Management; Adam, Shawn, Will and Jordan with Lippert Excavation; the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office through the Nixle Alert System; the city of Sandpoint; Terrence MacAfee; our Public Works Consultant Bill

sales tax on food paid by outof-state visitors. We know how tourism-oriented our economy has become. Do we want to foot the bill for services provided to people not paying state income tax?

Idaho collected just over $2 billion in sales tax last year. The reporting system doesn’t break out sales tax by category so we don’t know exactly how much is coming from food. Based on other states, about 12% of that $2 billion is from food sales. If that is the case, we are collecting about $240 million in sales tax on food. Of the $240 million, the most recent estimate I’ve heard is that about $19 million comes from sales to non-residents. If that money isn’t coming from out-of-state, it will come from in-state.

The decision to stick with our current tax credit system where we true up annually or switch to a system of not paying at the register is a policy choice. Either system can yield the desired result of not paying tax on food. I am open to input. Currently, I favor our current system, which helps tourism pay for the services necessary to support tourism.

Jim Woodward is a second-term Republican senator from Sagle. He serves on the Joint Finance-Appropriations and Education committees, and as vice chair of the Transportation Committee. Reach him during the 2022 legislative session at 208-332-1349, 208-946-7963 or jwoodward@senate.idaho.gov.

Strand; and our City Hall staff. You all worked together and got our Dover residents through this trying day.

Our office is working to improve our emergency procedure. Should this ever happen again, we will be better prepared to take the necessary steps to notify our residents as much in advance as possible.

Thank you all again for your support and understanding, and for reminding me why I love our community so much.

George E. Eskridge

City of Dover mayor Dover

PERSPECTIVES

By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist “There are men in the world who derive as stern an exaltation from the proximity of disaster and ruin, as others from success.”

—Winston Churchill In 2001, I had the opportunity to travel to the “new” Russia. The USSR had dissolved a decade before and the country was full of optimism for the future. It also had a new president — Vladimir Putin. He had assumed Boris Yeltsin’s seat when Yeltsin resigned on the eve of Y2K, Dec. 31, 1999.

Putin was then elected to the Russian presidency in 2000.

When I returned to Russia in 2005, the mood of hope had eroded noticeably. A shadow had fallen across the bright future, and the shadow’s name was Vladimir Putin.

On my first trip to Russia, I met one of the most gentle, tolerant and compassionate women I know. She is a Russian patriot and, it appears, somewhat prescient. The one time I saw her angry was at the mention of Putin. “KGB,” she said, spitting the three letters out like rotted meat. In 2011, my friend exiled herself to Norway. She saw what Putin was doing, and decided she wouldn’t live under his realm.

When Putin was born in 1952, his birthplace was still called Leningrad.

Five months later, Stalin died, and Nikita Khrushchev assumed his position as first secretary of the Communist Party, followed

by Leonid Brezhnev in 1964. Eleven years later, in 1975 — 24 years before he became president — Putin joined the KGB. The KGB — now renamed FSB — was the same agency that, under half a dozen dif-

On Vladimir Putin and Ukraine ferent names, carried out the pogroms and purges of the Soviet Union. The USSR was 15 years from dissolution, plenty of time for Putin to make his bones.

Brezhnev’s reign was second only to Stalin’s in length. His leadership clamped down on internal dissidents and orchestrated the invasions of Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan.

As Stalin did in 1953, Brezhnev died in office in 1982. Putin has seen to amending the Russian Constitution so he can remain president beyond two terms. Under current law, he can remain in power until 2036, when he will be 84 years old. Perhaps he plans to die in office as well.

Besides his chosen career path, there have been hints all along about what Putin was capable of. Disappearing critics.

Threatened, poisoned and dead journalists.

Arrogant defiance of NATO. Bullying those who disagree. Interfering in Ukrainian matters for years even before this month.

Now, he has shown his truest colors in the invasion of Ukraine. He stood before the world and blithely called it not aggression, but a “military action,” which it is indeed.

An invasion is a military action. He blatantly threatened anyone who would interfere.

That tells me he is a liar and a megalomaniac. His activation of Russia’s nuclear deterrent force tells me he is also paranoid.

It’s as if when Stalin died, his dybbuk* inhabited baby Vladimir’s body, for Putin certainly seems to be channeling Stalin.

Since I am writing this on Monday, I can’t know what the status of the war in Ukraine will be when you read this. I followed a BBC reporter as he took us on a video tour of a battlefield littered with

tanks, rocket launchers, bomb craters and bodies. Some are calling it a “constrained” invasion, but it doesn’t look constrained to me, especially when they show dead men lying in the street. The Ukrainians are fighting back and fiercely, seemingly much to the surprise of the Russian military, which may have been told that the Ukrainians were going to roll over.

For some reason, Russia hasn’t put its whole military might into the invasion; but, if it does, Ukraine will fall, as Poland did to Hitler in 1939. Just that comparison is frightening.

What I do know is that leaders like Putin have plagued the Russian people for centuries, as well as the people of neighboring nations. To their credit, thousands of Russians are out in the streets in many cities risking arrest to tell Putin they are appalled at his heavy-handedness. I find this hopeful.

Maybe a new age is coming for Russia.

From the 1920s, well into the ’70s, this would have been tantamount to a self-imposed death sentence.

In the meantime, Russia is taking big hits from inside and out. Its stock market tanked at the news of the invasion and continues to fall. The ruble was worth less than 1 cent this morning. Wealthy “friends” of Putin have lost billions. Russia has lost social and economic connections it has taken decades to build. The U.S. and EU have responded with arms, money and economic sanctions. Even the Swiss, famous for their neutrality in past conflicts, have frozen Russian assets.

As for American right-wing commentators who applauded Putin’s actions, I have a question: “Why are you condoning violent

“structure” the city most wants to build is a “plaza” over the grassy strip of property along Gunning’s Alley.

“Economic vitality” was a reason given for this at the last council meeting, meaning it’ll open the door for more business development and thus create a larger tax base for the city’s budget. No doubt, high-end developers will jump at the opportunity to fill space around the “Farmin’s Landing Plaza” with trendy shops and luxury condos. However, the end result for existing business owners and local residents will be higher property taxes. This code amendment will certainly set a precedent for expansion all along Sand Creek that will grow our small town.

Keep in mind, the grassy strip of property along Sand Creek (now called Farmin’s Landing) was originally purchased

by the city to create vegetative swales to filter stormwater runoff. Swales are natural indentations filled with plants to filter contaminates and catch sediment. Environmentally, it’s an excellent, natural method for protecting a waterway. Under existing codes, council can and should move forward with this.

“Public access” to Sand Creek is another reason given for a “plaza”; but, consider, there’s already an 8.5-foot-wide concrete boardwalk on the west side running from the Panida Theater to the Powerhouse with three access points (two are ADA) and a paved multi-use trail from Bridge Street to the Popsicle Bridge on the east side.

If the city really wants to offer more access, it should reinstate the established bike route through Gunning’s Alley that it

aggression against a country, the only sin of which is sharing a border with Russia?”

The good news is that even they are backing down. The outrage of all the world can make a difference, it seems.

What do we do? That is a question for which I don’t have a good answer, except to wait and watch and pray for Ukraine and hope our leaders and the leaders of the rest of the world can persuade a despot from his ways by some means.

One thing we can do is remember that the Russian people are people much like us. On both of my visits to their country, I was met with open curiosity about America and sincere and friendly hospitality. Once we share meals and stories with others, they stop being “them” and move into a place called “us.”

We are all in this together. We can support the Russian common folk, even as we condemn their leader. The young man following orders in a Russian uniform is just as scared as the Ukrainian waiting across the street for him. It is men like Putin who threaten the well-being of both. * A dybbuk is a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possesses the body of a living person until exorcized.

