Reader_Nov17_2022

The week in random review

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

20%

The absolute bare minimum you should be tipping ser vice workers. And I’m talking bare minimum.

‘may love prevail’

Of all the rhetoric surrounding the midterm election, one take really stood out to me. A local business owner took to social media to urge her followers to vote, and concluded her message with a simple sentiment: “May love prevail.” Except, it wasn’t simple at all. It was radical, and import ant. If we all approached politics from a place of love, how wildly different would our world be?

don’t jump the shark

I’ve heard the idiom “jumping the shark” but just recently thought to look up what it meant. It is credited to American radio personality Jon Hein, who coined the term in 1985. It is based on a 1977 episode of Happy Days, in which Fonzie literally jumps over a shark while on water skis. “Jumping the shark” essentially means to cease gaining popularity and instead head on a downhill spiral, often accompanied by a drastic shift in tone or elaborate stunt in a desperate attempt to stay relevant.

lyrics i can’t shake

“My baby talks at a mile a minute/ She sings like a church with a choir in it/ She shoots for the moon to land on the stars/ And wakes up heavy with a sunken heart.” — Australia folk duo Oh Pep! in the absolute stunner of a song “Tea, Milk & Honey.”

nov. 18

On this date in 1987, my older sister, Cassie, was born. In so many ways, she is the best big sister anyone could ask for. Our age gap (eight years) could have meant that she exclud ed me during the often more volatile teenage years, but she did just the opposite. We played card games for hours on our bedroom floor, and made collages from cut up magazines. She taught me how to burn mixed CDs, and let me populate my mp3 players with the music on her laptop for years — sometimes even buying albums just because I wanted them. She made it possi ble for me to ex perience amazing things, like travel and concerts and even, once, an NBA game. No matter where she lived (and now, thankfully, only an hour from home) I knew she was only a call away. Plus, she’s a great cook and expert crafter. Honestly, how did I get so lucky? Happy birthday, Sass.

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BoCo Fairgrounds under investigation

Sandpoint Police looking into ‘potential misuse of public funds,’ among other allegations

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey and Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

An investigation into “the po tential misuse of public funds” at the Bonner County Fairgrounds is underway, prompting local law enforcement officials to urge constituents to “avoid incendiary accusations and finger pointing,” according to a Nov. 14 joint press release from Bonner Coun ty Prosecuting Attorney Louis Marshall, Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler and Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon.

According to a statement from Sandpoint City Administra tor Jennifer Stapleton and Coon, emailed to the Reader on Nov. 16, the Sandpoint Police Depart ment officially opened its in vestigation Sept. 20, after it was referred to SPD by Marshall.

“There would be a conflict of interest or appearance thereof for the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office to investigate,” they stated. “This is standard procedure and best practice for law enforcement agencies to refer out cases that involve organization employees or their family members.”

The Bonner County Fair grounds falls within the juris dictional limits of the city of Sandpoint and, therefore, the Sandpoint Police Department.

According to public records obtained Nov. 16 from the city of Sandpoint, Coon first reached out to Bonner County Commis sioner Dan McDonald regarding the investigation on the evening of Nov. 1, outlining a number of specific allegations his depart ment had been asked to investi gate: “failing to follow county policies on part-time employ ees, completing contracts with said employees and issuing 1099 to said employees for tax purposes”; “using Bonner County Fair funds for personal use; and “misappropriation of donations from [Sandpoint High School] grad night.” The inves

tigation concerns the alleged actions of late-Fair Director Darcey Smith, who died Oct. 31 in an apparent suicide.

In the wake of Smith’s death, the Bonner County Fair Board met Nov. 8 to work through an extensive agenda consisting mostly of office policy items, such as reviewing and possibly revising procedures related to handing out fairgrounds keys, the locations of various debit cards and current money han dling practices. No changes were made to these policies at the Nov. 8 meeting, but a workshop was held Nov. 14 to further re view and discuss the items.

Any changes to fairgrounds policies will need to be adopted at an official board meeting, which are typically held on the second Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the fair office’s conference room.

Attending their first fair board meeting on Nov. 8 were Bonner County commissioners’ office Operations Manager Jessi Rein bold and Bonner County Deputy

Prosecutor Bill Wilson. Reinbold said during the meeting that she was there to help with “basic housekeeping items,” and both Reinbold and Wilson advised the board members on the purpose of executive sessions, the use of workshops and instructed the board to vote again on items that were already approved at a prior meeting, which lacked minutes.

Smith had served as Bonner County Fair director since 2018, and her unexpected death created a sense of urgency to reorganize the fair’s operations.

As well, according to public records, oversight of the fair board by county officials appears to have ramped up in late July, when Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bauer initiated an executive session looping in officials from risk management and human resources to consult on a range of issues, from feder al compliance to bonding for fair board members to Smith’s own job description.

In a formal grievance filed by Smith to McDonald and Marshall

dated Aug. 9, Smith wrote that she felt “manipulated and intimidated” by the pressure to call an execu tive session, noting in her com plaint that she felt “uncomfortable scheduling this executive session without BOCC knowledge.”

According to her recounting of a conversation with Bauer on July 21-22, she was told by the deputy prosecuting attorney that the mat ters to be discussed “fall squarely in the scope of the Fair Board authorities and not the BOCC.”

“You work for the Fair Board not the BOCC,” Bauer alleged ly said. “Please reach out to the Fair Board chairman and confirm.”

Smith wrote in her grievance that, “[It] seemed odd that out of the blue Scott Bauer was giving me direction and inter vening in Fair Board activities, seeing that I have been the fair director since 2018 and never has he ever been involved in any capacity,” adding later that in her decade as a county em ployee she had “never felt more disrespected by another em

ployee” due to the “withholding of information” prior to the executive session and Bauer’s alleged instructions to the Fair Board president not to speak with Smith about the issue.

Smith’s grievance named four county employees: Bauer, Risk Manager Christian Jostlein, Human Resource Director Cindy Binkerd and Alissa Clark, anoth er human resources official — all of whom were present at the meeting. Smith alleged “general harassment” against them all.

“The inappropriate manner in which this was handled is one of the most egregious plans and [an] obvious attempt to some how intimidate the members of the Fair Board and embarrass and shame me into compliance,” she stated in her complaint, later requesting that the four em ployees named play no part in investigating the grievance.

“I fear retaliation and contin

The Bonner County Administration Building in Sandpoint. Courtesy photo.

City provides update on James E. Russell Sports Center

‘Volatile construction market’ has slowed process, but design expected in late-Dec. or Jan.

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Sandpoint City Administrator

Jennifer Stapleton and Parks Plan ning and Development Manager

Maeve Nevins-Lavtar provided City Council with an update Nov. 16 on planned renovations and improvements to Travers Park — including the much-anticipated James E. Russell Sports Center.

“There’s been a lot of specu lation and excitement about this project,” Stapleton said.

However, she added, “Unfor tunately our process is taking a little bit longer than was initially anticipated.”

Stapleton chalked that up to a “volatile construction market,” which has resulted in delays to sur veying work, geotechnical analysis of soil and ground conditions and “prices are changing daily.”

“It’s a difficult mix to work through,” she said.

The city had hoped to be out with a design by now, but that’s looking more likely to happen in late December or January.

“We are still looking at con struction next year,” Stapleton said.

The project represents the cen terpiece of an ambitious overhaul of Travers Park, with the James E.Russell Sports Center made possible with a $7.5 million gift from the Russell family, which the city formally accepted in March

and marked the largest gift to a municipality that Sandpoint city was able to identify in Idaho.

The family of James “Jim” Russell — who was born in Sandpoint in 1933 and went on to a successful career before his death at age 86 in 2019 — want ed to honor his lifelong love of tennis by supporting a year-round, enclosed sports facility that would feature his favorite sports.

The initial concept envisions a multi-purpose court facility with striping intended to accommodate four tennis courts and 16 pick leball courts — the latter which Nevins-Lavtar referred to as “the fastest and hottest growing sport in America … It’s good to be able to include them.”

In addition, the facility would include restrooms, an entry desk and seating sufficient for tourna ment play.

Paying homage to Russell’s longtime friendship with the late-celebrated local author Patrick McManus — Russell served as the inspiration for the McManus literary character Retch Sweeney — the project includes bronze statues of a bear and a mountain lioness with cub, created by well-known Seattle artist Georgia Gerber and donated by Ann Hargis and Denny Liggitt.

In addition to the sports center, the nearby Travers skatepark is planned for an expansion to include “all-wheeled users,” with a separate bike facility featuring

ued harassment,” she concluded.

Asked for a statement regard ing the grievance, Bauer told the Reader in a Nov. 16 email: “I haven’t been provided a copy of the grievance so it’s hard for me to respond, not [having] been asked any questions regarding it. I cannot imagine how anything I did would have been inappropri ate or harassing to Darcey.”

Coon referenced the griev ance during an early November email exchange with McDonald, citing his interview with Smith in which “she alleged the Bonner County HR Department and

the Legal Department had been harassing her.”

“It was my understanding from our conversation you had cleared her of any wrongdo ing,” Coon wrote, later asking “if there was any validity to the allegations.”

McDonald responded in a Nov. 2 email to Coon that he “would need to see the email and date where I said that Darcey had been cleared.”

“As I explained in our execu tive session, there was an over abundance of accusations being made by many of the same parties

an asphalt pump track and skills course to be located west of a future parking lot expansion.

A new “gateway plaza” park entryway and improvements to the existing outdoor tennis courts and sports fields are in the plan as well, but especially near and dear to Nevins-Lavter’s heart is the plan for an “inclusive design” splash pad playground. She told the coun cil that she has designed more than a dozen playgrounds, with her 13th due to be built soon in Alaska.

“That is my passion,” she said.

By “inclusive design,” she clarified that while all “all improvements — every improve

ment on public property — has to adhere to federal ADA regulations … “inclusive design is above and beyond ADA.”

That said, the project as a whole remains in the conceptual phase, with the design-build group consisting of East Coast-based consultancy firm BerryDunn — which acquired GreenPlay about a year ago, the same company that worked with the city on its Parks and Recreation Master Plan — re tained to lead the James E. Russell Sports Center development.

Emerick Construction, based in Tualatin, Ore., received the con struction contract in July, while

A conceptual rendering of the James E. Russell Sports Center to be built sometime in 2023 at Travers Park in Sanpdoint. Courtesy image.

Eagle, Idaho-based ALC Architec ture and Lincoln City, Ore.-based Dreamland Skateparks are also engaged in the work on Tra vers Park, which Nevins-Lavtar described as “almost at design development. … We are moving as swiftly as we can.”

“I appreciate your patience,” she told the council. “I’m very grateful for your understanding and assurance that we’ll get there, and that package will be deliv ered.”

throughout the 10 months or so regarding Darcey that were all shown, via documented evidence to be false accusations,” he added.

In a phone call Nov. 16 with the Reader, McDonald clarified that the allegations of wrong doing against Smith ended in a “kind of a de facto clearing, as the person complaining didn’t choose to follow up after Darcey’s explanation. With no follow up complaint or addi tional concerns, I considered the issue satisfied.”

