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PEOPLE compiled by

Lyndsie Kiebert

watching

SOCIAL DISTANCE EDITION: “Do you consider yourself an expert in anything other than your job?”

“I do not consider myself an expert in anything. I am always trying to learn, grow and do better.”

Leslie Brady School counselor Clark Fork

“I consider myself an expert on napping. Nothing like a good nap to help with productivity.”

Kirk Berentsen Market research analyst Ponderay

DEAR READERS,

As our cover denotes, Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 10. I thought I’d share with you a few things I’ve learned from my mom, who is a saint (in my opinion) for putting up with me all these years.

1. Health is always important.

My mom has taken a daily six-mile walk since before I can remember.

She has instilled in me the idea that our health should never be taken for granted. I’m so grateful she did.

2. Give people respect. Even if our opinions differ wildly, my mom always reminded me that everyone should be given respect. I struggle with that one daily, as my job is sometimes a glorified trash can into which people toss their incivility – but I try to respect everyone until they give me a reason not to.

3. Find the good in people. This is another one I struggle with, especially in today’s era when so many are cruel, especially on social media.

Thank you, mom, for raising me in this beautiful place and for being the amazing person that you are. I love you and value your teachings!

-Ben Olson, Publisher “While I don’t consider myself an ‘expert,’ over a decade of gym experience definitely proves I’m a hardcore fitness enthusiast!”

Zach Anderson Railroad gang truck driver Hope

“Well, I’ve always been told I was a dog and child whisperer.

Does that count? I’m also pretty darn good at pairing the right kind of dark chocolate with the right kind of red wine.”

Dawn Schatz Librarian and more Clark Fork

“I don’t consider myself to be an expert at anything, but rather, a student, always learning new things and trying to improve.”

Carolyn Hays Office administrator Hope

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 (Staff Writer) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson, Christine Holbert, Lyndsie Kiebert, Jason Welker.

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie Brenden Bobby, Hannah Combs, Marcia Pilgeram, Kelly Price, Sandy Compton.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $115 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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

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

Free to all, limit two copies per person.

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

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

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

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

About the Cover

This week’s cover is all about moms! If you’re reading this, call your mom if she’s still in your life.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you wonderful moms out there. We appreciate you.

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NEWS

‘We’re all in this together’ Festival announces postponement of 2020 season; local economic development experts react

By Zach Hagaone Reader Staff Citing the global coronavirus pandemic that has forced the closure of countless businesses and public gatherings, Festival at Sandpoint organizers announced May 4 that there would be no 2020 season of the concert series, which would have marked its 38th year this August.

“It is with heavy hearts that we have made a difficult, but what we feel to be the most responsible decision to postpone the 2020 Festival at Sandpoint season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” interim Festival Executive Director Ali Baranski wrote in a news release. “We know that a global pandemic does not stop at the Long Bridge and it would be irresponsible to gather 30,000 people this summer over the course of our two-week event.”

The Festival is set to return July 29Aug. 8, 2021. However, Baranski wrote, “It is possible that the Festival at Sandpoint will resume our education programs and produce smaller events prior to our 2021 season, but we will ultimately assess those opportunities as conditions evolve, and through the lens of prioritizing the health and safety of our fans, students and our community.”

In a separate statement issued in late March, Festival officials wrote that the fifthgrade outreach and youth strings programs have been canceled for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, though scholarship applications and auditions will continue with auditions conducted by video.

“The Festival at Sandpoint will need the help and support of our community and supporters more than ever and is gratefully welcoming donations [which can be given at festivalatsandpoint.com/sponsors-contributors] to help continue its 2020-2021 programs, and plans to hold a virtual fundraising event in the upcoming months in lieu of the two in-person fundraising events canceled this year,” Baranski told the Sandpoint Reader in an email May 6. According to Baranski and board, the handwriting was on the wall as artists and concert producers alerted The Festival that they were canceling the majority of their springtime shows and summer touring schedules were in flux.

“The economic relief The Festival could have created this summer was our biggest driver in not wanting to postpone the 2020 season, but ultimately could not be prioritized over health and life,” she wrote.

Based on research conducted by the organization prior to making its postponement decision, Festival managers identified 4 /

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“a natural decrease in tourism and spending that would occur even if we did hold a 2020 Festival.”

“Due to the pandemic, we do not feel the economic impact of The Festival would have been as great in 2020, as it has historically been in years past, due to drastically decreased tourism, economic hardship and the public’s lack of comfort attending large gatherings,” Baranski wrote.

The Festival’s postponement will without question put a dent in the community’s summer revenue. According to a 2013 economic impact report commissioned by The Festival and prepared by University of Idaho researchers, sales impacts from the event were forecast to reach $2.33 million and account for 32 jobs in 2018. By 2023, that number was expected to rise to $3 million and support as many as 43 jobs. The official numbers from The Festival organization put the current direct economic contribution from the event at $1.8 million, though “it is difficult to quantify,” Baranski wrote.

At the same time, the UI study underscored how many Festival goers traveled from out of town to attend the event — in 2013, totaling 31% from elsewhere in Idaho and 52% from out of state.

As Great Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce President and City Council member Kate McAlister said, “It will definitely be a hit to our economy — the same as losing other events like Lost in the ’50s [which has also been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings]. It is not an easy decision to make for either the nonprofit, their employees or the community who counts on the volumes of visitors these events bring in; but, in these times, these are necessary difficult decisions. We will still have visitors coming here, we do now, just not the volumes who would be here for these specific events.

McAlister added, however, that travel analysts suggest that coronavirus social distancing measures may push tourists who would normally have traveled to large cities or attractions to instead look to rural areas for their summer recreation plans.

Andrea Marcoccio, who serves as executive director of the Bonner County Economic Development Corporation and is co-founder of Matchwood Brewing Company, said, “Our local economic recovery is a marathon, not a sprint,” and that the community is “small, nimble, and dependent on care and respect for each other. Relationships and collaboration are woven into the fabric of our local economic success.”

By that, she added, the strategy for economic recovery going into the summer

is one of building “confidence and trust with consumers and tourists to reduce the negative impact of this pandemic.”

“If consumers and tourists feel safe, our local economy will be more likely to stabilize and recover,” she said. “[C]ommunity wellness is a key component of our longterm economic recovery and stability. This is not just about August — but our economic health for the long haul.”

Echoing McAlister, Marcoccio pointed to trends suggesting summertime travelers are hopping in their cars to enjoy amenities closer to home. In some cases, even opting for “stay-cations,” which helps to keep their dollars local.

Citing numbers from the Traveler Intentions Pulse Survey commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, Marcoccio said 47% of 1,200 respondents reported in late April that they’d be making it a point to travel by car rather than air after COVID-19 passes, and 42% said they would not be roaming too far from their communities to find recreational opportunities.

“Folks will be looking for local options, like camping or road trips, that are more affordable,” she said.

For local businesses preparing with trepidation for a summer season lacking time-tested economic drivers like The Festival and Lost in the ’50s, Marcoccio said entrepreneurs should adjust their marketing to appeal to a younger crowd — in part by using online platforms including social media — but also reach out to the BCEDC, which has resources to offer for both financial assistance and expertise in a number of areas, from legal to accounting and marketing.

McAlister also underscored that the BCEDC “is a good way for a local business to get help whether it is financial counseling or paying for advertising.”

“We are a resilient community and region, and we will figure out a way to get through this time,” she said. “It’s cliché but true: We’re all in this together.”

According to Baranski: “The Festival at Sandpoint has overcome and endured its fair share of hardship this past year and I continue to be amazed by the integrity, perseverance, generosity and dedication that makes up The Festival board of directors, staff, volunteers and supporters. … [U]nfortunately we will have to wait a little longer to announce lineups, celebrate the artists coming to our town and gather, handshake and hug again in 2021.”

LPOSD board votes to continue distance learning until May 29 School year will end early after May 29

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The Lake Pend Oreille School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its May 6 virtual meeting to extend distance learning until May 29 — ending the 20192020 school year a week earlier than planned for most students. The last day for graduating seniors was originally scheduled for June 1, while other elementary and secondary pupils were to continue classes until June 5.

LPOSD Superintendent Tom Albertson told the board he was “holding out some hope” to bring students back before June 5, but that it would have been too difficult to do so while adhering to Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s four-phase COVID-19 reopening plan.

Idaho is currently in Phase 1, during which public and private gatherings are to be avoided, with Phase 2 protocols running from May 16-29. Under Phase 2, both public and private gatherings of more than 10 people are not recommended.

Albertson said obstacles to reopening included food service, which would have required district kitchens to operate as restaurants under reopening guidelines, with rules in place separating tables by 10 feet and also limiting the number of seats to six per table.

“Even if we were to eat in a classroom setting, that wasn’t going to be possible,” Albertson said. “We explored everything we could; but, again, that’s a big obstacle in our way.”

Telling the board it was “one of the hardest recommendations I’ve made to the board this year,” Albertson directed instructors and administrators to use the week between May 29 and June 5 to recover more than 1,700 district-owned Chromebooks and textbooks currently loaned to students to facilitate distance learning.

Trustee Geraldine Lewis asked whether graduating high-school seniors would have enough credits to graduate. Albertson confirmed that the class of 2020 will carry enough credits through a waiver signed by the Idaho State Board of Education, which has already approved a waiver granting seniors their average daily attendance requirement.

Trustee Gary Suppiger — who is also a candidate for Idaho District 1-Seat B representative — asked what plans are in place to recognize graduating seniors, to which Albertson responded that there will be a graduation ceremony, though details have yet to be finalized.

“We don’t know what it’s going to look like yet,” Albertson said. “It is currently scheduled for June 3, 4 or 5. … We will recognize our graduates. It will look different, but we’re working with the Panhandle Health District to give them the best ceremony and recognition possible.”

NEWS

County files for summary judgement in Festival gun suit Declarations emphasize need for ruling in order to hold back ‘impending protest

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Bonner County filed a motion for summary judgement April 28 in its lawsuit against the city of Sandpoint, asking for a court ruling on whether The Festival at Sandpoint has the legal right as a lessee to ban firearms from publicly owned War Memorial Field during its annual summertime concert series.

Though event organizers announced May 4 that The Festival would cancel its 2020 season owing to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, Bonner County Commissioner Dan McDonald confirmed to the Sandpoint Reader that the county does not anticipate changing its approach to the lawsuit.

“It was always our hope that we would get a declaratory judgement sooner than later so The Festival could plan accordingly,” McDonald said.

“With The Festival choosing to cancel, it’s still imperative to

get that declaratory judgement so as to clarify application of the law in question.”

Kootenai County District Court Judge Lansing L. Haynes, who is presiding over the case, will hear the county’s motion for summary judgment on Tuesday, May 26 at 1:30 p.m. at the Bonner County Courthouse.

Filed in conjunction with the motion for summary judgement were a number of declarations on behalf of the plaintiffs, identified in the court documents as Bonner County and Sheriff Daryl Wheeler. The declarations focused on the ruling as necessary to coordinate a uniform law enforcement response to The Festival’s no-weapons policy — including how Sandpoint police officers and county deputies are to deal with what Wheeler and another declaration writer described as an “impending” gun rights demonstration at Memorial Field should the court decline to make a ruling.

Two declarations — sub-

W. Bonner Libraries set reopening date for May 11 (hopefully)

By Reader Staff West Bonner County library officials announced plans to reopen their facilities Monday, May 11, but with the caveat that conditions will “hopefully” be right to again throw open the doors.

According to an April 30 news release — and confirmed by the Sandpoint Reader — West Bonner Libraries are following guidelines set by Idaho Governor Brad Little’s four-phase “Idaho Rebounds” plan for reopening the state economy amid the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

The West Bonner Library District comprises branches at 118 Main St. in Priest River and 412 Railroad Ave. in Blanchard.

