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PEOPLE compiled by
Susan Drinkard
watching
“What are you thankful for?” “Friends, family and this beautiful place we live. I’ve lived here 10 years; my husband is a third-generation native.” Jessica Rorman Stay-at-home mom Sandpoint
DEAR READERS,
It’s Thanksgiving time and the Reader is out a day early so our staff can spend our normal delivery day on Thursday with our families. I have a quest for you, dear readers: Write down a few names of people in your life that you are grateful for and tell them about it. Write them an email, text or call them on the phone or stop them on the sidewalk for a fist bump and an air hug. We’re all adjusting to the fact that Thanksgiving this year will be a bit more somber than previous years thanks to COVID-19, so every bit of connection with those important people in your life is crucial. Plus, it just feels good to be kind and show gratitude for those folks that make your life better and the world better. I’m thankful for all of you out there. I’m grateful we have so many excellent contributing writers and artists. I’m thankful for all the advertisers whose support helps bring the Reader to you every week. Finally, I’m grateful for my friends, family and loved ones for making life on this rock a pleasure. Happy Thanksgiving!
– Ben Olson, publisher
READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724
www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Bill Mitchell (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard.
“I am thankful for my family and for my work helping those with disabilities at Goodwill.” Steve Barber Job coach Clark Fork
Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Phil Hough, Brenden Bobby, Emily Erickson. Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $115 per year
“Everything! My family. My girls came home. I survived a stroke. I am thankful for second chances.” Nona Wilson Co-owner of Tamarack Treatment — mental health and substance abuse Sandpoint
“I am thankful Schweitzer gave us a free ski weekend.” Gaelan Evans Landscaper Sandpoint
“I am thankful I am not a turkey.” Silly Goose Sandpoint City Beach
Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 300 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers. Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook. About the Cover
This week’s cover was drawn by Bill Mitchell, one of our favorite local artists. Check out more of Bill’s work here: @billmitchellart November 25, 2020 /
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NEWS
City Beach land swap approved, officials call it a ‘win-win’ By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The Sandpoint City Council at its Nov. 18 meeting gave the green light to a high-value land transfer at City Beach, swapping the publicly-owned grassy space to the east of the Best Western Edgewater Resort for the SandIda Inc.-owned RV parking lot, located south of the hotel across Bridge Street. Sand-Ida, which owns and operates the Edgewater Resort, plans to double the footprint of the hotel, using a portion of the former city-owned property to accommodate at least 100 rooms — as well as the popular Trinity at City Beach restaurant — while also expanding parking. According to an assessment presented to the council in late October, each parcel is valued at around $2 million. City officials have long lauded the transfer as a “win-win,” allowing the Edgewater Resort to expand while giving the city increased frontage on Sand Creek — a central element of the recently-approved Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which puts into motion a long-term redevelopment of City Beach, including more parking and boat moorage relocated away from swimming areas. According to Sandpoint Parks and Rec. Director Kim Woodruff, the land swap is “times 10, as far as a game changer,” adding about 2/3 of an acre to the park; bringing in more cityowned waterfront; removing and separating boat access from high-intensity use areas; and, by allowing a realignment of the parking area, helping facilitate new uses called for under the Parks and Rec. Master Plan — including potential large-scale arts and culture events. “I truly do see this as a winwin,” Woodruff told the council, 4 /
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though noted that some citizens have criticized the land swap as a “giveaway” of valuable public land for the benefit of private interests. “The city benefits when our businesses succeed,” Woodruff said, adding that the expansion of the Edgewater and larger parks plan also opens the door for opportunities to raise revenue during the shoulder season with meetings and other gatherings. “I’m really excited,” he said. With the blessing of the council, Sand-Ida is clear to move forward with its intention to demolish the hotel on or around Sept. 7, 2021. The reopening — likely under a different brand — is preliminarily scheduled for spring 2023. Adrian Cox, one of the owners of Sand-Ida told the council that the company is hoping to make the hotel “a little higher end,” with nods toward Hilton and others.