As for the “unfounded accu sations and threats” referred to in

the press release from Marshall, Wheeler and Coon, which was posted Nov. 14 to the sheriff’s Facebook page, Marshall told the Reader: “There have been highly inappropriate statements made mostly on social media, some of which blame county employees and elected officials for bullying Ms. Smith and causing her death.

“We simply are encouraging people to refrain from this type of conduct and wait for the inves tigation to be concluded before rushing to judgment,” he said.

Asked to comment on the investigation, Wheeler did not

immediately respond. Asked whether he intended to com ment before press time, as well as whether he was one of the “elected officials” accused of “bullying” Smith, Wheeler re plied via email: “No.”

Asked whether he meant “no” he did not wish to com ment, or “no” he was not one of the elected officials referenced, Wheeler did not specify before press time.

The investigation is ongoing, and this is a developing story.

Camp Bay Road vacation to be heard for third time Dec. 19

Developer’s public pathway proposal sees pushback

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Bonner County commissioners will once again hear an application from de veloper M3 ID Camp Bay, LLC to vacate the last 2,550 feet of Camp Bay Road on Monday, Dec. 19 at 9 a.m. — but this third installment of the application fea tures a twist, as M3 is proposing a public pathway to Lake Pend Oreille be built in exchange for the vacation.

Commissioners originally approved vacating the end of Camp Bay Road in April 2021, deeming it to be “in the public interest” to grant ownership to M3, which owns a major development in the bay. After Fred and Jennifer Arn, who live on the road, petitioned a judge to review the decision, the application was remanded back to the board and heard again in February 2022 — this time, denied on the grounds that the commis sioners were uncertain as to whether Camp Bay Road provided public access to the lake.

M3 petitioned for judicial review in March, and First District Court Judge Cynthia K.C. Meyer remanded the issue back to the Bonner County commission ers in September. In a revised application, M3 is proposing a public easement in the form of a “natural dirt trail measuring between four feet to six feet in width” starting about a half mile before the road’s current end.

“This hearing, which has been ordered by the Bonner County District Court, will focus solely on the proposed walking path and its impact on the public inter est in the proposed vacation,” Bonner County stated in its notice for the Dec. 19 public hearing, which had originally been scheduled for Nov. 22. “Validating the terminus point of Camp Bay Road is not the intended purpose of this hearing, and the Bonner County Board of Com missioners will not consider evidence or testimony offered on that topic.”

According to the developer’s updated application, the proposed path would be open to non-motorized use from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. Use conditions would include keeping dogs on leashes; no litter, fires or overnight camping; and use of only non-motorized watercraft at the lake access point.

M3’s proposed pathway would lead to 50 feet of shoreline — the same width that proponents of existing public access lay claim to; but, rather than being located at the center of the bay where Camp Bay Road currently ends, this proposed access would be located in the southern corner.

On their website, 50feet.net, the Arns have come out against the new proposal. A post on the site about the upcoming hearing states that the issue “will again center on whether it is in the public’s interest to give up the current road access to the lake located on prime Camp Bay real estate with expansive views or exchange all that for a gated [half]-mile dirt path to the far corner of Camp Bay, controlled by the HOA …”

“We the public, get to decide,” the post concludes. “Camp Bay [Road] is owned by the taxpayers of Bonner Coun ty, not M3, and not the Bonner County Commissioners.”

The pathway proposal is available to read on the Bonner County website at bonnercountyid.gov/FileVS0002-21. A staff report is not currently available for the file, but Bonner County Planning Department Hearing Coordinator Jenna Crone confirmed that “any more docu ments related to this file will be upload ed to the website prior to the hearing,” which will take place at the Bonner County Administration Building on Mon day, Dec. 19 at 9 a.m.

Those wishing to submit public com ment on the proposal are asked to send in written statements no later than seven days before the hearing by mailing to 1500 Highway 2, Suite 208, Sandpoint, Idaho 83864; faxing to 866-537-4935 or emailing planning@bonnercountyid.gov.

Bits ’n’ Pieces

From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling:

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich assessed the recent election results: There was neither a “red” nor a “blue” wave: “Americans chose not to make any more waves. This was not a change election. It was a stable election.” The clear loser, Reich said, was Trumpism, since so few of the former president’s picks won.

Donald Trump endorsed more than 330 election-denier candidates. Before the midterm vote, Trump told NewsNation, “I think if they win, I should get all the credit. If they lose, I should not be blamed at all.”

Despite predictions for a “red wave” in the midterms, and despite predictions that the Dems’ messages about saving de mocracy and reproductive rights would not resonate with voters, various media outlets admitted they were wrong. With a string of midterm losses for Trump-supported candidates, The New York Times wrote that Republicans now must decide whether to stick with Trump or go for a divorce.

Meanwhile, according to CBS, voters in Kentucky, Vermont, Michigan, Montana and California supported ballot measures to secure reproductive rights for women.

With the U.S. Senate narrowly secured for Democrats, Politico reported that the partisan makeup of the House depends on votes yet to be counted. Meanwhile, in Georgia, neither top U.S. Senate candidate got 50% of the vote, due to a Libertarian candidate who had 81,193 votes. Incum bent Raphael Warnock had 35,000 more votes than his Trump-backed opponent. A re-vote is slated for Dec. 6. Reich noted that if Warnock wins, it will affect the power of two self-proclaimed Democrats who have blocked their party’s goals: Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.

With the exception of an Indiana candi date, election-denier candidates, who could have become top election officials, all lost at the polls, The New York Times reported. The election deniers had hoped to take over election apparatus in “critical” states prior to the 2024 presidential election. One failed candidate, Jim Marchant in Nevada, claimed at a rally that “when my coalition of secretary of state candidates around the country get elected, we’re going to fix the whole country, and President Trump is going to be president again in 2024.”

A Brennan Center poll of 600 election officials found that one in six had been threatened and 77% said the federal government is either doing nothing or “not

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

enough” to support them.

Conservative political columnist Max Boot wrote that Republicans’ electoral defeats also signified losses for hard-right global leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Saudi Crown Prince Mo hammed bin Salman and Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who had hoped Trumpian control of Congress would benefit them financially and reduce aid to Ukraine.

Former-Trump Vice President Mike Pence talked to ABC recently about the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, where he was forced into hiding due to mob violence, stating: “The president’s words were reckless. It was clear he decided to be part of the problem.”

He was angered by Trump’s accusation that Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done,” which was Trump’s desire to call the presidential elec tion for Trump, rather than certify votes for President Joe Biden. When Pence heard Trump’s statement, he told his daughter, also in hiding: “It doesn’t take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law.” Pence recently released his mem oir, So Help Me God.

Trump has sued the House Jan. 6 committee in an effort to block its subpoe na seeking his testimony, numerous media reported. He has also fought a subpoena for turning over his administration’s docu ments, which would normally go to the National Archives.

A U.S. food sanitation company faces allegations from the U.S. Department of Labor that it hired at least 31 children ages 13 to 17 to work graveyard cleaning shifts at slaughterhouses. The work included the use of dangerous equipment, various media reported.

Hospice care agencies are being bought up by private-equity firms, according to research in JAMA Internal Medicine, which also reported that hospice care centers that become for-profit have fewer and less-qualified nursing employees. As well, their patients are more likely to be sent to emergency rooms and hospitals.

Blast from the past: While Trump claims he has “absolute testimonial im munity” from Congress, that is contrary to precedent. Presidents John Tyler and John Quincy Adams were subpoenaed and coop erated. Presidents who voluntarily testified in front of Congress include Abraham Lin coln, Woodrow Wilson, William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Gerald Ford and Harry Truman.

Fighting hate groups

By K.L. Huntley Reader Contributor

Icy roads and a chill blowing down the snow-covered mountains didn’t deter close to 60 souls gathered at Sandpoint’s First Presbyterian Church on the evening of Nov. 9. They came bundled up to hear Travis McAdam, the project director for the Montana Human Rights Network.

The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force invited McAdam to speak about how Montana deals with its hate groups and explained how we can build and strengthen the unity of people in our own community. It was a free, nonparti san event aimed at encouraging construc tive dialogue between opposing view points without threats and intimidation rearing their ugly heads. Specifically, McAdam’s presentation focused on how to foster compassion and understanding in building an all-inclusive, respectful and kind community.

McAdam explained how hate groups enter, immerse and become influential forces in towns and cities across the globe. As we are all keenly aware, in the past decade there has been more and more social discord resulting in social polar ization, which separates families, close friends and whole communities. This pro cess of dislocation spreads to become the psychology of “them” and “us,” some what like primitive tribal teams squaring off for a fight.

Clearly the “them” and “us” attitude was not the dream of our forebears, who saw the United States as a melting pot — the concept that a variety of cultures and

peoples would blend together and we, like a metal alloy, would become a stronger nation. This debate opens a whole other can of worms. As far back as 1795, leg islation excluded non-white people from the eligibility to naturalize, forgetting about or oblivious to the fact the land they were standing on was that of the Indig enous people and it was the white men who were the usurpers.

McAdam explained how contem porary hate groups actually thrive and recruit on fear. Good people fearing for their livelihood, their children’s educa tion, their health or their social position are easy targets, and then the flames are fanned. Good people are convinced by charismatic speakers that they should be motivated one way or another to the point that their new beliefs may even be against their previous personal ethics and sense of right and wrong.

The other, often widely used tool by various hate groups, is to encourage their members to infiltrate the local systems: the library, school and hospital boards. They embolden their membership to loudly disrupt meetings and fund candi dates in a variety of positions in order to reverse policies and overturn laws that they oppose. One suggestion proposed by McAdams to push back against these ef forts is to host enticing counter-activities in locations far from any hate rally, thus denying them an audience.

Hate is not the family value that the majority of quiet Americans want nor de sire. It is definitely not a desired attribute for Bonner County. McAdam encouraged the quiet majority to speak up and take more active roles in their communities.

This levels the playing field, rather than letting a vocal minority control and influ ence their local institutions.

Additionally, it was encouraging and heart warming to hear representatives from Sandpoint High School. They spoke about the activities of their human rights group and how they are supporting mar ginalized students by creating a safe space for them — a place where they can be their authentic selves without fear.

It was also rather surprising to me to hear that representatives of the U.S. At torney’s Office are coming to our area to meet with a variety of officials — includ ing the BCHRTF — to present their Unit ed Against Hate campaign. North Idaho is considered a target area by groups promoting violence. The intention of this program is to unite all involved in oppos ing violent political extremism, from local officials, FBI and local law enforcement, and community rights organizations. The objective of the campaign is to build the necessary trust in our community to iden tify, counter and prosecute hate crimes.

The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force is actively taking a role, in partnership with our the county library, in expanding our knowledge of how fellow citizens, different from ourselves, experi ence discrimination.

Last January, there was a participa tory reading and discussion of the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. Beginning in January 2023, residents can participate in person or via Zoom in reading the book I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times, by Mónica

Guzmán, and Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us by Mark Yaconelli.

Participants will have to sign up for the book study, with more information on the program available in the com ing months from both the library and BCHRTF. In the meantime, set aside those snowy Thursday evenings in Janu ary for stimulating and thought-provoking discussions.