According to officials, the reopening plan requires limiting the number of people allowed in

the library at one time.

Patrons will be asked to practice safe social distancing and stay home if they do not feel well.

Computer use will be limited.

Meeting room use will resume in Phase 3 of the governor’s plan, which is set to take place from May 30-June 12. (Find more details on the Idaho Rebounds plan at rebound.idaho.gov.)

Library officials said holds can now be placed on items with pickup at the door. Staff is on hand from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Monday through Friday in Priest River and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Blanchard.

Patrons are asked to watch for updates on the library’s website at westbonner.lili.org and on Facebook: facebook.com/ WestBonnerLibraries.

mitted by firearms instructors Steve Wasylko of Bonner County and Tosh Lanquist of Kootenai County — asserted that they and many others would gather at The Festival gates in armed protest should the court fail to rule one way or the other prior to the next event, which is now scheduled to take place in August 2021.

“No matter how responsible and well-behaved the protestors may be, arguments, skirmishes or confrontations can be like a match in an incredibly dry area in that type of environment,” Wheeler wrote in his declaration.

Richard Welts, a retired Los Angeles police officer specializing in security, wrote in his declaration that a gun rights demonstration at The Festival has the potential to escalate into something like the deadly Unite the Right rally and protests in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.

“The risk of such a threat in an impending protest cannot be ignored by law enforcement, and all efforts to clarify the law and provide a coordinated law enforcement response should be made for public safety,” Welts wrote.

While the various declarations asserted that such a demonstration at The Festival could turn violent, past demonstrations in the area — such as the March For Our Rights, a gun rights rally that Wasylko organized in Sandpoint — have remained peaceful. In response to that observation, McDonald said, “While I agree, the protests locally to date have been peaceful, all it takes is one person to create a problem.”

“When you look on a national level, however, the issue and probability becomes more of a concern,” he continued.

“Wouldn’t wisdom dictate that we look to avoid this kind of

conflict altogether by getting a formal declaratory judgement?”

Festival at Sandpoint Interim Executive Director Ali Baranski called talk of an armed protest at the event “irresponsible,” yet told the Reader that the organization — before the decision May 4 to cancel the 2020 season — had put in place “steps and strategies … beyond additional security to ensure the safety and comfort of our fans, musicians, volunteers and staff.”

When asked follow-up questions regarding his declaration, Wheeler directed the Reader to review the legal documents.

When pressed, Wheeler’s executive assistant, Sheryl Kins, replied in an email May 4: “The Sheriff has no further comments — the documents speak for themselves.”

ACTION ON THE WATER

Activity on the second rail bridge across Lake Pend Oreille — dubbed the Sandpoint Junction Connector Project — can now be easily observed from all angles along Sand Creek. According to BNSF spokesperson Courtney Wallace, the company began construction on a temporary access bridge in April, starting with pile driving near Dog Beach. Wallace said BNSF will continue working on the temporary structure through May. The company is also working on a new pedestrian tunnel for the Sand Creek Trail, built in the same style as the large culvert tunnel on Bottle Bay Road. Learn more at keepsandpointrolling.com, or text “Sandpoint” to 52886 to receive project updates. Photo by Ben Olson, words by Lyndsie Kiebert.

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NEWS Lost in the ’50s canceled, but not discontinued

From east, west and beyond

By Reader Staff Sandpoint’s annual classic car event and celebration of decades gone by, Lost in the ’50s, has been canceled for 2020.

Event organizers took to Facebook to share the news.

“Coronavirus precautions have forced our (reluctant!) cancellation of this year’s show,” according to the event Facebook post. “Please stay happy and healthy, ‘50s fans!”

Carolyn Gleason, event founder and longtime owner of Second Avenue Pizza, confirmed the 2020 cancelation with the Sandpoint Reader.

“It is canceled, but we will live to see another ’50s,” she said.

This comes as good news to some locals who peppered local Facebook forums

Photo by Ben Olson. in March with concerns after Gleason was rumored to say this year’s ’50s — not yet canceled — would be the event’s last hurrah.

Now, Gleason said classic car fans should plan to attend the 35th annual Lost in the ’50s in May 2021.

Shakespeare in the Parks canceled

By Reader Staff Organizers for the annual Montana Shakespeare in the Parks announced May 4 that the 2020 show date has been canceled.

“We are disappointed, but we fully understand the wisdom of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks’ decision, and we agree that it’s more important for everyone — actors, organizers and audience — to stay safe, healthy and virus-free,” Lost Horse Press owner and Publisher Christine Holbert wrote in an email. “We especially want to support those people in our community who are immune-compromised or have other underlying health issues.”

Lost Horse Press has sponsored the annual event ever since it moved to Sand-

Photo by Christine Holbert. point from Libby, Mont., in 2015.

Holbert said the originally scheduled performance of Cymbeline will return to Sandpoint in summer 2021.

“Stay safe, stay healthy, wash your hands, wear a mask and we’ll see you all next summer to watch Cymbeline — outdoors, all together and healthy, the way Shakespeare intended. And a huge thanks for your support and understanding,” Holbert wrote

Outdoor Shooting Range open for business

By Reader Staff The Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Department on May 2 reopened the public outdoor shooting range on Baldy Mountain Road.

Department officials said they are instituting additional procedures to help meet social distancing requirements. The range is reserved for seniors and vulnerable individuals from 10 a.m.-noon. There is also a limit of 10 people inside the range, with a maximum of eight shooters. The range will 6 /

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Bits ’n’ Pieces

not be loaning spotting scopes, bags, and eye or ear protection — range attendants ask that shooters supply their own.

The range is located four miles west of Sandpoint on Baldy Mountain Road at 113 Turtle Rock Road. A day pass is $5, and season passes are available with a current Bonner County Sportsman Association card for $20, or $70 for non-members.

Google Sandpoint Parks and Recreation and click the “shooting range” link to find current hours of operation, as they vary day to day.

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact, which COVID-19 has illustrated so well. A recent sampling: The COVID-19 approach in the Philippines: As reported by the CEO of the Filipino news site, Rappler, President Rodrigo Duterte asked his nation’s Congress for — and received — $5.4 billion for the pandemic in late March. Legislation called for fines and imprisonment for spreading false COVID-19 information. On April 1, Duterte ordered “shoot them dead” for those resisting the quarantine. The nation’s first COVID-19 case was in late January. As of early May, there have been more than 9,000 cases and 607 deaths in the Philippines.

Taiwan had 432 cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths as of early May. President Tsai Ing-wen says lessons from the 2003 SARS outbreak led to citizen monitoring and isolation as soon as pandemic conditions for COVID-19 were apparent in the neighboring People’s Republic of China. With its first case on Jan. 21, Taiwan was ready and tracked all contact history “before a mass community outbreak was possible,” Ing-wen told TIME magazine.

The government quickly oversaw production and distribution of masks while government-corporate coordination allowed Taiwan to donate supplies to “seriously affected countries.” Ing-wen said the global crisis calls for all nations to work together.

A report to the Department of Homeland Security details that some white supremacists have directed members of their movement that should a white supremacist contract COVID-19, they are to regard it as a bio-weapon and have an “obligation” to spread it to police and non-whites.

After buying 500,000 COVID-19 test kits from South Korea, Maryland’s governor made sure they were hidden and guarded, according to Forbes. The purpose of the secrecy was to avoid theft, including by federal agents, which has occurred with COVID-19 supplies in Florida, California and Massachusetts.

After having COVID-19, actor Tom Hanks donated his blood to science since it has antibodies, CBS News reported. Using plasma from COVID-19 survivors is experimental, but the concept was used during the 1918-’19 flu pandemic and the 2003 SARS outbreak. One plasma donation can treat up to three people.

The World Health Organization says there are 70 vaccines under development for COVID-19.

A potentially effective COVID-19 vaccine worked on at Texas Children’s Hospital

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

Center for Vaccine Development has been stalled since 2016 due to lack of funding for human trials. According to the Center’s Dr. Peter Jay Hotez, quoted by In These Times, there have been talks with big pharma, but one company rep said, “Well, we’re holding back to see if this thing comes back year after year.” Federal funding is also in doubt: the Trump administration has consistently sought deep cuts to public research institutions, which has led to an 80% decline in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work against global disease outbreak.

While Florida has begun to reopen businesses, data on deaths from COVID-19 there were being blocked, Newsweek reported. The state’s health department said there were privacy concerns, but media outlets noted that individuals’ names are not used in the release of that information.

Big cats at the Bronx Zoo could have dodged COVID-19 if there had been enough tests to determine if employees carried the virus. As it happened, the cats contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zookeeper, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, a nonprofit that runs the zoo. Recent reports show the animals are recovering.

A study in the science journal Nature Medicine examined evidence for the origins of COVID-19. From studying other coronaviruses, scientists found it is a recombination of a virus in bats with another virus — possibly from the pangolin. The National Institutes of Health and U.S. intelligence community agree that COVID-19’s origins are natural and not from a laboratory, as some conspiracy theories continue to suggest.

According to former-U.S. Labor Secretary and economist Robert Reich, President Donald Trump’s plan to boost the economy — and thereby help his reelection campaign — is to remove income stimulus support so people are forced back to work, despite public health relying on people staying home.

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administration’s top infectious disease expert, has been blocked from testifying before the U.S. House and, Reich argues, those who pretend that “liberation” from stay-athome is “freedom” misconstrue freedom with being forced to work under dangerous COVID-19 conditions.

Blast from the past: The Civil War’s bloodiest battle, Antietam, resulted in 2,100 dead; World War II’s bloodiest conflict, the Battle of the Bulge, saw the death of 19,000 Americans; 58,000 Americans died in Vietnam; and the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks resulted in 2,977 American deaths. As of early May, the U.S. had recorded 66,000 deaths from COVID-19.

NEWS

Runoff projections forecast smooth refill for LPO Army Corps: Flood risk average, barring any unexpected spring weather

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Current measurements are pointing toward a typical spring runoff and refill for Lake Pend Oreille, according to the Army Corps of Engineers — information the agency will be sharing in detail during its regular spring public meeting, this year held Monday, May 11 via an online format.

USACE Senior Water Manager Jon Moen, who will virtually present to the public on Monday, told the Reader that the latest indicators — including snowpack, weather and climate forecasts — place Lake Pend Oreille at average flood risk for the 2020 season. However, nothing is certain when spring rainstorms can play a large part in runoff flows.

“There’s still a chance of unexpected spring weather, and that’s something we keep an eye on,” he said.

Moen said the Pend Oreille Basin’s snowpack is calculated at 109% of average, which is slightly more snow than in 2019 when the basin held 98% of the average snowpack. However, there is considerably less snow this year than in 2018, when a 153% snowpack led to severe flooding.

Also playing into the anticipated runoff is spring weather. So far, Moen said, spring precipitation and temperatures have been lower than average, meaning runoff has also been below average in March and April. However, above average runoff is anticipated in May to make up for the slow start. All current data indicate that Lake Pend Oreille will reach summer pool — 2,062 feet above sea level — around mid- to late-June, which is within the typical timeline.

“The balance of the dryness with the

snowpack equals about an average runoff,” Moen said.

Right now, climate outlooks indicate higher than average temperatures and lower than average precipitation for the region through July. However, these projections are early, and Moen said it’s not uncommon for a large weather event to defy the data.

“Even a below average climate outlook for precipitation does not include the possibility of that one big thunderstorm that causes high flows,” he said.