Stop the thrust for over-development

By Rebecca Holland Reader Contributor “Short-term gains for long-term losses,” written by Ben Olson in the Reader last week [Feb. 24, 2022] warns about “some devastating changes that will completely change downtown Sandpoint.” Look no further than Wednesday, March 16, when Sandpoint’s Planning Department has a major code change teed up for the City Council’s approval regarding Sand Creek’s shoreline from downtown to the Highway 95/200 bridge.

The city’s current code states a “25-foot vegetative buffer” needs to be maintained to safeguard Sand Creek’s shoreline. City planners want to scrap this to allow numerous types of “structures” (not buildings) to the water’s edge. Specifically, the

scrapped for this “plaza” plan. A clearly marked bike path would give safe access to City Beach and our two waterfront trails for our local residents.

It is time for the Sandpoint City Council to put on the brakes and help our small town maintain its simple, natural character.

Instead of more expensive projects in the downtown core, residents would prefer to see their tax money handle issues in their neighborhoods.

Please email council members over the next two weeks requesting they vote “no” on the Sand Creek code amendment.

Remind them: They were elected to represent existing residents’ best interests, not big-money developers.

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

the model 351 stratolaunch: ‘the roc’

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist In Arabian folklore, The Roc was a colossal bird of prey that could snatch an elephant and carry it away in its talons. It’s only fitting that people would bestow this nickname upon the largest plane to ever fly.

The Model 351 Stratolaunch was developed as a carrier vehicle to allow aerial deployments for orbital launch vehicles.

Essentially, it is a plane designed to carry other planes. This might sound like a complete impracticality in the age of rockets, but there are merits to consider regarding plane-carrying planes.

Up until the advent of Blue Horizons and SpaceX, rockets weren’t particularly reusable.

Even now, reclaimed rockets need to undergo repairs before they can be used again. It’s not as simple as topping it off and strapping it to another launch vehicle — these rockets have undergone immense stresses from the energies they’ve exerted. Additionally, rockets expend a tremendous amount of fuel each time they’re launched. This is mostly because the rocket is spending all of its energy to counteract the full effects of gravity.

You may not realize it, but rockets don’t travel straight upward for their entire journey.

Instead, after a certain altitude, they begin to pivot and fly at an angle. This angle alleviates some of the stresses of fighting against gravity and widens the rocket’s orbit so that it can more easily perform maneuvers like linking up with the International Space Station and not falling back to Earth.

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Imagine the orbital path of a rocket as a hula hoop around Earth. You can shrink the sides of the hula hoop, which will make the two far ends more pointed. If your rocket is following this path, it will get slower and slower as it reaches the pointed end, but once it crests over the “hill,” it will begin to pick up speed. If the sides of the hula hoop intersect with the Earth, that rocket is going to impact the Earth at a really high velocity and cause a whole lot of problems. Nobody wants that.

The benefit of a plane being used as a launch vehicle instead of a rocket is that we can use the Earth’s atmosphere to our advantage. While a rocket is spending energy pushing air out of the way, a plane is generating lift. It’s still burning fuel, but it’s able to counteract gravity a little more efficiently, albeit less directly than a rocket. The drawback is that a plane won’t be able to carry as much cargo as something strapped to a number of rockets.

You might be wondering how a plane can deliver another vehicle. Wouldn’t they collide after the vehicle releases? Why wouldn’t the other vehicle just fall?

The largest burden of energy expenditure falls to the carrier, the Model 351 Stratolaunch in this case. The other vehicle, generally powered by small rockets, is carried to an altitude where the atmosphere is thinner, which means the carried vehicle doesn’t need to push so much air out of the way to travel.

Using rockets with oxidized fuel instead of air-fed jets, it’s easy for the vehicle being transported to break away and then move much more quickly than

its carrier. If you want a really good representation of how this works, just look up any video of a military fighter jet launching a missile. This is the exact same premise, just scaled way up.

The Model 351 Stratolaunch is a huge plane. It’s so big that it actually appears to be two planes in one. It has a wingspan of 384 feet and 10 inches, putting it well over the length of a professional football field.

Its take-off weight exceeds 1.3 million pounds — that’s around 2,600 pianos, which doesn’t mean a lot unless you’ve tried to lift a piano. Having lifted several, take my word on this: that’s a lot of weight flying through the air.

Despite being such a titan, the plane is also capable of reaching a maximum speed of 528 miles per hour and traveling up to 2,858 miles when maxed out on fuel. That’s an operational time of about five and a half hours and would almost get you to Stephen King country in Bangor, Maine, if you took off in Sandpoint.

You might be asking yourself at this point: “Since this is essentially two planes, does that mean that each one has a crew running synchronously with the other side? Is this Pacific Rim?” The answer to that is a resounding “no.” The flight crew operates from the starboard (right) cockpit and, while there are a number of avionics and other electronic gauges in the port (left) unit, that side is unmanned during flight. In practice, it’s less Pacific Rim and more Millennium Falcon.

Unfortunately, The Roc is no longer being produced.

Scaled Composites, the company that built it, sold off their

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. assets after the owner, Paul Allen, died in 2019. Another company procured The Roc, as well as the rest of the company’s intellectual property, for a cool $400 million — less than the price of a single superyacht. The repurposed company has shifted from creating plane-carrying-planes to hypersonic rocket-powered test planes that can travel up to Mach 7, or 4,725 miles per hour.

If you were leaving Sandpoint, that plane could just about get you to Tokyo in an hour, just in time for a little yakisoba.

Gomen-nasai, no sake for me — my flight to the Pacific Northwest lands in an hour.

Stay curious, 7B. The topic of today’s article was suggested by Bryan S., of Clark Fork. Thanks, Bryan!

Random Corner rtles?

Don’t know much about sea tu

We can help!

• There are seven species of sea turtles: green, loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, olive ridley, hawksbill, flatback and leatherback. Leatherbacks are most often found on both the East and West coasts of the U.S., as well as Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

• A sea turtle’s sex is determined by temperature. When an egg is laid in its nest, it is neither male nor female. The sex is determined during fertilization. If the temperature is warmer than 82-84 degrees Fahrenheit, it will be born female.

Below that, it will be born male.

• The leatherback is also the largest of the sea turtles, growing to anywhere from six to seven feet long and weighing up to 2,000 pounds. They are the fourth-heaviest modern reptile, rivaled only by three heavier species of crocodile.

Leatherbacks are also the only sea turtle to have a soft shell. Their back is made from carapace, which is like a tough, rubbery skin.

• The Moche people of Peru once worshipped sea turtles. They lived on the northeast coast of Peru around 100-700 CE, leaving behind many pieces of artwork and artifacts depicting sea turtles. One theory as to why they were worshipped is because sea turtles can consume the box jellyfish, which can cause death if it stings a human.

• Sea turtles are an essential part of some ecosystems. They mainly eat seagrass, which promotes and stimulates the growth of the plant. One of the only other sea creatures that eat seagrass is the manatee. Seagrass beds are important areas for breeding and development of many underwater critters.

• Sea turtles can live 50-100 years. The green turtle has the longest life span, averaging an age of around 80 years. It takes most sea turtles 15-50 years to mature and become reproductively developed. Sadly, many of these species are slowly becoming endangered due to climate change, pollution and poaching.

To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.

Right: A sunset on Jan. 10. “People who go here will recognize the spot,” said Jill Trick, the photographer who submitted the photo.

Bottom left: A moose and calf munch on some vegetation in the backyard of a Syringa Heights home. Photo by Barbara Montgomery.