The evening with McAdam, fortified with plenty of hot coffee and snacks, was encouraging on multiple levels. So many enthusiastic individuals from all over Sandpoint and the surrounding area came together with the common goal of assisting in the formation of a respectful community where both individuals and businesses thrive; a community in which we acknowledge our differences and min imize hateful dissension; an area where individuals of all backgrounds can walk without fear and intimidation.

We, too, can challenge bigotry, dis crimination and support our marginalized people. We can be advocates for legisla tion that honors everyone’s basic rights and all be stronger for it. It is important to remember that we all smile in the same language.

Thank you to the First Presbyterian Church for their hospitality and support for this event, and to the many members of BCHRTF who made it possible.

To get involved and support the task force, visit bchrtf.org. A lifetime member ship costs $1, is confidential and entitles you to receive email updates on events, meetings and plans.

‘We, too, can challenge bigotry, discrimination and support our marginalized people’

Bouquets:

•It’s really cool watching the donations pour in during the Panida’s Century Fund campaign. Thanks to Ting’s $200,000 match ing grant, community members have continued to donate to our historic theater in great numbers. We’ll do our part by posting week ly updates. Follow along and watch the “Panidameter” grow every week. If you’d like to donate to the cause, visit panida.org. Remember, all donations under $5,000 will be matched 100% by Ting.

Barbs:

• When former-President Don ald Trump announced Nov. 15 he was running for president in 2024, my first thought was, “Ugh, here we go again.” Here we go with more violence, more divisive rhet oric and belittling statements about anyone who doesn’t lick his boot heels. Here we go with more demo nization of the marginalized, more cruelty and so, so many lies. What Trump did to this country was coax a hateful creature out of its cave. He injected us all with his smallness, his viciousness and his inability to adhere to reality or facts. I know there are many reading this who probably voted for him and will likely vote for him again. I ask you this simple question: Has Donald Trump really made anything any better? The world during and after Trump’s presidency is a little less kind and a lot more dangerous. He’s already wading into totalitarian talking points, claiming that if elect ed he’ll “immediately demand voter ID, same-day voting and only paper ballots,” and will require votes to be counted by the end of Election Day. This man does not care about the United States, democracy or you. His words and actions inspired an insurrection on our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 that almost ushered in the end of our democracy. He has raised hundreds of millions of dol lars off of his followers, and will likely fleece them again and again until he is gone from this earth. Pay attention, conservatives: This is your moment to choose your coun try or a fascist grifter.

Panida Century Fund gains on its goal

By Reader Staff

The Panida Century Fund has moved closer to its goal to replace the theater roof, as generous indi viduals donated a total of $1,860.18 over the course of the week.

But — like magic — that amount is doubled to $3,720.36 when matched by Ting Internet through its pledge to match all donations from individuals.

With this week’s tally, a total of $192,026.13 has been raised to ward the Century Fund’s first-year goal of $273,100.

“We’re verging on the $200,000 level,” observed Panida Board Chair Jim Healey. “The support from our donors has been just wonderful, and we’re hopeful we can achieve our goal before year’s end.”

And speaking of year’s end, Healey added: “We’re heading

into the end-of-the-year giving, which is a nice thing to do. And thanks to the Ting match, if you do choose to give — it’s going to be twice as big. “

The Century Fund has a fiveyear goal broken out in annual phases, to raise a total $1.9 million to address long-deferred main tenance needs leading up to the Panida’s 100th anniversary in November 2027. The first year’s goal will provide the funds to re place the theater’s roof, which has experienced wintertime leaking.

The campaign received a huge boost from Ting Internet, which has pledged to match individual donations of $5,000 and under, up to a total of $200,000 over the five-year campaign.

To donate, or see detailed plans for the campaign itemizing expenses, click to www.panida.org

Voices in the Wilderness

By Joel Thompson Reader Contributor

In the Kenai Peninsula the rivers run high, swift and oh-so-cold in June. They are also brimming with sockeye and king salm on, and the number of drift boats and anglers lining the bank will attest to this fact.

I had never drift-boated before, so when the opportunity presented itself, I leapt at the prospect of throwing some flies and enticing a bite or two. Our guide explained that the sockeye are coming back to spawn and therefore not actively feeding any longer. Catching them requires a technique called lining. Essentially, you are hoping to put your fly in the path of a passing fish, which will bump into your leader and the fly or lure sets as it attempts to spit out the line. This technique wasn’t the vision I had of a salmon rising to snatch my fly on the surface and catapulting out of the water, thrashing above the surface to dislodge what they had mistakenly thought was dinner.

We had a variety of rods of different weights and decided to pivot to dry flying for Dolly Varden and rainbow trout. With a five-weight rod in hand I was ready to

try my luck at catching an Alaskan-sized fish. Let me preface this with the following disclaimer: When I say luck, I mean fourleaf clover, cross your fingers or knock-onwood type luck. My fly fishing technique is best described as “enthusiastic novice” or “trick a very hungry trout that an ag gressive splash isn’t danger but dinner.”

The enthusiastic part is a love of being on the water, taking in the natural beauty of the river environment.

After much coaching from our guide, I actually started to catch a few Dolly Var dens, which was super exciting and a huge boost to my confidence as a fly fisherman. We decided to take a break and “parked” the drift boat on a sandbar. While my friend and the guide had lunch, I continued to look for rainbow trout habitat — either an eddy, a shady spot created by an overhanging tree limb or behind a rock in the shallows.

As I surveyed the water surface I saw movement near the shore, approximately 20 feet away. I performed several back casts to get my line flowing in the correct direction and enough line to reach my intended land ing zone. To my astonishment my fly rested gently on the surface in the exact location

A test of fly-fishing skills on Alaska’s Russian River

I had visualized. I was stoked at my ability to have executed a cast with a level of skill pre viously unattainable.

Imagine my abso lute surprise when, a nanosecond later, a large rainbow trout attacked that fly with a ferocity I had never before expe rienced. I set the hook, kept my tip high and began to strip line like a firefighter pulling hoses for a five-alarm blaze. The fish ran upstream, back toward me, and tried to get under a submerged log, but I controlled it’s every attempt at escape. For a brief moment I had channeled my inner Norman Maclean and followed all the techniques I had gleaned on YouTube, or by turning the pages of The Longest Silence.

After I had the fish in the net and taken the perfectly posed “trout-in-hand” photo, I released this beauty back into the Russian River. The trout learned a valuable lesson about lunch choices and I was invigorat ed to continue to swing an arcing line at

other unsuspecting trout in other magical locations.

Joel Thompson is program manager for Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness and a lifetime lover of wild places. He is passionate about keeping wilderness areas accessible to all, and has professional experience as a kayak guide in the Puget Sound. He believes that nature has a signifi cant role in teaching us to slow down, be introspective and live in the moment.

Joel Thompson is program manager for Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Courtesy photo.

Science: Mad about

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

Libraries possess one thing in spades: novels. What exactly constitutes a novel?

A novel is a narrative work of fiction that focuses on char acters moving a plot over the course of at least 40,000 words. That’s an extreme simplification and I’m sure a number of my coworkers would give you a variety of definitions of what a novel actually is.

If you’re looking for an ex ample, I bet you can guess where you should go.

Despite their cultural impact, novels are a relatively new art form. Writing itself may be tens of thousands of years old, but long and complicated stories that are written down have been an anomaly until recently.

There could be a few reasons for this. The time required to sit down and create a novel is not trivial. Imagine trying to create a world and populate it with characters while also having to worry about spending your entire daylight hours farming, or not getting poisoned by your fellow courtiers.

Churning out a novel also means you need a medium upon which to write. Pulp paper in vast quantities is a relatively new invention, and it’s not designed to last for very long without specialized help. Even parchment, which was largely used during most of western history, deteriorates when it’s not being kept in ideal condi tions. If you’re thinking about a stone tablet, you’ll need a pretty darn big rock and some Dwayne Johnson-sized arms to chisel out an epic on that medium.

In all likelihood, novels have likely been written in some form for a very long time, but it’s unlikely that many of them sur vived the vicissitudes of history.

The earliest novel that we’re aware of is The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu around 1021 CE. This novel was bound like an accordi on, with sheets of paper fixed together on opposing edges and intended to fold into a compact whole. In Japan, this style of book is called orihon, though it actually originated from China around 618 CE.

The Tale of Genji is a curious thing. It’s not a novel in the way that you might recognize, though it still checks all of the boxes to meet that classifica tion. It’s largely about courtly life surrounding a man named Genji in Heian-era Japan and showcases a cast of more than 400 characters. Curiously, most of these characters are never named and only referred to by their titles. The characters’ titles change over the course of the story due to them aging, dying or their heirs replacing them, compounding the confusion. There’s no overarching plot like you would find in modern novels — no tidy three-act reso lution — but instead chronicles the life and time of the fictitious characters living at that period, as well as some characters that might not be fictitious, including a character that may even be the author herself.

This story is also extremely difficult to read. Not only is it written in an archaic form of Japanese, but it’s written as a poem as well. Most modern Japanese readers wouldn’t be able to decipher or understand it without some scholarly help.

This is a lot like if we tried to read Beowulf, which was written around 700 CE.

The following is an excerpt from Beowulf if you’d like to give it a whirl. Try reading it aloud in a public place like your favorite coffee shop: Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum, þeod cyninga, þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. (“So. The Spear-Danes in the days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.”)

Novels as we might recog nize them first started to appear in earnest in the early 1700s. The printing press revolution ized the written word, allowing for efficient replication of books. A rapid development in tech nology also played a role in the popularity of novels, as greater technology allowed for more leisure time for some. Of course, this time period is impossible to talk about accurately without mentioning the great tragedy of slavery. Slave masters had leisure time, because they were forcing other people to labor on their behalf and make their money, which left plenty of time for them to read works of entertaining fiction. Much of the wealth that swelled the ranks of middle- and upper-class whites in the 1700s and into the 1800s was reaped from slavery — far more than any technological advancements at the time.

The history of novels and slavery are closely intertwined. Did you know that a major catalyst of the American Civil War was actually a novel? Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beech er Stowe, published in 1852, chronicled the lives of fictitious characters suffering the horrors of slavery in 1800s America.

Stowe, a staunch abolitionist, interviewed numerous freedmen and former slaves while penning the novel, citing their horrific experiences at the hands of those with the most to profit from their enslavement to be mirrored in her characters.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin proved to be one of the most divisive pieces of literature in American history.

If you’re looking for your

new favorite novel, come visit the Library. November is National Novel Writing Month, and we’re showcasing a number of novels written for “NaNoW riMo” on display upstairs. If you’re interested in an extra challenge, see if you can write a novel of your own in the remaining days of November — 50,000 words by Dec. 1? You’ve got this. Stay curious, 7B.

Novels Random Corner

Don’t know much about november?We can help!

•November’s name has re mained unchanged since the ancient Roman calendar, which was in use until 45 BCE. This first Roman calendar was only made up of 10 months, with November being the ninth. November actually translates into “ninth month” in Latin.

•The Anglo-Saxons had quite a fitting name for November. It’s usually at this time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere that cold winds start to chill you to the bone. As such, they called November Wind Monath, or “Wind Month.” They also called it Blod-monath, or “Blood Month.” It gained this latter name because it was in November that they would traditionally slaughter livestock to provide food for the long winter months.