Albeni Falls Dam Operating Project Manager Amanda Collins will also present to the public Monday regarding current operations at the dam and throughout the recreational sites across the basin. Though dam visitation facilities typically open in a couple weeks, Collins said she is still waiting for direction from “higher headquarters” as to when these facilities may open in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“We want to ensure to the highest extent possible that we are emphasizing safety,” she said.

Collins said her recreation staff has been active on the dam’s Facebook page

Lake Pend Oreille from under the Long Bridge.

Photo by Ben Olson. and will update the public there: facebook.com/park.ranger.5686.

The Army Corps’ online meeting will take place Monday, May 11 at 6 p.m. To access the meeting, go to usace.webex. com and enter meeting number 967 524 614 and password 1234. Enter your name and email address then select “Join Meeting.” Select “Connect to Audio” and then select “Call Me.” Enter your phone number to receive a call from the conference system. The online platform will be ready for logins at 5:45 p.m.

Those wishing to join by phone only can call 877-873-8017 and enter access code 1538710 followed by the pound sign. If requested, enter security code 1234 followed by the pound sign.

Aside from the USACE speakers, a National Weather Service representative will also be presenting a regional weather update during the meeting.

Those with questions about the meeting can reach USACE spokesperson Scott Lawrence at aaron.s.lawrence@usace. army.mil.

County asks hikers to park safely at trailheads

By Reader Staff The Bonner County Road and Bridge Department released a statement May 1 asking users of recreational sites to park safely at trailheads to avoid tickets and potential towing of vehicles.

“We are experiencing a road safety clash with the recreational trailhead parking for the Gold Hill Trail on Bottle Bay Road,” the department wrote in the statement. “Bonner County understands the

need to get outdoors and recreate in these unusual times of confinement, but parking in a county right-of-way and obstructing any portion of a travel lane is prohibited.”

The department said it is considering options including posting no-parking signs on Bottle Bay Road and writing tickets or possibly towing improperly parked vehicles on right-of-ways, but stressed that it “is not our desired approach.”

An alternate trailhead for the Gold Hill trail complex is available at Hayes Gulch

trailhead, located approximately 1.75 miles from Highway 95 on Bottle Bay Road.

“The Road Department strongly encourages people to utilize the IDL trailhead parking [at Hayes Gulch] which is more expansive,” the department wrote. “If people trying to get out and get exercise will cooperate on this roadside parking issue, maybe Bonner County can avoid draconian measures in preserving safety for vehicles driving the Bottle Bay Road.”

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Staying at home worth the sacrifice…

Bouquets: • When this edition of the Sandpoint Reader hits the streets — Thursday, May 7 — it will be the last day for the annual Idaho Gives fundraising campaign for Idaho nonprofits. Normally this lasts only a day; but, this year, due to the increased need for support to nonprofits because of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers opted to extend it. I encourage you to donate to your favorite local nonprofit by the end of the day — there are so many worthy local organizations that provide a wide array of services to this community. Let’s give them a hand. Also, remember, when donating to a 501(c)3, your donations are tax deductible.

Barbs: • I write this Barb about three or four times a year, it seems.

Please, if you’re camping at one of our beautiful natural primitive campsites around North Idaho, don’t leave a pile of garbage for the next camper. Always bring an extra trash bag and leave the site better than you found it. This “pack it in, pack it out” rule has been a decades-long mainstay for those who enjoy camping. Next time you head into the great outdoors, do your part and leave the site pristine for the next campers. It’s the right thing to do — not only for our environment, but for our fellow humans. Or maybe you like cleaning up dirty diapers and broken glass?

• The Bonner County Road and Bridge Department shared with the Reader that political signs may not be put in the county right of way or they will be removed by road crews. Political signs are allowed on permitted property only.

GUEST SUBMISSION: • Over this last weekend [May 2-3], our Canadian flag was stolen from the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center. The cost to replace it is small and necessary, but so is our nonprofit. I also know we do not have any Canadian tourists at the moment. That is no reason to lose our sense of brotherly love for our northern neighbors.

— Submitted by Ricci Witte, chamber office manager and membership specialist 8 /

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Dear editor, Why do protesters think they have the right to take away our constitutional right to live? Idaho state Rep. Heather Scott and Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler apparently think so.

Our right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness “comes from the Declaration of Independence and “life” comes first. So if a few more weeks of enforcing Gov. Brad Little’s “stay-athome” order will save from the virus even a few lives of those who are older and more vulnerable in our society, then it’s well worth the sacrifice.

When in doubt, trust the doctors and scientists and not the science-deniers. Don’t trust our president, who has suggested using unproven drugs and perhaps exploring injecting disinfectants into our bodies.

According to polls, a solid majority of Americans are more worried about reopening the economy too soon and worsening the pandemic than opening it too slowly and worsening the economy. Officials can change or remove any orders they want, but if we are afraid to walk through the doors of restaurants, bars, offices or barber shops, our economy still suffers.

We know that businesses have been hurt and jobs have been lost, but to reopen our economy we need to know from the experts if enough testing has been done and that we are on the downward curve of this pandemic. Life is more important.

James W. Ramsey Sandpoint

‘Reckless, sinister or crazy’…

Dear editor, Many people around the nation ingested household cleaners following President Donald Trump’s suggestion that they could cure COVID-19. He also suggested putting UV light into the body might be a cure.

Trump said repeatedly that chloroquine phosphate was a “game-changer” in treating COVID-19, encouraging Americans, “Try it.” A man in Arizona ingested CP found in a cleaning product, killing him. An article in JAMA doubts its effectiveness and, at USVA hospitals, 354 patients received the drug, dying at two times the rate of those who did not.

Following his remarks, Trump replied, “I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen.”

Trump has narcissistic delusions of grandeur, believing he’s smarter than all scientists/experts. The

world is questioning his sanity and laughing. People are dying because of his lack of leadership.

In Idaho, Rep. Heather Scott suggested nonessential workers “are being treated like Jews during the Holocaust.” Calling Gov. Little “Little Hitler,” she compared shutdown orders to “Nazi Germany.” Murdering Jews by starving and gassing them is different exponentially by 6 million from telling people to stay home and social distance. The Nuremberg trials revealed experiments were conducted at concentration camps. The Nazis’ victims were fed, injected or had poisonous substances scrubbed into their skin to be later autopsied.

Trump’s and Scott’s claims are reckless, sinister or crazy.

White House reporter Jonathan Karl, known to ask Trump tough questions, was told April 24 to sit in the back with reporters who don’t ask questions. When warned the Secret Service would switch them, the reporter in the back refused. Trump cut his meeting to 20 minutes, refusing questions.

This should terrify those who cherish rational leadership and a free press. Censorship and rewriting history are used by many villains. Are you scared yet?

Sincerely, Betty Gardner Priest River

Dropping money from helicopters...

Dear editor, This might be the first time I’ve ever complained about a check arriving in the mail.

So our wonderful government sends everyone a nice check for $1,200 ($500 for kids). Problem is: 1. It does nothing to stop or slow down the pandemic (further testing, providing PPE or developing a vaccine); 2. It’s indiscriminate – lots of people get it who don’t need it; 3. It does little to help health care and essential workers who are working like crazy and risking their lives; 4. It doesn’t help the local economy because we’re all staying home and can’t spend it; 5. It increases the national debt.

I understand our government is in a bit of a panic. So they dropped money from helicopters. Not very smart, as usual.

Funny thing – guess who decided he wants his name printed front and center on these checks.

Bill Stuble Dover

Horton a conservative for N. Idaho…

Dear editor, If you want a change in county leadership and if you are a Republican or unaffiliated, please request a Republican ballot and vote Butch Horton for county commissioner.

Before I knew Butch as a candidate, I knew him as a neighbor. He is a person who has excellent core values and a perfect background for the commissioner job.

Raised in a military family, then six years of service in the Navy Special Operations unit has given Butch a perfect leadership foundation. Combine that with an economics degree from U of I and a career in business, and you have a person who can navigate the troubled waters of our county with clear vision and positive solutions.

Butch is a longtime Republican who is the kind of conservative that North Idaho appreciates. He will do his homework, listen carefully and make smart decisions for the entire county.

Costly lawsuits will be a last resort and he won’t be voting himself a big pay raise when others are taking cuts.

Some candidates run for office for power and some for money.

Butch is about public service and caring for our wonderful county.

The Board of Bonner County Commissioners needs his leadership, hard work and experience.

Get to know Butch through his website or give him a call. Then go to idahovotes.com and request a Republican ballot and vote for Butch!

Diana Dawson Sagle

Bradshaw is not a Republican…

Dear editor, For those who are relatively new to this area, Republican politics can be confusing. Just look at County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw’s campaign brochure. There is a list of Republicans he promises to fight against. Let me explain.

There are two groups that claim to be Republicans in this state. There are regular Republicans like Brad Little. They’re for small government, fiscal responsibility, pro-life, pro-gun and pro-business. These are the “Establishment” Republicans that Steve Bradshaw promises to attack.

Everyone else that disagrees with him is a liberal in disguise.

Bradshaw is not a Republican, he is part of the Freedom Caucus. The Freedom Caucus is libertarian leaning with stances like returning to the gold standard and doing away with public education, or at least any aca-

demic standards for education. They dislike the chamber of commerce and consistently champion causes that are harmful to the local economy.

Bradshaw brags about being the brains behind spending well over $100,000 to sue the city to get rid of a music festival that brings $2 million in revenue into this county each year. That doesn’t sound very Republican to me.

Fortunately, Republicans have a choice this primary. Butch Horton is one of those pro-business, as well as pro-gun, don’t-waste-my-time-ormoney Republicans.

To vote, go to the Bonner County web page, register as a Republican (only Republicans get a meaningful vote) and request a ballot.

Let’s have someone that will listen to all of us for a change.

Sincerely, Mary Haley Sandpoint Editor’s note: It’s not quite accurate to state that the county’s suit against the city of Sandpoint is intended to “get rid of” The Festival. It is accurate that Commissioner Steve Bradshaw has said he was the driving force behind the suit, and event organizers have said that a county victory in the case would make booking acts nearly impossible – thus having the effect of “getting rid of” The Festival. Rather than a lawsuit against The Festival, the argument centers on whether it is legal for a private entity to prohibit firearms on leased public property. All that said, The Festival has canceled its 2020 season citing the coronavirus and concerns by artists centered on the safety of gathering in large groups amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. See our coverage on Page 5.

Dixon supports small business...

Dear editor, Idaho’s Small businesses are hurting. After over a month of closures, some are beginning to open, with the hopes of rebuilding what they’ve lost through no fault of their own.

And during a tele-townhall with area candidates, the two choices for the District 1-B seat were asked if they support the local protests demanding an end to the governor’s stay-at-home order.

The answers from Rep. Sage Dixon and his primary opponent were starkly contrasting.

While he supports safety measures, Rep. Dixon unwaveringly supports our right to free assembly, and has worked to alert residents on how they can support local small businesses struggling to stay afloat.

On the other hand, and avoiding

< see LTE, page 9 >

< LTE, con’t from page 8 > answering the free speech question, the answer Dixon’s opponent gave was jaw-dropping: he believes “safety and security” “outweighs economic considerations” in Idaho. So much so that he advocates reporting on anyone who violates stay-at-home orders.

Mind you, Boundary County has had zero cases of COVID-19, while Bonner County has experienced just four, all resolved, with no new cases in weeks. Yet, Dixon’s opponent would keep our small businesses closed, some on the brink of extinction — resulting in the loss of livelihoods as well as local tax revenue — anyway?

Rep. Dixon is the voice of reason amid unreasonable edicts, and displayed during the tele-townhall why he deserves re-election.

Please vote Rep. Sage Dixon on your primary ballot.