Citing increased bed tax revenue, construction payments, impact fees and money flowing into city coffers from the restaurant, Cox said, “It’s important for the city to realize the financial benefits of this project. The ability for the city to move forward with its long-term vision of the City Beach is greatly needed and it’s dramatically being pushed forward by the swap. Without the swap, the city misses out on these revenue items. … But post-swap they will have short-term RV revenue, higher moorage revenue, there’ll be significant value in the expanded boat launch, all the parking has real value … “I feel like there’s real benefit in massively changing the timeframe for the city to move forward with its long-term vision,” he said. Cox also noted that Trinity would not have a home at City
Beach without the expansion enabled by the land exchange — a condition of uncertainty that Trinity owner Justin Dick described as “fighting for my life and my restaurant.” Dick said that since Trinity opened in 2009, the business has employed 1,260 employees and paid out $11.5 million in payroll and gratuities — nearly all of those workers being local residents, with some staying in their jobs for more than a decade (and counting). “We’ve been stewards of City Beach, we’ve been stewards of this community,” Dick said, referring to Trinity’s partnership with dozens of local nonprofits over the years, which have availed themselves of the grassy area in front of the restaurant for various events. “I can safely say that I’ve spent more time at City Beach than any one in this community
A preliminary site plan of the approved land swap at Sand-Ida’s Best Western Edgewater Resort at Sandpoint City Beach. Image courtesy city of Sandpoint. in the past 11 years. I know how the beach works,” he said, specifically wondering aloud why the beach is only used by the community during the summer months. His point being that the land exchange helps open the door for more year-round uses. “The beach offers a very affordable way for our locals to have a good time,” he said. Meanwhile, as the hotel undergoes demolition and reconstruction, Trinity is intending to remain open at a to-be-determined temporary location — potentially the former Truby’s space at Main Street and Second Avenue — with plans to return to the City Beach location as soon as possible, Dick said.
NEWS
Ramey’s accused killer ‘lacks fitness to proceed’ Judith Carpenter committed to mental facility, trial postponed
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Judith Carpenter, the Coeur d’Alene woman accused of shooting and killing 79-year-old Hope resident Shirley Ramey at the Rameys’ Trestle Creek home in April 2017, has been committed to a treatment facility for mental illness, putting all proceedings in the case on hold for the time being. First District Judge Barbara Buchanan filed an order of commitment Nov. 13, stating that upon review of Carpenter’s mental evaluation, the accused
Judith Carpenter’s booking photo from Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. lacks the competency necessary to stand trial at this time. “The Court finds the Defen-
COVID-19 cases continue to rise, along with tensions over mask orders By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
The Panhandle Health District, covering the five northernmost counties in Idaho, reported 248 new cases of COVID-19 on Nov. 24, bringing the regional total to 8,977 since tracking began in the spring. Of those, 5,724 have been since “closed,” including the 103 district residents who have died from the virus or related causes. As of Nov. 24, a total of 68 people are currently hospitalized. Health officials reported 1,640 new cases statewide on Nov. 24, bringing the total to 94,730 since March, with 874 deaths. All five northern counties — Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone — are in the “red” category for risk of transmission, in the past week prompting PHD to institute a 60-day district-wide mask order and the Lake Pend Oreille School District trustees voting to remain in the “yellow” category while also approving some amendments to give teachers and administrators more leeway to mitigate exposure. That includes empowering educators to alter classroom policies to keep greater distance from students and allowing administrators to shift lunch schedules so that pupils aren’t crowded — maskless — in enclosed areas while they eat.
Meanwhile, the Idaho State Board of Education, Idaho Public Charter School Commission, Idaho Association of School Administrators and Idaho School Boards Association issued a joint statement Nov. 20, citing Idaho’s “perilous trajectory” in terms of rising case counts. “As education policy leaders, we urge and plead with communities large and small across Idaho to do their part to help our students be able to stay in school. The pandemic is not partisan,” the groups stated. “Enabling our students to go to school, with all the developmental and extracurricular opportunities it has to offer, is not partisan either. It is a moral and economic imperative.” Education stakeholders stressed that, “The quickest and most effective way to mitigate this virulent spread is simply to follow the science-based public health protocols of washing hands, maintaining six feet apart and wearing a face mask. Adult behaviors do impact our ability to operate schools.” Yet, unrest surrounding mask orders has spread quickly across social media, with many groups and individuals referring to those who seek to uphold the mandates as “snitches” while vowing not to comply.