•Thanksgiving takes place every third Thursday of November. It has been celebrated since 1621.

•The full moon in November is traditionally called the Beaver Moon in the U.S. The tradition goes back to the North American colonial era, as it was during this time of year that hunters would set their beaver

traps for the last time before the lakes and water sources they relied on froze over for the winter. The Beaver Moon in 2022 happened on Election Day, Nov. 8.

•November has one birthstone: the radiant topaz. The topaz is symbolic of many things; but, most of all, it is a symbol of strength and honor. The ancient Greeks also be lieved that the stone had the ability to grant invisibility.

•November also only has one birth flower, the chrysanthemum, which to the most extent, sym bolizes cheerfulness. Different colored chrysanthemums have different meanings, though — a white flower symbolizes pure love and truth, a red flower says “I love you” like nothing else does, while a yellow flower is a symbol of unrequited love.

•William Shakespeare appar ently wasn’t fond of November. Of all his 154 sonnets and 37 plays, the month of November isn’t men tioned a single time.

Rural no more?

By Roger and Sandy Sparling Reader Contributor

On Oct. 20, 2022, the Bonner County Zoning commissioners recommended approval of a zone change for the corner of Vay and Dufort roads. This area is currently zoned Rural 5, with a residential five-acre minimum lot size. The land use designation in the Comprehensive Plan is “Rural Residential” and, as such, can only be zoned either R-5 or R-10. Any other zone requires an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan.

The new buyer is requesting a zone change to “Neighborhood Commercial,” which is actually not a zone designation per Bonner Counter Zoning Code. It is, rather, a land use designation, and if this parcel were in the Neighborhood Commercial land use, then it

would be allowed to be zoned as “Rural Service Center.”

The process called out in the code for this is to first apply for a Comprehensive Plan amend ment then, if approved, apply for the zone change. The applicant, abetted by the Planning Depart ment and the Zoning Commission, seeks to bypass this process and be granted a new zone designation, ostensibly to put a gas station/con venience store on this corner.

Although the application re quests a change to Neighborhood Commercial, the narrative asks for a Rural Service Center designa tion, which for some unknown reason is supported in the staff report, even though completely inaccurate. The rezone request to change from R-5 to Rural Service Center, i.e. commercial zoning, is not legal because it does not

adhere to the Comprehensive Plan (ORD. 501, 11-18-08).

Please note, that when a person purchases a piece of property, they have the right to do with the property as they will within the law. This request does not comply with the law. The owner knew the zoning was R-5 when he pur chased the property. If approved, this rezone will provide unlawful special treatment, which only ben efits the owner, while undermining the pre-existing rights and uses of surrounding property owners. This is the classic definition of spot zoning, which is unlawful.

At the Zoning Commission hearing, it was revealed that the applicant wants to create five oneacre lots and maintain one larger lot on which they may or may not build a gas station. If this rezone is approved, there would be nothing that could stop them from building any of the uses listed below, be cause all are in the Rural Service Center Zone:

Rezone request at Vay and Dufort roads is the ‘classic definition of spot zoning’

•duplexes; •11 single-family lots; •cottage housing; •convalescent center; •hardware store; •RV park; •rental storage; •motel or hotel; •animal establishment; •tavern or bar; •townhouses; •equipment sales and service; •performing arts and recording studios; •boat storage; •vehicle sales.

The craftily written narrative that was submitted with the zoning change application addresses the area in question as a resort/rec reational area, saying that these services are needed in this tourist area for visitors. Absolutely no one who lives in this area sees it as a resort/recreational tourist area. Many of the area residents

are second- or third-generation homesteaders and farmers. So, who is this rezone for — the locals or tourists?

If approved by the county com missioners, it would set a prece dent for bypassing the Compre hensive Plan — one of the pillars of zoning law and property rights — all in the interest of developers.

This rezone will go to the Bonner County commissioners for denial or approval on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 1:30 p.m. at the county administration building (1500 U.S. Hwy. 2 in Sandpoint). In the meantime, we have an opportunity to write to the county commis sioners before Saturday, Dec. 10 to voice our objections. Please address letters to: Bonner County Commissioners, 1500 Hwy. 2, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

When writing reference ZC0012-22 Hammond Zoning Change Vay and Dufort roads.

The hidden homeless

Beneath the gloss of destination Sandpoint, there lies a growing problem

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

The word “paradise” is often tossed around to describe towns like Sandpoint. But scratch be neath the surface in resort towns across the West and evidence of issues like housing insecurity and homelessness become more and more pressing as high home prices continue to spiral out of control.

For many living in North Idaho, the idea that homelessness even exists — let alone can be described as a “crisis” — is a fantasy. Unlike many urban areas, where unhoused people are more visible to passersby, it’s a little more complicated here.

“I call them the hidden homeless,” said Joanne Barlow, program director for Bonner Homeless Transitions, a nonprofit organization tasked with helping homeless families and individu als achieve self sufficiency and increase the quality of their lives.

“People don’t realize how prev

alent it is here,” Barlow told the Reader. “When you think of the homeless in Spokane, you think of a tent city, people living on the street. Here, there’s a different connotation. Here, homelessness is someone who has to get out of their home they’ve had for 10 years and can’t afford to move, can’t afford to live.

“We don’t have people laying on the streets in downtown Sandpoint,” she added. “We don’t really have tent cities. But we do have the hidden homeless, and we have a lot of them.”

While every situation is different, an alarming trend was recently highlighted by former Sandpoint Senior Center Director Cherie Coldwell, who testified Oct. 19 before the Sandpoint City Council. In her brief statement — given during the public forum por tion of the meeting — Coldwell told the mayor and counselors that she had noticed a large number of seniors currently living

without a home.

“I’ve got several seniors living in motels right now, or couch surfing,” Coldwell said. “I have several living in their cars. I even have one gentleman living in a storage facility.”

Coldwell said that since hous ing has become such a hot topic in Sandpoint, she wanted to make city officials aware that the issue of senior homelessness had come to her attention.

“Some folks who are homeless moved up here without a game plan,” Coldwell said. “They didn’t realize the housing market was so tight here and that the number of beds available at some assisted living facilities were very hard to come by.

“For the most part, folks are on waiting lists several months long, basically waiting for another person to pass away in order to have a space there,” she contin ued. “When you’re considering affordable housing, I hope you will keep our seniors in mind, given the median age of our county. A very large amount of people will be retiring in the near future and a lot of those folks

are on fixed incomes and will require affordable housing.”

Coldwell concluded her testi mony by asking if anyone on the dais had questions. There were none.

Catching up with Coldwell a few weeks later, she went into fur ther detail with the Reader about why she testified before the City Council.

“The median age of our popu lation here is 49,” she said.

said Barlow. “No one does. I wish I did.”

“Solving this problem has proven to be a little difficult, to be sure,” Coldwell added.

The issue is also cultural, Coldwell said, rooted in Ameri cans’ generally indifferent attitude toward the elderly.

in motels right now, or couch surfing. I have several living in their cars. I even have one gentleman living in a storage facility.”

Meanwhile, the statewide me dian age is 36.6, according to the 2020 census, ac tually making it the sixth-young est state in the nation.

— Cherie Coldwell, former director of Sandpoint Senior Center.

“That means a lot of people are getting ready to hit retirement and have no idea what they’re in for,” Coldwell added. “A lot of them have jobs where they can’t save for retirement, where they’re living paycheck to paycheck. The dishwasher we have at the senior center is 76 years old. … It’s going to be ugly by the time GenXers start retiring. None of my peers have a safety net. None have saved for retirement.”

Both Barlow and Coldwell said that when discussions about housing come up, they get frus trated because seniors are often left out of the equation.

“With this huge population about to retire, the question is, do we have the infrastructure for that?” Coldwell said. “The state has talked about affordable hous ing, but never once mentioned affordable housing for seniors. Workforce housing is great. We absolutely need it. But we also need to find a way to take care of our seniors who are out there on their own.”

The issue of affordable hous ing has captured the attention of policymakers from the city to the national level — resulting in doz ens of possible solutions — but the fundamental question remains: “Will any of them work?”

“I don’t know the answer,”

“It’s real ly disturbing, coming from an Asian back ground; growing up in Hawaii where multi-gen erations were living in the same house hold,” she said.

“To see these seniors without a safety net, these solo-agers without family or com munity support is really disheart ening. It’s a broken system that’s ingrained in our culture — we just don’t care about our seniors.”

Because so many seniors have moved to North Idaho without conducting the proper advance re search, Coldwell said many arrive here flabbergasted that they are unable to secure housing.

“Because it’s North Idaho and super conservative, many move here thinking, ‘This will be my Eden,’” Coldwell said. “Then they arrive and can’t find a place to live.”

According to a study by Sim mons University in Massachusetts, people 50 and older make up about a third of the entire un housed population. By 2050, it is estimated there will be as many as 100,000 elders living without sta ble housing — more than double the current homeless population for this age group.

The National Coalition for the Homeless said the clear upward trend of older people experiencing housing insecurity is made worse because some fall between the cracks of government safety nets. Those under a certain age fail to qualify for Medicare, but those who do qualify are often too el derly to be able to work and pay a portion of rent — a requirement at many subsidized housing facilities

Courtesy photo.

“I’ve got several seniors living

around the country.

For Barlow, she recognizes how hard it is for seniors to be without stable housing. Because Bonner Homeless Transitions is a program, not a shelter, the tenants must be working within 30 days — a requirement that’s often difficult for senior citizens who rely on Social Security payments to survive.

“For seniors, it’s really hard. If they need to get out of the cold and get out of their car, there’s no facility in town that will help them,” Barlow said. “For women, there are none in the county. For men, the Bonner Gospel Mission will take them; but seniors, they don’t want to work. They’ve worked all their lives. They just want a roof over their head and food in their stomach.”

Barlow said the housing crunch that exploded in resort towns such as North Idaho during the COVID-19 pandemic has made the problem worse.

“Some have rented a home for a number of years, but the owners might see that the home they paid $100,000 for is all of a sudden worth half a million dol lars,” Barlow said. “We have the upper-class, wealthy people who show up here and buy whatever … and the renter is out, then the rent goes astronomical.

“If you’re only making $1,000 or say $1,400 in Social Security a month and rent is $1,500, you can’t afford it,” she added. “Ev erybody is working. It’s not that. They’re making good money for Sandpoint. People are definitely working. It’s housing. That’s the problem.”

While the problem might seem remote to many, it couldn’t be more serious for those experienc ing their own housing insecurity. Take the case of Steve (last name withheld), who has lived in Sand point for 15 years and in the West for his entire life.

At 70 years old, Steve isn’t your typical senior citizen. He has a number of talents and artistic skills that help pay the bills. He is still able to ski and ride bikes, but has spinal issues related to farm ing for many years that make it difficult for him to stand for long periods of time.

Steve was drawn to the recre ational possibilities available in North Idaho, as well as the artistic nature of the town.

At first, he rented a duplex for $690 per month. The price later increased to $750, then $850 and, after the pandemic, rose to $1,000 per month. It was during the housing spree — when buyers were purchasing homes sight-un seen for cash amounts far above asking price, when the shoe dropped on Steve.