Todd Bradshaw Sagle Editor’s note: The reference to Idaho District 1-B candidate Gary Suppiger’s view on “reporting” those who violated the governor’s stay-at-home order comes from a letter to the editor published in the Bonner County Daily Bee on April 10 and titled, “Officials engaging in reckless coronavirus politics.” In the letter, Suppiger criticized Rep. Sage Dixon for “lobb[ying] to have the violation reporting link on the state website deleted.”

Find a video of the full virtual candidate’s forum, presented by the Sandpont Reader and Sandpoint Online, at bit.ly/BonnerCandidatesForum2020. Find the portion of the discussion centered on the stay-at-home order protests at the 53:27 mark.

Rasor will fight for you Boise…

Dear editor, May 19 all ballots for this year’s primary election must be marked and mailed in. In these trying times with keeping our social distance, understanding how to vote and who to vote for is mind-boggling.

My name is Kim Rasor, the wife of Cornel Rasor, who is running for state representative District 7, Seat B. I would like to tell you a few things about Cornel that maybe you have not seen on the flyers, signs or Facebook.

Long before we were married, as a teen working as a gas station attendant, Cornel’s willingness to serve others with kindness was a character quality that stood out to me. After 43 years of marriage, I still see that in him today, from serving as a former county commissioner to an elder in our church or assisting our kids with a breech calf on their small farm.

His honesty, hard work and genuine love for people is what has kept him in business for 35 years.

I was born and raised in Idaho, as my father before me. I am proud to be married to a man that holds the freedoms of Idahoans so dearly.

If you would like a representative with moral character, that will fight for you in Boise and will not compromise the values of our great state, won’t you join me in marking your ballot for Cornel Rasor, state representative District 7, Seat B? Kim Rasor Sagle

‘Opinion is fact’: A rebuttal…

Dear editor, Last week Steve Brixon penned a short letter that “opinion is not fact.” That much is true, however, while saying that he is nonpartisan, his numerous positions in letters on the Reader’s pages and in the Daily Bee beg to differ. He reminds me of a current coworker and former coworker. They can express their political opinion on issues with impunity, which usually follows lockstep with the current president. Anyone who dares offer an alternative view is immediately either denigrated or made fun of. This illustrates that Mr. Brixon and my fellow coworkers are expressing an “opinion” and not a “fact.” However, they then proceed to denigrate anyone who offers an opposing view.

In other words, it is OK for them to offer their opinion as fact but anyone who dares disagree, well, that opinion is automatically non-sequitur.

Hint to Mr. Brixon and fellow coworker, you are not nonpartisan. You are totally on the extreme right wing… just saying.

Keep those masks on, Lawrence Fury Sandpoint

A line in the Sand(point)…

Dear editor, The county seeks a firearms ban decision.

They say that the “dispute creates a highly explosive and dangerous situation ripe for a public disaster” and the poor sheriff is in an “impossible position.” So, if I have it right, the sheriff and commissioners want their lawsuit — paid for by the taxpayers, brought against Sandpoint and threatening the future of our music festival — settled in their favor, to avoid violence threatened by their supporters, that they incited with their public comments. And this is all because the NRA is drawing a line in the Sand(point) because of their paranoid belief that if the ban is allowed here, surely Idaho and the entire country will be next. Yes, we truly do live in unprecedented times.

Ken Thacker Sagle

Suppiger does the math…

Dear editor, I’ve cast my ballot for Gary Suppiger, running for Legislative District 1 state representative Position B. Many years ago, his oldest child was one of my students at Sagle Elementary School. He was an inquiring parent, rather than a questioning one. He took interest in the curriculum used, our class schedule and ways he could help with my 30 fourth graders. He persuaded other parents to volunteer — as he did weekday afternoons with small groups of students — to free up my time to better facilitate students struggling with math skills.

That same year, Mr. Suppiger visited with various departments in the district to keep Southside and Sagle gifted students from being hauled into town to their gifted teacher.

Pointing out the cost of transportation, wasted learning time for the students and a vacant portable classroom, he was able to

convince district decision makers to keep our kids south of the bridge, bringing the teacher to them for enhanced learning.

For several years, Gary spent countless hours volunteering as a math coach with the Sagle Math Club. The culmination each year was a trip to a Math Bowl held at various nearby colleges. Because other schools also participated in this endeavor, Gary worked with other math club coaches to coordinate and combine bus transportation to and from these amazing events.

Gary is the Zone 2 school board trustee for LPOSD, again volunteering his time for our district’s students. Gary Suppiger deserves your vote. He not only walks the walk, he does the math.

Julie Reister-Keaton Dover

Suppiger is an unwavering community supporter…

Dear editor, I support Gary Suppiger for the position of District 1 representative. I have known Gary and his family for many years, as his children attended Sagle Elementary School while I was the principal there. I cannot think of a finer or more qualified person than Gary Suppiger for this position.

Gary’s deep commitment to community is reflected by his selfless desire to improve educational opportunities for Bonner County students. Many years ago, Gary offered to start an advanced math program for Sagle students.

Gary did not pass this off on someone else. He personally set up the program and the curriculum and, most importantly, was the teacher.

The countless hours he volunteered made this a hugely successful extracurricular program. Even after his children had moved on to the junior high and the high school, Gary continued to volunteer and teach at Sagle.

Currently, Gary is a board member for the LPOSD. Here, again, Gary voluntarily gives his time for the community and especially for our students. This is who Gary is. He is committed to improving the education of our children. He feels strongly that Idaho needs to do more in the area of school funding. He is thoughtful and considerate of other people’s points of view. He works extremely well with people and will not waver in his dedication to making this a better world for all of us.

Don Moore Sagle

County manufactures conflict…

Dear editor, Bonner County’s elected officials are manipulating their gun lawsuit with Davillier Law. Their latest legal filing, which floats a threat of armed protests against The Festival, is unconscionable and dangerous.

Manufacturing dramas is the far-right’s latest aggressive tactic. The Women’s March at Sandpoint Middle School received threats this year: “don’t get yourself involved in a lawsuit like The Festival,” “guns can’t be banned from public buildings,” “we’ll be there video documenting everything.” Fortunately, state statute legally covered our gun-free status.

Steve Wasylko didn’t show up then, but he did two weeks later to cheerlead for Dan McDonald at the commissioner’s meeting where my husband, Don Holland, and I experienced first-hand their legal manipulations. After asking for accountability on Davillier’s exorbitant legal fees and questioning why commissioners took this issue from Scott Herdon, underhanded charges were advanced against us in the commissioners’ office.

These exaggerated charges were dropped for Don’s “touch,” but most troubling was two county employees wrote false statements to police claiming they witnessed an aggressive “grab.”

Fortunately, my iPhone video proved differently: a “touch” is a mistake, not a crime. Two other bogus accusations to entangle us also dissolved, but shows how far officials will press against citizens who challenge them.

McDonald’s fallacious statements (online and radio) blatantly calling us “violent,” “Senior Antifa” (militants) were slanderous attacks on our good character.

This tactic of manufacturing drama only serves to distract from substantive issues. We are taxpayers asking for accountability. Commissioners are refusing, claiming “client privilege.”

Aren’t we, as the taxpayers, footing the bill and therefore the real clients?

Steve Bradshaw says he wants some attention for taking this lawsuit. Well, we can unseat him by voting for Butch Horton, a fair level-headed business man.

Bonner County residents need principled, trustworthy officials, not those pushing dangerous conflicts.

Rebecca Holland Sagle

A hollow victory for the ‘gun nuts’…

Dear editor, OK, when are the rational majority of Idahoans going to stop being intimidated by a small group of would-be vigilantes? For over 30 years, The Festival has served this community well. Now, just because a tiny group of Second Amendment bullies want to wear their manhood — or womanhood (don’t want to be chauvinistic) — strapped to their hip, we’re supposed to let them turn this family friendly venue into an armed camp?

Now, with the commissioners and sheriff adding pressure with the thinly veiled threat of a “possible” armed protest should the firearms ban be upheld, we are supposed to meekly accede to this minority once again. We should be sick and tired of minority rule. We should be tired of the few with loud, self-righteous voices deciding how the majority lives.

But it is all moot. The Festival is now officially one more casualty of COVID-19. The Festival’s 2020 season is canceled. Many other summer events have already been canceled because of the virus. The Festival didn’t knuckle under to the gun nuts. It took a pandemic to cancel our community’s iconic summer centerpiece.

It would be ironic if the judge found in favor of the bullies only to have a virus stop the entrance of armed people to the Kid’s Concert.

Talk about a hollow victory. An AR-15 or a Glock doesn’t do much damage against a virus. Would the instigators and supporters of this suit reimburse our community’s losses? Probably not.

Gil Beyer Sandpoint

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Mad about Science: cooking

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

Cooking is a chemistry class in which you get to eat your grade at the end. Most of us know how to cook food, but the actual science behind the preparation of food is surprisingly not very well understood by the masses. In fact, nutritional and food sciences are so poorly understood by the general public that people have built an industry on ineffective fad diets that milk more than $70 billion a year from unsuspecting Americans. These diets profiteer from the same tactics used by fake news outlets: exploiting peoples’ ignorance of a subject, providing false details “no one else knows” and spreading it through unofficial outlets, such as your family members’ social media feeds.

People are more likely to spread information without questioning its source when it comes from a family member than if it comes from an official source.

Always question information. Question this article. In a crusade to prove me wrong and find where I may have gathered misinformation, you may have learned something new in the process.

Back to the topic at hand: cooking.

We have found archaeological evidence of humans cooking food as far back as 2 million years ago. Cooking food provides two major benefits: heating the food sterilizes bacteria in the food and it makes it more palatable. Our ancestors had no concept of a microbiome when they first started cooking meat; they likely just started doing it because cooked meat tastes better than raw flesh. However, 10 /

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eating cooked food began to alter the early human gut.

Meat undergoes key changes when heat is applied to it. As I mentioned, a sustained temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit kills living bacteria on and inside of the meat — which is especially important for ground meat like hamburger or sausage. The heat also makes the water bound to the proteins in the meat to evaporate, which causes the proteins to coagulate. This process gives cooked meat a distinct brown color and a delicious taste.

“But Brenden,” you may interject, “what about rare steak?

It’s still pink in the middle.”

That’s true. In the case of rare steak, this process has occurred on the outside of the steak, but not the interior. If you’re wondering why you can do this with beef, but not chicken or pork, that is because of the density of the meat. Beef is considerably denser than chicken, which means bacteria and parasites have a more difficult time penetrating the interior of the meat.

That’s why chicken sashimi is something you don’t see on restaurant menus.

It may disappoint my food idol, Ron Swanson, but this is an article about cooking all food, not just meat. The process that happens when cooking vegetables is markedly different from cooking meat. Applying heat to your vegetables breaks down the cell walls of the given plant, which spills the nutrients within the cell. This process makes it easier for the bacteria in our guts to digest and pass them on to the rest of our body. It also softens the vegetables’ flesh and makes it easier for us to chew.

Over the eons, we’ve discovered myriad ways to cook our food. Cooking over open flame is

Brought to you by:

the oldest method, but it’s also the least efficient method at our disposal today — aside from trying to cook on hot asphalt, that is.

In order to make sure we get an even cook on our food, we need to enclose it. When you have heat focused into a relatively small area where only small amounts of it can escape, it will more quickly cook your food.

This is just as true for your electric or gas oven as it is for your microwave oven.

The key differences between these two ovens is the method in which they use radiation to cook your food. An electric oven operates similarly to a large incandescent light bulb (think of those old-timey rounded light bulbs that get hot), with a large curved band of metal inside that is a resistor to electrical current.