dant lacks fitness to proceed in that the Defendant is incapable of assisting in the defense of this case; and the Court finds that the Defendant does lack capacity to make informed decisions about treatment,” the order reads, concluding that Carpenter “is dangerously mentally ill” as defined by Idaho Code. Authorities arrested Carpenter in Coeur d’Alene in August 2019 after connecting bullet casings found at the Ramey home to a handgun confiscated from Carpenter during a road rage incident in Lincoln County, Mont., the same day as the murder in Hope. Montana officers also
found a Savage Model 99 rifle in Carpenter’s vehicle — a firearm later determined to be missing from the Ramey residence. Carpenter plead not guilty to first-degree murder on Jan. 13. The Nov. 13 order of commitment did not specify what mental illness afflicts Carpenter, but does outline procedures for transferring her into the custody of the Idaho Department of Correction “for care and treatment at an appropriate facility for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days.” Officials in the facility where Carpenter is bound — also not specified in the order — will perform a mental evaluation and
provide progress reports for the court. “This progress report shall include an opinion as to whether the Defendant is fit to proceed, or if not, whether there is a substantial probability the Defendant will be fit to proceed within the foreseeable future,” Buchanan’s order states. The order of commitment suspends all proceedings in the case until Carpenter is considered competent. Therefore, the jury trial slated for Dec. 15 has been vacated and no other proceedings are scheduled.
Mont. high court: Hecla must seek new permits for Montanore mine near Rock Creek By Reader Staff The proposed Montanore mine near Rock Creek, which feeds into the Pend Oreille watershed from western Montana, hit a major roadblock Nov. 19 when the Montana Supreme Court ruled that Hecla Mining Co. can’t legally front a nearly 30-year-old water quality permit to green light its silver/copper operation in the Cabinet Mountains. Montana DEQ originally granted the permit to now-defunct mining company Noranda Minerals, which ran afoul of clean water protections and suffered an adverse court ruling in 1993. Noranda received a permit in 1997 and sought another in 2001. By 2002, the firm had ditched the project. In the interim, in 2006, another company sought to develop a mine operation at the site, but that effort also came to nothing. According to the Missoulian, that resulted in a legal quandary: Had the mine actually ceased development from 1992 to 2006? Justices considered whether those earlier permits could be applied to subsequent parties, including Hecla, which is the
current owner. The answer, according to the Montana Supreme Court, was “no.” Calling it a “sidestep” of the state’s “enhanced non-degradation policy,” the Big Sky state’s high court affirmed a district court’s decision handed down in July 2019 to nix the proposal, based on the 1992 Department of Environmental Quality permit to Noranda, which Hecla attorneys argued allowed the company to explore the area near Noxon, Mont., citing potential threats to regional water quality and wildlife habitat, which includes habitat for threatened bull trout and grizzly populations. As the Missoulian reported, Hecla must apply for a new permit from Montana DEQ to continue exploration at the site
Courtesy map. — paying heed to changes in the state’s environmental protection laws, which no longer weigh water pollution against “a result of necessary economic or social development,” but require more stringent controls. Hecla officials told the Missoulian that they are undaunted, and will seek new permits to proceed with the Montanore project November 25, 2020 /
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NEWS Shelter from the storm: Local construction firm donates protected bus stop for local kids By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Whatever challenges they might face during the 2020-’21 academic year, school kids who catch the bus at the juncture of Woodland Drive and Samuelson Avenue at least won’t have to wait in the elements, thanks to a bus stop shelter donated by local homebuilder, lifelong local and former Sandpoint City Councilman Justin Schuck, of Idagon Homes. Beginning in early October, Schuck and his crew reached out to the Lake Pend Oreille School District about constructing the shelter, with LPOSD Director of Transportation James Koehler writing to Schuck in an email, “That will be a very positive improvement for the kids at that stop.” The city of Sandpoint also got behind the project, which required pouring a concrete slab, with materials donated by Interstate and finish work by Thompson Concrete. The team finished the work by Nov. 20, just as the weather turned nasty, and was proud to stencil the phrase, “Stay in School” into the concrete.
Brad Shuttle, left, Brent Lockwood, center, and Justin Schuck, right, stand in front of the covered bus stop at Woodland Drive and Samuelson Ave. that they volunteered to build. Courtesy photo. “I was just driving my kids to school one day and saw about 15 kids standing out in the weather … and I happen to own a construction company that builds stuff,” Schuck told the Reader. The shelter is almost complete; Schuck is still looking for three benches — ideally, one six-foot church pew and two eight-foot pews — and hopes soon to install a solar light. After that, kids in the area will be enjoying perhaps one of the best-crafted shelters in the state. “It’s fun to give back,” said Schuck.
