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PEOPLE compiled by

Susan Drinkard

watching

“What fun activities and events do you have planned for the summer months?”

“I am getting married in September, so I’m doing wedding planning and I work full-time.”

Caitlyn Hagen Starbucks in Ponderay Heron, Montana

“We are going on a vacation to Oregon. We are also doing house renovations inside and outside. And we are taking our daughter to Silverwood, as well as boating as a family.”

Amber Hilzer Stay-at-home mom Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

I hope everyone is having a great week out there.

I’ve said more “old-timer” aphorisms the past week than usual. I’m better some of you have caught yourself doing the same. Here are my most frequent utterances that remind me I’m getting older: “Man, we sure do need some rain.”

“It was never windy like this all the time when I was a kid.”

“Sandpoint sure is changing.”

Growth is tough, epecially when driven by forces beyond our control. If you’re new to town, do us all a favor and don’t be a jerk to people. Back in my day (hey, there’s another one!) it didn’t matter who you voted for or what you believed, everyone respected their fellow community members. Live and let live, put away your anger and just be a good person. Sheesh.

– Ben Olson, publisher

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Steve Fischbach for the Idaho Capital Sun (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Bill Borders.

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Clark Corbin, Sandi Nicholson, Emily Erickson, Shelby Rognstad, Jason Welker, Sandy Compton.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $135 per year

“Getting married, then basking in the silence with my new husband once everyone leaves.”

Lyndsie Kiebert News Editor Hope

“Drinking fine rye whiskey, sailing on my new boat, answering angry phone calls from offended readers and dunking my big fat head in the lake.”

Ben Olson Publisher Sandpoint “Glowering at the abyss, until it glowers back.”

Zach Hagadone Editor-in-Chief Sandpoint

Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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

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

Free to all, limit two copies per person.

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

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

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

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

About the Cover

This week’s cover illustration is by Steve Fischbach for the Idaho Capital Sun. May 27, 2021 /

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NEWS

Expect limited access to Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail parking area and trailhead through summer

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Visitors to the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail in recent weeks have been puzzled to see the trailhead closed. Located just to the north of the Seasons at Sandpoint condo development and immediately south of the city’s wastewater treatment plant, the parking lot and public trail access point have been operating under limited hours since May 3, “until further notice,” according to a Facebook post by the city of Sandpoint.

The trailhead parking lot is shut down to accommodate “construction unloading and staging at the adjacent Seasons condo build and to protect public safety and emergency access,” Sandpoint City Manager Jennifer Stapleton told the Reader in an email.

Access at the parking lot is closed Monday-Thursday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 6 a.m. to noon; yet, “The trail will remain open to pedestrians, bicyclists and their dogs at all times,” the city stated.

Meanwhile, those wishing to use the trail — which proceeds one-and-a-half miles along the shoreline from the former Humbird Mill site in Sandpoint to a piece of private property adjacent to Ponderay city limits — must park at Dock Street and City Beach, then walk or bike to the trailhead.

Stapleton said the reason for the limited trailhead hours stems from the Seasons build, which requires ample space for heavy equipment and worker parking — both of which had been impeding emergency access to the treatment plant when parked on the street.

“The developer originally tried to perform all loading/ 4 /

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The Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail. Courtesy photo. unloading and staging in the private street next to the development so as not to impact the parking lot, but ultimately this created a greater public safety issue,” Stapleton wrote. “We need a 20-foot drive lane for emergency vehicle access to the trail and the city water treatment plant and pedestrians were walking through the unloading area, which created a significant safety hazard.

“Our priority is to ensure that the trail remains open to pedestrians, bicyclists and their dogs at all times and can be safely accessed,” she added.

Seasons at Sandpoint General Manager Scott Olpin said trail users should expect the limited trailhead hours to continue through the summer, and noted that, “the city was the one that approached the builder” about using the city-owned POB Trail parking lot for construction staging — “It wasn’t a Seasons decision,” he said.

“Obviously it’s a conve-

nience for the builder but an inconvenience for anyone who wants to park at the trailhead,” he said.

Meanwhile, those wishing to access the trail are asked to use the marked walking path on the west side of Sandpoint Avenue.

“We would really prefer that the folks who are commuting from City Beach would take that path,” Olpin said. “That walking path begins essentially in front of Best Western and goes north all the way to the parking lot right at the trailhead.”

Olpin underscored that those making their way from the beach to the trail should exercise “extreme caution,” as well as some patience, as heavy machinery moves up and down Sandpoint Avenue amid the construction, which will result in a five-story building (including four floors of residential space and a rooftop swimming pool) — a project 16 years in the making.

“Obviously we don’t want anybody to be hurt or inconvenienced — especially not hurt,” he said. “We would also encourage them not to park on Seasons property, because it is private property. … You wouldn’t want anyone parking in your driveway.”

Overall, Olpin added, trail users are asked to “be patient, be neighborly.”

Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail in a May 18 post on Facebook reported the results of a meeting with Stapleton, in which the group stated that, “It could be a few months before the parking lot at the Sandpoint trailhead is open during the weekdays again.”

As Stapleton said, the Friends cited “the lack of space along the city street to accommodate both large delivery trucks and emergency vehicles in the event of a fire or other emergencies at the city water treatment plant,” as the reason for the closure.

“We are disappointed and recognize that this is extremely inconvenient for many, especially those who have physical challenges,” the Friends wrote.

“In addition, we have received reports of trail users encountering hazardous conditions when passing through the parking lot during construction hours.

Please take care!”

According to the Friends’ statement, “we hope to focus city attention on improving the trailhead parking and access situation. We will continue to advocate for the expanded parking plan in our Master Trail Plan, which would involve converting the grassy swale inside the water treatment plant fence to parking and treating stormwater underground.

“This is an expensive, but feasible option,” the Friends added. “We also would like to see if we can work with the city and condominium developer to shift pedestrian use to a sidewalk along the condominium complex, instead of in the bike path on the street.”

Stapleton told the Reader that the city had worked with the developer to limit hours, providing full parking lot access in the evenings and weekends; however, “We do not have a timeline for when the parking lot will fully reopen and we will continue to work with the developer to ensure that it happens as soon as possible.”

Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail encouraged trail users to email the group at friends@ pobtrail.org with any questions, concerns or general thoughts on the access situation. Likewise, citizens are invited to provide feedback via the city’s Engage Sandpoint online portal: sandpointidaho.gov/your-government/engagesandpoint.

NEWS

Bonner Co. Republican Central Committee wants Woodward out of the party — and the Statehouse

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The Bonner County Republican Central Committee is seeking the “disaffiliation and resignation” of Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, for “conduct it deemed unbecoming of a member of the Republican Party.”

In a news release May 24, the BCRCC announced it had adopted a resolution on March 16, “condemning Legislative District 1 Senator Jim Woodward for his conduct in office,” including, “Rejecting the Idaho Republican Platform, and the Republican principles of individual freedom and limited government.”

Specifically, the central committee accused Woodward of aligning himself with fellow Republican Gov. Brad Little’s “anti-freedom agenda,” serving as a “reliable vote” and “a proponent of governmental expansion and overreach.”

Woodward declined to comment to the Reader. Fellow District 1 lawmaker Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, also declined to comment and a request for comment to Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, went unanswered.

Bonner County Commission Chairman Dan McDonald — the highest elected executive official in the county and also a Republican, though no longer a member of the BCRCC — told the Reader, “what they’re doing to Woodward is a waste of time and ridiculous.”

“It’s time to bring some common sense back to politics — exchanging and debating ideas — and I don’t see that coming out the central committee,” he added, noting that he and other local Republicans have formed a group called North Idaho Way, which seeks a more broad-based approach to bringing together citizens across a variety of political affiliations.

“We have reached the tip of the horseshoe where the radical far right and the radical far left have

come together,” McDonald said.

“When you stop communicating, you realize you’ve pigeon-holed yourself and you’re not going to get anywhere; and that’s where the central committee is now. …

“There are still some good people on the central committee, but they’re in the minority,” he added.

“They’re creating more destruction than they are creating things.”

The resolution laid out five allegations against Woodward, illustrating what the BCRCC called “his un-Republican voting record,” including that he “promoted the ‘Stripping of Funding’ from [Lt. Gov.] Janice McGeachin as part of a ‘progressive Republican’ vindictive JFAC [Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee] members’ slashing of the Lt. Governor’s budget.”

McGeachin on May 19 announced she would run against Little for the governor’s office in the May 2022 Republican primary and has been a consistent critic of the governor over his policies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and, as the BCRCC put it, his “un-constitutional han-

dling of related Federal dollars.”

Two of the “whereas” portions of the BCRCC resolution referred to the Idaho Freedom Foundation, a Boise-based far-right lobby group with ties to the national State Policy Network and American Legislative Exchange Council, both of which push corporate-backed and otherwise ultra-conservative “model” bills in statehouses around the country.

The central committee cited IFF’s so-called “Freedom Index,” which ranks bills and legislators by how closely they hew to its policy agenda.

“Senator Woodward’s rating has been in the bottom 20% of Senators this term,” the central committee wrote, adding that Woodward “is currently IFF rated fourth from the bottom of 35 total Senators.”

McDonald brushed aside the IFF as a reasonable calculus for the efficacy of elected lawmakers.

“They’re offbase, they’ve got some different agenda that I don’t consider legitimate anymore,” he said. “To use their score for a ba-

with a Bachelor’s of Science in mechanical engineering and later served 21 years in the U.S. Navy as a Trident missile submariner.

Outside his legislative work, Woodward owns and operates Apex Construction Services, which specializes in heavy construction and excavation.

Woodward won his second term in 2020 with 22,433 votes, or 77.4% — a higher number of votes than either of his fellow District 1 Republican legislators.

In that election, Dixon pulled Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle. 20,212 and Scott won with 19,662. sis of anything is disingenuous.”

“The Bonner County RepubOn the IFF in general, Mclican Central Committee doesn’t Donald added, “It’s a destination represent the majority of Repubin search of a direction.” licans in the county,” McDonald Woodward is a second-term said, later adding, “Regardless of senator serving as vice-chair of how you feel about Jim or how the Transportation Committee he votes, he is our senator.” and holding seats on the EducaAccording to the BCRCC, tion and Joint Finance-AppropriWoodward was made aware ations committees. A lifelong Ida- of the resolution seeking his hoan who grew up in Sandpoint “disaffiliation and resignation” and Bonners Ferry — graduating on March 29, “but has made no from Bonners Ferry High School attempt to address its contents in 1988 — he attended the with the BCRCC.” University of Idaho, graduating

Reclaim Idaho files Quality Education Act initiative Group also launches lawsuit to challenge new initiative requirements

By Reader Staff Reclaim Idaho filed a ballot initiative with the Idaho secretary of state April 28 called the Quality Education Act — an initiative that the grassroots group said would boost funding for K-12 education by over $200 million annually, paid for by a tax increase for corporations and the wealthiest Idahoans.

As the organization kicks off its campaign for public education funding, they are also launching a lawsuit against Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney over Idaho’s new law regarding the ballot initiatives process, which Gov. Brad Little signed on April 17.

Reclaim Idaho and other critics of the law say it gives Idaho the most restrictive initiative process in the nation, and makes grass-

roots initiative campaigns virtually impossible in the Gem State. The new law requires campaigns to collect signatures from 6% of registered voters in each of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts — up from the 18 districts previously required.

“The people of Idaho retained for themselves a constitutional right to make or repeal laws,” the group argues in its petition against the state. “At the same time, they gave the Legislature a trust responsibility to enact the methods and procedures for exercising the right. Over the years, the Legislature has exploited its limited power, imposing increasingly byzantine and unreasonable requirements for the proponents of initiatives or referendums to qualify their petitions for the ballot.