“The owner came back from his usual winter away and caught up with me and the other tenant and said, ‘The bean counters said I need to start spending some money, so I’m looking to get a contractor to remodel and redo the place,’” Steve told the Reader.

Steve said the owner came back a few days later and said he might have to sell it. A week later, a man knocked on Steve’s door and served him with an eviction notice.

“It said I had 30 days to vacate, after 15 years renting there,” Steve said. “I told him it’s impossible, sorry. It took me fully two months just to find storage big enough to do me any good — and at that, I had to leave a lot of stuff behind.”

The owner eventually obtained a court order giving Steve a dead line to leave.

“I had until 5 p.m. to get out and he showed up at 1:30 and said, ‘You’re cutting it a little close, aren’t you?’” Steve said. “He then told me that after I left, he would put up a sign that read, ‘Eviction sale: Everything free,’ and he and his wife sat there across the street in their car watching me pack up and leave. The place sat empty for three to four months afterward, but I heard someone bought it.”

Steve was frustrated at the lack of compassion from everyone involved.

“I asked [the landlord], ‘Where am I supposed to go?’ and he just shrugged and said, ‘Not my problem,’” Steve said. “It split my neighbor’s family up three ways, because they got evicted, too. I have a lot of friends who are couch-surfing right now. There’s no empathy, no concern at all. The cruelty angle of it is that it’s just business: ‘Fuck you, get out.’”

After his eviction, Steve was forced to store some of his belongings in storage, as well as others scattered throughout town at various friends’ houses, but a lot was left behind and lost.

“The wealth and cruelty moving in here is alarming,” Steve said.

Because he was unable to access the tools and gear need ed to make money through his various skills and activities, Steve said the eviction shut him down completely.

“One thing about being home less, it’s damn near impossible to be productive,” he said. “I read somewhere that before COVID, 60% of Americans can’t afford a $400 surprise bill. That’s every month now. Rent went up in Sandpoint. Even places where it didn’t double, it still went up that $400.”

After his evic tion, Steve lived in his vehicle, often parking in open lots in Sand point. He wasn’t the only one.

“Lots of peo ple sleep in their cars in Sandpoint,” he said. “Some places, they don’t bother you too much. There are usually at least a half dozen cars parked downtown with people living in vans. Every one I talked to was working, doing construction, painting, whatever.”

For Steve, there’s either a stig ma around homeless people lazing around on the street corner all day, contributing nothing to society, or there’s the opposite idea that “van-life” is an adventure and a neat way to cut costs in today’s housing market.

“Van life ain’t adventuring if you don’t do it by choice,” Steve said. “A typical night sleeping in my car in Sandpoint, I’d always say, ‘Thank God I ain’t a single mother with four kids living in a broken-down Toyota Corolla parked underneath an overpass.’”

Between living in his vehicle and using a cheap membership at the YMCA to shower and get warm, Steve eked out a living in Sandpoint for a short while follow ing his eviction; but, when winter weather started to arrive in early November, he had to make a move.

“I got out right before that big storm hit,” he said. “I’m incredi bly fortunate. I’m a private son of a bitch and never asked anyone for much, but I had to put a post on Facebook and said, ‘Hey, I need some help.’ People came through like I couldn’t believe. I still get teared up about this.”

Steve said he had bald tires, a blown head gasket and a trans fer case that needed rebuilt. He

couldn’t stay in Sandpoint because it was getting too cold to sleep in his truck, but he couldn’t move on because he would likely crash or break down. He was stuck.

“I held on as long as I could, but after I reached out, people helped me,” he said. “They bought me a set of tires. I would not have survived without them.”

Steve packed what he could fit into his truck and pulled out of Sandpoint right as the first snow storm blew in, blanketing Bonner County with newfallen snow.

He has plans to return soon, but for now, he’s living in west ern Washington, where the coastal temperatures make it easier to survive sleeping in a truck at night.

When sharing his story with others, Steve said some callously ask why he doesn’t just get a job.

“I’m not in a position, no mat ter how good I look for 70 years old, to do manual labor anymore,” he said. “I’ve worked so hard all my damn life. If I could work, I’d work. I can’t. Be very careful of what you judge. You don’t know what people are dealing with.”

Yet, Steve recognizes he’s one of the lucky ones.

“I’m incredibly fortunate,” he said. “I have never turned anyone away who needed a job or a place to live, so I guess I had some karma built up. But a lot of older people don’t have any family to turn to at all. A lot of people don’t even have friends to ask for help. The cruelty of what’s being done to Americans is just dumbfound ing to me.”

The plan is to go with the flow. Steve plans to return to Sandpoint when he’s able; but, for now, he’s just trying to survive.

“I don’t know where I’m going to be until I’m there,” he said. “This is a hell of a way to live when you’re 70.”

If you are experiencing housing insecurity, reach out to the many organizations that are available to help: Bonner Home less Transitions, 208-265-2952; Bonner Gospel Mission, 208-2636698; Bonner Community Food Bank, 208-263-3663.

BY THE NUMBERS

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

1 in 3

The ratio of newly elect ed Idaho lawmakers who are newbies, not having served in the Legislature before. The Senate will have 11 first-time members, while the Idaho House of Representatives will see 28 newcomers, which means 39 of the 105 total seats in the Idaho Legislature have never served there before.

3,614

The number of female nom inees nationwide for state leg islatures in the 2022 midterms. Of the total number, 2,306 were Democrats and 1,308 were Re publicans.

12

The number of states that voted for female governors in 2022, shattering the prior record of nine set for the first time back in 2004.

7.7%

The consumer price inflation in October, marking a slight decrease from the previous month’s 8.2%. The decrease is a sign that economic pressures may be easing.

$18.99

The new minimum wage passed in Tukwila, Wash., en acted through Initiative Mea sure No. 1, which passed with a huge margin of 83% to 17%, and located between Seattle and the city of SeaTac — where the “Fight for $15” minimum wage movement began. The new wage applies to all companies with 15 or more employees. The former minimum wage was $14.49/hour.

“Workforce housing is great. We absolutely need it. But we also need to find a way to take care of our seniors who are out there on their own.”

— Joanne Barlow, program manager at Bonner Homeless Transitions.

Dirt-y Secrets Winter approaches

By Ranel Hanson Reader Columnist

“They who sing through summer, must dance through winter.” —

Italian Proverb

There is no doubt about it, we are entering a new season and it’s likely to be a cold, snowy one. Time for your garden to rest and ready itself for the next growing season. We gardeners can rest a bit, too, while we plan for spring.

There was a time when I could not rest until every flower bed was trimmed and raked and looked like a neatly made quilt. I have gotten over that, and I no longer clean up everything in the fall. Instead, I leave lots of annuals with seed-heads for the birds, and some leaves and other garden debris for sheltering insects. Of course, that leaves more work for the spring, but you can congratulate yourself on caring for the little creatures in your garden. They will re ward you with pest control and seed spread ing — and your soil will be improved, too.

By now, you have likely planted your bulbs and moved tender plants inside. If you haven’t, it is too late for annuals. But you can still mulch perennials and trees, which will help them stay healthy through the winter.

Remember those eggshells we talked about for slug abatement? Throw some, with a little epsom salt, under your mulch to discourage slugs from hiding in there, taking a long winter’s nap and then chow ing down in the spring. And the egg shells and salt are good for your plants.

Let’s talk about birds. The swallows and hummingbirds are long gone but the finches, chickadees, pine siskins, woodpeckers, nuthatches and others are here to spend the

winter. I feed them all with sunflower seeds and they reward me with fascinating avian activity. But I have learned a little more about sparrows this year and, though they are just trying to make a living like everyone else, they are invasive and a threat to all of the other cavity-nesting birds. I have learned that they not only overtake nest boxes, but kill the birds inside. Not OK with me.

I did it to myself. Last year I fed the sparrows, too, and I let them take refuge from the winter cold in my sweet autumn clematis, which climbs on a porch pil lar. Well, I can’t allow the killing to go unchecked, and research suggests that a new kind of birdhouse opening will keep sparrows out.

My winter project is to replace my con ventional birdhouses with the slotted kind — you simply cut a slot instead of a round hole. I am still letting them shelter in the clematis, but no longer feed them nearby. As I said, they, like all of us, are just trying to get by. I will report back on my success or failure.

Now is the perfect time to plan next year’s garden adventures. Seed catalogs are arriving already and it is a perfect time to plan. Sit by a warm fire and dream of your next beautiful garden while everything in the garden sleeps away the winter.

Meanwhile, be sure to consider the birds, bees and insects by planting the flora they need to survive. Pollinators are at risk and you can help by making sure that your gar

den is full of pollen-laden flowers and plants. There are thousands that fit that description: sunflowers, daisies, clematis, zinnias, snap dragons, geraniums, black-eyed Susans and many, many more. Don’t forget milkweed in case Monarch butterflies happen by as they migrate. They must have milkweed for laying their eggs because the caterpillars eat only milkweed when they hatch.

Amaryllis bulbs are everywhere right now and so easy for such a huge reward. Whether as individual bulbs or in the prefab box, they are a simple little project that you can watch grow into a gorgeous flower. The box kind comes with a pot and soil for about $7, and the bulbs only need a container and

Amaryllis bulbs are great for holiday decorations. Courtesy photo. some soil or even rocks to be happy. They usually take about six weeks to grow, which makes them a perfect holiday decoration.

Also for holiday decor, how about making your own Christmas wreath? It is pretty easy. All you need are boughs (mostly cedar); various additions like pine cones, moss and lichen; berries and rose hips; and all the other natural beauty you can gather. I use a metal form, but you can make one from willow branches. A glue gun makes it easy, too.

I will take up where we leave off in March or April. Happy winter!

Sandpoint Parks and Rec. programming for Nov.-Dec.

By Reader Staff

Sandpoint Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces will be offering the following programming in November and December 2022:

• Open gym basketball for adults and youth. Open gym is held on Sundays at the Sandpoint High School Gym (410 S. Divi sion Ave.), now through March 12, 2023 (no open gym on Feb. 12). Adults play 4:30-6 p.m. and pay $2/player at the door. Youth (grades 3-12) play free from 3-4:30 p.m.

• Annual Turkey Trot. Litehouse YMCA and the Sandpoint Parks and Rec reation Department will host Sandpoint’s annual Turkey Trot and food drive Thurs day, Nov. 24 at Travers Park (1202 W. Pine St. in Sandpoint). The all-ages event is low-key, untimed and features a 5K, 10K

or whatever distance participants want to run or walk (no bikes). The Turkey Trot is free with a donation to the food bank. Best costume wins a pie. A signed waiver is required (minors need a parent or guardian signature). The event starts at 9 a.m., attend ees are encouraged to arrive early to sign the waiver and drop off their donation for the food bank.

• Adult coed volleyball league. Regis tration must be received by Sunday, Dec. 11 to participate in league play, which will take place Jan. 9-10 and March 13-14, 2023, at the Bonner County Fairgrounds Main Exhibit Building (4203 N. Boyer Ave.). Team registration and a $20 non-refundable fee are required to hold your team’s spot in the league. Players will officiate their own games. Only a gym supervisor will be supplied, no officials. League participation is limited to the first 24 teams that register.