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PERSPECTIVES

Waterkeeper: Snow in our watershed

By Carolyn Knaack Reader Contributor

Living in a mountain town, snow plays a major role in our lives. Winter in North Idaho brings a large shift to our community as we all turn our attention to the snow-covered mountains surrounding our town. However, as we begin to witness how human-driven climate change is affecting the regularity of our seasons and our snowpack around the globe, many folks are worried about the future of our natural resources and the downstream impacts it will bring.

In Sandpoint, we sit next to the largest lake in Idaho and the fifth deepest lake in the nation. We are surrounded by tall mountains that collect snow in the winter, which feed streams throughout the summer, acting as natural reservoirs.

Our community is tightly connected to our watershed and humans have utilized it as an essential resource for thousands of years. Water scarcity in our area has rarely been an issue and we are incredibly fortunate for that.

Snowpack is vital to our waterways as well as our communities, especially in the western U.S. But the winters are getting warmer and spring is coming

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earlier, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Snowfall is decreasing around the world with rising air temperatures and more precipitation falling as rain instead of snow. And according to a study from 2010, average snowmelt in Idaho used to be in mid-June, but now is in late May. What does this mean for our watershed?

There are many factors that can affect the amount of snow that accumulates, such as the soil conditions, surrounding vegetation, air temperature and geography. In addition, the makeup of the snowpack — such as the texture and density of the snow — relates to how much water runs off the mountains and when. Snow water equivalent (SWE) is used to describe how much liquid water is held within a volume of snow.

Snow scientists, hydrologists and resource management agencies use this measurement to determine if our current snowpack levels are below normal, around normal or above normal levels compared to previous years. Currently, thanks to the weather we had in late December and early January, we are just below average SWE in the Lake Pend Oreille subbasin.

Variation in snowpack and the timing

of snowmelt is normal. This variability also depends on the basin in question.

Scientists are currently working to develop large datasets that can help determine the future impacts of climate change in Idaho and our watersheds.

Understanding how our water resources might be impacted in the coming years is incredibly important for sustaining our fisheries, recreational resources, economy, agriculture and our drinking water.

Snowmelt provides around 69% of the water in the Pend Oreille Basin. This results in nearly 27 million acre-feet of runoff just from snow, which is the second largest volume of runoff from snow in the western U.S. If we use this volume to determine the current annual value of usable water from snow, our basin is valued at more than $890 million, making us the second most valuable basin in the western U.S. after the Puget Sound.

Losing the amount of snowpack we get each winter could not only drastically affect water as a natural resource for agriculture and human consumption, but could also drastically impact our local economy and the economies of downstream communities.

One example of downstream impacts includes the effect earlier snowmelt has on wildfires. According to University of Idaho Professor John Abatzoglou, earlier snowmelt and drier conditions have extended the fire season in Idaho by roughly one month since the 1980s.

Meanwhile, during the past 50 years, fires have become larger and megafires, or extremely large fires, are more frequent. Fire is undoubtedly essential for forest health, but longer fire seasons and larger fires could make it harder for forests to recover and lead to fires in areas that don’t typically burn, such as riparian areas.

Finally, it’s hard to understate the

Data from the Natural Resources Conservation Service displays regularly updated snow water equivalent data from SNOTEL sites around the state.

Courtesy. economic importance of snow. Snowmelt provides water for agriculture and human consumption for approximately one sixth of the world’s population. In addition, we all benefit from the climate services provided by snow — especially regarding the reflection of solar energy.

These services have been valued at billions of dollars. Combined with the platform snow provides for outdoor recreation, the importance of snow in our lives has been valued on the order of trillions of dollars.

Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper will be hosting a free Keeping Up With the Waterkeeper event on Thursday, March 3, where the organization will be talking more about snow in our watershed and its importance.

The event will be hosted at the East Bonner County Library Community Room and will start at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend in person or via Zoom, details will be posted on our social media and on our website at lpow.org.

Carolyn Knaack is associate director of the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper.

COMMUNITY

Nordic Youth Ski League climbs to new heights — literally

By Reader Staff The Sandpoint Nordic Club Youth Ski League participated in the sixth annual Schweitzer Hill Climb on Feb. 16 — a bluebird day for the race competition on the Schweitzer Nordic trails.

For those in the know, skiing those trails will definitely include climbing a hill, likely several.

Across four teams — Little Steppers, Recreation, Development and Race Team — 50 YSL racers ages 6-18 took part in the culminating event after weeks of skills training.

YSL members were able to ski the trails at Pine Street Woods for the full eight weeks of the program, with only one day of training at the Roundabout off Schweitzer Mountain Road that Schweitzer grooms each week.

The organization thanked Schweitzer and Andre Bircher for hosting YSL again and providing hot cocoa and first prize for the winners.

“The event could not happen without the hard work of all our coaches and parent volunteers,” YSL stated in a news release.

Winners of the Schweitzer Hill Climb

included: Race Team: first, Fletcher Barrett; second, Evan Brubaker; Development Team: first, boys, Anselm Dussault; first, girls, Sierra Zuberbuhler; second, girls, Sophie Brubaker; third, girls, Emiliana Dussault; Skate Team: first, boys, Blake McGrann; second, boys, Felix Hurt; first, girls, Libby Welker; second, girls, Alethea Jones; third, girls, Fiona Smith; Classic 2 Team: first, boys, Blakely Marshall; second, boys, Jackson Lankamer; third, boys, Tai Brixen; first, girls, Winslow Cox; second, girls, Theresa Hurt; third, girls, Cara Lankamer; Classic 1 Team: first, boys, Avi Hamer; second, boys, Emerson Marshall; third, boys, Brennan Johnson; first, girls, Toni Finch; second, girls, Jacquelynne Shapanus; Little Steppers: first, boys, Lincoln Marshall; second, boys, Fergus Lunde; third, boys, Ajahi Tarsio; first, girls, Livi Jo Troyer.

For more information on the Youth Ski League, including how to join and scholarships to participate, contact sandpointnordic@gmail.com.

Registration open for Joyce Dillon Studio spring art classes

By Reader Staff

Adults looking for affordable art classes are in luck — the Pend Oreille Arts Council will host an open house Friday, March 4, from 5-7 p.m., upstairs at the Music Conservatory (110 Main St.), where attendees will tour the Joyce Dillon Studio, view the course catalog, learn how to enroll and meet the instructors.

Instructors include 10 local artists, each with extensive experience in their medium. They will be sharing examples of their work and answering questions about their upcoming classes during the open house.

Classes began in January, with students of all levels gathering in the studio to learn and create together. Barry

Burgess’ Drawing as a Creative Process was the first to fill.

“I have had a wonderful time working with students who have brought a wide range of talent and experience,” Burgess said. “Students have responded favorably, enthusiastically, and all have embraced the exploration of their gifts, talents, and styles in the making of their art.”

Spring offerings include painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, textile art, jewelry making, wind chimes, dream catchers and Ukrainian pysanka eggs.

For more info or to register, visit artinsandpoint.org/jds-studio. Registration is open for spring classes, which are filling quickly.

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OUTDOORS

Winter hiking in another world

By Ben Olson Reader Staff There are distinct seasons here in North Idaho. Spring is mud season when you can sometimes sink your car up to its door handles on certain swampy roads.

Summer is smoke season, but sometimes there are sunny clear days to enjoy on the lake. Fall is when locals catch their breath and start emerging downtown again to enjoy the establishments that were too busy with tourists during smoke, er, summer season. Winter is for skiing, crocheting and reading books.

In all but winter, hiking is an activity that provides easy access to the wilderness outside our back door. In fewer than 30 minutes, you can be parking at the trailhead of a mountain lake trail and preparing for a pleasant hike in the subalpine forests and valleys of our neighboring mountain ranges.