Schweitzer opening day will again only allow access to season passholders By Ben Olson Reader Staff The “sneak peek” opening weekend on Nov. 20-21 saw more than 1,700 season passholders show up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort the first day, surpassing the expected turnout, according to CEO Tom Chasse. “I had anticipated approximately 800 passholders would show up for opening day and that we would cruise through the weekend,” Chasse wrote in a press release. Schweitzer added “ghost lanes” to the single chairlift line in order to provide lateral social distancing, but the large number of passholders on opening weekend caused Schweitzer to implement some tweaks to the line format on Nov. 21. The resort doubled the length of the waiting area in an effort to extend the safe zone and eliminated the singles line to avoid singles trying to join with groups, hopefully 6 /
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avoiding uncomfortable situations. The official opening weekend on Nov. 27-28 will see additional changes, including the opening of Musical Chairs and the Musical Carpet and establishing a controlled point of entry around the clock tower to remind everyone to be respectful and “buff up” as they enter the lift loading areas. Also, Schweitzer will not sell any day tickets on opening weekend — once again only providing access to season passholders and lodging guests. Chasse said everyone will be required to wear a facial covering while in the lift line, as well as inside Schweitzer lodges. “If these additional protocols come up short, our only recourse will be to cease daily operations until we get more lifts and terrain open to spread out the demand,” Chasse said. “We take this seriously and hope that each of you will too and support our efforts to continue uninterrupted daily operations.”
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: The U.S. is experiencing a “stress test” regarding the recent election process, with incumbent President Donald Trump attempting to change the vote that shows President-elect Joe Biden leading by more than 5 million more votes. According to numerous news sources Trump is supported in his effort by people like Roger Stone, Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich and Lindsey Graham. Yet, the president has been opposed by others in his party, including Chris Krebs at the Department of Homeland Security, who announced that claims of election fraud “have been unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent” (Trump fired Krebs for that). Meanwhile, Brad Raffensperger, who says he’s never voted for a Democrat, is defending Georgia’s election results that show Biden won that state and has refused a suggestion by a fellow Republican to toss all mail-in ballots from counties with high rates of “questionable” signatures (for which he has received death threats). Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs has called for an end to Republicans threats and “perpetuating misinformation” about the election, and said that “continued intimidation tactics will not prevent me from performing the duties I swore an oath to do. Our democracy is tested constantly, it continues to prevail, and it will not falter under my watch.” For promising new COVID-19 vaccines to be as effective as possible, they need to be affordable, if not free. That’s an issue since so many people have lost their insurance due to the COVID-19 economy. The economy President-elect Biden will inherit, according to the Economic Policy Institute: 25.7 million were “hit” by the COVID-19 downturn; 7 million are employed but with cuts in pay and hours; 11.1 million are officially unemployed; 4.5 million dropped out of the labor force; and 3.1 million are unemployed but misclassified as employed and are not in the labor force. The Smithsonian recently completed the National Native American Veterans Memorial at the National Museum of the American Indian. Congress commissioned the memorial to recognize the “extraordinary service” of Native men and women, dating back to the American Revolution.
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
What a dying democracy looks like: Hungarian far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has overseen transformation of the media into pro-government propaganda, shrunken resources for civil society groups, strictly controlled COVID-19 data, threatened arrest for those who criticize the government online, is privatizing public universities and silencing the few remaining independent news sites, TIME magazine reports. Resources for COVID-19 go to loyalists, and that is causing more citizens to engage in resistance. Dr. Thomas Lew, of Stanford University School of Medicine, pointed out in USA Today that both young and old who recover from COVID-19 can find themselves with long-term debilitating complications, including muscle wasting, asthma-like illnesses and PTSD — in some cases from being put in a medically-induced coma during treatment. As well, Dr. Lew stated that several hundred children have required hospitalization due to the virus since March. A Pew Research study showed 79% in the U.S. think we should be prioritizing alternative energy sources, 80% support stronger restrictions on power plant emissions, and 71% favor stronger fuel-efficiency standards for cards and trucks. The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported that, since taking office, Trump has accumulated more than 3,400 conflicts of interest, averaging two per day. Of particular concern is $420 million in debt coming due soon, and how that might mean the president is open to influence to those who can help, like banks and those who spend money at his hotels, from which he has not divested during his presidency. The scenario poses a national security risk, CREW reports. Blast from the past: According to the charter that brought the first English settlers to James River, where they landed on Dec. 4, 1619, that day was to be commemorated as a day of Thanksgiving. But they celebrated it earlier the next year, just glad that corn — of all their crops — had thrived. They made merry for three days, even though half of the new arrivals had not survived the winter. President Abraham Lincoln established the fourth Thursday in November as the official Thanksgiving date in 1863. In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved moving the date up a week, to accommodate a longer Christmas shopping season.