“This campaign of death-

by-a-thousand-cuts reached its apotheosis in this 2021 legislative session,” the petition continues, “when the Legislature passed Senate Bill 1110, which contains the most stringent requirements for signature collecting in the nation … These requirements unreasonably burden the core fundamental right and are unconstitutional.”

In the event that Reclaim Idaho prevails in court, the organization will immediately begin a signature drive to place the Quality Education Act on the ballot.

“Idaho is dead last out of 50 states in education funding per student, but our legislators believe the big problem to be addressed is teachers ‘indoctrinating’ students,” said Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville. “What a slap in the face to the teachers of our

state. It’s time to stop attacking our educators and to start investing in them.”

In the event that Reclaim Idaho does not win the lawsuit, and the new law remains intact, the organization will likely put its campaign for education funding on hold and instead launch a signature drive to qualify the Initiative Rights Act for the ballot.

The Initiative Rights Act, also recently filed by Reclaim Idaho, would restore the signature requirements that existed in 2012: 6% of registered voters statewide, without regard to where those voters live. For most of Idaho history, there was no geographic-distribution requirement for signature drives, according to organizers.

The first such requirement did not appear until 1997.

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NEWS

LPO to hit summer pool mid-June, despite early request Lakes Commission requested summer pool by Memorial Day weekend, but USACE remains cautious of flood risk

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

The Albeni Falls Dam. Photo courtesy Army Corps of Engineers.

The lack of rain and below-normal snowpack this spring have sparked a conversation about when, exactly, Lake Pend Oreille should reach summer pool. Some stakeholders believe that in years of low flood probability, before Memorial Day weekend would be ideal — that is, according to a letter from the Lakes Commission to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dated May 13 requesting that the lake be filled to “within six inches to a foot” of summer pool level before the holiday.

“This is not an operation that has been adhered to in the past, due to anticipated flood risk, but as the Corps and NOAA weather forecasters presented to us at our May 11 meeting, there is no flood risk this year,” the letter stated. “Snowpack is well below normal and forecasted precipitation is low. Knowing that our basin is not at risk of flooding and that this operation is well within the congressional operation for Albeni Falls Dam, this year provides an excellent opportunity to capitalize on our busy recreational weekend.”

With tourism such a significant economic factor for North Idaho, the Lakes Commission has made it a goal to advocate for a lengthened summer pool season — a decision that is in the hands of the Corps and its Albeni Falls Dam operations. USACE controls Lake Pend Oreille’s levels by managing outflows at the dam, fluctuating the water level about 11.5 feet between seasons.

Lakes Commission Executive Director Molly McCahon said that while most boat launches around the area are currently accessible, docks and walking ramps are unusable until the lake reaches 2,061-2,062 feet. As of May 26, the lake — measured at the Hope gauge — sat at about 2,059.7 feet.

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Corps, the Lakes Commission again forwarded its request.

“We urge you to reconsider your timing on refill this year and to reach summer pool by May 28,” the email concluded.

“If not, this year proves that if there is truly an opportunity for early refill (no flood risk) it will only occur in extreme drought and even that seems questionable.”

The two parties met on May 24 following the email, after which the Lakes Commission told the Sandpoint Reader: “They are refilling earlier than in a typical year, so we can claim a small victory, but they wouldn’t commit to 2,061 feet heading into Memorial Day Weekend and are still being cautious. We tried and you can rest assured we will keep trying in water years like this one, where there is simply no flood risk.”

USACE also issued a statement following the May 24 meeting, sharing that the lake should be “at 2,060 feet going into Memorial Day weekend, and will continue to fill over the weekend.”

“Inflows are expected to increase over the next two weeks due to increased rain and snowmelt in the upper parts of the basin,” said Senior Water Manager David Bogema. “With the expected increases in inflows, releases from Albeni Falls Dam will be increasing in order to manage refill and keep daily refill rates below our limit of 0.4’/day. Those refill limits are in place for the safety of those around the lake.

“We will continue to monitor the changing conditions in the basin in order to determine when we can safely manage having the lake in its summer operating range of 2,062 feet to 2,062.5 feet,” he added. “Given the current hydrologic outlook, we project we will be in that range in the second to third week of June.”

To track Lake Pend Oreille as it fills to summer pool, visit nwrfc.noaa.gov and click on the icon over Lake Pend Oreille, titled “HOPI1.”

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: Albert Watkins, the attorney for several defendants accused of rioting Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol, (including the so-called “QAnon shaman”), told Talking Points Memo that “a lot of these defendants … are people with brain damage … these aren’t bad people ... Fuck, they were subjected to four-plus years of goddamn propaganda the likes of which we haven’t seen since fucking Hitler.”

One of Watkins’ clients, a member of the Proud Boys, is requesting a separate trial due to the comments, and objects to what appears as Watkins’ plans to portray his clients as mentally deficient, according to Business Insider.

The Government Accountability Office produced a report exploring the connection between big corporations and their employees’ need for federal assistance like Medicaid and food stamp benefits.

The GAO found the nation’s largest big box store — Wal-Mart — topped the list for employees needing such help, The Seattle Times reported. The nation’s top burger flipper, McDonald’s, also on the list, defended its low wages as being above the federal minimum of $7.25. Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders commented that it is corporate welfare when big business benefits from employees being paid “starvation wages” that force them to seek federal aid.

In a new report the Economic Policy Institute provided a new take on why wages have become stale. Once it was thought that technology had flattened wages, but the report blames policy decisions, such as trade deals that force workers to compete with low-paid overseas labor; toleration of high unemployment; allowing employers to fight unions “aggressively,” which has led to keeping wages low; employment contracts that make it difficult for workers to find new jobs; and lack of backing for adequate economic influence by the government to rebuild after the Great Recession.

According to The New York Times, the report showed that from the 1940s to the 1970s, hourly pay typically grew as quickly as productivity. The EPI paper stated that a typical worker earning $23.15 an hour in 2017 would earn $33.10 now had compensation kept up with productivity growth.

Some economists found fault with the report, such as dismissing market forces, but others say the report points in the right

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

direction.

In the House last week 35 Republicans joined Democrats in a 252-175 vote in favor of creating a bipartisan and independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. USA Today reported that the body is modeled after the 9-11 Commission. The proposed commission would be able to call witnesses and deliver a report by Dec. 31. Along with analyzing what provoked mob actions, it would also explore how to prevent such attacks in the future.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the commission would be more thorough, since it would combine all known information, as opposed to separate hearings on narrow topics. Next step for gaining approval is the Senate, where House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he will vote against the bill, and Republicans are expected to follow his lead.

Sen. Angus King, Jr., I-Maine, commented that, “When people start moving Heaven and Earth to block an investigation, I have to wonder if there is something to hide.”

House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has refused to say whether members of his caucus engaged in communication with rioters; and, in January, when arguing against impeachment of ex-President Donald Trump for his role in Jan. 6 events, several Republicans, including McConnell, argued that there should first be a fact-finding commission. Now they are arguing against it.

A year after the killing of Minneapolis Black man George Floyd on May 25, 2020 by white police officer Derek Chauvin (the latter recently sentenced to 40 years in prison), the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed the House, is now hung up in the Senate. The police reform bill is designed to address police misconduct, excessive force and racial bias.

Blast from the past: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell recently said “100% of my focus is on stopping this new administration.” It was reminiscent of 2010, when Republicans planned to do “everything we can do to kill it [the Obama agenda].” The goal was to “make Obama a one-term president,” McConnell admitted at the time. Obama said he remained committed to trying to work across the aisle to put people back to work after the recession, noting that “you can’t just focus on the next election. You’ve got to focus on the next generation.”

NEWS FEATURE

Scorched earth politics leave little room for common ground. Can these Idaho groups fight extremism?

Republicans, Democrats and independents alike seek new ways to engage with Idaho voters

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun Lifelong Republican Jennifer Ellis almost doesn’t even recognize her own political party when she looks at some of Idaho’s farright legislators who dominated the agenda this session.

“This far-right faction seems to be getting more traction and getting more people elected than ever before,” Ellis, a Blackfoot rancher, said in a telephone interview.

Ellis has been involved with policy work in Idaho for decades.

She got her start with the PTA about 28 years ago.

For the last 25 years, she’s been devoted to agriculture policy.

She’s been active with the Idaho Cattle Association — a powerful, 100-plus-year-old trade association, past and current members of which have ascended to the highest offices in Idaho, including Gov. Brad Little and Speaker of the House Scott Bedke, R-Oakley.

Over the past few years, Ellis has become increasingly fed up with far-right Republicans aligning themselves with what she describes as extremist groups, including anti-government activist Ammon Bundy’s People’s Rights movement, the Idaho Freedom Foundation and John Birch Society. She also includes The Real Idaho 3 Percent, a militia group, and Health Freedom Idaho, an anti-vaccination group that worked alongside the People’s Rights movement and Idaho Freedom Foundation to oppose and defy public health orders during the coronavirus pandemic, which has

caused 2,074 deaths in Idaho, according to the state’s official coronavirus data website.

Some members of extremist groups protested outside of elected officials’ homes over the past year, often carrying torches and pitchforks and terrifying children and families.

Gregory Graf, who writes a blog called “Political Potatoes,” founded Idaho Conservatives, a website dedicated to sharing fact-based policy information with Idaho Republicans. Soon, Ellis and four like-minded conservatives got involved and started writing on the Idaho Conservatives blog as an attempt to take back the party and combat disinformation and extremism.

They consider themselves a group of conservative Republicans who understand the inner workings of Idaho politics. And they are tired of seeing extremists hijack their party and use it as a bully pulpit, she said.

Idaho’s role in education is one example of things conservatives disagree on Ellis says a perfect example is the critical race theory and social justice debates that Republicans in the Idaho House of Representatives used to kill two major education budget bills this session (both of which were later rewritten).

“Extremist organizations like the Freedom Foundation decided if they can’t get their way of destroying public schools in Idaho through talking about money, they can run a red herring such as CRT and hold budgets hostage,” Ellis said. “It’s just a poisonous feedback loop and has nothing to do with actualities on the ground.”

The Idaho Freedom Foundation could not be reached for comment.

In a 2019 op-ed, Idaho Freedom Foundation Executive Director Wayne Hoffman wrote, “I don’t think government should be in the education business.”

“It is the most virulent form of socialism (and indoctrination thereto) in America today,” Hoffman wrote.

Hoffman wrote that teachers and students are “victims” of the mandate in the Idaho Constitution requiring the state to maintain a free and uniform public school system.

This year, Hoffman and the Freedom Foundation have made the education debate a top issue, pushing many of the critical race theory and social justice anecdotes that legislators used in sinking the education budgets.

Ellis isn’t surprised. She warns people about any legislator who has a score of 90 or higher on the Idaho Freedom Index, a scoring system based on 12 criteria the foundation uses to rank many — but not all — bills. Eighteen legislators have a freedom index of 90 or higher, while Reps. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, and Chad Christensen, R-Iona, have perfect

As politics becomes more partisan across the country and here in Idaho, groups like Idaho Conservatives, Reclaim Idaho and The Idaho 97 say they are looking for ways to fight extremism and disinformation in the Gem State. (Photo illustration by Steve Fischbach for the Idaho Capital Sun).

scores of 100.

“That’s what we’ve done with Idaho Conservatives is be a voice of people who have been Republicans their entire adult lives and are calling out what we see as missteps within the party,” Ellis said. “In Idaho, if you have only Democrats and the far right that does all the talking, the 90% of us in the middle gets lost.”

Ellis wants to elevate the conversation.

“Politics, to me, dumbs down and puts into sound-bite-form very intricate policy,” she said.