Online rosters and team invitations must be completed before the first night of play. Fee: $350/team total, due at the mandatory captains meeting, Thursday, Dec. 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the Sandpoint City Hall Council Chambers (1123 Lake St.).

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

Register for any Parks and Rec. program at secure.rec1.com/ID/city-of-sandpoint/cat alog, visit the office at Sandpoint City Hall (1123 Lake St.) or call 208-263-3613.

Priest River One Health event offers free wellness services for both people and pets

By Reader Staff

Better Together Animal Alliance (BTAA), Bonner Community Food Bank and Bonner Partners in Care are hosting a free wellness event Saturday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Priest River Jr. High School. Services offered include:

•BTAA: Brief health exams, core dog and cat vaccines including rabies, and free micro chipping (100 spots available on a first-come, first-served basis);

•Bonner Community Food Bank: monthly food boxes and Thanksgiving supplies, other perishable and nonperishable goods (while supplies last);

•Bonner Partners in Care: blood pressure screenings and A1C checks;

•Bonner General Health: infant safe infor mation and sleep sacks;

•Door prizes and giveaways.

“The One Health model is a great way for community-based organizations to expand the reach of our services,” stated BTAA Executive Director Mandy Evans. “So often the biggest challenge for folks in rural communities is simply just having access. When we can come together to bring services to these areas, we help to better the lives and wellbeing of fami lies across our region.”

The One Health event Nov. 19 is free to the public. For more info, visit bettertogether animalalliance.org/events.

Local handweavers show and sale comes just in time for the holidays

By Reader Staff

The pandemic kept local weavers from sell ing their creations but not from making them. Their studios are overflowing with one-of-akind handwoven items, and local handweavers are gearing up to display their wares beginning Friday, Nov. 18 through Jan. 2, 2023 at Idaho Pour Authority (203 Cedar St.).

Meet the weavers at an opening reception Nov. 18 from 5 p.m.-8 p.m., and learn more about their craft and how they create these beautiful and useful objects. Also enjoy live music by local musician Emma Hustis.

The show will feature a variety of handwo ven textiles including tea towels, scarves and rugs. All items will be for sale for the entirety of the show during normal Idaho Pour Author

ity business hours — seven days a week from noon-close. Most items will be cash or check only, with some weavers accepting Venmo payment.

This will be the fourth handweaving show at Idaho Pour Authority — the perfect loca tion to enjoy a beer or cider while perusing beautiful, locally made crafts, and get a jump on the holiday shopping season.

Dr. Lisa Leyh with BTAA examines a dog at a previous One Health event last June in Cocolalla. Courtesy photo.

Annual BoCo Fairgrounds Christmas Craft Fair to see almost 100 vendors

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

No gift compares to locally made goods. It is with that in mind that the Bonner County Fairgrounds is once again hosting its annual Christmas Craft Fair; and, this time, all of the approximate 100 vendor slots filled up faster than ever.

“I can recall correspondence from June asking about the upcoming show,” said Ma randa Montgomery, the fairgrounds’ office administrator. “We recognize the joy that is brought to the community from the event, and just Christmas in general, and we 100% support that happiness.”

The 2022 Christmas Craft Fair is sched uled for Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20, open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. both days. Admission is free.

This year’s craft fair will feature local artisan vendors selling everything from cro cheted goods to hand-painted glass to home decor and more. There will also be food and

treat vendors (think fudge), as well as kids’ activities and daily visits from Santa from noon-2 p.m.

Selkirk Ridge Photography will be on hand to take photos of craft fair attendees against a special holiday-themed back ground. Having a photo taken is free, and those who wish to purchase digital or print copies can visit the photographer’s website after the event.

Community members are also welcome to participate in the fairgrounds’ fifth annual gingerbread house contest. To enter, bring a completed gingerbread house and two non-perishable food items for the Bonner Community Food Bank.

For more information, contact the Bon ner County Fairgrounds at 208-263-8414 or fairgrounds@bonnercountyid.gov.

Selkirk Ridge Photography will be at the fair grounds’ Christmas Craft Fair taking photos of attendees on the holiday-themed background pictured here. Photo by Selkirk Ridge Photography.

Gills before gobbles

Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club to host annual Thanksgiving fishing derby starting Nov. 19

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Hopping on a boat and fishing the fick le fall waters of Lake Pend Oreille is not for the faint of heart. That hasn’t stopped oodles of locals from layering up, check ing their tackle and starting their motors each year for the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club’s annual Thanksgiving Derby, this year scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19 through Sunday, Nov. 27, with the only pause in the action being Thanksgiving Day, this year on Thursday, Nov. 24.

“Looks like the weather will be the biggest question, but it seems that there are a lot of boats with space heaters and lots of fisherpersons who are hardy enough to handle the weather,” said LPO IC Vice President Dave Gillespie.

Classifications and rules are largely the same as in years past, Gillespie said, and the derby will continue to feature member bonuses as well as special catchand-release bonuses for rainbow trout, which are meant to encourage anglers to let the lake’s prized species thrive.

Gillespie said the catch-and-release

incentive seems to be “catching on,” as other local fishing clubs adopt similar options in their derbies.

The adult division of the Thanksgiving Derby offers cash prizes for the top four rainbows (must be 32 inches minimum) and also for the top 10 mackinaw. Top prizes for each species are $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

There is also a junior division for anglers ages 13-17, with the minimum rainbow size being 28 inches. There are also two youth divisions with no mini mum rainbow length.

Tickets for the LPOIC Thanksgiving Derby are $50 for adults, $10 for juniors and free for those in the youth division. Tickets can be purchased at Holiday Shores Resort, Mark’s Marine, the Captn’s Table, Sandpoint Marine, Mac Donald’s Hudson Bay Resort, Fins and Feathers, Ralph’s Coffee House, Priest River Hardware, Odie’s Bayside Grocery, North 40, North Ridge Outfitters, Bay view Mercantile, Black Sheep Sporting Goods and Super Fly.

Weigh stations throughout the derby will be located at Holiday Shores in Hope, the public boat ramp in Garfield Bay

and at MacDonald’s Hudson Bay Resort in Bayview. Those sta tions will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, except on Thanksgiv ing. The derby will end on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 4 p.m.

More than $10,000 in cash and prizes will be given out across all divisions. Gillespie said that LPOIC, a non profit organization, is always seeking spon sors for prize packages and those interested can contact president@ lpoic.org.

Find derby updates and learn more about the club at facebook. com/lpoic.

Schweitzer to open early for the 2022/’23 winter season

Favorable natural snowfall, early season snowmaking conditions prompt early opening weekend

By Reader Staff

With more than three feet of natural snowfall and a head start on snowmaking, Schweitzer will open early for a bonus weekend of skiing and riding Saturday, Nov. 19-Sunday, Nov. 20. The last time the mountain opened before its projected open ing date was during the 2017-’18 season.

“Since Mother Nature got a jumpstart on winter here in the Inland Northwest, we fig ured it was only right to open the mountain early,” stated Tom Chasse, Schweitzer CEO and president. “Nothing is more exciting than being able to welcome skiers and snow boarders to Schweitzer for the first time each winter, and thanks to favorable temperatures and a few feet of natural snowfall already this month, we’re ready to do so.”

Schweitzer plans to run the Basin Express chairlift on Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. with

access to Midway trail. Season pass holders and day guests are invited to get in a few early season turns over the week end with lift tickets available for purchase for $50 at the mountain. There will not be any beginner terrain available on opening weekend.

The mountain will close Monday, Nov. 20 through Thursday, Nov. 24 and reopen for daily operations beginning Friday, Nov. 25.

“Our lift and terrain offer ing will continue to expand as conditions permit,” according to Chasse. “The best resource for the most up-to-date information is our website.”

Pass holders who have renewed their pass from last season will be able to use

their same pass thanks to the new reload able RFID cards that were issued in 2021. For easy access to the lifts on opening weekend, renewing pass holders who have

a 2021-’22 card can simply visit schweitzer.com and sign a waiver to activate their 2022-’23 winter sea son pass.

Season pass holders who are new to Schweitzer will have an RFID pass either mailed to them or available for pickup from Guest Services. For more information, stop by Schweitzer Guest Services open daily from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. or call 208-263-9555 ext. 1246.

For more information about RFID, Schweitzer’s hours of operation and the latest weather conditions, visit schweitzer.com.

Ryan Roslak with a 26.06-pound rainbow, caught last winter. Courtesy photo.

Snowmaking is underway as Schweitzer prepares to open Nov. 19. Photo courtesy Schweitzer.

events

November 17-23, 2022

THURSDAY, November 17

BNSF, Ames Construction donate $30k to Bonner Food Bank

CASA Purse Party

4-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery The annual fundraiser for CASA

Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Paint and Sip with Nicole Black 5:30-7:30pm @ Barrel 33 Visit barrel33sandpoint.com for more info

Live Music w/ Truck Mills 6pm @ Blue Room

An evening with Lena Haug: All the Wild Horses documentary screening, Q&A 6pm @ Panida Theater (doors open at 6pm, movie starts at 7:30pm, Q&A to follow) Watch a documentary about the Mongol Derby and talk with Sandpoint’s own Lena Haug

FriDAY, November 18

Live Music w/ Courtney Riddle Dun 6pm @ Blue Room

Live Music w/ Devon Wade

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Jordan Pitts 6pm @ Paddler’s Alehouse

Live Music w/ Benny Baker and The Other White Meat 9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge (no cover)

Live Music w/ CobraJet 10pm @ The Sandbar

Live Comedy show w/ Brendan Gay 7pm @ Panida Theater See story on Page 18 for more info

Live Music w/ Nobody Famous 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Artistic guitar duo with light-hearted flair

SATURDAY, November 19

Live Music w/ Nick Weibe

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Loop guitar, vocals and energetic songs

Presentation about Kiss the Ground doc 5pm @ Create Arts Center (Newport, Wa)

A presentation by Tony Ten Fingers about Woody Harrelson’s documentary film Kiss the Ground.

Live Music w/ John Daffron 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Christmas Craft Fair

9am-3pm @ Bonner Co. Fairgrounds

Free admission to local artisans’ hand made gifts, food and treats, kids activities and daily Santa visits from noon-2pm

Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes

5:30-8pm @ Drift (Hope)

Sandpoint Chess Club

5th Annual Jack Frost Fest 12-7pm @ The Granary

A celebration of music, winter and fun. Four bands, all free! See Page 21 for info

KNPS program: ‘More than just a park’ 10am @ Sandpoint Library (mtg. room B)

Join Maeve Nevins-Lavtar as she takes a tour of Sandpoint’s Parks & Rec pub lic-private partnership model for success

Turkey Ball dance 7pm @ Ponderay Event Center

Starts with a 1-hour beginner waltz lesson, followed by general dancing from 8-10pm. Door prizes, refreshments. $9/person

Live Music w/ Marty & Doug 6pm @ Blue Room

SunDAY, November 20

9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am

Christmas Craft Fair (free admission) 9am-3pm @ Bonner Co. Fairgrounds

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

Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s “Helping Others”

MCS Fall Serenade

5pm @ Little Carnegie Hall (MCS) Join Music Conservatory of Sandpoint music teachers for this popular annual event. No-host wine bar. $15 admission

monDAY, November 21 tuesDAY, November 22

Group Run @ Outdoor Experience

6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome, beer after

By Reader Staff

Bolstered by a $25,000 grant from the BNSF Railway Foundation and a $5,000 gift from Ames Construction, the Bonner Community Food Bank began distributing Thanksgiving meals Nov. 14 to families in need in Sandpoint and the surrounding com munity, and will continue to do so through Tuesday, Nov. 22.