NEWS FEATURE
Education, not enforcement
Local officials weigh in on how (or whether) to enforce Panhandle Health District’s mask order
By Lyndsie Kiebert and Zach Hagadone Reader Staff When the Panhandle Health District voted in favor of a mask mandate for the five northern Idaho counties on Nov. 19, the public conversation quickly turned to how, exactly, local law enforcement agencies would enforce it. That discussion transitioned to ideology and finances during the Nov. 24 business meeting of the Bonner County commissioners, as Commissioner Steve Bradshaw used the public comment period to informally propose a resolution to rescind funding for the health district, which the county provides on a quarterly basis. “Breath is the very essence of life. There is no human right more fundamental than the right to breathe, for without it, life itself would cease to exist,” Bradshaw read from the resolution. “No government agency has the power to regulate this fundamental right. Unfortunately, this is precisely the power erroneously claimed by Panhandle Health District by the issuance of its mask mandate. The Panhandle Health District enjoys no such power.” The resolution suggests a four-tiered approach to defying the PHD mandate: by stating that no Bonner County agency shall enforce the mask mandate; no Bonner County funds be used to enforce it; no further funding “of any nature whatsoever” will be used to support PHD, while also calling “for the disgorgement” of all funding given to the health district so far in 2020; and by declaring that “Bonner County shall undertake all available legal challenges to the legitimacy of the mask mandate and hereby authorizes the county prosecutor and civil prosecutor to institute such challenges forthwith.” For the 2020 fiscal year, Bonner County budgeted more than $250,000 to help fund the health district, which manages regional health issues from the pandemic response to septic permits, and
provides services like the Women, Infants and Children nutritional education program. “There is no emergency exception to the core principle that the fundamental human right endowed by our creator may not be separated from us by any human action,” Bradshaw said. “There is no emergency exception to our right to breathe free.” At the conclusion of Bradshaw’s resolution, Board Chairman Dan McDonald said that the commissioners would need to publicly advertise the item in an agenda before discussing or voting on it, so the board will “get it on next week’s agenda.” As for other Bonner County officials, the response to PHD’s mandate is fairly uniform: it won’t be enforced. In a statement posted to Facebook Nov. 23, Sheriff Daryl Wheeler stated plainly that his office “will not be enforcing” the mandate. “Governor [Brad] Little, instead of calling up the Idaho Legislature, empowered the unelected Panhandle Health District with a legislative function. Please read what the Panhandle Health District wrote, and decide for yourself how it could possibly be enforced,” Wheeler said. “The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office is working at maximum capacity on real crime, and it cannot enforce the unenforceable mask rules.” As Wheeler alleged that his office “cannot” enforce the mandate, Idaho Code backs up his claim. According to code surrounding the enforcement of penal laws, Idaho sheriffs are given extreme discretion when it comes to choosing which laws to enforce. While the governor is able to call on the Idaho State Police to act independently of local law enforcement if state statutes are not being followed in a certain county, “the primary duty of enforcing all the penal provisions of any and all statutes of this state … is vested in the sheriff and prosecuting attorney of each of the several counties.” Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall told the Reader in
an email Nov. 22 that he’s been working with Wheeler and local police chiefs and determined that “law enforcement’s role in Bonner County will be educational in nature” and that if someone is cited for violating the mandate, his office will “look at the facts and circumstances before making a decision.” “Prosecutors are given wide latitude of discretion on the ultimate enforcement of laws. I would argue this is a good thing,” Marshall said. “We have serious issues in this community with violence and hard drugs. Our jail is full, and it is full for the most part with people who have committed felonies. My focus will remain on those issues and not a mask mandate.” Marshall, Wheeler, Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton and Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad all told the Reader that there was no communication or consultation between the health district and local law enforcement regarding the mandate’s enforceability prior to its adoption — a fact that PHD did not dispute. “[PHD] did not consult with us on the content of the mandate in advance,” Stapleton told the Reader in a phone conversation Nov. 23. “We knew they were taking up this issue again. … In terms of the content of that order and the
exceptions of that order, we were not informed.” Stapleton added that despite the lack of advanced communication, the city was prepared to adapt to its enforcement aspect — “They had taken this up before,” she said, referring to the Kootenai County mask mandate passed earlier in the fall, then rescinded. “I think it would be fair to say we weren’t surprised, given the increasing case numbers, that they would issue a mask mandate.” Rognstad said that he appreciated PHD making a “difficult decision,” and the order demonstrates the “solidarity of the five northern counties” in combating the virus, the spread of which has spiked both regionally and nationally in recent weeks. Yet, “I was a little bit blindsided,” Rognstad added. “It feels unique because of the nature of it, because it’s such a novel mandate. We’ve never had anything like this.” According to PHD spokesperson Katherine Hoyer, in an email Nov. 24 to the Reader, “The Board of Health makes the decision on a mask mandate and we don’t know what that decision will be until they make that determination at the meeting. Therefore, it would be premature of us to communicate with law enforcement.” The mandate, which passed