“So when people have gotten to the point where maybe they read headlines only or Facebook or memes, for example, the true policy dialogue is being misplaced.”

But she knows it’s an uphill battle.

“Unfortunately, with the pandemic that’s taken place in Idaho we’ve been more reactionary, we have kind of been playing defense,” Ellis said. “And there are so many things every day you’re trying to dig into then you forget what the thing the day before was.”

Reclaim Idaho says state legislators are breaking rules of civility more often Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville knows that there is a lot more to Idaho than the extreme groups and positions that have been making news lately.

That’s because Mayville and Reclaim’s volunteers have personally engaged with tens of thousands of Idahoans over the past four years, highlighted by their successful Medicaid expansion ballot initiative Idaho voters approved in 2018.

“One thing we found with Reclaim Idaho and Medicaid expansion is you could make a lot of progress when you get off social media and start going door-todoor and start hosting face-to-face events and, even more importantly, when you sideline the issues are most divisive and invite people to engage on issue that bring

people together,” Mayville said in a telephone interview.

In fact, Mayville isn’t really worried about the people of Idaho.

He said it is important to call out protestors when they cross a line. But Mayville is much more worried about elected officials and divisive extremist groups.

“We are not paying nearly enough attention to all of the ways elected officials who have a great deal of power are breaking rules of civility,” Mayville said. “The No. 1 rule is that if you are enacting policy that directly affects people’s lives, you should be willing to engage in open, transparent discussions with those who are most affected.”

The Legislature broke that rule several times this year, Mayville said.

“So it’s when you see major property tax legislation rammed through in 24 hours without any serious discussions with low-income seniors whose property taxes will go up or major legislation transforming ballot initiatives without making an effort to reach out to grassroots organizations that collect signatures,” Mayville said.

“It’s when you see anti-indoctrination legislation get rammed through without any serious effort to engage teachers and learn what they think.”

Mayville said the closed Republican primary system is a major problem in Idaho. No Idaho Democrat has won a statewide race since Marilyn Howard won the 2002 superintendent of public instruction’s race. In that regard, the Republican primary has become the race that matters. Only a fraction of voters participate in closed Republican primaries, and candidates tend to run far to the right.

For instance, there were 269,467 ballots cast in the 2018 primary election (that total includes more than 65,800 Idahoans who voted in the Democratic primary and could not vote in the GOP primary, which is only open

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to voters who specifically affiliate with the Republican Party).

By comparison, there were 612,536 ballots cast in the 2018 general election.

“Our closed primary system insulates elected officials from the majority of the population,” Mayville said. “Most of our elected officials don’t really have to face the majority of voters and win them over. And that gives them a sense of impunity that they may not be held accountable by anyone other than a very small group of active primary voters.”

Other problems include the decline of traditional media, the rise of social media, the ready availability of disinformation and a tendency to make politics about the most divisive issues, he said.

Mayville is optimistic. Reclaim Idaho tapped into something with its Medicaid initiative, he said. Now it is partnering up to sue the state in an attempt to throw out a new ballot initiative law that requires initiative and referendum organizers to collect signatures of 6% of voters in 35 of Idaho’s 44 counties. Legislative leaders hired their own outside attorneys, in addition to using the Idaho attorney general’s office, to defend the law, Betsy Z. Russell of the Idaho Press reported.

Reclaim Idaho also has a new education initiative in the works if the lawsuit succeeds.

But Mayville’s optimism hinges on Idahoans’ ability to engage in elections, government and politics.

“We have to have people engaging in large numbers and frequently enough to counterbalance the division, the divisive forces,” Mayville said. “I wouldn’t say we are there yet; I’d say we have made some progress.”

It can be intimidating finding a place to start. Mayville recommends picking an issue that you care deeply about, one that you believe many other Idahoans care about.

Try to engage with someone in a civil, informed way and bring them along. Then find an organization that is working on the issue and get involved.

“If you can’t find such an organization, then consider starting one,” Mayville said.

That’s how Reclaim started. Mayville and friends, who grew up on Lake Pend Oreille, started the organization in an attempt to pass a local school levy. It was right in the wake of the divisive 2016 presidential election, but people from all sides of the political spectrum came together to work for something they could all get behind.

It worked, and the levy passed.

“That got us thinking, ‘wouldn’t it be a good thing for the state if we started a statewide organization and identified the top two or three issues for a majority of Idahoans?’”

Mayville said.

The Idaho 97 Project formed in recent months to combat extremism, COVID-19 8 /

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disinformation Political- and civic-minded Boiseans Nathanial Hoffman and Emily Walton created The Idaho 97 Project, the newest group entering the fray to oppose extremism and engage Idahoans.

“It was quite spontaneous — Emily and I both were sort of simultaneously reacting to the very aggressive protesting outside of Central District Health [while the public health district was considering strategies to slow the spread of the coronavirus],” Hoffman said.

“The name was pretty spontaneous, too,” Hoffman added. “It represents what we believe to be the feelings of most Idahoans, who have had enough of the extremist views of politics ruling the day.”

Soon, Mike Satz, an attorney and a former executive officer and associate vice president for the University of Idaho in southwest Idaho, joined the effort. Satz became the founding executive director of The Idaho 97 Project and the group formed as an LLC and relaunched.

Satz said he is the only paid staff member, and the project’s funding is entirely donation-based. He said they have received contributions ranging from $5 to $5,000 and have received support from independents, Republicans, libertarians and Democrats alike.

Satz said the timing was ripe because he has observed what he calls a dramatic change in the Legislature in the past couple of years — particularly this year. In the past, Satz said moderate and conservative leaders could be counted on to focus on the interests of the people. This year, Satz said more legislators left the people behind and started catering to the extremists.

Hoffman said an example was the Legislature’s “complete denial of science and aggressive tactics to spread disinformation about COVID-19.” This session, legislators fought to repeal coronavirus safety precautions such as crowd limits and unsuccessfully pushed a bill to outlaw mask mandates.

“The views of the extremists are now becoming policy, and our legislators are enacting their views and allowing their views to steer policy away from what most Idahoans want and away from the values most Idahoans want,” Satz said.

Mayville said people are taking notice.

“Clearly extremism is also a serious problem,” Mayville said. “It’s good to have an organization that is vigorously focused on the problem of extremism and bringing in a lot of people into that work.”

Satz and The Idaho 97 Project were particularly upset with the Legislature rejecting a $6 million grant for early childhood education, killing education budgets and then cutting a combined $2.5 million in funding from Boise State University, University of Idaho and Idaho State University.

From May 3-5, The Idaho 97 Project mobilized its supporters to send thousands

of letters to legislators telling them to fully support education and end the session. They told legislators that legislators had listened to the wrong special interest groups on social justice and they were tired of education budgets being held hostage.

In their urgency, the group flooded the email inbox of Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee.

“Whatever way you voted and whatever you might have said on the floor or in committee, we see you holding higher education budgets hostage for illogical pet projects pushed by a few special interests steeped in conspiracy theory and disinformation that are DAMAGING our state and our children,” the letter said. “We see you cutting higher education budgets by the millions — raising red flags for students, parents and Idaho employers.’

Troy was devastated.

She was the only Republican who joined Democrats in voting for Senate Bill 1179 — the original, fully-funded higher education budget. She also stood up against the conservative tide and voted in favor of House Bill 354, the original K-12 teacher salaries bill that the Idaho House killed.

As the House vice chairwoman for the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, Troy was working behind the scenes trying to secure votes needed to pass the budgets.

“I’ve been really disappointed because we worked really hard to get the very things done they’ve been sending emails about,” Troy said in a telephone interview. “I was there early in the morning, I’m there late at night, I’ve done everything in my power to deliver the best budgets possible.”

At first, Troy was excited about The Idaho 97’s mission. She agrees with opposing extremism and fostering civility. But she said The Idaho 97 used some of the same tactics of the groups it targets.

“These are some of the most insulting emails I have ever read,” Troy said.

She said she read every one and replied to Nathanial Hoffman saying she would delete Idaho 97 emails going forward.

When Troy replied to some letter writers telling them she deleted their emails sometimes just writing the word “deleted,” The Idaho 97 posted screenshots online and accused her of “throwing a hell of temper tantrum.”

Democratic Reps. Colin Nash and Brooke Green, both D-Boise, jumped to Troy’s defense to praise her for fighting for education funding.

On Twitter, The Idaho 97 stood by the letters and the campaign, saying residents have a right to voice concerns to legislators and legislators should take those concerns seriously. They also pointed out the end result was the Legislature passing a rewritten higher education budget with reduced funding.

In the wake of the dispute, several people pointed out Troy is the kind of legislator

groups like The Idaho 97 should want to work with if they want to make inroads with the Legislature.

“We sent that letter out and didn’t know what Rep Troy was doing; one of things that was going on at that time was negotiating for a resolution to a higher education budget,” Satz said.

“She has been a strong, stalwart supporter of the University of Idaho,” Satz added.

“I recognized her feelings, and I am sorry she was hurt by that.”

As the longest session in state history continued to move along, The Idaho 97 Project continued to stay engaged. The group supported Jane Doe, the teenage legislative intern who accused former Rep. Aron von Ehlinger, R-Lewiston, of sexual assault. The Idaho 97 Project joined the ACLU of Idaho, the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence and The Idaho Female Veterans Network in calling for accountability and an investigation into Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, who shared a far-right blog post identifying and shaming Jane Doe. During the House Ethics Committee’s hearing on the complaint against von Ehlinger, Giddings described her actions as sharing a news article that provided additional information on the situation. Von Ehlinger then resigned from the Legislature.

Giddings announced May 21 she is running for lieutenant governor in 2022.

Looking ahead, The Idaho 97 Project has an ambitious agenda. It wants to continue to combat disinformation and organize in ways that help Idahoans share their voice and reach elected officials. Satz said the group will work to reduce the number of extremists holding office, and that may involve putting information out about candidates or issues or even recruiting candidates.

They are also asking business leaders not to donate to politicians who cut education funding.

“We came into the session in the middle, and I’d say we were behind everybody else in terms of having a presence at the Statehouse,” Hoffman said. “We’re brand new and have one staff member. But we have gotten people’s attention by choosing issues that highlight extreme, far-right rhetoric and thousands of people responded and the Legislature has responded and I think we moved the needle a little bit.”

This story was produced by the Idaho Capital Sun, an independent, nonprofit online news organization delivering in-depth coverage from veteran Idaho reporters on state government and policy. The Idaho Capitol Sun is part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit funded by tax-free donations in 22 states. Learn more and follow daily updates at idahocapitalsun.com and statesnewsroom.com.

OPINION

A year of activism since the George Floyd killing, and what comes next

By Sandi Nicholson Reader Contributor

It’s been a year since local teenagers who took to the Long Bridge to march in solidarity with Black Lives Matter were met by a mob of assault rifle carrying counter-protesters who came out on a conspiracy rumor and a lie.

This event spiraled a year of local activism and division. We are forever rocked and will never be the same as a community. Who we were before that day is gone. And perhaps it needed to happen for our eyes to open.

To the teenagers and young adults who marched that day: I hope that you continue to peacefully and stoically use your First Amendment right and understand that it was against our Constitution and therefore against the law to be met with intimidation. Keep standing strong and know that you are supported. Research your vote and realize that the elected officials in this community did not stand up for the Constitution nor the law that day; instead they listened to social media craze and lies.

What you did was right and good.

To the assault rifle carrying mob: Upon realizing that your rumor was a lie, the appropriate response (and adult thing to do) was an apology and encouragement to the kids that we support their First Amendment right.

A knee should have been taken and rifles put away. Rifles are for hunting or threat of life. You should have validated the kids, humbled yourself, apologized and put the guns away (i.e. model responsible, supportive adult behavior).