But what do hikers do in the wintertime? Especially in the lingering last months of the season? Most mountain trail systems are inaccessible by vehicle until past mud season.

Take heart, dear readers, there are a few options to scratch that itch during the winter. Some are more adventurous than others, but all of the following ideas will get you out in the winter woods to see the majesty that our forests present in their cold slumber months. There really is nothing like being up in the mountains when everything is snowed under and sleeping.

Go find your own bliss.

Pine Street Woods Just a 10-minute drive from Sandpoint proper, this 180-acre community woods

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was purchased by Kaniksu Land Trust in 2018 and opened for public recreation a year later. In that short time, it has become a cherished recreation area, with a maze of hiking and mountain biking trails that transform into snowshoe and Nordic trails during the winter.

Whether you’re seeking a light stroll or want to get the sweat dripping down your forehead, there’s a little bit for everyone at Pine Street Woods. My favorite route to hike takes you up the hill from the parking lot to a viewpoint next to a scraggly tree. Then you can wind down the pipeline toward the Sherwood Trail system, or just wander around the meadow if the sun is shining.

One of the best parts about Pine Street Woods is that it connects to other trails, like Sherwood Forest, the Pipeline Loop and the Bier Bridge Loop. Thanks to the trail-building organization Pend Oreille Pedalers, these trails are well maintained and seem to multiply like rabbits every couple of years. Consider joining the Pend Oreille Pedalers to help their mission to keep trails accessible to the public: pendoreillepedalers.org.

For those wanting to take it a step further, Nordic skis are available for rent in the recreation center. Check out sandpointnordic.com for more information.

To reach Pine Street Woods, drive west on Pine Street from Sandpoint and turn left at the sign after the pavement turns to dirt.

Mickinnick Trail This trail system winding up the southeastern side of Schweitzer Mountain is a quick and easy escape from Sandpoint, and rewards your efforts with excellent views of Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille from the top. Prepare for some

sweat though, as this trail goes up, up and away for seven miles and gains 2,171 feet along the way. It stays well-trafficked in the winter, with a well-maintained trail forming even in the heavy snow periods, but spikes are a necessity to keep traction on the steep inclines.

It’s a tough slog to reach the top in the winter without snowshoes, but it’s not impossible. Remember, you’re walking up a mountain where people are skiing just a mile away as the crow flies, so the snow gets pretty thick up there.

For those wanting smaller bites, there are a few easy turnaround points on the trail that provide a good view before you wimp out and head back to the car.

This trail was named for Mick and Nicky Pleass, who donated 160 acres to the U.S. Forest Service to be used for trail construction. Thank you for the excellent gift!

To reach Mickinnick, drive north on Great Northern Road from Sandpoint, turn left onto Woodland Drive and left into the parking area.

The Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail For those not seeking elevation, the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail is a great choice to stroll along the shore of Lake Pend Oreille and check out the snow-covered mountains of the Cabinets and beyond.

There was even news recently that efforts to connect the trail to Ponderay are moving forward, so expect big things from this trail soon. Check the progress at pobtrail. org and consider becoming a member of the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail to help keep this trail healthy.

Cadie Archer assumes the “explorer pose” while snacking on the trail somewhere in Bonner County. Photo by Ben Olson.

This 1.5-mile trail winds past ruins from the old Humbird Mill on the lakeshore, cutting a wide, comfortable path to accommodate its heavy usage.

The trailhead is near Sandpoint City Beach, but there’s only parking for about eight vehicles. Park at the beach and walk past the Seasons as a backup plan.

Gold Hill and Hayes Gulch trails Cross the Long Bridge and head east along Bottle Bay Road to reach the two trails leading up to the top of Gold Hill.

The first trailhead you’ll pass along Bottle Bay Road is the recently built Hayes Gulch, a trail designed primarily for dirt bikes, but most of the use is from hikers and mountain bikers. Hayes Gulch trail climbs pleasantly from the trailhead, getting steeper and steeper as you go, requiring shoe spikes to hike with confidence.

There are a handful of different routes to take up here, a few of which provide a beautiful ridgeline view of the lake. Eventually, it joins the Trail #3 connector and you’ll emerge just below the two benches where awesome views of the lake and Sandpoint can be spotted.

An alternative to this route is the traditional Gold Hill Trail, the trailhead being further down Bottle Bay Road. This 5.6-mile loop takes hikers along a well-established system of switchbacks until you reach the aforementioned view. It’s one of the best views of our little shire, made even better because you had to sweat a bit to receive it.

COMMUNITY

Parks and Rec. programming for March

By Reader Staff Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces is offering the following programming in March 2022: Open gym basketball for adults and youth. Open gym is held on Sundays at the Sandpoint High School Gym (410 S. Division Ave.), continuing through March 13. Adults play 4:30-6 p.m. and pay a $2/ player fee at the door. Youth (grades 3-12) play 3-4:30 p.m. for FREE. Schweitzer Own the Night Twilight Ski Program with Sandpoint Parks and Recreation. Friday and Saturdays through March 5 from 3-7 p.m. Sandpoint Parks Recreation and Open Spaces is still participating in the Schweitzer Own the night Twilight Ski Program. Half the proceeds from online Twilight ticket sales, made under the option to support Sandpoint Parks and Rec., will benefit the Sandpoint

Parks and Recreation Youth Scholarship program. Fee: $20, available online at schweitzer.com. Tickets are valid for the date specified during purchase.

Bring your eTicket QR Code to a Schweitzer pick-up box located on the ticket window or Ski and Ride Center decks, to redeem your ticket for the day.

After your order is complete, there will be a link to your eTicket(s) on the confirmation email. Download the eTicket on your phone for paperless redemption at the pick-up boxes. If you will not have your phone, please print the eTicket voucher(s) with the QR Code and bring them to the pick-up box for redemption.

Registration deadline: Lou Domanski Chess Festival. Join fellow chess enthusiasts for this one-day tournament on Saturday April 9 at the Sandpoint High School commons. Divisions include: Elementary (entering grades 1-6) for $5, Middle/High School (entering grades

7-12) for $6, and Open division for $7.

Register by March 31. The tournament uses the Swiss system and is coordinated

by James Stripes. Bring lunch and be ready to play all day. Trophies awarded for each division.

The City of Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department also acts as a clearinghouse to connect the public with other recreational opportunities in the community. Visit the online activity catalog to view listings. Outside organizations and individuals wishing to list their activities are encouraged to contact Parks and Rec. with their program information at recreation@ sandpointidaho.gov.

For Parks and Rec. program registration, and other community programs, visit the Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces website at sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation, visit the Parks and Rec. office (1123 Lake St.) or call 208-263-3613.

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COMMUNITY

Festival to host second annual virtual wine auction fundraiser

By Reader Staff

For the second year, the Festival at Sandpoint is hosting its virtual wine auction, scheduled to run from 9 a.m. on Monday, March 7 through Saturday, March 12 at 7 p.m.

The event will consist of an online silent auction all week, culminating with a virtual event and live auction.

For the silent auction, participants will bid on baskets filled with wine, food and other prizes, available for pickup at the Festival office (525 Pine St.) on Monday, March 14.

The virtual event and live auction kicks off at 6 p.m. on March 12 and will include bidding, musical performances, Festival updates and more.

Attendees who stay until the end of the event at 7 p.m. will be

FBCS announces open enrollment

By Reader Staff

entered to win a door prize.

Proceeds from the wine auction go toward supporting the Festival’s mission to bring musical performance and education to the community.