with a 4-2 vote, states that every person in the five northernmost Idaho counties “is required to wear a face covering that completely covers the person’s nose and mouth when the person is in a public place and physical distancing of 6 feet from others cannot be maintained” for the next 60 days. It goes on to list some exceptions, including children under the age of 2, persons with certain medical conditions and incarcerated persons — an exception that Marshall said he finds “more than slightly ironic,” seeing as those who disobey the mandate could face a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, imprisonment or both. According to Idaho Code, PHD is within its powers and duties to create such a mandate. Still, the issue of enforceability remains a conversation among the many legal jurisdictions in North Idaho, with Bonner County taking a firm stance as non-enforcers. The city of Sandpoint differs in its approach to enforcing the mandate, though the emphasis will remain on education, according to city officials. “The city’s plan for the next 30 days is primarily to focus on education,” Stapleton said. “We may issue warnings, but our focus for the next 30 days will be on a case-by-case basis.” She added that Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon has already communicated with his officers and met with city leaders on a near-daily basis, determining that SPD has “leeway in our approach to enforcement.” No matter what, that’s going to be an uphill struggle. “The challenges with enforcing even the governor’s orders around the COVID-19 restrictions [reverting the state to a modified Stage 2 of the reopening plan, limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer individuals, yet allowing bars, restaurants and churches to remain open], there’s exceptions built into this that make it more challenging for local jurisdictions to enforce,”
< see MANDATE, page 8 > November 25, 2020 /
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PERSPECTIVES
Giving thanks for ‘natural time’ By Phil Hough Reader Contributor I am thankful to have wild places to wander in and find the time. The natural time. In wilderness, time flows from very natural and regular rhythms. Since spring, the COVID-19 crisis has warped our sense of time. All at once, time both stalled and sped up. People struggle to recall if something happened three days or three weeks or three months ago. Many of our cultural time markers are gone. May graduation ceremonies canceled. June weddings scaled back or delayed. Summer fairs and festivals put on hold. Major sports schedules canceled, delayed and shifted seasons. From the Boston Marathon to Bloomsday, running events were held virtually. On hikes this summer and fall, I have found that the rhythms of nature bring focus to the passage of time. Wild nature has not changed; and, it’s reassuring to
find that our own place in it has stayed the same. Comfort comes from connecting to natural landscapes and their motions. Floating clouds, wind in the trees and the flowing of the creeks are all familiar. We can walk in tune to the natural rhythm of time. We can regain our own regular pace. Yet, the awe and mystery of nature’s secrets are still endless. They draw us into the unknown. In Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote: “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper; fish in the sky, whose bottom is pebbly with stars.” In September, around the equinox, my wife Deb and I took a hike to a favorite lake. The air was newly cool and crisp. We wore multiple layers as we hiked. An early frost turned brush-covered slopes golden yellow and red. Huckleberries remained, but
many were squishy and fell from the slightest touch. Near camp a plump black bear bounded up the mountain slope. Elsewhere, bright red kokanee were spawning. As we moved into October, mountainsides came alive with golden birch, aspen and larch. Rocky Mountain maple provided red accents. Not long ago, a friend’s son bagged his first elk. A rite of passage. In wilderness, this is all a part of autumn’s passing. Lengthening shadows and early snow foretell winter’s pending arrival. Layers of fresh tracks tell us who passes where and how long ago. It’s time now to get out the snowshoes and wax the cross country skis. I’m looking forward to the first full-moon night hike. Natural time moves on, most vividly displayed alone in the wilderness. The sun rises and sets. The moon waxes and wanes, from full to empty and back again. In early winter Orion, the Hunter, returns to the night sky. Each day is a little bit shorter until the sol-
stice. Then the sun will gradually start its return, bringing with it the promise of spring. Time will march on. Snow will melt. Streams will thaw. The osprey will return. It will be spring before we know it, then we will start again. Whatever the season, get outside. Give thanks for the wild places we have nearby. Find the
Jack Ferrell enjoys a jump into the *really warm* Little Spar Lake. Courtesy photo. natural rhythms that bring comfort to all our lives. Phil Hough is executive director of Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Learn more about the organization at scotchmanpeaks.org.