When an electrical current runs through this resistor, it creates heat energy, thus, radiation which goes on to heat your food. An electric oven will periodically run energy through the resistor, then cut the current to evenly heat the oven based on the internal thermometer to which it is set. This is actually a very interesting and expansive subject we’ll explore in another article in the future.

The way a microwave oven works is by producing focused microwaves that agitate the molecules of whatever is placed inside, causing them to rotate and create thermal energy, which will cook organic substances placed inside of the microwave.

The dish rotates inside to keep an even cook on whatever it is you stick in the microwave.

If you’re wondering why metal objects such as spoons left inside of a microwave will spark and ignite, that is because the metal is acting as an antenna and will

begin conducting electrical current, which creates heat energy. By placing a metal object in a microwave, you’re turning your microwave oven into a convection oven that has no internal thermometer to control it, which will cause serious damage to your microwave, your food and probably kick the circuit breaker in response.

I cannot stress this enough: Don’t do this at home. Watch it

on YouTube if you’re that curious about it.

As a final disclaimer, yes, a microwave oven uses a form of radiation to cook your food.

No, a microwave oven in your house won’t give you cancer, and neither will standing near your satellite dish that uses the same form of radiation to receive signals for your TV. Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner l Don’t know much about menta May is National Mental Health Month. Here are a few facts about mental health: • Mental, neurological and substance use disorders make up 10% of the global burden of disease and 30% of non-fatal disease burden, according to the World Health Organization.

• About one in five of the world’s children and adolescents have a mental disorder.

• Depression is one of the leading causes of disability, affecting 264 million people.

• About half of mental disorders begin before the age of 14.

• Almost 800,000 people die by suicide every year; one person dies from suicide every 40 seconds. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in individuals aged 15-29 years. (If you or anyone you know has ever expressed thoughts of suicide, please seek help from the many

health?

We can help!

resources offered locally, including the NAMI Far North helpline, 208-946-5595 where you can talk with someone that can help.)

• One in four Idahoans live with a mental condition.

• Around one in nine people in settings affected by conflict have a moderate or severe mental disorder.

• The number of mental health care workers varies from below two per 100,000 people in low-income countries to more than 70 per 100,000 in high-income countries.

• Fewer than half of the 139 countries that have mental health policies and plans report having these aligned with human rights conventions.

• The global economy loses about $1 trillion per year in productivity due to depression and anxiety.

COMMUNITY

Beehives to bangs: Hair through the ages

By Hannah Combs Reader Contributor

Have you found yourself lately standing in front of the mirror, hoping that quarantine will last the three months it takes to flesh out a proper handlebar mustache? Have you gone crazy wrangling squirmy children while giving them lopsided haircuts? Have you taken the midnight plunge into the fraught world of bangs?

We’ve been seeing a lot of creative home haircuts in the past weeks. In an effort to distract you from the agonizing mustache wait or your fidgety children — and to give you one last chance to rethink the bang situation — we’re sharing the surprising history behind some of the most iconic hairstyles of the past.

The beehive was one of the most dramatic and accessible looks of the 1960s and is still favored as a showstopper by the likes of Beyoncé. Modern Beauty Shop magazine in 1960 commissioned Chicago celebrity hairstylist Margaret Vinci Heldt to bring life back to the stale world of hair. Heldt designed the style to fit under a particular fez she adored. When the towering look was assembled for the magazine, Margaret took the hatpin from her fez — shaped like a bee — and adorned the hairdo with it. With that, the beehive was born.

Expected to be a passing fad, Heldt was shocked by the longevity of the hairstyle’s appeal. But for millions of women around the world, she had hit upon an idea that made a statement and was actually quite easy to construct.

The beehive relies on two simple techniques: backcombing and lots of hairspray. For women who had spent hours curling their hair for the intricate hairdos of the previous

decades, it was a no brainer.

Hairspray had become ubiquitous after it was ingeniously paired with the aerosol can in 1948, and backcombing, though destructive on split ends, was a fast way to achieve volume.

Another look known for dramatic volume was the facial hair popularized by Ambrose Burnside, a Union general who led several battles of the Civil War as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Thanks to developments in the art of photography, his other legacy is not soon to be forgotten: epic sideburns.

Though not the first to sport the distinguished look, Burnside was incredibly proud of his facial hair, and as a prominent figure in society, the look was named after him.

Legend tells that as a young cadet at West Point (and a bit of a trickster), Burnside first donned the distinctive look to skirt a rule against long beards.

By shaving his chin, he was able to sidestep the rules, and he never looked back.

As many of us have discovered, there’s another common hairstyle you can’t easily go

back on: the bangs. Love them or hate them, they have ridden the waves of hair history for more than a millenium. Though often thought to have originated with ancient Egyptians, thanks to depictions of Cleopatra in film, surviving Egyptian wigs merely show longer strands or braids of hair placed low across the forehead.

True bangs, cut in a fringe, were first popularized by a Persian musician and polymath known as Ziryab. He was invited as a cultural diplomat to the Cordoba court of early Spain in 822 CE and started one of the first music schools that was open to both male and female students. He took his role seriously; and, aside from influencing popular hairstyles and fashions, he also promoted hygiene practices like dental care, regular bathing and treating hair with fragrant oils.

Bangs reappear in many forms throughout history and, by the 1920s, they were cemented in our hairstyle vocabulary by fashionable flappers like Louise Brooks.

Whether you want to extravagantly style your facial hair,

dye your hair with food coloring or bravely take the scissors to your locks, there’s no time like the present to experiment.

History provides thousands of do’s and don’ts for your entertainment and inspiration.

Or maybe it seems wiser to wait until the salon reopens and hand your hair over to the professionals. However it turns out, don’t split too many hairs

Left: Actress Brigitte Bardot flaunts a beehive in 1962. Right: Portrait of General Ambrose Burnside by Mathew Brady, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

over it — just have fun.

Brought to you by the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum. Research courtesy of Helin Jung, Silk Road Rising and the American Battlefield Trust.

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ELECTION

Questions and answers

Bonner County Commissioner candidate Butch Horton on the issues

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Sandpoint Reader: What is a specific challenge you see Bonner County facing in the coming year? How might you face that challenge?

Butch Horton: Responding to the economic downturn in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic will certainly take front row. I would face the challenge by exploring new and deepening old relationships with all stakeholders in this county. That is key to the economic progress that will surely come. We must remember that it is timber and agriculture that built this county, as well as this state. To borrow a statement from BCEDC [Bonner County Economic Development Corporation], “A community is defined by the people who plant their roots in an area, build businesses, take risks and transform ideas into realities.”

SR: Over the past year, the largest story to come out of the county was undoubtedly the lawsuit initiated

by Bonner County against the city regarding The Festival at Sandpoint’s policy banning weapons from War Memorial Field. Records show that spending on the lawsuit between both municipalities has topped $100,000, to date. There are many in the community questioning whether this spending is justified — especially at a time when economic stability for the

region has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. What is your opinion on the lawsuit?

BH: As I have stated before, I am a supporter of the Second Amendment.

Having said that, I personally believe that the county could have done more to move away from litigation. One hundred thousand dollars, to date? I’m not a lawyer but I’m not sure the county should have sued on behalf of a citizen.

Commissioner [Steve] Bradshaw stated that he spearheaded the suit on behalf of Sandpoint police officers. What concerns me most going forward is that officials are concerned now that this situation has the potential to devolve into a scenario not unlike the deadly clash at a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.

SR: The Idaho House and Senate battled during the 2020 session over the issue of how to institute property tax relief for Idahoans — especially in fast-growing counties. What would you, as someone on the “front lines” of the issue as a possible county commissioner, like to see put in place? What policies need to change and why? How would you balance property tax relief with the need for growth to pay for growth?

BH: We are in uncertain times and don’t know what is ahead. We need to gather good information and make

pragmatic decisions for all. I do not think we should be making big political decisions on property taxes right now when we are in the midst of a pandemic crisis. Having said that, I understand the concern right now about property taxes.

We need a short-term and a long-term approach. Perhaps we might consider a one-year freeze while the governor and legislative body truly evaluates this problem — beyond just a political fix.

SR: What do you see as the essential “nuts-and-bolts” duties of the commissioners? Do you see identity politics — as opposed to more broad-based, non-ideological approaches — as productive or hindering to progress?

BH: The essential role of the county commissioner is explicit in Idaho state code.Title 31 Chapter 8 of Idaho Code sets out the duties of a county commissioner. First and foremost, it is to assess, collect and manage the collection and disbursement of the taxes you and I pay and the fees assessed by the county.

Additionally, to supervise the official conduct of all county officers, appointed boards or commissions charged with assessing, collecting, safekeeping, management or disbursement of public monies and revenues; see that they faithfully perform their duties. Within this I see nothing pertaining to identity politics. It would absolutely hinder the job set forth by the state Idaho, as it so often does here.

Butch Horton Age: 62 Years of residence in Bonner County: 2 years in Bonner County, 8 years in Idaho Education: AAS Pre-engineering from Weber State College, Bachelors of Economics from the University of Idaho Recent or pertinent employment or professional qualifications: Food and beverage director for Best Western; finance manager, general sales manager and general manager for retail automotive groups; project manager, construction site superintendent, quality control and safety officer for a government contractor working for the Veterans Hospital Administration.

How can voters contact you? votebutch@butchforbonnercounty.com, 208-304-4702

Publisher’s Note: Butch Horton is challenging Bonner County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw in the Tuesday, May 19 primary election. The Sandpoint Reader sent Bradshaw several emails asking him to participate in this election profile, but his assistant informed the newspaper that he declined. To see local candidates – including Bradshaw – answer questions at the virtual candidates forum on April 28, visit: bit.ly/BonnerCandidatesForum2020.

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ELECTION

Clip out this form and request your May 19 primary ballot

By Reader Staff The Bonner County Elections Office is reminding Idaho voters that they must request an absentee ballot to vote in the Tuesday, May 19 primary. The request form is available to the right â&#x20AC;&#x201D; simply clip out the form and mail it to Elections, 1500 Highway 2, Ste. 124, Sandpoint, Idaho, 83864.

Forms may also be emailed to elections@bonnercountyid.gov or faxed to 208-263-9178. Alternatively, completed forms may be hand-carried to the locked ballot box outside the office door at the Bonner County Administration Building in Sandpoint.

Voters may also apply for an absentee ballot online at idahovotes.gov or download the paper request form from the same website. Forms may also be found on the table outside the Bonner County Elections office door.

Completed absentee ballot request forms must be received by elections officials by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19.

If a voter is not registered, they may fill out a registration card and deliver it with the application for the absentee ballot form. Election officials said they need an original signature on the registration card, which means it must be snail-mailed or hand-delivered.

Registration forms may be found at IdahoVotes.gov or on the table outside the Bonner County Elections office door.

Ballots typically take seven to 10 days to be sent out after receiving an absentee ballot request form; but, due to the high volume of calls, Bonner County Elections is asking voters to wait two weeks before contacting the elections office if they have still not received their ballots in the mail.

Voted ballots must be returned to the elections office by 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 2.

Results for the May 19 primary election will be available on the Bonner County website on the night of June 2: bonnercountyid.gov/departments/Elections.

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FEATURE

‘This big stink’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Like most people, the period of time since March has been, well, let’s say illuminating for me and mine. I have learned a lot of things about myself — many of them I’d rather not have known — but I’ve also experienced an ever-deepening appreciation for the wisdom and resilience displayed by my children.

My kids, whom I’ll refer to only by their first initials to honor their privacy and spare them any further embarrassment suffered by having me as their dad, are 8 and 5. J is my son and he’s the oldest.