Volunteers from both companies are on site handing out the dinners, in part as a thank-you to residents of Sandpoint and Bonner County for their patience and support throughout the five-year construction of the second rail bridge over Lake Pend Oreille.

“We are committed to investing in the communities across our 32,500-mile, 28-state track network,” said Matt Jones, director of public affairs for BNSF. “The citizens of Sandpoint and Bonner County

went the extra mile while the new bridge was built, and we are thrilled to thank them with some Thanksgiving cheer.”

The Bonner Community Food Bank has been serving the local community since 1981. As of Sept. 30, the nonprofit has distributed 360,539 pounds of food through donations from grocery stores and individ uals. The food bank had more than 24,000 visits in 2021, and already more than 28,000 as of the end of October.

“We are grateful for all donations, espe cially during the holidays,” said Bonner Com munity Food Bank Executive Director Debbie Love. “The contributions ensure families will enjoy a delicious, traditional meal without worrying about how they will pay for it.”

Tuesday Beer Education Night: Trivia! (3rd event) • 6-7pm @ Utara Brewing Co. A Beer Judge Certification Program trivia night. Free to attend. Beer nerds welcome

wednesDAY, November 23

Live Piano w/ Jason Evans

5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Live Music w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

The Burger Dock’s Giving Thanks 3-6pm @ The Burger Dock

The 4th annual! Free meals include burger, sweet potato fries and pumpkin pie.

From left to right: Sawyer Junker, Ryan Kopera, Matt Jones, Debbie Love, Mike Pamperin, Max Rexroad, Jake Garringer, Roz Holland and Judy Thompson. Photo by Ben Olson.

Authenticity is key

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

For nationally touring stand-up comedian Brendan Gay, humor is simply a conduit for sharing stories about a muse he knows best: himself.

“It’s all coming from me,” Gay told the Reader when asked what inspires his style of comedy. “There’s no secret to it, right?”

Gay’s authentic craft will be on full display as he performs Friday, Nov. 18 at the Panida Theater.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the laughs will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance online and $15 at the door.

experience as a “Black guy who grew up poor in a rich white neighborhood” when he writes his material, as well as his more recent experiences performing stand-up in 48 of the 50 states. Whether it’s observations about minority culture or quips on life as a millennial, Gay has an arsenal of personal insights he uses to weave his comic web.

“My identity comes from my growing up and being different,” he said, “and then experiencing so much around the U.S.”

Brendan Gay Stand-Up Comedy

Friday, Nov. 18; $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., 208-263-9191. Get ad vance tickets at panida.org.

Gay said he draws on his

Gay is nearly seven years into his comedy career, which came only after achieving his ultimate goal of becoming a successful medical device salesman after college.

While the money was good, the gig wasn’t fulfilling.

“It’s tough, right?” he said. “You get everything you wanted, that you worked hard for, and then once you get it you’re like, ‘This is not it.’”

Gay tried stand-up comedy and “really never looked back,” he said. He has since recorded a comedy al bum; embarked on a “52 x 52” tour, during which he visited 52 cities in 52 weeks; become the producer of a podcast; and earned top spots in several comedy competitions, in cluding TruTV’s Comedy Breakout initiative at The New York Televi sion Festival, the Make Me Laugh USA Competition and NBC’s Stand Up Diversity Showcase.

“It wasn’t glamorous at first. There was a lot of bombing,” he said. “It was a grown passion. I think that was important — at least for me in my comedy jour

Stand-up comedian Brendan Gay will bring the laughs to the Panida Theater on Nov. 18

ney. This wasn’t a thing that I was completely obsessed with right away. It grew into a passion.”

Those who take in Gay’s Pani da show are guaranteed to “leave laughing and thinking differently,” he said.

“I’m just trying to be myself

up there — with jokes,” he said. “If you come to see my show, you’ll really get to know me and how I relate to the culture we’re living in today.”

Millions is a good film about good works

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

What happens when the imag ination of a bereaved school kid collides with the reality of cold, hard cash? A comedy-drama about grief, morality, empathy and soul, such as the 2004 film Millions from English director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Part of the Ting-sponsored Global Cinema Cafe Series, the film will get two showings Sun day, Nov. 20 at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. at the Panida Theater, introducing viewers to Damian (Alex Etel) and his older brother Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon) — two boys who have recently lost their mother and come into an unex pected amount of dough.

Damian is by far the more soul ful of the brothers, spending his lone

ly hours imagining conversations with various Catholic saints in a cardboard fort next to the tracks in their Liverpool suburb. Life takes a surprising turn one day when a huge sack of English pounds hurled from a passing train lands near Damian’s hiding place — the result of a daring robbery by a band of Liverpudlian crooks.

it upon himself to donate a huge sum to a charity drive at his Cath olic school.

Things get more complicated and increasingly perilous from there, with Damian repeatedly seeking advice from his imaginary saintly advisers.

Millions (PG)

When presented with the shocking windfall — coming just before a fictional conversion in the U.K. from the pound to the Euro — Anthony’s first impulse is to keep the money, either investing it in real estate or playing the cur rency market. Deeply faithful Da mian, however, sees in the money an opportunity to do good works, and embarks on a number of minor kindnesses.

Sunday, Nov. 20; 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., doors open 30 minutes before the show; $8 adv./$10 door for adults; $7 adv./$9 door for youth and seniors. Panida Theater, 300 First Ave., 208-263-9191, get tickets at panida.org.

The missing money starts to attract attention, however, both as the robbers return to reclaim their ill-gotten lucre and Damian takes

Millions is decidedly removed from Boyle’s broader cinematic oeuvre, which includes Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Sunshine — none of them exactly “kid-friendly.” But he also made Slumdog Million aire — which received 10 Oscar nominations and eight wins in 2009, including for Best Picture and Best Director — suggesting Boyle may have a soft spot for variously stricken kids who come into a lot of money.

The story comes from Boyce, however, who released a novel of the same name based on the screenplay a few months before Millions premiered in theaters in 2004 — a strange case of the movie actually coming before the book, but the book coming out before the movie.

No matter the head-scratching order of operations, librarians in Britain awarded the book the Carnegie Medal and it made the short list for the Guardian Chil dren’s Fiction Prize and Branford Boase Award. Meanwhile, the film won Best Screenplay at the British Independent Film Awards in 2005.

Millions earned an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.8/10 on IMDb, while late-film critic Roger Ebert gave it four stars, calling it “a fam ily film of limitless imagination and surprising joy,” and praising its casting and writing.

There is a lot of invention in Millions — the fictitious plot device of a change-over from the British pound to the Euro is even more far-fetched 16 years later and post-Brexit — but it all works, including Damian’s spiritual con fabs, which are frequently played for comic effect as well as to tug on audiences’ heartstrings.

“It’s not sanitized brainless eye candy,” Ebert wrote. “Like all great family movies, it plays equally well for adults — maybe better, since we know how unusu al it is.”

Stand-up comedian Brendan Gay. Courtesy photo.

Courtesy photo.

The Sandpoint Eater

Dare to share

counter, so if you stop in for some biscuits and gravy, for goodness sake, be generous and help out with this ongoing tradition.

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

A few sure signs that Thanksgiving is just around the corner: friends are calling me for recipes and turkey-cook ing advice, and wise-daughter Ryanne reminds me (almost daily) during phone conversa tions that I’m the only one in the family (or maybe even the universe) who eats homemade cranberry relish sauce.

Other signs include the recent arrival of my annual Heritage Farms catalog. Unfor tunately, their eight varieties of Standardbred turkeys are going for about $20 a pound. Though I love their mission — Heri tage Foods is a mail order and wholesale company founded in New York in 2001 to preserve endangered species of livestock and poultry from extinction — their prices are a bit too high to feed my growing crew of carnivores. (If you want to learn more about them, visit heritagefoods.com).

Another sign that Thanks giving is imminent: With big hearts and generous spirits, the new owners of the Hoot Owl, Josh Butler and family, will continue the long tradition of a free Thanksgiving dinner. Served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. After 1 p.m., they’ll even pack it up to go, on a first-come, first-served basis. It would not surprise me to see a favorite person and former-owner Wendy Hansen Franck there as well, decked out in her best apron and up to her elbows in mashed potatoes. There’s a donation can at the

Elsewhere in town, thanks to the efforts of the Bonner Community Food Bank, many families will be roasting birds with all the trimmings. The food bank began distributing Thanksgiving meals this week and will continue through next week (see Page 18 for more). If you can’t help them out before Thanksgiving, my friend and favorite dance partner, Debbie Love (the food bank’s exec utive director), reminded me that they’re happy to receive your turkey and other food donations throughout the rest of the holiday season. Drop-

off Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at either location: 1707 Culvers Drive in Sandpoint, or 45 S. McKinley St., Suite 107, in Priest River. If you prefer, you donate via their website: foodbank83864. com.

Debbie and I agree that turkey goes much further than one-time poultry on a platter. It’s packed with protein and the leftover options are limit less, which is why I bought the biggest one I could find; and, at $1.18 a pound, I thought it was a real bargain. I also went to Safeway this week and spent $50 on groceries so I could purchase a second one for just 65 cents a pound. Along with some other staples, that one went to the food bank, and I

wasn’t a bit surprised to see all the donations pouring in while I was there. Thanks to our gen erous community, many good folks will have a lot of excel lent food on their tables.

My family typically sits for Thanksgiving dinner at about 3 p.m., so after naps, football games and evening debauchery, they’re looking for another meal before bedtime. By then, I’ve already carved the remain der of the turkey and bagged the bones for a pot of savory broth to make a batch of pot pies or dumplings. My person al favorite leftover is turkey salad, and I’m quick to take care of the leftovers myself. It’s true that I’ve been known to hide a bag of sliced turkey in the vegetable drawer before it’s

Holiday turkey salad

INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:

Chop cooked turkey meat and dice vegetables (celery, green onions, peppers, etc.).

Transfer turkey mixture to a medium bowl.

Mix mayonnaise, marmalade, curry powder, vinegar, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour over turkey, mix and combine thoroughly. Cover and refriger ate, 8 hours to overnight. Before serving, add the cashews and Clementine sections (omit Clem entines for appetizer).

Garnish with pomegranate seeds — or thin radish slices — and chopped green onion.

discovered by the others who are known to pile more than their fair share of bird between a couple of pieces of bread (the number of sandwich-making people you run into at midnight is staggering).