“Beyond the Festival at Sandpoint’s annual Summer Concert Series, we are passionate about community education year-round,” the organization stated, noting that its partnerships with schools and other

Photo by Kelsey Knight on Unsplash. local groups make possible “a variety of educational programs to inspire, educate and assist area youth.”

For more information, including instructions on how to participate, how to sponsor the event, registration and a zoom link to the virtual live auction. n, visit festivalatsandpoint. com/virtual-wine-auction-event.

Forrest M. Bird Charter School is now taking applications for the 2022-’23 school year. FBCS is Sandpoint’s only free public charter school and is accepting applications for all grades 6-12. Each year the charter school opens an enrollment window for the coming school year. This year the window is open now until Thursday, March 24 at the end of the school day.

During enrollment time, families often stop by seeking a tour or to ask questions. Seeing the school is a way for families to find out whether FBCS fits their students.

“This is one of my favorite times of year,” said Maddie Herron, front office coordinator at the FBCS Middle School. “We love meeting prospective families and their students. It is an opportunity for us to answer questions, talk details and introduce people

to our wonderful school. Our buildings are rather secluded, so we encourage families to reach out if they need details to find us.

I’m always excited to share our school with new people.”

As a public charter school, FBCS takes any student who applies as long as there is availability in that grade level.

At the end of the open enrollment period, a lottery is held to select students to fill each grade level. After all available seats are filled, students are placed on a waitlist in the order they are selected from the lottery. The lottery is held on the last day of the enrollment period at 3:30 p.m.

For more information, call FBCS Middle School at 208255-7771 or FBCS High School at 208-265-9737. Applications can be obtained at either office or online at forrestbirdcharterschool.org.

Flowers for futures

Ponderay Rotary kicks off hanging flower basket fundraiser

By Reader Staff

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The Rotary Club of Ponderay is again presenting its Flowers for Futures program, selling hanging flower baskets to fund educational opportunities and community service projects in the area. Due to the beauty and value of these baskets, the club has already sold nearly half of them based on word of mouth alone.

“For 16 years, the Rotary has supported scholarship opportunities for high school graduates and those who wish to continue their education, giving between $12,000 to $20,000 in scholarship monies to students each year,” said Club President Kari Saccomanno.

Saccomanno said the club’s goal this year is to give out at least $20,000 to deserving applicants.

Applications are available on both the Ponderay Rotary and Sandpoint High School websites. / March 3, 2022

Baskets are large, and feature a wide variety of different flowers.

The baskets are valued at $75 retail, but are being sold for $45 by the club with a portion of that amount designated as a donation.

They will be available for pick-up starting the week before Mother’s Day. Saccomanno said that last year was the first time the club had sold these baskets and the response was “stellar, not just because these baskets are gorgeous, but because all proceeds go back into the community.”

“These baskets sold very quickly because people loved being able to help our community at the same time as getting something beautiful that will last a long time,” she said.

To order flower baskets, email PonderayRotaryClub@gmail.com or call 208-290-0213.

LITERATURE

A witchy journey

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Louise Marley is an artist of many talents. The author, who recently moved to Sandpoint, has penned 22 novels since 1995, covering fantasy, science fiction, young adult novels and historical fiction. Prior to her career as a writer, Marley was a classical concert and opera singer with the Seattle Opera.

“Not only did I love singing — still love singing — but opera gave me many skills I use all the time as a novelist,” Marley said. “An opera singer is an actor; an actor learns about tension and release, about creating drama, about building a scene and, perhaps most critically, character development.”

Marley began her writing career in the fantasy genre with the publication of her first novel, Sing the Light, in 1995. The book would be followed by three more, which were called The Singers of Nevya series, set on the ice planet Nevya and introducing readers to the Cantrixes, or singers, who can bring warmth, light and healing.

She writes under a number of pen names, including Louisa Morgan, Cate Campbell and Toby Bishop, depending on which genre she’s exploring.

“When you write in a different genre, the publisher thinks it’s helpful if you carve out a new audience,” Marley said. “I’ve always been traditionally published. I’ve never done self-publishing. So when a publisher says we should do it under a different name, I say no problem. All of my pseudonyms are based on my family names, and I’m out of them now, so there’s no more to work with.”

In addition to fantasy, Marley has delved into science fiction and historical fiction, which she finds especially intriguing.

“I’m very serious about my historical research,” she said. “I don’t change history. The historical settings are accurate and the stories take place in that background.”

While she dabbles in different genres, Marley often returns to strong female characters, setting them loose in

her stories to explore themes of hope, humanity and faith, whether in the storied past or distant future.

Two of Marley’s titles — The Glass Harmonica and The Child Goddess — won the Endeavor Award for 2001 and 2005, respectively, solidifying her name and drawing a dedicated following of readers.

“It’s really great,” she said. “I always appreciate their enthusiasm. The idea for my latest novel came from my readers, in fact.”

In 2017, Marley stepped away from historical fiction and fantasy to enter the world of witches, with A Secret History of Witches, which she wrote under her pen name Louisa Morgan.

“I just got really interested in writing about witches,” she said. “Fortunately for me, there are a lot of people who like to read about witches. I was really interested in why people have had such fascination with witches and what made them objects of persecution. …

“I find paganism fascinating,” Marley added. “All of the religions have so many things in common. I’m a practicing Roman Catholic — we have incense, the pagans burn herbs; we have bells, the pagans have bells. It’s a sign of humanity that we have more in common than we do different.”

A Secret History of Witches is a sweeping historical saga that traces five generations of fiercely powerful mothers and daughters whose magical inheritance is both a dangerous threat and an extraordinary gift. Set in Brittany, France in the early 19th century, this novel led to three more titles, The Witch’s Kind, The Age of Witches and her most recent novel, The Great Witch of Brittany, which was released on Feb. 15 by Orbit, an imprint of international publisher Hachette Book Group.

In The Great Witch of Brittany, which Marley also wrote under the name Louisa Morgan, she returns to the world of A Secret History of Witches with Ursule Orchiére and her discovery of magical abilities that will not only change the course of her life but every generation that comes after her.

Getting to know new resident author Louise Marley

Right: Author Louise Marley.

Inset: Marley’s book The Great Witch of Brittany, written under her pen name Louisa Morgan.

Courtesy photos.

“This book is set in Brittany in the mid-18th century,” Marley said. “It goes through the days of the French Revolution and into the early part of the 19th century with a look at what it was like in France to be poor and struggling. That’s part of the story.

Another big part of the story is how she discovers her power and begins to study the information that her acesstresses had left her. There is magic and witchcraft.”

For Marley, witchcraft is often a vehicle to promote positive female characters and empowerment, as she sees the two sometimes achieving the same goal.

“Part of the appeal of reading about witches and witchcraft, especially for women, is an attempt to discover or recapture the power of women,” she said. “That’s part of the fascination.

For me, a spell in witchcraft or an intention as a prayer — they’re all kind of the same thing. You’re drawing on your personal energy. Some people who are really gifted that way, they have a special energy they exude and radiate. We all want that. The idea behind witchcraft is you learn to make the most of it.”

Marley moved to the Sandpoint area from western Washington in August to be closer to her family after the death of her husband in 2021. As she settles into her new home in North Idaho, Marley said she is excited to explore the region more in the coming years.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she said.

“There are so many things that inspire me, like the moose I saw the other day when I was walking my dog. There are so many things to make you feel connected to the natural world. I watch the mountains and sunrises. All this snow is something I’m not really used to, but I find comfort in being able to be this much in touch with the natural world.”

Aside from writing, Marley enjoys spending time with Oscar, her energetic border terrier. She is also a yogini, having practiced yoga for more than 20 years. She sometimes gardens, but claims she’s not very good at it.