He’s in second grade, an expert in Minecraft and Lego master. E is my daughter and she’s the youngest. She’s a pre-K kid and ecstatic about becoming a kindergartner in the fall. She is an enthusiast for dragons and a preternatural artist.

A week or two ago, I realized that amid all the craziness spurred by our family’s confrontation with the coronavirus, I hadn’t bothered to ask them how they’re doing.

Since my kids are the smartest people I know, it came as no surprise to me that our conversation morphed into a formal interview, in which they were both more than happy to participate.

Of course, being the over-thinking person that I am, I did a little research on how you’re supposed to talk to your children about COVID-19 and the changes to our lives it hath wrought. Despite there being about a million articles on the subject, they all come down to a simple directive: don’t laden your little ones with your anxiety about the virus, the economy, the state of political play, your disastrous personal health/hygiene habits amid quarantine, your shock and dismay at how people seem to have forgotten how to drive in the past two months — you name it.

That’s pretty good advice in general, but we live in hyper-anxious times, and my wife and I have failed more often than not to shield J and E from the real-time

freak out in which we’ve found ourselves.

All that’s to say it doesn’t take a credentialed child psychologist to tell me that my kids are every bit as messed in the head about all this as my wife and I are. We both work from home. We both hold graduate degrees. We have been married almost 14 years — together as a couple for nigh on 20 years. One might think we’d be more well positioned to address the challenges of schooling our kids at home while also running a household, holding down jobs and staying more or less happily married all while occupying the same 1,500-square-foot space.

One would be wrong. Still, my kids often reveal themselves to be the levelest heads in the place.

When I began interviewing J and E in earnest, the first question I asked them was what they know about the coronavirus — a baseline question, but an important one.

“I know that it’s bad and people can’t really touch each other,” said E. “I’m not saying it can actually happen when somebody touches somebody else, but I know that if somebody touches somebody too much then they might get the coronavirus, and I don’t want my friends to get the coronavirus.”

My son put a finer point on it, as he often does: “I know that the coronavirus can kill people and I don’t like it because I can’t do normal school and we’re not going places as usually as we were.”

Both were immediately able to tell me about common modes of transmission — physical contact, sneezing on people, etc. — and rattled off the advised methods of keeping people safe: self-isolating, social distancing, sporting masks in public.

“We stay in our house and don’t touch anybody, other than our family, because we don’t want anybody to get sick,” J said.

Asked how they’re coping, and whether there is anything “fun” about the situation, J was quick to say, “Not really.”

E, however, saw the unexpected benefit of both quality — and

An editor and father interviews his — very perceptive — children about the coronavirus

quantity — family time.

“You guys might not think this is fun, but I think it’s fun that we can see each other,” she said.

“Usually, we couldn’t really see each other and I like it that we get to see each other.”

Hearing that line of reasoning, J softened his assessment of family lockdown.

“You guys are always at your offices and we’re always at our school, so we don’t get to see each other that much,” he said. “I like seeing you guys more.”

Good boy.

That said, both reported being bored and frequently “annoyed.”

“Sometimes it gets a little bit hard to be in the house with everybody while we’re missing all these fun things that are happening, like parties,” said E, perhaps unaware that no one is going to parties and there are no fun things happening anywhere. “Sometimes I get a little sad that I can’t go there.”

As a second-grader, J is feeling the absence of school more than E, though she had a vibrant social and educational scene at her now-shuttered day care/pre-K class.

“I just miss being able to be with people,” said J, singling out his teacher as a figure he especially misses.

He did offer some measured praise for his parents as educators.

“It’s actually pretty cool,” he added. “It’s like a whole different little school. I kind of like it and I kind of don’t; the work is a little different.”

Mostly, J said, it’s hard to stay concentrated at home “because there’s so much stuff laying

around.”

Noted: Do a better job tidying the house.

E returned again and again to her feeling of social isolation, saying, “it gets a little bit tiring” having to avoid “all this stuff and there’s so much things that I think that’s usually going to happen; I mean, like, if this wasn’t going around there would be so much cool stuff going on. I would be having recess, meeting all my friends … then this big stink came around and then I didn’t really get to see my friends anymore and I got kind of really sad.”

If I ever had any doubts about the profound excellence and importance of our local educators — and I didn’t — I sure as hell don’t have any now. As a parent, I do not think I’m alone in this new, deeper appreciation for their tireless work. Also, can we start calling COVID-19 “this big stink”?

What broke my heart was when I asked J and E to list their most often-felt emotions during this time. E listed “disappointed, annoyed, sad” and “sometimes I have ‘angry,’ a little bit.” J said he feels “a drowsiness” and is “scared … a little bit.” In addition to sharing his sister’s disappointment, annoyance and sadness, he’s “scared that it’s going to be around for a long time” and misses hugs with his grandma.

The emotion that surprised me most, coming from J, was “curious.” Asked to elaborate, he said he’s “curious what could happen.”

“What if the coronavirus goes away tomorrow?” he said. “I’m curious about what everybody’s

going to do. … Are they going to reopen everything? What are people going to do after the coronavirus is done? Are they going to go everywhere or are they going to stay in their house as much as when the coronavirus was here?”

For his part, J said he’s “going to go outside as much as I can and hug people as much as I can.”

E picked up on J’s curiosity and added “excited” and “silly” — her excitement coming from the idea that “we can have fun again” and the silliness stemming from her opinion that, “I think it’s a little bit silly that they closed everything.”

J was unconvinced by E’s argument, gently reminding her that “they did that so people could be safe.” She shrugged.

“I think they should go outside a little bit,” she added.

When I asked them to tell me what word or phrase pops into their heads when they hear “coronavirus,” E jumped right in: “I feel like, ‘Don’t say it anymore.’ I’m tired of hearing it.”

Again, J gave his sister a nudge, reminding her that “that’s how a lot of people feel.”

“It’s just so weird that I just don’t want anybody to say it again,” she added.

To wind up our interview, I asked them how they cope with these feelings. Both said that they enjoy playing together a lot more these days, but E said she prefers not to think about the disruptions to her normal routine — instead working on her drawing “because it kind of gets my thoughts away and doing something that I like.”

J said when he feels annoyed, he tries to “just kind of let it pass on and go on with my day. I wait and I do my own thing while I’m frustrated and it goes away.”

E also likes “playing harmonica; I’m not that good though.” J likes to ride his bike.

Asked how he thinks his parents are doing through all this, J delivered the crushing blow: “I like to think about how much you guys like booze.”

Ouch, but a good reminder that they really are always watching.

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STAGE & SCREEN

True crime is truly divine

Why we’re so obsessed with this genre of documentary filmmaking

By Ben Olson Reader Staff America is obsessed with true crime. It seems everywhere you turn there is another true crime documentary series that delves into the dark, evil, sometimes morbidly funny underworld of criminal activity. Chances are, while reading this, you are thinking of a friend or loved one who is always searching for the next Forensic Files (spoiler alert: there is actually a new Forensic Files reboot that began airing new episodes in February 2020 on HLN).

According to experts, the heart of our infatuation with true crime stems simply from the idea that evil fascinates us. Where else can you get such a glimpse into the minds of people who have committed heinous crimes? Forensic psychologist Dr. Paul G. Mattiuzzi, quoted in Psychology Today, said one of the reasons we’re so taken by stories of murder specifically is that it is “a most fundamental taboo, and also, perhaps, a most fundamental human impulse.”

The genre is not a new one by a long shot. Shows like Forensic Files, Unsolved Mysteries and America’s Most Wanted captured our attention in the 1980s and ’90s; but, with the advent of online streaming services and the introduction of the limited series, it’s fair to say true crime has very much become en vogue again. One can’t peruse Netflix without coming across at least a half dozen or more examples of the genre.

For true crime lovers like Ginger Ewing — who acknowledges her obsession with the true crime “runs deep” — the infatua-

tion developed at an early age.

“I grew up on Unsolved Mysteries,” Ewing said. “Robert Stack was my hero. …

One of my biggest regrets is not writing him a letter before he passed away.”

Ewing, who is the executive director and co-founder for the nonprofit Terrain art cooperative in Spokane, Wash., said her love of true crime almost led to a career in forensics.

“I went away to college thinking I was going to be a doctor of forensics,” she said.

“I left thinking I was going to be a forensic anthropologist. Now I’m working in the arts.”

Ewing said she’s more drawn to the “’90s-feel” productions instead of campy, overacted takes on the genre. She said she’s seen every one of the 285 episodes of Forensic Files at least 20 or 30 times, and falls asleep to the show every night. Every.

Night.

“Narration is such a big aspect of a quality true crime documentary,” she said.

“Robert Stack narrated Unsolved Mysteries.

Peter Thomas, he was the narrator of Forensic Files. I know, I’m a geek. … There’s a comparison to AM radio or ambient noise — there’s something about it that’s weirdly comforting to listen to.”

For Ewing, her love of the genre is about more than mere escapism.

“One of the things that it is fascinating to me is nature versus nurture — I know that’s a bit too simplistic — but there isn’t a ton that separates me from a criminal,” she said. “I’m into the psychology behind why people commit crimes. It’s about, ‘What

did that person go through in life where committing crimes is the answer?’ Humanizing [criminals] can help you understand their crimes and possibly prevent them. We have to delve into the psychology behind it to better understand it.”

While Ewing has ingested thousands of hours of true crime documentaries over the years, she acknowledged she doesn’t live in fear of a serial killer striking — but she’s prepared for it just in case.

“I think I’m perhaps more acutely aware of crime in general,” she said. “I know if I’m walking down the street I need to make eye contact with people because serial killers tend to target people who don’t make eye contact.”

What’s Ewing’s jam right now for true crime documentary recommendations?

Murder Comes to Town (“It reminds me of a modern-day City Confidential — Bill Curtis was the narrator for that one”); Case File podcast (“Hands down the best true crime podcast; the narrator is really engaging”); and Evil Lives Here (“That one is about a family member who commits heinous crimes — it’s more intimate with the knowledge in the psychology of why someone commits a crime”).

What does Ewing’s husband — fellow Terrain founder Luke Baumgarten — think of her obsession?

“He thinks I’m crazy,” she laughed.

“But he gets his video games, I get my true crimes. There’s balance there.”

French ‘therapy drama’ playing in Panida’s virtual screening series

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff If there isn’t one yet, there needs to be a name for the principle that, “If you can think of it, there’s a movie genre for it.” Read the reviews for Someone Somewhere, the French-language 2019 film by director Cédric Klapisch, and you’ll see the term “therapy drama” pop up more than a few times.

Taken at face value, such a description might lead viewers to believe they’re about to watch a movie about people laying on couches as they lay bare their problems.

That would be accurate, to a degree, but there is a lot more going on in Klapisch’s film, which the Panida Theater will offer Friday, May 8-Thursday, May 14 as part of its Virtual Screening Room series.

Warehouse worker Rémy (François Civil) and research assistant Mélanie (Ana

collide.

Girardot) do need help. One is an insomniDescribed as a “slow-burn,” the film ac, the other sleeps all the time. The former draws the viewer into this gravitational pull, has collapsed in on himself under the watching as Rémy and Mélanie spin along numbing nature of his dead-end job, while in their tracks, all the while delivering a the former’s sense of numbed isolation has series of critiques about post-post-modern propelled her into a series of one-off relatech-driven alienation and the personal tionships facilitated by hook-up apps. self-loathing it enables. They can’t connect Both are depressed and alone, yet the because they won’t connect with anything, twist lies in the fact that they live next much less themselves. door to one another in the kind of middling While the scenes of psychoanalysis offer neighborhood that single 30-somethings exposition, Klapisch’s real would be able to afford in trick is toying with the meetthe City of Light.