To the new people flooding into our community: Welcome. Small businesses are blessed to have you as patrons.

We all love the outdoors, our personal space, playing on the lake and in the mountains. Please know that this community is inclusive of those who stand for anti-discrimination. We do not tolerate discrimination against those who are protected by law.

Our history is deeply rooted in discrimination and white supremacy from its beginning (starting with the discrimination against the Indigenous peoples and the white supremacy over those of Asian descent who built our railroads). However, by understanding our history we are able to awaken and learn to transform.

We encourage you to look deeply at our elected officials, what they say vs. what they do and check their actions with your values. And please get to know us offline, in person at community events and places. If you are white, please ally.

To white moms: I encourage you to start advocating for history that includes non-white history. I support

Left: A group of about 50 teenagers gathered on June 2,

you in avoiding paranoia, conspiracy 2020 to protest the George Floyd killing. Right: One of and lies online about this and, instead, around 15 armed people who attended the teens’ protest, following behind them across the Long Bridge and later getting to know non-white mamas and occupying downtown Sandpoint streets with weapons to forming relationships in a safe way that “protect against Antifia.” Photos by Ben Olson. does not trigger their experiences.

When it seems safe and there is trust, you can begin to ask non-white mom friends what they need from us to be allies in the schools. Listen and respond to their voices through: 1., genuine relationships; 2., podcasts; 3., lives on Instagram; 4., books, etc.

Get organized as allies and work from the ground up, since elected officials continue to listen to rumor, lies and conspiracies.

Go into your child’s classroom and get to know the history teacher. Ask them how they are advocating for an accurate representation of history and fair civics that promote equality. Join with other allies. Find ways to link arms with other allies and work from the bottom up: classrooms, principals’ offices, board meetings, etc. Let’s behave the way we wish our elected officials did. My mama suggested follows on Instagram are: @momofallcapes @ iamnefertitiaustin; for mamas of small children: @anupama.vriksham.

My suggested watch (for all of us) on YouTube: “How to raise a Socially Conscious, Anti-Racist Child, NYT Parenting,” hosted by Tara Parker-Pope; and interview with Amber Coleman-Mortley.

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Spring is a time for rejoicing…

Bouquets: • I saw a post on one of the local forums by someone that was one of the best things I’ve seen on social media in a long time. Responding to a person’s post advocating for some kind of brochure that realtors could hand to newcomers for etiquette and guidelines for what it means to live in the Northwest. Travis Dieter responded so perfectly, I’d like to quote him verbatim: “I have just a little input, but it goes beyond nature. Coming from a Sandpoint born local: • Leave no trace that you were there, except to leave it better than you found it: pick up trash whether it’s yours or not. Pick up your dog’s crap.

• If someone is camping, don’t walk through the site. Walk around.

• Obey no wake zones.

• Don’t act like you own the place. You don’t. Neither do I, but I already know it.

• Say please and thanks. Hold doors for people.

• Tip your servers well and treat them like you’d want your family treated.

• Treat workers at local businesses with respect. You’re not special, so don’t act like you are.

My son and I both work in supply/service, and are getting very weary of the pushy attitudes.

Don’t let your rude city attitude result in an unpleasant situation for yourself. That’s not a threat, it’s a recommendation.

• Lastly, don’t drive like a moron. Use blinkers, don’t tailgate, understand how a 4 way stop works. Stay off your phone.

Many thanks.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Well done, Travis. Now let’s just hope everyone who is new to North Idaho reads those words and takes them to heart.

Barbs: • Nothing to bitch about this week. See next week’s edition.

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Dear editor, Now that spring is getting into its full swing, it is time to rejoice! It is finally time, after more than one year of headlines and depressing news, to step outside one’s back door and feel how beautiful it feels to be alive.

Whether you own or rent wherever you live, one of the great gifts of life is relishing the sweet smells of foliage, trees and grasses being brought back to life after the hibernation of winter.

The glorious scents, increasing warmth of eternal spring surely must bring back memories of childhood and the thoughts of that imagination in our youth, which are forever embedded in our minds.

Spring is the time to be thankful for health, happiness and loving even the smallest dwelling that we call home.

Fall may be loved for all the beauty that nature displays, but it also brings on dreams of many things in the future that may never be attainable. It is a time to dream of escaping from the upcoming cold that awaits us.

Spring is the time of loving all that we have and possess, which makes us so happy to be living in the present. Welcome it with open arms... and be grateful. The older we get, the more swiftly time passes by.

James Richard Johnson Clark Fork

Thanks to voters for re-electing qualified library board candidates...

Dear editor, The Sandpoint library is truly a gem of not only the community, but the entire region. Many people from out of the county frequent our library to take advantage of its many fine services. They can obtain library cards at absolutely no cost, so they can check out books and movies, use the computers, etc.

So it was a great relief to see that the incumbent library trustees were re-elected and will maintain the library on a steady track. The opponents certainly lacked even basic knowledge of the library: one candidate (in the election guide published in the May 13 edition of the Reader) stated: “the financials are not accessible online, they are in a binder in the basement.

And I would like to know if that basement is handicapped accessible?”

True, the financials are not online, but they are available if the candidate had ever visited the library. And if he had ever visited the library, perhaps he would have noticed that the basement is not handicapped accessible, primarily because there is no basement (except for one April 1 when my wife, a now-retired library employee, had added a “B” sticker to the elevator).

Thank goodness that Bonner County voters had the sense to elect truly qualified people!

John Harbuck Sandpoint

COMMUNITY

Friends of Scotchman Peaks host summer kick-off, seek volunteers

By Reader Staff The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness have a mountain of opportunities for locals to get involved with area conservation efforts during the summer.

First up is the FSPW Summer Kick-Off Party, scheduled for Saturday, June 5, from 5-8 p.m. in the parking lot of Utara Brewing Co. (214 Pine St.). As the organization stated, “the party packs in all the entertainment you’d expect for a wilderness celebration. Look forward to some great beer courtesy of Utara, plus games for all ages and goodie bags for our summer volunteers.

There’s even a crosscut saw demonstration — all the better to brush up on those trail work skills.”

Speaking of trail work, FSPW is also calling on volunteers to get a little sun and exercise with its volunteer trail maintenance days, which “are perfect for anyone who loves exploring the spectacular Scotchman Peaks region while also getting their hands dirty,” according to a news release.

A number of trail days are scheduled, as well as a handful of overnight opportunities.

Get more info and sign up at scotchmanpeaks.org/hikesevents-schedule.

According to FSPW: “All experience levels are welcome — it doesn’t matter if you’ve never swung a Pulaski in your life. Best of all, you get to enjoy the sunshine and good company while you’re out.”

Meanwhile, FSPW is also seeking Trail Ambassadors, whose volunteer goal is to keep the peaks’ signature goats safe on the trails. Ambassadors spend the day on the Scotchman Peak trail, educating fellow hikers about the local wildlife.

In the past, curious mountain goats have gotten a little

too friendly with hiking parties, attracted by the salty sweat and hope of food. While it can seem charming, things can go wrong quickly when humans and goats get too close. In fact, a biting incident years ago temporarily closed Scotchman Peak trail.

To sign up as a Trail Ambassador visit scotchmanpeaks.org/ you-can-help/leave-mountaingoats-wild.

For all other questions and further info about FSPW programs and activities, email info@scotchmanpeaks.com.

THE READER IN CANYONLANDS NP

Susan Bates-Harbuck brought the Reader to Canyonlands National Park in Utah with her husband John. In this photo, Susan is standing before one of the famous arches that make this national park a delight. We know it’s been a while since travel was a thing, but now that things are opening up a bit more, feel free to email your travel pics with the Reader to publisher Ben Olson: ben@sandpointreader.com.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Gathering

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist During the past year, the idea of “being social” has meant many different things.

From the first weeks of quarantine — wherein the confines of my small house and backyard were as far as I’d venture — connection was achieved through computer screens, phone calls, and far-away waves from car windows or porch stoops. Technology-enabled conversations, concerts and events served as a proxy for the interactions that were so recently a part of everyday life.

As weeks faded into months, and the hard lines of my quarantine confinement softened around the edges, virtual socialization was supplemented by well-distanced get-togethers and partially accessible community, albeit, behind a mask. Small circles of family and friends became pods, in which risk and subtle-but-lingering anxiety were traded for the social interactions we were grappling to reconstruct and reclaim.

After getting vaccinated, the boundaries of my quarantine were lifted, but the ingrained social distancing clung to my interactions — the remnants of radical behavior change making me clunky and awkward in a new version of “normal.”

Pangs of misplaced guilt, fear and self-consciousness colored conversations and settings that were once natural and easy.

But, this past weekend, with more than a year passed since the onset of quarantine, I had a breakthrough: I attended a

Emily Erickson. proper gathering.

It was a backyard barbeque on a sunny Saturday afternoon, with rows of lawn-parked cars marking the entrance to something I can only describe as nostalgic. Clusters of people gathered in friendly conversation, carrying home-baked dishes and coolers full of libations. Swarms of kids and dogs wove excitedly across the yard, and I was transported to all the times in my life I’d been in that exact sort of place, doing just that sort of thing — well before “The Pandemic” Suddenly, I was surrounded, not only by people in my pod or in my immediate circle, but also by tertiary friends, familiar

faces, distant acquaintances and, even, complete strangers.

And it felt normal.

I was struck with the same sort of feeling as the first sunny day after a long stretch of rain — how you can’t quite recognize how much you missed something until you’re inside of it again. I remembered with clarity, that so much of gathering and participating in community is having the opportunity to reignite the parts of yourself that grow dim in isolation.

In watching the swarming groups of kids crouch conspiratorially behind bushes, sprint barefoot across spring-soft grass and grabbing grubby handfuls of potato chips — joined seamlessly together in the joy and freedom of childhood — I, too, was 8 years old again. The part of me that loves to be wrapped in the spirit of play was revived.

In striking up a conversation with a familiar face, I was reminded of what it feels like to be energized by the endeavors of others. As he shared the details of a long-anticipated project nearing fruition — of the imagination, effort and rewards of building something

inspired — I was reaffirmed in the idea that hard times can be invaluable sparks for creativity.

By connecting with a stranger about our shared Wisconsin upbringings, I remembered that it takes the smallest of threads to tie people together. In sharing the details of our circuitous routes to North Idaho, and all the pit stops and left turns that lead us to where we are, the part of me that believes people share more common ground

than have differences was reawakened.

Through the simple act of gathering for a few hours, in a way that felt so safely familiar, I reconnected with the part of myself that loves being in a community. In joining together to celebrate new houses, new babies and all the life that happens in the confines of our own worlds, we reclaimed the act of being social — no distance necessary.

Retroactive

By BO

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

presidential travel

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Being the elected leader of the United States has its perks.

One of those perks is secrecy, and that means not everything in this article may be completely accurate, but the chances of finding someone who knows all of the facts of presidential travel isn’t going to tell you what is or isn’t true — and anyone who claims to will likely try to sell you on the merits of wearing a tinfoil hat.

The United States president needs to get around quickly and securely — the security of the head of an entire country is vastly different from the security needed to protect even the richest and most influential civilians in the world. A president’s transport needs to be able to survive potential gunfire, explosions, fire and even chemical attacks.

The president’s most widely known method of transport is Air Force One. Confusingly, Air Force One isn’t a single plane, it’s actually the callsign for any Air Force plane that is currently transporting the president. Even more confusingly, the Air Force One you’ve seen the president boarding on TV is actually two different Boeing 747-200 planes that were specifically designed for presidential air travel.