When asked if she had any advice for budding writers, Marley said it doesn’t matter at what age an author starts working: “Lots of writers start late in life,” she said.

“Money is the wrong reason to write,” she added. “You should write because you have stories to tell or you love the act of writing.

“The first rule is to write. Just do it. Don’t worry about where it’s going.

Read a lot. Take classes and workshops.

I have done all of that, and I have taught them too and I get just as much out of attending workshops as I do teaching them. But the most important thing is to just write.”

Louise Marley will attend a book event at Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane, Wash., at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 25. For more information, visit louisemarley.com.

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events

March 3-10, 2022

THURSDAY, March 3

Live Music w/ Ben & Jason 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Oscar Shorts 7pm @ Panida Theater Oscar Shorts will be showing at the Panida March 3-6. Tickets at panida.org.

Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 7-9pm @ The Back Door

Pints for Paws 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall “Major Hops” beer launch, live music from Kevin Dorin and proceeds benefitting BTAA

FriDAY, March 4 39th annual Gun ‘n’ Horn Show 12-6pm @ Bonner County Fairgrounds Knife and firearm vendors, information booths, food and a horn and skull competition. Admission is $5, with all proceeds benefiting hunter education programs and youth scholarships in Bonner County.

Live Music w/ Kosh 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Jazz, pop and rock Live Music w/ Devon Wade 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Country rock

SATURDAY, March 5

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 7-9pm @ The Back Door Energetic jazz covering a wide era Live Music w/ Alex & Steven 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Live Music w/ Luke Yates & Christy Lee 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Crooked Tooth 9-midnight @ 219 Lounge

Live Music w/ Wiebe Jammin 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Fun mix of musical flavors

39th annual Gun ‘n’ Horn Show 9am-6pm @ Bonner County Fairgrounds

SunDAY, March 6

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am

NAMI Far North movie night 1:30-3:30pm @ Sandpoint Cinemas Free tacos and movie tickets! Sponsored

by NAMI Far North, this free screening of Dog will play, with tacos by Jupiter Jane! Call 208-290-1768 to register

39th annual Gun ‘n’ Horn Show 9am-3pm @ Bonner County Fairgrounds

monDAY, March 7

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Group Run @ Outdoor Experience 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome, beer after Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “What Really Matters to God?”

tuesDAY, March 8

wednesDAY, March 9 Live Music w/ Brendan Kelty 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Live Music w/ Dwayne Parsons 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Grand piano tunes paired perfectly with wine and pizza

ThursDAY, March 10 Artist Reception for Jeremi Ossman 4-6pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery vibrant paintings, balancing natural elements, feminine energy, graffiti and storytelling.

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STAGE & SCREEN

Small but mighty

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

grace Sandpoint’s most historic stage.

The action kicks off March It is said that some of the 3 at 7 p.m. with best things come animated shorts, in small packag2022 Oscar Shorts featuring five es. This is cerAnimated shorts: Thursday, films from the tainly the case March 3 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, UK to Spain with Oscar-nom- March 6 at 2:30 p.m.; live action to Chile. This inated short shorts: Friday, March 4 at 7 show, which films, which are p.m. and Saturday, March 5 at will run about 2:30 p.m.; documentary shorts: known to pack Saturday, March 5 at 7 p.m.

97 minutes, is a punch in 30 Doors open 30 minutes before rated R, so all minutes or less. the show; $10 for adults, $7 for viewers must be The Panida seniors and youth. Panida TheTheater will ater, 300 N. First Ave., 208-263- 18 or older.

The enter9191. Get tickets at the door or host four days panida.org. tainment conof 2022 Oscar tinues Friday, Shorts action March 4 with live action Thursday, March 3-Sunday, shorts at 7 p.m.

These films March 6, with multiple showare also rated R, and the films times and genres slated to

are scheduled to run about 125 minutes. Live action shorts will show again on Saturday, March 5 at 2:30 p.m.

Oscar-nominated documentary shorts will feature Saturday, March 5 at a 7 p.m. showing, with a 160-minute event rated PG-13 for “adult themes and topics.”

The 2022 round of Oscar Shorts at the Panida will wrap up Sunday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. with a matinee showing of the animated films.

Tickets to see these international, world-class films are $10 for adults and $7 for both youth and seniors. Prices are rated for single showings and can be purchased at panida.org.

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

act in the big city.

Once on their own, Stan and Molly ascend to the heights of high-society entertainment, performing their seeming psychic feats before well-heeled audiences — including a devious psychiatrist named Lillith Ritter (Blanchett), who plays her own mental game with Stan. Success follows success as Stan gets ever greedier, ultimately presenting himself as a medium capable of manifesting the dead lover of an unscrupulous millionaire.

Loyalties are tried and broken as the lies told by the characters to others and themselves ensnare them in various ways.

Though it seems Stan is at the zenith of his powers, he’s never been closer to the pit that awaits him, both figuratively and literally.

Those are the broad strokes — and no spoilers, though the storyline has been readily

Panida to host Oscar Shorts March 3-6

A three-film punch card is also available for $25, which is valid for one viewing of each film category: animated, live action and documentary. Punch cards will be available for pick up at the Panida box office March 3 at 6:30 p.m.

The doors open half an hour before each showing. According to the Panida: “Theater capacity is limited to 225 guests per show. Advance tickets are recommended, but not required. All performances are general admission, first come, first serve. The Panida Theater strongly encourages all guests to wear a mask, regardless of vaccine status, while enjoying performances.”

Nightmare Alley is a carnival of souls — and the soulless For as much as people in the United States like to pretend the 1930s and ’40s were a golden age of grit and ingenuity, they were also decades of desperate poverty, social dislocation, graft and violence.

It’s no coincidence that this period saw the peak popularity of seedy pulp novels and noir films, filled with characters fatally seized by various flavors of lust.

As much as for titillation, pulp and noir serve as cautionary tales, showing the downfall that awaits the morally bankrupt; and, for Americans, the circus and carnival ground have been uniquely fertile soil for sounding the depths of human depravity. So it is with Nightmare Alley, the 2021 neonoir film from auteur Guillermo del Toro.

Based on the 1946 novel and 1947 movie of the same name, the 2021 version retains much of the psychological

terror of its source material, though benefited by del Toro’s inimitable eye for disorientation and grotesquery (including a few bursts of ultra violence toward the end).

Boasting a jaw-dropping cast including Bradley Cooper, Toni Collette, Rooney Mara, Jason Strathairn, Willem Dafoe, Ron Perlman and no less than Cate Blanchett, Nightmare Alley grabs audiences by the collar for the rise and fall of carnie Stanton “Stan” Carlisle — a drifter with daddy issues who grifts his way into becoming a famous “mentalist” before his money- and soul-grubbing reach exceeds his grasp with damning consequences.

Cooper plays Stan with relentless charisma as he manipulates fortune teller Zeena (Collette) and her alcoholic partner Pete (Straithairn) into teaching him the secrets of their “mind-reading” schtick.

Meanwhile, he seduces sideshow performer Molly Cahill (Mara) and convinces her to run away and start their own

available to audiences for more than 75 years — but the devilish charms of Nightmare Alley are in the plot-driven details.

Guillermo del Toro is a true cinematic genius, rightly revered for his commitment to atmosphere as he deftly weaves the macabre with the mundane (his 2006 dark fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth being a masterclass in screenwriting, art direction, makeup and cinematography).

Nightmare Alley is a worthy addition to his oeuvre, filled with woozy anxiety and sinister smiles. And, though set in the late-’30s and early-’40s, the

Courtesy photo.

film is a timely rumination on the perils of hucksterism. With so much of our contemporary culture dominated by barkers peddling all manner of hokum — political, spiritual, economic, social, medical — you name it, there’s a bullshitter selling it. Nightmare Alley should serve as a cautionary tale about obsessions and the lies we’re willing to tell (and believe) to feed them.