Someone Despite their proximity cute, romantic connection, Somewhere (NR) whose timing and developand obvious similarities, they’ve never met and their ment defy expectations.

Streaming Friday, May Though elements of Somedaily routines operate in 8-Thursday, May 14; viewing one Somewhere can be found the way of two asteroids — available anytime for 72 tethered by a shared yet rehours after payment; $12. Ac- in dozens — maybe hundreds — of other films, this one is mote orbit that we presume cess the film at panida.org/ more than the sum of its parts. will someday cause them to event/someone-somewhere.

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater Chicago or bust

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist My bags are packed and my new (to me) Ford Edge is loaded with everything I’ll need for this week’s epic, 1,800-mile, Chicago-or-bust road trip.

Though most states I’ll be driving through have lifted some of their restrictions, I won’t take any chances. Chicago hasn’t even reached its virus apex yet, and the city is still tightly locked down. It’s hard to believe I won’t be touching down at O’Hare or stepping off the Empire Builder and onto the platform at Union Station.

In the past 20 years — between birthing businesses and babies — I’ve been to Chicago at least 20 times. But this is my first road trip.

I’ve mapped my route and planned three days of picnic-style menus. Oldest daughter, Ryanne (of little faith), has also planted a GPS on my phone, so she can pinpoint my location when I get lost (it’s my only character flaw). With yoga mats, comforters and fluffy pillows, I’ve prepared a nice cozy bed in the back of my SUV. I only plan to stop for fuel and a couple of overnight stays at KOA Campgrounds.

The KOAs will be a first for me. My vision of camping includes overnight stays at great national parks in historic old lodges, like the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park. If I’m really roughing it, I’m OK with the communal bathroom down the hall and even wandering downstairs to 18 /

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the lobby for coffee or ice. I can’t remember the last time — if ever — that I slept in my car, but duty calls, and I am well prepared for the adventure.

If my youngest daughter, Casey, wasn’t in a high-risk pregnancy, I would have chosen the aforementioned air or train modes of travel. But it’s simply not an option as I need to do my best to be free of this insidious virus that’s wreaking havoc on all of our lives.

I hope to roll into the Windy City on Mother’s Day, which will be fitting: It was the day I left, two years ago, after nearly losing Casey and my youngest grandson to a difficult birth experience.

This is a big week for me.

Besides Sammy’s second birthday on May 7, prepping for my marathon road trip and Mother’s Day, this is also National Nurses week.

I said it two years ago after spending a week at the hospital in Chicago, and it’s worth repeating: My heroes wear scrubs. And masks. If there was ever a time to show our appreciation for nurses, this is the time. I am in awe of their bravery and their commitment to their profession. I think we’re all inspired by them; and, if you have the time, money and inclination, it would be a nice time to remember them with a token of your appreciation.

I know I’m going to do something nice for our local nurses as well as the ones who’ll be assisting Casey real soon.

I’ll be going alone on this journey (aside from a living head of Pete’s butter lettuce).

And even though I’ve been completely isolated for the past 50 days, I’m still looking forward to this solo trip. I’m especially looking forward to a

reprieve from my kitchen.

To be honest, I’m all baked out. A little break from Facebook will be welcome, too.

It seems like everyone I don’t know has been baking up a sourdough storm. My Facebook feed is full of cleverly named starters and beautifully scored loaves, alongside myriad fails. Recently, one woman nearly broke the baking internet with her rant that went viral. She threw a huge tantrum because there were too many amateurs attempting to make homemade bread just for the pictures, and she wasn’t getting her privileged portion of pastry flour. She received so much online criticism that she had to delete the profiles on all her social media accounts.

I have no need to attempt a perfect loaf of sourdough bread. The bar was set high by Heidi Gunter at Heidi’s Bread,

Classic Spanish Migas

and all I need to do is send her a message by Friday for a Monday delivery in Sandpoint — you can do the same by contacting her via Facebook.

Once I realized a loaf a week was excessive for one person, I started freezing a portion of each loaf.

Whether you’re baking or buying, here’s a delicious option for the bread that might be going stale on your countertop — migas, a traditional dish of Spain, made with dried (then moistened) bread, cooked crispy in olive oil. I’m here to tell you that it’s equally delicious (and addictive) for breakfast, lunch or supper, but maybe not on the same day — and now you know why I’m traveling with lettuce.

I wish everyone (especially all the mommas) a safe and sunny Mother’s Day!

4 servings

This classic version of the Spanish migas is made from leftover bread and chorizo — The outside of the bread should be crispy, the inside tender. Migas can be served for breakfast with fried eggs, or for supper served with green salad and a glass of crisp white wine.

INGREDIENTS: • 2-3 cups dried bread from loaf (3-4 day old works best) • 1 cup chopped chorizo meat • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed • 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil • water • sea salt • 1 tbs paprika • Fine chopped parsley or basil

DIRECTIONS: Cut the bread into approx. 1-inch cubes. Place them in a shallow bowl and sprinkle liberally with water, toss. Leave to absorb, set aside.

Cut or crumble the chorizo.

On medium heat, pour 2 tbs oil in a frying pan, add garlic and fry until golden. Add the meat and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Season with paprika and salt and a sprinkle of water. Toss in the bread, drizzle remaining oil over bread and stir continuously with a wooden spoon, until golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped herbs. Serve warm.

OUTDOORS

Clearing the way

Local trail volunteers have a passion for preservation

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff A windstorm ripped through North Idaho in mid-March, leaving thousands of residences without power and just as many trees blocking roads and damaging structures.

Many local trails systems also suffered. However, those who braved the early spring chill the following weekend to get out and explore those systems noticed that fresh cuts in the downed trees indicated a swift and thorough cleanup effort — but by whom?

In the case of Pine Street Woods — which saw hundreds of trees down in the March storm — the cleanup effort was a combination of professionally hired loggers and the Pend Oreille Pedalers: a Sandpoint-based bicycle-club-turned-nonprofit focused on building and maintaining trails throughout the Idaho Panhandle.

Kaniksu Land Trust, the organization that oversees the Pine Street Woods, partners with local groups to keep trails accessible.

KLT Executive Director Katie Egland Cox said that while POP maintains the woods’ narrow trails, the Sandpoint Nordic Club takes care of the wide trails.

“KLT could not do all the work that is needed to maintain and upkeep the trails on our own,” Cox said. “We are so grateful for the time, energy and resources our partners devote to trail work and maintenance.”

Among the volunteers helping to coordinate the recent Pine Street Woods cleanup was Jeff Thompson, trail director for the North Idaho Trails Coalition. NITC is a recently formed umbrella organization for local trails groups, currently a collaboration between KLT and the two groups managing the Pine Street trails.

Thompson said that while NITC is still

shaping its mission, one of its top priorities is connectivity. He said NITC aims to bring expertise and assistance to all local trails, whether they be “from downtown to the mountains” or from your “house to the grocery store.”

“We’re focused on non-motorized moving around — no matter what you’re doing it for,” he said.

Thompson said that unlike many recreational pastimes, trail enthusiasts are often the ones wielding the tools and spending the hours to keep beloved areas accessible.

“Trail users have a certain amount of passion for what they do, and when there’s no one out there to do the work, they do it themselves,” Thompson said, adding that this praise is limited to those groups that maintain trails legally — creating relationships with land managers and using practices that help preserve the trails.

Pend Oreille Pedalers volunteers help clear downed trees from the trail at Sherwood Forest in Sandpoint. Photo by Jason Welker.

In the end, Thompson said it’s about working hard to provide everyone with experiences in the outdoors. With 25 years of professional trail work under his belt, the NITC director is as close as someone can get to being a certified authority on why those experiences are so important. To him, it’s a matter of getting back to basics.

“If you break it all down — everything — we’ve got Mother Earth, and we’ve got these routes that we walk,” Thompson said, “and that’s how it all started.”

For more information about the North Idaho Trails Coalition, reach Thompson at jeff@northidahotrails.org. Learn more about the Pend Oreille Pedalers at pendoreillepedalers.org.

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HEALTH

Have a nice bidet

How the coronavirus can help us rethink even the basics of everyday life

By Kelly Price Reader Contributor Once I got stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel. There were unexplained mechanical difficulties that brought about an unannounced hour-long sabbatical from Earth high in the twilight sky. My small son and I had no idea how long it would last, so we made the best of it, singing dorky songs and marveling at what we could see with our new bird’s eye view.

Many years later, while searching for silver linings during this crazy time of quarantined suspension, I’m reminded of that hour long ago, rocking in our gondola. Don’t get me wrong: The uncertainty of this crisis is closer to a dark, underground roller coaster with no foreseeable end to the ride. But alternating between days of confusion and unease, I think we’ve all found ourselves in moments of serenity and a sense of heightened perspective.

It was during one of those moments that an important realization came into sharp focus for me. When the dust cleared from the snorting, elbowing stampede of toilet paper hoarders, it was starkly clarified that we prize our hygienic dignity above many other things. After all, potty training is a formative and essential rite of passage. During this phase, toddlers around the globe are taught how to do it “right.” And “right,” of course, varies from place to place.

During our toddlerhood in the U.S. of A., we dutifully jump on the consumer

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train — hardwired to believe certain products (in this case, toilet paper) are essential household items. Meanwhile, toddlers in many other countries are initiated into the world of personal hygiene with a far cleaner, more efficient alternative: bidets.

For the uninitiated, bidets are toilet fixtures that have been commonly used worldwide since as early as the 1600s.

They’re basically small shower heads that use water pressure to cleanse our “bits,” as the English call our bums and genitals.

They actually leave one feeling much cleaner and refreshed “in the end,” so to speak.

So why aren’t they popular here in the U.S.? One source says Americans first saw them installed in European brothels during World War II, perpetuating the idea that bidets were associated with sex work.

Also, it’s possible that because the fixture was a French invention, it was rejected by the English and that sentiment drifted across the pond. Plus, most bathrooms weren’t big enough to house an extra appliance.

That’s all changing with manufacturers producing new iterations of the bidet.

There are all sorts, including a hand-held bidet that is easily retrofitted onto your toilet for as low as $49.

Carrying the banner for more ecological sustainability, articles in both Rolling Stone and Scientific American cite sources that claim Americans use more than 36 million rolls of TP every year, resulting in the loss of 15 million trees. Meanwhile,

the bathroom brand TUSHY reports the average person uses 80% less toilet paper when equipped with a bidet.

In response to the bathroom tissue shortage, bidets are gaining popularity.

TUSHY CEO Jason Ojalvo reports that sales of his company’s bidets have grown 10 times within the last few weeks.

Returning to that “Ferris wheel moment,” I’ll sum this up with my aha! realization, regarding our cultural myopia. “What?” you say, “We were on it.

We were proactive and forward thinking when we wrestled 300 roles of TP off the Costco shelves for our families.” Well, hurray for acting fast and taking care of business. What could possibly be shortsighted about that?

Heightened perspective is in order.

At first, notions like this are often difficult to imagine. Changing our perceptions about something that seems so

fundamentally linked with good hygiene and proper self care feels counterintuitive.

Yet, how does any cultural change ever take place? By shifting and adapting to what is more available, sustainable and convenient.

Ironically, since many of us are huddling close to the hearth and observing the recommendations to shelter in place, we’re deeper in our comfort zones than ever before. Paradoxically, we’re also at a crossroads, and the opportunity for embracing the spirit of carpe diem is most definitely upon us.

We can seize the day in myriad ways, choosing to use the current crisis as a springboard to better living. Adaptation, after all, has proved itself throughout history as being the key to resilience.