The two planes known as Air Force One are modified to act as mobile command centers for the president and his or her staff, including cutting-edge security and engineering to prevent loss of communication (or power) during an electromagnetic pulse, such as the kind that can occur after the detonation of a nuclear weapon.

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Speaking of nuclear weapons detonations, the plane can theoretically survive a nuclear blast due to its reinforcement.

It also has bulletproof windows and a countermeasure system to scramble the targeting systems of missiles and radio communications.

Air Force One stands out from traditional commercial flight in a lot of ways. One of these unique characteristics is that the plane has a fully functional and staffed pharmacy and infirmary on board in the event of a medical crisis. Given the average age of U.S. presidents at the time of taking office is 55 — with the two most recent being older than 70 — this should not come as much of a surprise.

What’s the deal with airline food? You’re told to enjoy your measly plastic pack of peanuts and $5 cup of water — something the president of the United States doesn’t have to endure.

Air Force One is equipped with two fully functional galleys and staffed with the president’s own personal chefs, who can make anything the president and his or her staff requests at any given time. These chefs don’t get to clock out when the plane lands.

While the president is bending the ears of international leaders, their own personal sky chefs go undercover at grocery stores to hand-select ingredients for the in-flight meals. They may actually visit multiple grocery stores for the same items as a security precaution.

Save your judgment at the checkout line when someone’s ahead of you pushing two full carts — either soccer practice just let out, or they’re a secret government chef feeding the president.

The president doesn’t always travel by air. The presidential state car, often referred to as “The Beast” and “Cadillac One,” is a specially designed limousine with all the bells and whistles.

Though it looks like a Cadillac on the outside, it’s a truly different monster under the hood, sitting on a GM truck frame with a diesel engine, bulletproof plating and five-inch thick windows capable of stopping most projectiles. Additionally, The Beast is hermetically sealed, making it impossible for hostile operators to attack the president with gases, liquids or any other form of chemical attack.

It also weighs up to 20,000 pounds, which is almost as much as a 26-foot box truck that is fully loaded.

Did I mention the door handles might be electrified? I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on testing the accuracy of that statement.

One of the more unique features of Cadillac One is that it’s also stocked with bags of blood matching the president’s blood type, and all the tools required to make a transfusion on the go, in the event that the vehicle is breached by something like a series of explosions.

Similar to Air Force One, Cadillac One is not a singular vehicle, but a number of similarly constructed vehicles that may be deployed simultaneously to keep the president’s location a mystery while he or she is on the move.

In case you were hoping for a Cadillac One of your own, you’d better be ready to shell out a number of former presidents of your own: The price of the fleet was believed to be somewhere around $16 million. That’s like

a down payment for a studio apartment in Malibu!

The coolest thing about The Beast isn’t its military armor plating, the purported oil slicks installed as defensive measures or the specially trained Secret Service driver who makes The Fast & The Furious look like child’s play. The coolest thing about The Beast is that it has its own plane: a USAF C-17

Globemaster, a military transport plane.

Now, if you’re looking to purchase one of these planes for yourself to match your new limousine, you’d better be ready to shell out about $366 million, not counting shipping and handling, as well as a flight crew.

I think I’ll stick to my RC drone.

Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner ncy?

Don’t know much about pregna • 4% of women in the U.S. are pregnant right now.

• 3 in every 10 teen girls in the U.S. get pregnant.

• 49% of pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, producing more than 3 million children per year.

• The longest pregnancy in humans on record is 375 days (12.5 months).

• If the mother suffers organ damage during pregnancy, the fetus in the womb sends stem cells to repair the damaged organ.

• More than 100,000 babies are born addicted to cocaine each year in the U.S., due to their mothers’ use of the drug during pregnancy.

• Male seahorses can get pregnant.

• Pregnant women, at a healthy weight, only need to eat an extra 300 calories per day.

We can help!

• Women who snore during pregnancy are more likely to have smaller babies, according to a study.

• 30% of pregnant women crave nonfood items, an eating disorder called pica.

• 1 in every 200 young American women claims to have experienced a “virgin pregnancy.”

• In England, you may urinate anywhere in public — including inside a policeman’s helmet — if you are pregnant.

• Pregnant women have about 50% more blood by week 20 of pregnancy than they did before they conceived.

• In 31 states of the U.S., rapists can legally sue for child custody if the rape results in pregnancy.

• An Austrian fertility doctor fathered up to 600 children by using his own sperm to impregnate patients between 1943 and 1962.

PERSPECTIVES

Mayor’s Roundtable: The housing problem — Part 2

By Mayor Shelby Rognstad Reader Contributor This piece is the second in a series to address the issue of housing availability and affordability in the greater Sandpoint region.

In 2019 the city conducted a housing assessment to better understand the local housing market and its ability to meet the needs of Sandpoint residents. The study provided a snapshot of housing inventory and examined general population and demographic changes over the past five to 10 years. Included within this data was an analysis of housing affordability and availability.

The study concluded with a number of suggested actions taken by other communities that could be applied in Sandpoint to address the local housing shortage and lack of affordability. Some of the solutions could be applied by developers, local employers and nonprofits through public/private collaboration or by other means.

These I will address in future columns.

Local government and its citizenry have perhaps the most influence on this issue, as many of the solutions can be applied through local planning and zoning (PZ) regulations. In this piece, I will focus on some of these solutions. PZ regulations influence what is built, where and how. This inherently influences the type of housing, cost and volume of housing inventory in any community.

One of the most successful actions the city has taken since adopting the 2009 Comprehensive Land Use Plan is allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) throughout the city. This has significantly increased the number of accessory dwellings. ADUs are examples of “the missing middle housing.”

The “missing middle” is a recent term that refers to lower-cost, modest housing that is naturally more affordable than large single-family homes because units are typically smaller and require less land, which is one of the most expensive components of housing cost.

Missing Middle Housing (MMH) isn’t synonymous with “affordable” housing, which often implies a subsidy for construction or operations combined with income requirements. Other examples of MMH are townhomes, apartments, and other developments like cottage homes and duplexes that are compatible with single-family home development.

Another successful action the city has taken was adopting a short-term rental (STR) ordinance in 2017, which limited the number of STRs allowed within the residential neighborhoods of Sandpoint. With the advent of Airbnb, VRBO and other online platforms that enable property owners to rent homes to tourists, communities nationwide were seeing their rental housing disappear overnight in favor of tourist housing, especially in desirable resort communities like Sandpoint.

The city’s STR ordinance was a model for the state, protecting our long-term rental inventory and the charac-

ter and quality of our residential neighborhoods. The city may want to consider further reducing the number of STRs allowed in residential neighborhoods to increase protection of existing rental inventory.

Another success has been to reduce the minimum lot size from 7,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet.

This has allowed development on a number of city lots that were previously unbuildable. This, along with more ADUs, has encouraged infill development, which results in greater space efficiency, greater density and more affordable housing options.

There is still more that could be done here.

Sandpoint has substandard lots that are not buildable due to setback standards. Reducing these standards would allow for more infill, providing more MMH. Many cities have residential zones that allow greater development densities. While this may not be appropriate in all zones in Sandpoint, having a minimum lot size as low as 3,500 square feet would encourage more MMH on some lots. Allowing greater density in general, including smaller required lot frontages, would increase MMH throughout the city.

Similarly, providing greater flexibility in developing substandard lots (lots smaller than 5,000 square feet) and ADUs, like reducing setbacks from the street or the number of bedrooms in ADUs, would go a long way toward creating more missing middle options.

The city’s planned unit development (PUD) ordi-

nance allows densities as low as 3,500 square feet of lot area per unit. However, PUDs are only allowed on lots greater than two acres. There are few undeveloped lots of this size left in Sandpoint. If this minimum lot size were reduced to a half-acre, it would allow far greater density in the multi-family or commercial zones. Of course, the density standard could also be increased.

When discussing development density, we also have to consider off-street parking requirements. Off-street parking is often the limiting factor when determining what level of density can be achieved on a given lot. One of the best things the city has done to encourage business and residential development in our commercial core is to eliminate off-street parking requirements downtown.

This may be something for the city to consider expanding to other zones or reducing the requirement for developments that provide more affordable housing units.

Planning and zoning is a powerful tool that citizens have to influence how their city is built. While a lot of good work has been done to encourage “missing middle housing” development, there is still a lot that can be done to provide more housing options and more affordable housing in Sandpoint.

Please join me for the Mayor’s Roundtable to discuss these issues and more on Friday, May 28 at 4 p.m. at Tasty’s on the Cedar Street Bridge. I’m very excited as this will be our first in-person Roundtable since the pandemic began.

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FOOD

Summertime, and the eatin’s easy New nosh options abound, from barbecue to Greek to bone broth

By Zach Hagadone and Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Just in time for the run-up to summer, a number of new local eateries — both brick-and-mortar and mobile — are gearing up to serve hungry locals and visitors alike. From subscription sourdough to barbecue to Greek cuisine, here’s a sampling of what’s on the menu.

Smokehouse 95 471600 U.S. 95, Sagle; facebook.com/Smokehouse95 From the owners of the Cowboy Pit BBQ in Oldtown (311 N. Idaho St.) comes the latest restaurant iteration at the south end of the Long Bridge.

Smokehouse 95 will fill the space formerly occupied by the Long Bridge Grill and signifies its return as a barbecue joint.

Longtime locals may remember Longhorn Barbecue, which predated the Long Bridge Grill and proved to be as popular for its food as it was for its signature sauces.

Smokehouse 95 owners Denise and Jim Teague, of Blanchard, are picking up that torch with an opening date tentatively set for Tuesday, June 15. As the space is undergoing painting and general sprucing up, the Teagues are also working on securing a beer and wine li14 /

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cense, which may be issued after the opening.

Regardless, Smokehouse 95 plans to offer all the standbys of its Cowboy Pit BBQ counterpart — tender smoked meats, sandwiches, plates, platters, sides and “all the goodness of real BBQ” — alongside new menu items such as smoked prime rib, smoked salmon, fish and chips, salads and more.” Of course, Smokehouse 95 will use its own house-made rubs and sauces.

Denise Teague said the new business at the south end of the Long Bridge doesn’t mean Cowboy Pit BBQ is going anywhere — that popular Oldtown spot will remain in operation, as it has since 2017.

On the Teagues’ passion for barbecue, Denise (who grew up in the Silver Valley) said, “I lived down South for about eight years and my husband is originally from the South,” where they both “lived around barbecue and ate a lot of barbecue.”

In the meantime, the new restaurant is on a hiring blitz, looking for experienced cooks and waitstaff. To apply, contact Denise Teague at 935-933-7422.

Opa! Greek Mediterranean Food 502 Cedar St., Sandpoint; for updates, stay tuned to social media under Opa! Adia Burton’s new food truck, Opa! Greek Mediterranean

Food, is serving a menu of Aegean staples such as gyros, falafel, hummus plates, Greek salads and the delicious honey-drizzled dessert baklava. Pretty much everything (including the tzatziki sauce) is scratch-made.

According to Burton: “Food has always been my passion and I was working in corporate America so long, I thought I wanted to do something for myself.”

More so, Greek food is a big part of her family history.

“I’m half-Greek; my mom is Greek and my grandma — my yaya, which is the Greek word for ‘grandma’ — would teach me her Greek recipes,” she said.

“Based on that experience and the fact that there’s no Greek food in town at all, I decided this is what I wanted to do.”

Opa! started out as a popup, offering Greek fare at the Festival at Sandpoint, Beer Fest at Schweitzer and the Farmers’ Market. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the shutdown, Burton got to thinking about more firmly establishing Opa! The key was finding a truck, which she did from a seller in Hope and, after only a few months, she was up and running — most serving at MickDuff’s.