It’s been a year full of chal lenges for many of us, and, as cliché as it sounds, I’m filled with gratitude and so darn thankful. Primarily for simple things, like food and shelter for my family and friends. It’s hard to imagine going hungry or not being able to provide for our loved ones. Be kind and be generous. Share what you can, then dare to share even more (even your coveted turkey sal ad). Happy Thanksgiving.

MUSIC The official winter welcome

Four bands round out fifth installment of Jack Frost Fest

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

In the five years since its in ception, Jack Frost Fest has grown from a modest, ticketed concert event to a free, all-day celebration of music, community and, above all, the coming winter.

A huge part of that evolution, according to Robb Talbott of Mat tox Farm Productions — which hosts the event — was last year’s move to the Granary District be tween Oak and Church streets, as well as the partnership that formed with the area’s businesses, such as Matchwood Brewing and Evans Brothers Coffee.

“I love the location,” Talbott said. “It feels more communi ty-oriented.”

The fifth Jack Frost Fest is slated for Saturday, Nov. 19 from noon-7 p.m. and will mostly retain the same format as last year, with bands playing music on two stages and the entire community invited to join the fun for free. Creations will also be on hand noon-4 p.m., providing arts and crafts for kids.

“Looks like it’s going to be fairly cold, but sunny and clear,” Talbott said. “It’s always nice to see people bundle up, come out and have some fun, despite it not being 80 degrees and sunny.”

Talbott estimates that last year’s Jack Frost Fest drew 400 to 500 attendees.

“All day long, people were trickling in and we had a great turnout,” he said.

Local band Scott Taylor and the End less Switchbacks will kick off the music at noon, bringing what Talbott called “Amer icana with a Grateful Dead vibe” to the loading dock stage.

“Their name, the ‘Endless Switch backs,’ points us up the hill, which is a good way to get the winter party started,” he said.

Next up, playing two sets on the Matchwood stage 1:30-2:30 p.m. and 4-5 p.m., will be local outfit Ben and the Buds, fronted by Ben Murray.

“You’re going to get some of that old school rock and you’re going to get some of those beachy … island vibes, to feel warm er even if we’re not in a warm climate,” Talbott said of Ben and the Buds. “It’s danceable stuff. It’s feel-good music.”

Playing the 2:30-4 p.m. set on the loading dock — as well as the unofficial Jack Frost Fest after party at Eichardt’s Pub at 7 p.m. — will be Missoula-based bluegrass band The Timber Rat tlers, who Talbott said are “not messing around” when it comes

to fiddle-slaying, bass-thumping roots music.

“A boot-stomping, high-ener gy set of music is what you can expect at a Timber show,” violinist Jesse Brown told the Reader, “and we are happy to play our music for the fine folks of Sandpoint.”

Rounding out this year’s Jack Frost Fest lineup is Spo kane-based Gin, Smoke & Lies — a group known for Turnpike Troubadour-inspired outlaw country — playing the loading dock 5-6:30 p.m.

“We’re a group of honky-tonk troubadours from Kootenai Coun ty, bringing our tunes all around the Northwest,” said vocalist Sam McCue. “We recently released our first single ‘Something to Prove’

on all streaming platforms and can’t wait to try and get it stuck in everyone’s heads on Saturday.”

Talbott said he’s excited to see what Jack Frost Fest — now an entirely sponsor-driven event — will “grow into.”

“It’s amazing to me that there’s been five years of it,” he said, re calling the great turnout the event saw in its first year at the Granary District. “That really felt good. It felt like a really good way to do it, and a community-style way to do it. We look forward to continuing to do it that way and working with Matchwood and Evans Brothers.”

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Fall Serenade, Music Conservatory, Nov. 20 Nobody Famous, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Nov. 18

There is a bit of a nip in the air, but inside the Music Conser vatory of Sandpoint, the rooms will be filled with the warmth of classical music.

The annual Fall Serenade on Sunday, Nov. 20 is a popular event that will not only feature the extraordinary talent of music teachers, but the proceeds will benefit community youth who wish to learn to sing or play an

instrument.

A no-host wine bar will also be available. Tickets are only $15 and available at sandpoint conservatory.org.

— Ben Olson

5-7 p.m., $15. Little Carnegie Hall at Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, 110 Main St., 208265-4444, sandpointconservato ry.org.

They say they’re “nobody famous,” but the members of the titular Spokane-based band have been at it so long they simply go by their first names: Gene and Doug.

Dig deep enough into the music history of the Lilac City and you’ll find Gene Repp and Douglas Lee listed as among the members of Nobody Famous as far back as 2001. Though the band has taken many forms over the decades, Repp’s membership

stretches back at least to 1991, making it a regional institution if there ever was one.

As Gene and Doug, the guitar duo will bring light-heart ed, up-tempo rock to the Pend d’Oreille Winery — another fine local institution.

— Zach Hagadone

5-8 p.m., FREE. Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St., 208-2658545, powine.com.

I’m currently reading the next en try for my ongoing “banned book” ar ticles and am really enjoying it. Jonathan Safran Foer’s Ex tremely Loud and Incredibly Close is one of those novels you can’t help but find endearing (unless you’re among the dim-witted few who urged for it to be banned). It follows a young boy who is on the autism spectrum embarking on a scavenger hunt to find a connection with his father, who recently perished in the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11. I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s a hauntingly good novel.

READ LISTEN

I’ve been capti vated by the Canadi an band Foxwarren lately. Singer-song writer Andy Shauf, along with his childhood friends, found them selves recording a self-titled al bum as a culmination of their de cade-long collaboration. It’s damn good. My first thought after listen ing to their best song, “Sunset Can yon,” was, “Why haven’t I heard of this band before?” They have a melodic indie quality to the songs, with just the right touch of Ameri cana (or Canadacana, if you will) to make it approachable.

WATCH

I’ve been known to watch an ac tion movie from time to time, though most of the time they’re a little too in-the-box for me. I went into Top Gun: Maverick with the thought that it would be an entertaining cou ple of hours without much more be hind it. Though the plot was a little basic, I was stunned by the caliber of stunts in this film, primarily Tom Cruise flying his own jet like a boss. Say what you will about his weird Scientology world, but Cruise is a badass when it comes to films. I walked away pleasantly surprised after watching this one.

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

The cold didn’t phase music lovers at the 2021 Jack Frost Fest, which was held in the Granary District for the first time. Courtesy photo.

From Northern Idaho News, Nov. 16, 1926

MAN NARROWLY ESCAPES WHEN CAR GOES IN RIVER

George Welsch, a rancher of Granite, had a narrow escape from death Friday, when the car he was driving broke through the railing of the long wagon bridge and plunged into the icy waters of the lake, 25 feet below the floor of the bridge. The car landed in about three feet of water and mud, but was not badly damaged.

Mr. Welsch escaped inju ry except for a few bruises about the face but says he does not care to repeat the experience. He said the accident was caused by the steering gear of the car breaking, causing him to lose control of the car, although he endeavored to keep it in the center of the bridge until he could bring it to a stop, but it swerved and went through the railing of the bridge, landing on its side in the water and mud.

Passing motorists noti fied the sheriff’s office and Deputy Sheriff E.A. MacKay and “Bud” Twiss hurried to the scene of the accident and pulled Welsch back on the bridge with the aid of a rope.

The accident occurred a little more than halfway across the bridge.

BACK OF THE BOOK

What the woolly worm told me

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Everyone knows about the prognosticat ing powers of the groundhog, recognized each February when Punxutawney Phil does or does not see his shadow, indicating the remaining length of winter. The ritual is generally accepted as more playful than prophetic. This is especially true in North Idaho, where the only predictive species I’ve ever heard taken seriously is the woolly bear caterpillar.

Woolly bears — or woolly worms, as they are often called in the southern and eastern states — are the small, fuzzy, blackand-rust-colored wigglers that pop up in large numbers seemingly out of nowhere in the chilly sunshine of North Idaho autumns. They are actually not worms at all, but the larva of the Isabella tiger moth. Woolly cat erpillars are found in most of North Ameri ca; and, despite what people call them, there seems to be general agreement about their singular ability to predict the harshness of the upcoming winter.

The basic guidelines are these: the wider the rust-colored band on the woolly bear, the milder the winter; the more black color ation on the insect, the more snow is headed your way.

There are, of course, variations on these standards. For instance, finding out which way the caterpillar is going might provide a more specific prediction, with the black band near the head foreshadowing the beginning of the winter and the tail end predicting the season’s severity closer to spring.

This has been the talk of the play ground at the elementary school where I work (where the woolly bears have names and special caterpillar-sized habitats built for them), as well as at my husband’s job, where one of his coworkers recently

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claimed to have seen a mostly black woolly bear, foreshadowing a brutal winter.

Count me among the people predict ing the worst for North Idaho this snowy season, as I recently came across my own woolly bear without a speck of orange to be seen.

On my way out the door, walking across the driveway to my car, I nearly stepped on him. All-black, fuzzy as can be and wiggling his way across the gravel with a real sense of purpose.

I had no doubt that Mr. Woolly Bear had some place to be — probably somewhere cozy, like my garden shed or firewood pile, in preparation for the hellish onslaught of cold to come.

I carried this encounter with me for a few weeks before bothering to learn more about the old wives’ tale of the woolly bear caterpillar. I had somehow placed this superstition in the oral-history category of my brain: a place where things simply are, without question, a reality because they always have been.

Living in the age of the internet, I decid ed to learn more.

It isn’t clear when the legend of the prognosticating woolly bear originated, but it was first well-documented as a possible scientific phenomenon in the late 1940s by American Museum of Natural History Cu rator of Insects and Spiders Dr. C. Howard Curran. A 1948 excerpt from Time maga zine documented Curran’s quest to log the width of the caterpillar’s orange bands and compare the data to the following winters.

Over nearly a decade, the evidence was largely inconclusive because of the study’s small size. Still, the resulting publicity launched the folksy tradition to new noto riety. To this day, towns — mostly in the

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South and East — hold festivals based on the woolly bear (or worm) and its ability to predict the coming winter.

It is through this research that I learned something particularly pertinent to my recent experience: woolly bears can’t be entirely black. If you find one, many of my sources noted, it’s not a sign of an apoca lyptic winter on the horizon. Rather, you’ve simply come across a caterpillar belonging to a different moth species.

In the spirit of scientific integ rity, I concede that none of us will predict the winter, no matter the tools — insectoid or otherwise — at our disposal. But out of a sense of loyalty to the oral-his tory side of my brain, I can’t help but believing that Mr. Woolly Bear — in all his fuzzy, black-as-night glory — actually was a woolly bear caterpillar, and he was trying to tell me something.

I’ll make sure we have an extra cord of firewood, just in case.

If you’re ever on an airplane that’s crashing, see if you can’t organize a quick thing of group sex, because come on, you squares.

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Laughing

of

Corrections: One of the photo captions accompanying the story “The pursuit of transcendence” in the Nov. 10. issue of the Reader was misplaced. The photo on the bottom of Page 17 should have been identified as the painting “Red Boat” by Stephen Schultz. Also, in the story “Good faith guitar” in our Nov. 3 issue, we misspelled the first name of musician Jonathan Foster. We’re so sorry, Jonathan, and good luck on the rest of your fall tour. If you missed the chance to see him in Sandpoint, check him out at jfmusic.net.

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