MUSIC

Turning downtime to jam time Making music is a popular pandemic pastime

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

The online music retail industry is seeing a surge in sales, thanks in large part to the abundance of free time many are experiencing amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

In some cases, these purchases tell the story of musicians breathing new life into an already loved instrument — new drumheads, strings, tuners, polish. Music retailer Sweetwater has seen such purchases regularly in recent weeks, and company CEO Chuck Surack told Rolling Stone that he gets a warm, fuzzy feeling while filling those kinds of orders.

“You can just tell that they’re taking the time to take their guitar apart, upgrade it, hot rod it and make it new again,” he said. “It’s been fun to watch that stuff as I physically pack the boxes [in our warehouse] myself.”

Sales of new instruments have also seen a spike —

even more so than during the holidays, according to Rolling Stone. Large music retailer Guitar Center reports that online sales of acoustic guitars and ukuleles — instruments conducive to a quiet, home environment — are seeing a hefty increase. Overall, Guitar Center has seen about a 100% increase in sales since the pandemic necessitated that people shelter in place.

As storefronts reopen locally, one can only hope this renewed interest in making music — whether by purchasing a new instrument or wiping the dust from a rediscovered one — will lead to supporting small music shops across the country.

Rolling Stone also reports that digital music-making software has seen increased traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Google searches for Grarageband have increased 55% and hundreds of thousands of users are downloading free trials of higher-end production

applications.

This all means one thing: people are at home, making music. From beginners to hobbyists to professionals, DIY music is finding new life in the hands of people across the world.

As Rolling Stone asks, will this spark a musical renaissance? Maybe. More likely, though, people are simply finding comfort in creation.

Wilburn Custom Shop in Sandpoint has seen some action through its curbside services for both buying music equipment and dropping off instruments for repair. Owner Scott Wilburn told the Sandpoint Reader that he has been taking advantage of the pandemic-induced downtime to get back to his own musical projects. He said he has done more work in the past three months on an album that he started three years ago than he had accomplished in the past two years. He has also recently produced two new music videos.

“I am connected to a lot of other musicians via social media, and many fellow musicians have posted home concerts, solo videos, art and so much

more,” he said. “With lots of time on their hands, music is a great way [for idled people] to feel productive.”

Red Simpson, owner of Fiddlin’ Red’s Music in Sandpoint, has also been offering curbside services. The music teacher and multi-instrumentalist said he has been enjoying playing more music at home, and that he can understand why some people are also getting back into the swing of things with instruments of their own.

“People are playing more music at home and breaking out their guitar and violin strings for comfort reasons,” he said. “It gives people good vibes.”

Wilburn shared the same sentiment.

“One can only watch so much TV, eh?” he joked. “But seriously, music has always been therapy, and let’s face it — it has been a scary time for a lot of people. Music has always been a great outlet for people’s emotions, and I believe being creative in a time when so much is uncertain gives people a feeling of stability when nothing else seems stable.”

New live stream lineup Thursday night

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The Sandpoint Reader’s Thursday Night Live stream concert series will air its seventh episode Thursday, May 7 from 7-8:30 p.m. with a new lineup of local musicians.

Local musician Brian Jacobs will start the show off from 7-7:45 p.m. In honor of The Festival at Sandpoint, whose organizers announced May 4 that the 2020 season would be canceled due to the coronavirus, Jacobs told the Reader he plans to play a decade of covers from artists who have performed at The Festival during

the 2010s.

Chris Lynch and Lauren Kershner will follow from 7:458:30 p.m. Lynch’s raucous piano playing has been a mainstay in Sandpoint for decades, and Kershner had been building a following from her gigs at the Back Door before the coronavirus pandemic resulted in the closure of all our favorite bars and restaurants.

To watch the free live streamed concerts, which are sponsored by the Reader and Happy Tech Services, just follow the link below at 7 p.m., or find the Sandpoint Reader Podcast Series channel on YouTube.com.

bit.ly/ReaderLive3

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

READ

I love coming-ofage novels that share stories of greatness and achievement.

Rocket Boys (later titled October Sky to tie in the 1999 feature film), was written as a memoir by Homer Hickam, Jr. It’s the story of a boy growing up in a mining town who pursued amateur rocketry and went on to great things in jet propulsion with NASA. It’s actually the first of four memoires Hickam published, so check out the others if you’re intrigued.

LISTEN

I can appreciate a band name that perfectly captures the essence of the music they create. Cigarettes After Sex is one of the most appropriate names for a band I’ve seen in a while.

This ambient pop band from El Paso, Texas, was founded more than a decade ago. The band’s name evokes a perfect representation of its style: euphoric, romantic, nostalgic and calm — just as you’d expect from a post-coital smoke. Take a drag on the band’s eponymous 2017 album to start (or finish) with.

WATCH

True crime documentaries have enjoyed a resurgence lately (for more on the genre, see Page 17). One of the best I’ve seen recently is McMillion$, the incredible true story of how the McDonald’s Monopoly game was rigged by a couple of shady characters for more than a decade. The eight-episode true crime documentary follows the outrageous investigation by the FBI, weaving a lot of humor in with the wild true story to make this not only entertaining, but jaw-dropping.

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...on the blessings of retirement From Northern Idaho News, May 20, 1932

VALUABLE PRIZES FOR SQUIRRELS Seventeen Prizes Are Offered by Kiwanis for Killing Pest in County Before June 20 The squirrel-killing contest to rid Bonner county of the ground squirrel pest is now in full swing, having started on May 15 and will run until June 20, when it will end with the largest number of squirrels ever killed in a contest in the county, it is hoped by the sponsors.

Those entering the contest should bring the tails of the killed squirrels to the Cranston Bros.

Hardware company or the M.W. Foster Hardware company, where they will be counted, a receipt issued and copies of the receipt turned over to the agricultural committee of the Kiwanis club who will list them and at the end of the contest announce the winners.

It is urged that tails be brought in as often as possible.

The following is a list of the prizes that have been offered: First prize - donated by Cranston Bros. one Stevens Favorite 22 rifle.

Second prize - by M.W. Foster Hardware company, one 410 single barrel shotgun.

Third prize - by Jennestad-Larson & Co., one $4.00 hat.

Fourth prize - by Bonner County National bank, five hundred 22 long rifle cartridges.

Fifth prize - by Sandpoint Drug.

Co., one No. 2 box Kodak.

Sixth prize - by Crescent Pharmacy, one luminous dial watch.

Seventh prize - by J.A. Foster & Co., one sleeveless sweater.

Eighth prize - by J.C. Penney Co., one dress shirt.

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By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist

That question, though, made me reckon how much the threat of the virus is telling on me, as it is on many others. Also, I realized how much Retirement means, of more “real” it is for folks not living course, launching full tilt someplace like here. Here, we can get into the rest of life — set out and play golf, ride our bikes, take a to do all the things we hike, take the dog for a walk. Simple, have been wanting to Sandy Compton. mundane, incredibly important things. do, but lacked the long, I only know personally two someones connected strings of time in which to do who’ve had the disease. They both survived them. Maybe not everyone feels that way, it. They live elsewhere and were infected but that’s how I feel, though the world shut by a visitor from afar. I have no other close down to commemorate my first monthly experience of it, no friends or relatives Social Security check. who have died or are in danger of doing Nonetheless, there’s nothing like a so. Considering the situation in big cities chainsaw, a splitting axe, some salvage logging and wood cutting to facilitate social and international hot spots — and Blaine County — I say, “Thank you, Grandma and distancing — nobody else wants to help, Grandpa, for settling here in Montaho.” anyway. So, most of the month of April Still, it’s disturbing to see that some was spent getting reacquainted with my old folks are not getting it — the idea of friend Manual Labor. He’s a good buddy, prevention, not the disease. Right here in and we’ve gotten a lot done in the past, but Montaho are places where folks are still I can only take so much of him at a time. standing or sitting elbow to elbow in situManny’s someone you have to get used to. ations where one good sneeze could infect Sort of like me, I guess. half a small town. Either they don’t care or Still, I was feeling good when Aaron they believe they are bulletproof.

Harris brought his portable mill to saw This makes me a bit more paranoid than the logs I salvaged, and I signed on as his I might be. I don’t stand or sit with them, swamper and advisor. He needed neither, or go places where I see that sort of action, but he was gracious enough not to charge but I have to wonder who I might know me extra for it. I survived three days of who has or will. Are they also chasing their pulling slabs and stacking lumber. Then I recreational beverages with a shot of Lysol? was handed a 36-hour sentence in or near a Even with the “reopening of the econobathroom during which I lost seven pounds. my,” there is still great need to be judicious (Every cloud has a silver lining, right?) about our actions around others.

Of course, the question to consider while I had a dream last night in which two so sequestered was, “Do I have it?” — “it” high-school classmates approached me, one being COVID-19. After two days of severe worry and physical aggravation, I am pleased of whom was evidently ill. His companion said, “He has it. He’s just out having a last to say this morning that I don’t believe I do. look around.”

Food and coffee are once again appealing.

“He” said, “Nice to see you,” reached I am not only hungry, but highly relieved. out and patted me on the shoulder. Then It seems to have been “somethin’ I ’et” and physical exhaustion. Last week, after all, was they casually walked away. The first thing that occurred to me was that I was going to National Overdo It Outdoors Week.

STR8TS Solution

spend the next 14 days in isolation. I was both frightened and enraged. Then I woke up — to gratitude and relief.

I read stories from around the planet that make me cry and acknowledge how absolutely blessed we are to live here and now, but I also need to remind myself and anyone who might read this that we aren’t bulletproof. And we need to care — for ourselves and others. It’s wearing and trying and scary and screwed up, but it is what is.

We are blessed, for sure, but let’s try to not screw up the blessing.

So, on this beautiful, sunny Montaho morning, I’m going to fix myself another cup of coffee, eat a piece of chocolate cake for breakfast — I’m retired, you know — and edit this piece into submission. Then, I’m going to take Golden Canine and his tennis ball down to the river for a swim.

As I go, I will thank the Spirit for where I live and all the other mundane, incredibly special blessings of the day.

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution Whether they find life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet.

Laughing Matter

inflorescence

Woorf tdhe Week

By Bill Borders

/in-flaw-RES-uhns /

[noun] 1. a flowering or blossoming.

“The inflorescence in May is astounding in North Idaho.”

Corrections: Nothing to note this week. Thanks for playing. -BO

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Believe in 6. Credit or playing 10. Angers 14. Fertile areas 15. Comply with 16. Flexible mineral 17. Turf 18. What a person is called 19. Conspiracy 20. A destroyer 22. Evasive 23. Drive 24. Law and _____ 25. Beers 29. Braided cords 31. Squanderer 33. Gifted 37. Straight 38. City in Italy 39. A ceremonial staff 41. Voluntary self-punishment 42. National 44. Lascivious look 45. Toward the outside 48. Criminal 50. Red vegetable 51. Behead 56. Ho-hum 57. Desiccated 58. Papal court 59. If not 60. Abominable Snowman

Solution on page 22 61. Genuflected 62. One who accomplishes 63. Observed 64. Aquatic mammals

DOWN 1. Tailless stout-bodied amphibian 2. Unusual 3. Applications 4. Dispatched 5. Russian emperors 6. Hide

7. Decreases 8. Self-reproach 9. One who colors cloth 10. Emotionless 11. Angered 12. French school 13. Nymph chaser 21. Spoke 24. Bygone 25. Cobblers’ tools 26. Nonclerical 27. Feudal worker 28. Mother’s new mate 30. Enfold 32. Deserved 34. Fermented grape juice

35. Behold, in old Rome 36. A whitetail 40. Umpire 41. Defender 43. Narrate 45. Subsided 46. A stringed instrument 47. Make fun of 49. Cuts 51. Not nights 52. Melody 53. District 54. Cultivate 55. Dines

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