Starting Tuesday, June 1, Opa! will be parked alongside the popular Jupiter Jane food truck at Misty Mountain Fur-

niture (502 Cedar St.), but also popping up at MickDuff’s, the Festival, Schweitzer and elsewhere.

Burton said she’s still working on setting up a website and social media accounts, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, she’s just enjoying connecting with customers as they find her.

“The vibe on the food truck is so fun,” Burton said. “That’s me and that’s what I love to do.”

< see FOOD, page 15 >

Top left and middle: Bread + Bones breaks bread in Sandpoint.

Top right: Smokehouse owner Jim Teague shows off the renovations to the old Long Bridge Grill location by the Long Bridge.

Above: Adia Burton serves up some Greek nosh at the Opa! food truck.

Opposite page: A rendering showing how the new Sweet Lou’s location will appear in Athol.

Courtesy photos.

< FOOD, con’t from page 14 > Bread + Bones Delivery and subscription service, also at farmers’ market and in local stores; follow developments on Instagram: @ bread.bones Bread + Bones, a new company slinging homemade broth and bread in North Idaho and eastern Washington, is bringing the way we think about food back to basics.

“Bread + Bones is all about the wholesome transfer of energy into food,” said Jessica Carrington, who owns and runs the business with her husband, Paul. “We took two of the most ancient foods, bread and bone broth, and started making it here in North Idaho.”

Bread + Bones offers sourdough loaves and starter kits, as well as a rosemary and garlic focaccia — a large, flat, flavor-packed loaf perfect for feeding a crowded table. As for broth, the company offers chicken, beef and garlic shitake mineral broth. The bones used in the chicken and beef selections come from farms where animals

are raised “naturally and ethically,” according to the Bread + Bones website.

“We care about people, and think food is one of the most important expressions of love,” Carrington said, noting that she and Paul also own Black Caviar, a food company on the West Coast that caters backstage productions, concerts and festivals.

“We have been feeding people in over 81 countries for the last 20 years, and we are honored to be in North Idaho continuing our passion,” she added.

Bread + Bones’ bone broth is available at Winter Ridge and Miller’s Country Store, and will soon be available at Super 1 Foods in Sandpoint. Their broth is also sold at several locations in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane. Bread is delivered fresh each Friday to Huckleberry’s Natural Market and My Fresh Basket in Spokane, but can be purchased — along with broth — locally at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bread + Bones also sells at the Athol market on Fridays, 2-6 p.m.

Anyone can order weekly

bread and/or broth from the company’s website, and products can either be delivered straight to your door or made available for pickup in town. Carrington said Bread + Bones will deliver from Sandpoint down to Coeur d’Alene, and over to Post Falls and Spokane as well. Find the website at breadbones.com.

Carrington said Bread + Bones has plans to open a commissary kitchen in Ponderay by July, where they will also offer cooking classes.

“We are so excited to be in North Idaho,” she said. “After living around the world, this is truly heaven on earth.”

Sweet Lou’s Restaurant and Tap House in Athol

6915 E. Athol Crossings Road, Athol; sweetlousidaho. com or facebook.com/sweetlous.

Chad and Meggie Foust, owners of Sweet Lou’s Restaurants, have announced a third location in Athol at The Crossings, due to open in spring 2022.

Sweet Lou’s opened its first restaurant in 2011 in Hope. Over the years the Fousts have opened two more locations — one in Ponderay and one in downtown Coeur d’Alene — while the Hope location has since closed. Although the design of each location varies, the concept behind the business will remain the same.

“We serve American fare, family recipes made from fresh, high-quality ingredients,” Chad said. “We are known for having

something for everyone and for always having the game on — whatever sports season it may be.”

The Fousts said that each Sweet Lou’s location is designed around a comfortable guest experience for the entire family.

“We want everyone that walks in the door to feel welcome,” Meggie said. “With this location being close to Silverwood and Farragut [State Park], we are hoping to attract guests of all ages.”

The Athol restaurant will have seating for 130 guests inside and 45 guests on the patio.

“We are looking forward to expanding our offering to our friends in Athol,” Chad said.

“We hope to see everyone out there in less than a year.”

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OUTDOORS

Fish and Game logs healthy winter survival rates for statewide elk calves, mule deer fawns

By Reader Staff Mule deer fawns and elk calves around the state fared better than average over the winter, according to Fish and Game officials, noting that 77% of collared elk calves and 64% of mule deer fawns had survived through the end of April.

State biologists will continue monitoring through May, but traditionally fewer than 5% of mortalities occur after April.

“In years with milder winters, like this one, we tend to see the number of mortalities drop off in May,” stated Rick Ward, Deer and Elk Program coordinator. “While we anticipate we will see some additional mortality by the end of the month, the statewide survival of mule deer fawns and elk calves is likely to end up being above average this year, barring an unusual event.”

Fish and Game crews and volunteers trap fawns and calves during winter and fit them with telemetry collars that allow biologists to track the young animals through

their first winter and early spring.

Fish and Game has been monitoring winter survival of fawns for 23 years.

During that time, the average survival of fawns has been 57%. If, as anticipated, survival in 2021 continues to track similarly to 2020, it would mark two years of above-average survival for mule deer fawns statewide, which means mule deer herds are growing.

“Our herd composition surveys last fall were limited to eastern Idaho, but showed us encouraging fawn/doe ratios, and in some cases they were very high, which means we had a good crop of fawns going into the winter,” Ward stated in a news release. “Fawn weights, which indicate how likely they are to survive winter, were high in many places in southern Idaho when we captured and collared fawns in December and January, and we have so far observed above-average survival. These are the conditions that lead to herd growth.”

Ward added that survival of fawns throughout the state is not uniform, and that

it ranged from 50%-85% in 2021, depending on where the fawns were collared.

Elk have not been trapped and collared for as long as mule deer, and elk calves typically survive at a higher rate than mule deer fawns. Since researchers began collaring elk calves in 2014-’15, survival has

An elk with her calf. Photo courtesy National Parks Service.

ranged from a low of about 52% in 2016’17 to a high of 84% in 2014-’15.

In the final count for 2016-’17, only 30% of mule deer fawns survived through May 31.

Spring Treats On Your Feet fundraiser May 29

Support Bonner Homeless Transitions all while collecting goodies around town

By Reader Staff Plant yourself just about anywhere in Sandpoint, and you’re walking distance from a delicious treat or other locally produced goody worthy of a short, foot-powered journey.

Bonner Homeless Transitions is offering people an opportunity to sample the town’s vibrant variety and enjoy a spring walk as they host their annual Spring Treats On Your Feet event on Saturday, May 29, raising funds to support their efforts to help homeless families while they transition into more permanent housing.

The fundraiser will run from 1-4 p.m. Participants will start at Super 1 Foods in Sandpoint (624 Larch St.) and purchase a $20 punch ticket. With tickets in hand, participants can receive 16 /

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greens from Super 1, tulips from Foster’s Crossing, pie from Pie Hut, daffodils from Bizarre Bazaar, coffee and tea from Evans Brothers, and beverages from Matchwood Brewing.

Participants will also receive a signed copy of Fifty Sandwiches — a book by Coeur d’Alene native Justin Wilder Doering, for which he interviewed 50 homeless people in an effort to humanize them and share their stories.

Bonner Homeless Transitions is the only transitional housing program north of Lewiston, providing fully furnished dwellings for homeless families and victims of domestic violence. Recent statistics show that 65% of BHT’s bednights are used to house local children.

To learn more about BHT or to ask questions about Spring Treats On Your Feet, call 208-265-2952.

OUTDOORS

Expanding ‘frontcountry’ access for all

By Jason Welker Reader Contributor

Sandpoint and its neighboring cities are blessed with an abundance of natural beauty — from the high peaks of the Selkirk and Cabinet mountains, to the pastoral contours of the Selle Valley and the clear depths of Lake Pend Oreille.

For many who live here, our surroundings offer opportunities for regular recreation; be it hiking to alpine lakes, wake surfing on the river, or hunting deer and elk in the high Cabinets. Opportunities for backcountry adventure are nearly limitless for those with the means to reach and enjoy the wild places of North Idaho.

For others, however, the natural beauty that surrounds us is little more than a scenic backdrop to the challenges of everyday life.

We wake up in town, drive to work, come home exhausted, sleep, wake, repeat. The weekend rolls around and those high-mountain peaks and hidden emerald-green lakes seem too remote to even imagine venturing into. Yes, there are trails ad infinitum in the mountains to the north, but actually reaching them requires a level of commitment and investment in time and money that few can afford more than once or twice a year.

Fortunately, there are far easier ways to experience a taste of wilderness and solitude closer to town that involves far less investment in time and money. Only two miles up West Pine Street, the Syringa trail system offers a growing network of “frontcountry” trails open to hikers, runners and mountain bikers — all on privately owned land — that are either permanently conserved for open space and forest values or are in the process of being so conserved.

Founded in 2004 as a nonprofit cycling club and trails organization, Pend Oreille Pedalers has long been the local organization charged with partnering with these private landowners and maintaining the trails of the Syringa system, which until 2019 included the 140-acre Sherwood Forest property, the 20-acre “Manning Buffer” and a quarter-mile ribbon of trail through the Pristine Heights neighborhood down to the Greta’s Segway trailhead on West Pine Street.

Since 2019, more than 260 acres

have been acquired and added to the land available for trail development within the Syringa system, including the 160-acre Pine Street Woods (opened to the public in 2019 by its new owners, Kaniksu Land Trust) and the 100-acre VTT property, which stands for velo tout terrain, or “mountain bike” in French, located west of Sherwood Forest and south of Pine Street Woods.

Both Pine Street Woods and VTT were lands used historically for timber production, rock quarries and cattle grazing — “officially” off-limits to the public for recreational use and devoid of any formally designated trail systems.

Since 2019, Pend Oreille Pedalers and our trail building contractor Collaborative Trails have helped expand the narrow trail network within the Syringa system from the six miles of trail that the club built back in the 2000s in Sherwood Forest to nearly 10 miles of trail today, with more miles planned or currently under construction.

In Pine Street Woods alone, POP has helped build about three miles of new narrow trail in the past year — this is in addition to approximately three miles of “wide trail” that have been built in partnership with the Sandpoint Nordic Club for cross-country skiing and “social hiking.”

In VTT, the Pedalers have built one-anda-half miles of new trail, and are currently building a perimeter trail around the property’s lower elevations that is being funded by donations from the Sandpoint Rotary Club. The 1.8-mile “Rotarian” trail will be completed and open to the public later this summer.

The aim of POP and all the partners and landowners involved in these efforts in the Syringa trail system is simple: make trail-

Pend Oreille Pedalers volunteers building a new trail in VTT. Courtesy photo. based recreation accessible and affordable to more people. While we are a cycling club, the trails we build are open to all non-motorized users. Our trails connect people to nature and provide an outlet for those of us who spend our days dreaming of adventure in the outdoors, but may not have the time or means to get to the high alpine trails farther from our front doors.

Pend Oreille Pedalers is a volunteer and member/sponsor-supported organization. We depend on the efforts of the broad community of trail users to keep us going, through weekly volunteer trail work parties, monthly Saturday outings (which always include free food and beverages) and collaboration with private and public land managers and owners.

Beyond Syringa, we are the stewards of the trails of the Little Sand Creek Watershed — where we have ambitious plans to expand the frontcountry trail network in the coming years — and we support maintenance on several Forest Service trails, including those at Mineral Point, Gold Hill and farther afield in the Cabinet Mountains above Hope and Clark Fork, along Trail 120.

To learn more about Pend Oreille Pedalers, our club activities, volunteer opportunities, youth programs and more, check out PendOreillePedalers.org.