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FOOD

Beet and Basil returns for a pop-up event at Bluebird Bakery

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

and pescatarian options.

According to Beet and Basil co-owner and chef Jessica Vouk, the March 6 dinner is already sold out; but, Popular local restaurant Beet and as of March 2, there were still some Basil may be gone from its former lo- tickets available for March 7. cation on First Avenue, but its unique Tickets cost $100, including sales take on global street food is still avail- tax and auto gratuity, with a selection able — at least on a of beer, wine, canned limited basis, with a cocktails and non-alBeet and Basil Flavors of India popcoholic beverages for pop-up up event at Bluebird additional purchase. Get Bakery on Sunday, them online at beetandSunday, March 6 (SOLD March 6 and Monday, basil.net.

OUT); Monday, March March 7.

Vouk said Bluebird 7; 6:30-9:30 pm.; $100.

The special seatings Bakery owner Jill SeverBluebird Bakery, 329 N. begin at 6 p.m. at the son came up with the idea First Ave., 208-265-8730, bakery (329 N. First to give Beet and Basil a bluebirdbakeryid.com. Get Ave.) and will feature pop-up home while it’s more info and tickets at a seven-course meal between permanent locawith classic, vegetarian beetandbasil.net. tions, offering her prime

downtown spot for what may become similar recurring events.

“If all goes well, we would love to do more globally inspired dinners in the future. It gives us a chance to be creative and try new things,” Vouk said.

The menu includes a starter as well as salad, cheese and Indian bread courses. The fish is wild sockeye salmon from Thunders Catch, prepared with tamarind glaze, creamy fenugreek curry sauce, basmati rice and delicata squash; followed by spiced lamb kofta, green mint chutney, fennel brined slaw and lemon.

Dessert is semolina orange blossom cake, cardamom creme, candied kum-

quats and pistachio.

“Indian seemed like the obvious choice for the theme,” Vouk said. “I love the spices and flavors, and there is so much diversity in the cuisine.”

In the meantime, Vouk added that Beet and Basil is working on relocating to Kessa’s Court by Kessa’s Coffee in Ponderay on Bonner Mall Way. “The new location is going to be basically a small portable kitchen,” said. “Mostly take out, but there will be some nice seating out there when the weather is good.”

New Year, New You!

VENDOR REGISTRATION Are you a new healthcare or wellness provider in North Idaho or an established one looking for new clients? Maybe you sell health products or have a gym? Sign up now for a booth at the first annual Health & Wellness Fair at the Bonner County Fairgrounds!

Saturday, January 22, 2022 from 9am-5pm Bonner County Fairgrounds Vendor Dinner and Networking Event Friday, January 21 5:30pm check-in and mingling, 6pm dinner, 6:45 networking

April 2-3, 2022

Networking Dinner Friday April 1 Info and Registration at www.BaldyMountain.Media

Meet other local providers at the vendors-only wholesome dinner and networking event led by Mickey Quinn of Mickey Quinn Consulting and Level Up business networking group.

To learn more and register online visit

www.baldymountain.media Suggested donation for entry: 1 non-perishable food item or $1 per adult for the Bonner County Food Bank.

We reserve the right to refuse a booth to any person or business.

Saturday 10-5 | Sunday 10-4 Early Registration

by March 15 Questions? ContactDiscount Emily Neff at 208-360-7937 or emily@baldymountain.media

Presented by Baldy Mountain Media Sponsored by Baldy Mountain Media

Sponsored by:

Questions? Contact Emily Neff at 208-360-7937 or emily@baldymountain.media 20 /

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MUSIC

Confessions of a groupie

Here’s to the bands we love, past and present

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff At a recent volleyball practice, one of my players inquired about the T-shirt I was wearing: an olive green shortsleeved tee with a white logo in the center of the chest depicting the letters STK inside an ouroboros — that is, a snake, coiled in a circle, eating its own tail.

“Oh, this thing?” I looked down at my shirt. “It’s from college. I bought it from a band I liked.”

I hadn’t thought about that band, Skinny the Kid, in years.

The four-piece rock outfit came into my life first as a writing assignment at the University of Idaho’s student newspaper.

I got the lead singer’s number from my editor, and texted to set up an interview at the library on the UI campus. I recall the band being 10 minutes late, looking out of place as they entered the ominous concrete building. I sat at a large study table with my notebook and recorder out, barely 19 years old and new to my role as a reporter.

“Sorry we’re late,” one of them said. “We had a hard time

finding the library.”

As it turned out, none of them attended the university.

My teenage brain hadn’t considered the fact that these jeanjacket-clad, day-job-holding 20-somethings might actually live in a college town and not attend the college.

The interview was uncomfortable, but yielded decent quotes. I introduced Skinny the Kid to the community with that 2015 article, and began to follow them closely. It’s one of my core memories on the journey to what I now consider one of my favorite editorial responsibilities: music writing.

The second time I interviewed STK, in 2017, they were gearing up to release a new album, Toboggan, and tour the broader American West to promote it. For the second interview, we met at an eclectic downtown Moscow cafe, which proved to be neutral ground and far more comfortable for everyone. I learned that PNW music icon Bart Budwig helped STK record Toboggan, and that the band had a release show planned at a small burger restaurant on Moscow’s main drag.

The article ran, I attend-

ed the show with friends and I bought the T-shirt — green, ill-fitted and no doubt screen-printed in a buddy’s Moscow apartment. It remains a favorite in my closet rotation.

Skinny the Kid broke up in 2018. I’d already graduated college and begun my current career at the Sandpoint Reader when I read the news on the band’s Facebook page. It was a story told time and time again: The magic had run its course and the band members were going separate ways.

STK would remain a relic of a short-lived time, a fond and wild memory for the musicians involved.

That same sense of milestone exists for me as a fan of the band, as it does for anyone

The author’s famed Skinny the Kid T-shirt.

Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey.

who has loved the musical creations of a band no longer together. If my life were a movie and college were a scene, Skinny the Kid’s “Hello Sunny Day” — optimistic, upbeat and unrelenting in its surf-rock sensibility — would be the backing track.

Today, I will listen to Toboggan, which now exists exclusively on Bandcamp; I will do the laundry, including my STK shirt, which — for being purchased off a card table in a burger joint in 2017 for $10 — is holding up incredibly well; and I will thank my lucky stars for the chance to interview musicians, and enjoy their art, for a living.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Crooked Tooth, 219 Lounge, March 5

Luke Yates and Christy Lee, MickDuff’s Beer Hall, March 5

Few bands in Sandpoint know how to rock as much as Crooked Tooth — but the fan-favorite local quartet also knows how to lay on the acoustic song with soul-filled songwriting.

All that varied talent will be on display Saturday, March 5 at the 219 Lounge; but, for the first time, listeners will be able to take that talent home with the release of Crooked Tooth’s debut album, The Common Clay of the New West, which will be

For years now, duo Luke Yates and Christy Lee have been sought-after staples in the regional country-rock music scene. Based in eastern Washington, Yates lays down the chunky guitar rhythms and supplies his smooth voice while Lee takes center stage, belting out the lead vocals with a mingling of easygoing sultriness and brashness worthy of any rollicking roadhouse.

(There’s a good reason she won the Top Female Vocalist award from the Inland Northwest Country Music

released on all music platforms and services the same day.

In the works for two years, you can bet Crooked Tooth will come to the Niner ready to celebrate their new record — we advise you to join them.

— Zach Hagadone 9 p.m.-midnight, FREE, 21+.