The club is currently seeking feedback from the trail user community. To share your thoughts on how we can better serve the community, please complete a survey at PendOreillePedalers.org/survey.

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events

May 27 - June 3, 2021

THURSDAY, May 27

Live Music w/ Zachary Simms 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Alex & Maya 7-9pm @ The Back Door

Geezer Drawing for Seniors (FREE) 1-3pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center Longshot Trivia Night 7-10pm @ The Longshot

FriDAY, May 28

Live Music w/ Baker|Thomas|Packwood 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA 6pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.

Silent Disco!

7pm @ The Longshot Three different styles of music available

Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs & Chris Lynch 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 8-10pm @ The Back Door

SATURDAY, may 29 Live Music w/ Ponderay Paradox 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Music w/ Brian Jacobs & Chris Lynch 7-10pm @ The Longshot

Allegro Dance Recital @ Panida Theater (tickets through Allegro)

Live Music w/ John Firshi 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 8-10pm @ The Back Door

SunDAY, may 30

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

Interactive Bingo 6-7:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Select Sunday Beer specials 12-9pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Come try something new!

monDAY, may 31

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Outdoor Experience Monday Night Group Run – All levels welcome 6pm @ Outdoor Experience

tuesDAY, June 1 wednesDAY, June 2

Full-Draw Film Festival Tour 7pm@ Panida Theater Archery hunting films with prizes

ThursDAY, June 3

Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

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STAGE & SCREEN

A half-baked howdy

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff There’s a place in my heart for television series that depict the lives of rural, roughneck people in a heartfelt and compelling way.

Big Sky, an ABC show released in 2020, is not one of those series.

Big Sky tells the story of private investigators looking into the disappearance of two teenage girls who vanish from a Montana highway. The plot encompasses a sex trafficking ring, serial killer trucker and a few too many banjo-backed wide shots of random river valleys and wild horse herds from indiscriminate Western landscapes.

Suffice to say, there was more than one thing wrong with Big Sky. Montana: Where time does not pass What struck me over and over as I sprinted through the 16 episodes of Big Sky Season 1 was the obvious belief by creators that Montana is stuck in 1970.

The fashion and home furnishings — especially in towns said to be outside of Helena, where the main characters run a private investigation firm — could all be

dated to at least 50 years ago. The dichotomy of orange countertops, wool turtlenecks and kitschy hotel rooms against smartphone screens and brand new Dodge half-ton pickups was jarring and out of touch. Us rural folk might be old-fashioned in many ways, but not to the extent that Big Sky’s crew seems to believe.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the ways Hollywood tried to nail Montana, and instead landed somewhere else — in some cases, closer to Mexico than Canada.

The first southern accent hit me like a freight train. This character had to be a transplant from Texas, or maybe the Carolinas? No. She was “born-and-raised Montana.” I forget that to city folk, “country” accents are all the same.

Too many (exploitive) irons in the fire Big Sky left a bad taste in my mouth once it became obvious that the show was capitalizing on minorities and tragedies in an attempt to be inclusive and timely.

Characters make reference to “the pandemic,” yet, there’s not a pandemic trope to be seen — as if

COVID does not exist in Montana.

Second, Big Sky capitalizes on the increased awareness surrounding sex trafficking to construct a plotline based on fear, though only briefly mentions that the majority of young girls abducted in Montana are Indigenous. In Big Sky, all three captives are white, and the massive police hunt to save them is a slap in the face to the reality of missing people of color in the West.

As for representation, it is clear that the cast was selected with inclusivity in mind, but without compelling execution. One of the lead detectives is a Black woman, and it’s suggested more than once that her disdain for a suspect — a police officer — is based on his status in law enforcement. In addition, a transgender woman is kidnapped, and her biological makeup is put on display and used as a plot point.

Big Sky’s half-baked attempts to hit on the pandemic, racism, sex trafficking and trans visibility land painfully and disingenuously flat.

Where’s the red pen?

While Big Sky is based on novels by crime thriller author C.J. Box, it is hard to believe that the lackluster writing came from a bona

ABC thriller Big Sky is what happens when Hollywood tries to tackle Montana

fide book. The script needed work that it apparently never received. The show’s supposed heroines remain one-dimensional, while the villains dominate the screen by being complex and just plain gross.

The teenage captives hardly maintain consistent narrative arcs, fluctuating from meek to wildly headstrong from one scene to the next.

Above all, moments of cringe were plentiful: when the captive girls sang three-part harmonies in their horse-trailer cell; when the 40-year-old kidnapper’s mother told him to go to his room and masturbate to relax; and many other moments that hurt me to recount in written word.

Still, Big Sky leaves viewers with such an objectively crazy cliffhanger that I’m positive I will sample Season 2. The thrill factor is undeniable, though it doesn’t do much to make up for the show’s

Courtesy photo. shortcomings.

My advice? Expend all other West-based television series before falling for Big Sky’s allure.

For my money, Longmire and Yellowstone are leaps and bounds better than this ABC flop.

Watch (or don’t) Big Sky on ABC, Hulu, Apple TV and a handful of other streaming services.

HBO series Hacks is the ‘odd-couple’ dark comedy we need

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Writers of any stripe don’t generally cotton to being called “hacks.” To be a “hack” in popular usage is to “hack out” copy, day after day, meeting crushing deadlines for little pay — the implication being that anything written so quickly must be crap. Give the term a quarter turn, though, and it stands as a backhanded compliment.

Hack writers withstand pressures that can and do break the minds of fussy, contemplative wordsmiths, all while keeping their mental tools nimble and precise. Hacks don’t labor over sheafs of drafts; hacks don’t take long, windy walks to hunt up some deep-mind epiphany; hacks don’t take a year off to do research in a quaint village somewhere on the Amalfi Coast. Hacks show up to

their desk every day, grip it and rip it, and work without a net. There’s nobility in that, and the essence of craft: the art of showing up, no matter what, and delivering.

This is the first of many incisive ideas at play in the HBO Max series Hacks, which on the surface is a story about two comedians — one young, one old — who are thrown together in a cross-generational “odd couple”-esque romp in which they crack wise at each other until they end up learning as much about themselves as each other.

Of course, that would be the pejorative “hack” summary; yet, there is much more going on with this frankly superlative show.

At the center of Hacks is the phenomenal Jean Smart as the legendary but aging comedian Deborah Vance — a character critics widely compare to Joan Rivers — and her reluctant joke writer

Ava, played by Hannah Einbinder (fun fact: the daughter of original SNL alumna Laraine Newman and comedy writer Chad Einbinder).

Vance’s decades-long career has delivered her vast riches, but deposited her in Las Vegas, where she performs stand-up casino gigs on the weekends. She owns a private jet, but it more often than not shuttles her to home-shopping network tapings and the grand openings of pizza franchises.

Far from a pitiable caricature, Vance remains a driven entrepreneur, imperiously managing her household and personal brand. She rises early and goes to bed late — “she does not like idle time,” as her put-upon but crisply efficient house manager Marcus (a brilliant Carl Clemons-Hopkins) warns Ava at one point.

Ava, meanwhile, is a once upand-coming 20-something comedy

writer whose fledgling career has exploded almost as it was beginning after she tweeted a joke that rubbed the zeitgeist the wrong way.

In other words, Ava was “canceled” by social media backlash, suddenly finding herself unhireable — just as she plunked down too much money for an LA townhouse.

Vance and Ava share an agent, who — unbeknownst to Vance — has hired Ava to help freshen up the former’s material. It’s the only job Ava can get (no one wants to work with Vance) and true to form, Vance does not welcome the supposed “assistance” with her joke writing.

Exiled to Vegas, Ava is in traditional fish-out-of-water territory, surrounded by Vance’s off-kilter coterie of handlers, associates and family — including her wild-child daughter (played by Kaitlin Olson, who many will know as “Sweet Dee” from It’s Always Sunny in

Philadelphia) and the casino boss (portrayed with pitch-perfect smarm

by Christopher McDonald) who’s trying to cut Vance’s performance dates because she’s not connecting with a younger audience.

Ava’s job is to help Vance keep her dates, but her sense of entitlement clashes head on with Vance’s hard-bitten expertise.

In lesser hands, this setup could veer into a melodramatic treatise on mothers and daughters or a too-pat sendup of millenial versus boomer culture. There are elements of those conflicts, for sure, but the beating heart of the show is that it’s really about two artists coming to terms with what it means to show up and do the work — to hack it out between themselves, against themselves and with themselves.

Stream Hacks on HBO Max, with new episodes each Thursday.

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LITERATURE

A veteran storyteller

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

North Idaho author Michael Jacobson started writing in the 1980s, but did not pursue the trade seriously until 1993, when he was discharged from the U.S. Army after 17 years.

He’d also just gotten divorced, and “getting out of the military and trying to transition back into civilian life” was “really difficult,” he said.

“I was living on a shoestring most days, and I used the writing and the poetry to help me understand … It was my therapy writing at that time,” Jacobson said.

But why writing? He said it was partly in his blood — his

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dad was a writer — and partly a calling.

“I think it was just ingrained in me, whether it came from my dad or whether I just had a part of that in my spirit anyway,” he said. “I think it was a combination.”

He published his first work, a children’s book titled The Adventures of Horse and Coyote, in 2010.

Jacobson said he started writing children’s books because “that’s our future generation, and they’ve got their own stories that they haven’t learned how to tell yet.”

“I want to kickstart that thinking,” he continued, “to let that child know that he or she is an important part of our society and here’s where you can start.

I had trouble finding a starting point in many aspects of my life, and I wanted to not only give a child a starting point to

Get to know local author Michael Jacobson

Above: Two of Michael Jacobson’s books: A Veteran’s Cry: The Journey Home and The Adventures of Horse and Coyote. Right: Michael Jacobson showing respect during a trip to the memorial museum in Lake Mineral Wells in Texas.

Courtesy photos. go from, but I wanted them to learn lessons along the way without realizing.”

Jacobson also publishes books about his time in the military, and encompasses the stories of other veterans in his writing. His first veterans’ book, A Soldier’s Tour of Duty: War, Peace, and Protest, came out in 2018.

“I want other veterans to

know [their stories are important]; whether you get someone to help you write your story when you’re ready to release that,” he said, “or whether you just read about someone else’s experience and think, ‘Yeah, I can relate to that. I think it’s time to let this struggle I’ve got going, go.’”

Jacobson is also the author of two poetry books: A Veteran’s Cry: The Journey Home and I Sometimes Feel Alone.

He is still collecting stories for future veterans’ books, and hopes to meet more fellow service members — both men and women — in the process.

“When people think of veterans they think of men, only,” Jacobson said. “We have a lot of female veterans that have been completely forgotten. I want to change that. They

took the same oath we did, and they deserve the same respect, but they have not gotten it, and that pisses me off.”

Jacobson said that vets often tell him that they don’t have anything to share because nothing “bad” happened to them or their unit while they served.

Jacobson said it is important to share the humorous and good memories, too. All stories will help humanize veterans, he said.

“We’re human beings as well,” he said. “Just because we put on a uniform, we didn’t change into something else.

We’re still human, just like you.”

Find Jacobson’s books at East Bonner County library branches, and for purchase at Vanderford’s in Sandpoint and online on Amazon. Vets interested in sharing their stories with Jacobson, or those wanting to know more about his work, can email the author at wasunka2@gmail.com.

MUSIC

Festival’s Live from 525 to feature The Powers, Bridges Home

By Ben Olson Reader Staff There’s something wonderful about an intimate venue where you can listen to your favorite local musicians do their thing. The Festival at Sandpoint’s weekly Live from 525 shows, at its offices at 525 Pine St., have tapped into the need for live music that many have felt over the past year. Coupled with the fact that the shows serve as a fundraiser for the nonprofit Festival at Sandpoint, Live from 525 have quickly become a popular way to have a cocktail and listen to local music without the usual distractions. In fact, by the time you read this article they may have already sold out tickets for the intimate 30-person venue.

Next up on the docket for Live from 525 will be the popular Coeur d’Alene group The Powers and Sandpoint’s own Celtic duo Bridges Home on Friday, June 4.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. for happy hour cocktails and mingling and the music starts at 5 p.m. The show usually wraps up before 7 p.m.

Tickets will cost about $25 each, with Festival members receiving 50% off two tickets.

All of the ticket proceeds will go toward fulfilling the Festival’s nonprofit music education and outreach mission.

Hailing from Coeur d’Alene, The Powers have gained a following from their performances in Sandpoint over the years.

This husband-and-wife-led band dabbles in a few different musical genres, but can most comfortably be described as alt-country and Americana living in perfect harmony in the Pacific Northwest. With Dan Powers on acoustic guitar and vocals and Shelley Powers adding her sonorous voice to the mix, The Powers have continually been hailed as one of the best bands

Above: The Powers from Coeur d’Alene.

Right: Bridges Home from Sandpoint.

Courtesy photos. operating out of North Idaho. Sarah Jean’s fiddle provides a solid lead atop Cody Cummins’ foundational percussion on the cajon.

Joining The Powers at Friday’s show will be local Celtic group Bridges Home, featuring another husband-and-wife duo, Dave Gunter and Tami Belzer-Gunter, with son Paul sometimes sitting in on the bass.

Bridges Home has earned a following for their multi-instrumental takes on Americana, Celtic and roots music, mixing originals with favorite covers for a show

that’s sure to keep your foot tapping. They’ve played everywhere from the County Fair to the Panida main stage, providing a dose of good tunes and good times for whatever ails you.

Catch The Powers and Bridges Home at the Festival at Sandpoint’s Live from 525 show Friday, May 28 at 5 p.m. To purchase tickets (while they last), visit festivalatsandpoint.com or call 208-265-4554.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

So What, Idaho Pour Keb’ Mo’ and Band, Aug. 1, Festival at Sandpoint Authority, May 29 The last time Keb’ Mo’ headlined the Festival at There is no shortage of eclectic musical groups operating out of Sandpoint these days. One experimental trio known as So What will play Idaho Pour Authority on Saturday, May 29.

So What features the dynamic duo of Mike and Shanna Thompson, with Charlie Nish on percussion. Mike plays guitar, bass and sings, while Shanna also rocks the guitar and provides vocals, driving their sound to new heights.

As the band’s tagline reads: “Enjoy mixed greens of favorite rock, blend in bluegrass and folk numbers with a healthy vinaigrette of jazz, funk and improvisation, then garnish with a dash of comedy. Sure to please any palette, So What serves up the goods.”

Fun fact: So What contains core members of the oldschool funk band SloMotion Walter minus Chris Lynch on the keyboard.

— Ben Olson 6-8 p.m., FREE. Idaho Pour Authority, 203 Cedar St., 208-597-7096, idahopourauthority.com.

Sandpoint was the summer of 2002. Time has flown since then — 19 years! — but his talent hasn’t waned, nor has the excitement around his music.

Kevin Moore, aka Keb’ Mo’, is a five-time Grammy-winning artist who has been described as a “living link to the seminal Delta blues that traveled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America.” Born in L.A., Moore’s mingling of postmodern blues, folk, rock, jazz, pop and country underpin his inimitable vocals, which bring old-fashioned blues to life.

It’s strange to think about, but the last time Keb’ Mo’ came to Sandpoint, he was still relatively new to the big-time music scene — his debut album dropped in 1994, only eight years before his first Festival appearance. Yet, in the meantime, he’d already received his first Grammy Award for the song “Just Like You.” With 18 albums to his name (both as Kevin Moore and Keb’ Mo’), the artist is still at the top of his game — his 2019 release Moonlight, Mistletoe & You reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s U.S. Blues Albums — and it’s certain his return to the Festival main stage will be another triumph.

— Zach Hagadone

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

READ

If you’re not following historian Heather Cox Richardson, you’re missing out. Richardson is a Boston College professor who specializes in the American Civil War, Reconstruction, the West and Plains Indigenous peoples, and her analysis of how the nation’s past informs its present is the most trenchant, insightful and searing you’ll find anywhere. Do yourself a favor and subscribe to her email newsletter Letters from an American: heathercoxrichardson.substack.com.

LISTEN

New York-based s i n g e r- s o n g w r i t er Anya Marina is only 44, but her voice somehow sounds simultaneously younger and older than her years — at turns smoke-filled and lithe, weary and sultry. Beyond her sly, impish timbre, Marina’s songwriting swings from loungey torch numbers like “Serious Love” to stompy, boppy tracks like “All the Same to Me.” Her degree in writing and linguistics are on full display throughout all her five studio albums. Discover her for yourself at anyamarina.com or on YouTube.

WATCH

Sci-fi and horror seem especially well suited to anthologies, so it was with initial excitement — and ultimate disappointment — that critics approached Season 1 of the Netflix series Love, Death and Robots. The first installment was beautifully rendered, but the shorts (each around 15 minutes long) felt either thin or contrived. Not so much with Season 2. Though containing fewer episodes than its predecessor, the new installment feels tighter with more emotive, textured (even occasionally funny) stories. Even if you didn’t like Vol. 1, give the new entries a try.

Sunday, Aug. 1; $49.95 general admission, $74.95 early entry; early entry at 5:45 p.m., GA at 6 p.m., music begins at 7 p.m. For tickets or more info, visit festivalatsandpoint.com.

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BACK OF THE BOOK

From Northern Idaho News, May 27, 1904

WITH SHOVEL AND GUN SPIRIT LAKE LOCATORS COME NEAR COMMITTING MURDER IN ROW OVER A QUARTER SECTION O.O. Anderson and G.F. Campbell, claimants to the same quarter section on Spirit Lake, met Saturday and attempted to settle their differences in mortal combat.

Anderson, it is claimed, used a shovel and Campbell had a gun in his hand. Anderson came out victor, for he battered Campbell’s head with the shovel terribly, while he himself got off unharmed. Anderson claims he had to use the shovel in order to keep Campbell too busy to pull the trigger.

Both men arrived in Rathdrum the first of the week and swore out warrants for each other charging attempted murder. They produced bail for appearance yesterday in Justice Wilson’s court.

The land dispute arose from the fact that Anderson was placed on the disputed quarter section in 1901 by a locator, and while he was absent Campbell located the same description. Bad blood has existed between them for some time.

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On our post-COVID world

By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist As vaccine cards are issued and COVID masks come off in our neighborhood — not that masks were ever fully on or that everyone has acquired a card — we can move about the country in a more unrestrained manner. I use the word, “our,” because we still can’t get into Canada except by special permission. Travel overseas is possible, but the hoops are many and convoluted and each country has its own rules about the proper response to COVID-19.

Eighteen months after it reared its head, nobody knows yet quite what to do with the coronavirus.

The good news is that we appear to be moving beyond the worst of the pandemic.

The bad news is that we still don’t quite understand how the virus works or what it might mutate into. And, some folks still insist that it doesn’t really exist, even after the next door neighbors ended up in the hospital — or the morgue.

What we do know is that it affects those who get it in radically different ways. It has killed or made critically ill millions of people world-wide — more deaths than those of both World Wars, our Civil War and most of the “little” wars that have been or are still being fought since Korea. Yet, many millions more cases went unreported because the symptoms were minor enough to be written off as a cold, or, in the case of many third-world populations, there was

STR8TS Solution

no health care system to report it to. I suspect that thousands of cases in the U.S. were not reported — even critical ones — because the infected could simply not afford to get care. Or they couldn’t bring themselves to admit that COVID-19 was actually a real thing.

In my case, I got it from God-knows-where, Sandy Compton. isolated myself for a couple of weeks, recovered without suffering and got my sense of smell back. I also got vaccinated, one shot in each arm about three weeks apart, so now I have that embedded mini-microchip that lets Big Brother and the Cabal know where I am at all times. Maybe even two of them. Who knows? I mean besides Big Brother and his minions.

In my case, I will defend myself against this tracking system simply by being a compliant citizen of the world. I don’t have a huge stock of arms and ammunition with which to defend myself against the Cabal — or the uprising of the rabble. As a matter of fact, I might be part of the rabble, myself. I still think the Constitution is a great document, even though interpretation of the Second Amendment by the NRA and its minions is egregiously erroneous. I mean, where is this “well-regulated militia” all of us citizens bearing arms are supposed to provide for? There seem to be quite a few varieties of militia out there, but they don’t appear to be very well-regulated. In fact, I suspect that if the most apocalyptic dreams of some militias come true, they will consume each other in battles for control of

what’s left of the civilized world.

Though many of Jesus’ words have been convoluted and twisted around by power-seekers and charlatans, he still had some really good things to say. He never flew the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag, though, and I don’t think if he were to come back today, he would go to North 40 and buy himself an AR-15 or three. I also don’t think he’s coming back today or any time soon. But he did say something I find appropriate to our times: “The meek shall inherit the earth.”

If the end of the world as we know it really comes, when the overly-aggressive and the paranoid get done with each other, the rest of us will still be here. That’s what I think.

Sandy Compton’s newest book, The Dog With His Head On Sideways, is available in local bookstores or online exclusively at bluecreekpress.com/books Take that, Amazon!

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution I think it should be a law that if you ever get sucked up in a tornado, whatever you can grab with your hands while you’re swirling around up there, you get to keep.

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

plenipotent

Woorf tdhe Week

By Bill Borders

/pluh-NIP-uh-tuhnt/

[adjective] 1. a invested with or possessing full power.

“Nature, impassive and plenipotent, waits to reward or punish us.”

Corrections: In the “Dirt-y Secrets” garden column in the May 6 edition of the Reader, Ranel Hanson’s sugar-to-water ratio for hummingbird feeders was off. Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader, “The hummingbird syrup ratio should be one cup of sugar to four cups of water (not two to four).”

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Jewish scholar 6. Abundant 10. Friends 14. Exotic 15. Historical periods 16. Way out 17. Anagram of “Amend” 18. Volumes (abbrev.)

19. Type of cereal grass 20. A strong liking 22. Drudgery 23. Hospitality to strangers 24. Devilfish 25. Convenience 29. Sell to the highest bidder 31. Adolescent 33. Enfold 62. Combustible pile 37. Bring into existence 63. Kitty (poker) 38. Excusable 64. Slips 39. Gland secretion 41. Bearberry 42. Inveigled 44. At one time (archaic) DOWN 45. French for “Room” 48. Valleys 1. Incline 50. Talon 2. Winglike 51. Legislature 3. Common hop 56. Diatom 4. Meat from cows 57. Beers 5. Alphabetical listing 58. Fertile area in a desert of topics 59. Lascivious look 6. Income 60. Satyr 7. Incongruous 61. Break forcefully 8. Curved like a sickle

Solution on page 22 9. To be, in old Rome 10. Imperishability 11. A low-mass chargeless particle 12. Allowed 13. Grave marker 21. Chemical agent 24. Relocations 25. Carve in stone 26. Relating to aircraft 27. Clairvoyant 28. Graniteware 30. Raider 32. Redress 34. Teller of untruths 35. Paddles

36. Surveyor’s map 40. An apparition 41. A type of keyboard instrument 43. Warning 45. Top of the head 46. Road 47. Type of beer 49. Flurries 51. Madly in love 52. A crumbling earthy deposit 53. Brother of Jacob 54. Agreeable 55. Tut-tuts

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the

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