219 Lounge, 208-263-5673, 219.bar. Listen at YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. More info at facebook.com/CrookedToothBand.

Association in 2021.)

Sandpoint audiences will be treated to a double-header performance from Yates and Lee at MickDuff’s Beer Hall on Saturday, March 5, where they’ll surely bring down the house with their undeniable on stage chemistry.

— Zach Hagadone 6:30-9:30 p.m., FREE, 21+.

MickDuff’s Brewing Co. Beer Hall, 208-209-6700, 220 Cedar St., mickduffs.com.

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

READ

Not long ago I recommended following the thoughts of Yale historian Timothy Snyder via his online newsletter (snyder.substack. com). That suggestion has become even more urgent with the unfolding war between Russia and Ukraine, as Snyder is perhaps the foremost English-language authority on the recent history of Eastern Europe — and Ukraine in particular. Putting a finer point on it, his books Bloodlands and Black Earth are essential reading right now.

LISTEN

As the Ukrainian national anthem is heard around the world in solidarity against Russian military aggression, it’s important not to ignore contemporary artists. Kyiv-based quartet DakhaBrakha is like nothing you’ve ever heard. Blending traditional Ukrainian sounds with elements of jazz, blues, reggae, even hints of zydeco, the band’s oeuvre is as rich and complicated as its homeland. Have a listen on YouTube or dakhabrakha.com.ua.

WATCH

In keeping with the current wave of interest in Eastern Europe and its complex politics, the 2018 documentary Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski is particularly apt. Streaming on Netflix, the film is a fascinating deep dive into the most important 20th century sculptor that no one has ever heard of. Stanislaw Szukalski, who died at 93 in 1987, was a Polish-American savant, artistic bad boy and singularly bizarre metaphysical thinker whose work has to be seen to be believed.

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BACK OF THE BOOK

Local health care providers are more Clara Barton than Nurse Ratched From Northern Idaho News, March 2, 1909

STABBING AFFRAY MAY PROVE FATAL What may result in a fatal stabbing affray occurred this morning on First street between the hours of 9 and 10 o’clock, the principals of the brawl being an intoxicated lumber jack named Neil and the night cook at the Silver Club Cafe, Dan Coffee, who lies at the City hospital with his abdomen badly lacerated. Neil made his get-away before the police arrived on the scene. It is claimed that he was seen going towards Ponderay. The police hastily organized a posse and started out to find the fugitive, but have been unsuccessful up till the time of going to press.

As near as can be learned the trouble started last evening at the Silver Club Cafe, when Neil came into the restaurant, ordered a meal and then refused to pay for the same, and was roughly handled by one of the employees. It is claimed that the waitor was the man who had the trouble with Neil and not Coffee.

About 9:30 o’clock this morning, after Coffee had gone off shift, he met the lumberjack on the street and commenced to abuse him.

Coffee did not pay much attention to the man, but Neil became so enraged that he pulled out his jacknife and with a vicious plunge shoved it to the handle into Coffee’s stomach. In the confusion that followed, Neil slipped away and started east along the Northern Pacific tracks. The police along the line have been notified to keep on the lookout for him.

Coffee was taken to the City hospital where Dr. Page worked over him for several hours. Unless complications set in the doctor has hopes of saving his life.

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By Tim Henney Reader Contributor The most remembered character from the 1975 film One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, and the 1962 book by Ken Kesey on which it was based, is villainous “Big Nurse” Ratched. A combination of Dracula, the Wicked Witch of the West, a Nazi death camp commandant and QAnon freak Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nurse Ratched’s mission was to make life tortuous for patients in a Salem, Ore. psychiatric hospital. She was not compassionate, cheerful, encouraging, optimistic or dedicated to making her patients healthy, happy and hopeful. But was she an accurate portrayal of the nursing profession? Maybe half-accurate? Just a teeny bit accurate? Nope, none of the above.

Big Nurse’s 180-degree opposites are in action every day at a medical clinic on Sandpoint’s Washington Avenue. All one needs to do to participate is own a pair of kidneys that have said the hell with it and quit their job. Then one can become a client of Liberty Dialysis. “Dialysis?” you say in alarm, “How dreadful! How awful! What a grim way to wind up! You poor thing!” But wait. Take it from this post-elder, crappedout kidney case — Sandpoint’s jovial, uber-professional team of dialysis RNs and technicians are everything Big Nurse wasn’t: compassionate, cheerful, encouraging, optimistic and dedicated to making patients healthy, happy and hopeful.

The antithesis of Big Nurse, they are akin to Clara Barton, the historic and heroic volunteer Samaritan who nursed wounded Union and Confederate warriors

STR8TS Solution

alike during the American Civil War. Sandpoint’s dialysis nurses and associates make blood-cleaning clinic treatments something to almost look forward to. And why not? All that this dedicated dialysis team does is keep patients alive by gently withdrawing and washing our blood via catheters, transparent tubes and impatient, demanding, beeping and honking machines (one per chair), then returning it to and through the body repeatedly over a period of three to four hours, three days a week. As one who has spent little time in hospitals over a lucky, nine-decade run, my-face-to-face encounters with nurses and their technician partners has been limited. But I did read Ken Kesey’s book.

And I saw the movie.

So on day one I arrived at the Sandpoint clinic trembling, with brass knuckles at the ready (well, that’s an embellishment, yet, who knew? Dialysis? Good Lord!

Big Nurse Ratched?). Au-contraire, the welcome was warm and the ambiance comfortable (chairs spaced 10 feet apart with heated seats and individual TVs overhead!). Even more reassuring, in masked chats with RNs and technicians as they tinkered with the apparatus beside my chair to achieve and reflect precise amounts of needed fluids, set the rate of blood movement through the body and measure weight and blood pressure, it became clear from the start that the team members are collegially bonded by a desire to help others.

So, lucky kidney losers, we are cared for by meticulously-trained, resolute, locally-grown Clara Barton replicas — female and male — who revel in making and keeping people well, happy and hopeful.

For their intensive 12- to 14-hour shifts and for the vital job they do, we dialysis dependents salute Sandpoint RNs Austin, Glen and Michelle, and technicians Allyssa, Ashley, Attea, Khaden, Mandy and Tanyia. Many thanks. The world needs more like you.

Big Nurse Ratched in literature and film is riveting. But in real life she’s a figment and a fake. If she showed up at our dialysis clinic, she’d be run out of town on a rail.

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution I’d like to see a nude opera, because when they hit those high notes I bet you can really see it in those genitals.

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

ACROSS

bamboozle

Woorf tdhe Week

/bam-BOO-zul/

[verb] 1. to deceive, trick or confuse.

“Inexperienced investors are often bamboozled by the volatility of the stock market.”

Corrections: Nothing to note, folks. Thanks for reading. —LKC

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Solution on page 22 59. A female ruff 60. Against 61. Clairvoyant 62. Glacial ridge 63. Untidyness

DOWN 1. Souvlaki 2. Quarters 3. Nobles 4. Terminate 5. Avenue 6. Loses color 7. Footnote note 8. Stability 9. Before, poetically 10. Evil spirit

11. Avertible 12. Nipple 13. Stake 18. Provide with a permanent fund 22. Sweeping story 24. Midmonth date 26. Modify 28. A village outside a castle 29. Satyr 30. Hens make them 31. Electric light 32. Brother of Jacob 33. Small coffee cup 34. Men of great strength

37. Wicked 38. Garrison 40. Doing nothing 41. Kind of bean 43. Pervert 44. Antenna 46. Split 47. Pee 48. Corrodes 49. Abominable snowmen 50. It was (contraction) 51. Sexual assault 53. Search 56. Anger 57. A leg (slang) March 3, 2021 /

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