< MANDATE, con’t from page 7 > Stapleton said. “The exemptions make it difficult to enforce, but that doesn’t make it unenforceable.” The upper limit of enforcement by police would be a $1,000 fine and jail time for those who refuse to comply with the mask order — whether they be individuals or business owners. The former may be booked on charges of trespassing, the latter facing a potential citation. However, officials hope it will never come to that. “The intent with the city over the next 30 days is not to be heavy handed with this, and instead focus on education and hope people are staying informed and on what they can do to protect our health care system,” she said, noting that the “education” approach will be reassessed after 30 days. Rognstad put a finer point on the position in which the city finds itself regarding enforcement of the mask order: “[W]e’re basically forced to enforce this law which is, on its face, not enforceable.” That position is made even more difficult by the county’s intransigent stance, not only opposing the usefulness of the health district order, but vowing to openly defy its application. “You see this time and time again, across issues,” he said. “I think it’s irresponsible 8 /
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that the sheriff has taken this stance as well as the commissioners. ... “This topic has become really politically charged, unfortunately, which makes no sense,” Rognstad added. “I’m only concerned with public health. Why the county doesn’t appreciate their responsibility in that role, I can’t explain that. I think it’s just another example of how issues across the board have been politicized through this election cycle and period of history we’re in right now, which is unfortunate because real people are suffering, real people are dying.” Councilman Joel Aispuro, who has been the most vocal opponent of any mask order — whether from PHD or the city — said that while he objects to anyone being on the hook for a fine or jail time for not abiding by the order, he’s on board with the education approach and trusts local law enforcement to make the right calls, if and when they need to do so. “Sympathy and empathy will go a long way in these days,” he said. “I’ll leave that to Chief Coon and his guys and Ponderay, and other counties. … “I believe education is very important, and I believe we have a very trustworthy police department and I trust that they know what they’re doing,” he added. “I think it’s a balancing act.”
PERSPECTIVES
Emily Articulated
A column by and about Millennials
A different kind of thankful By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist
Emily Erickson. This Thanksgiving looks a bit different than last, with fewer miles traveled and loved ones feeling the distance of six feet apart. It won’t be a day with plates piled quite so high or with chairs stacked atop one another in the closeness that comes from a table being just a bit too small to hold all the love. Rooms won’t be packed shoulder to shoulder with cousins or far off friends, and the din of togetherness won’t boom so loudly in its mixture of nostalgia and familiar conversations. In the grandeur of a normal holiday, it’s easy to feel gratitude, to be filled with the warmth of being surrounded by the people that mean the most to you. But this year, gratitude isn’t such a flashy thing — the subtle thankfulness requiring more intention and practice. For me, this means tuning in to my immediate surroundings, finding love for my life as it is, and not for what it was or what it will become. It means being thankful for all the little things that aren’t grand on their own but, together, add up to the beautiful life I’m so lucky to live.
So, this year, I’m grateful for my couch — its worn fabric backing acting as the backdrop for moments of comfort, coziness and love. It has big red cushions, cracked from the weight of their many uses — seamlessly shifting from dozing pet beds, to movie theater chairs, to soft reading seats and back again. Its broad wooden arms hold the relics of every day, serving as a landing strip for coffee mugs, paperback books, used pencils and folded newspapers. This year I’m grateful for my stove, its knobs and dials flickering in time to the daily cadence of our lives. As sure as our feet press the floor in the morning, the same silver pot gets filled for our French press. And as the sun fades from afternoon to dusk, warming the sky with the shades of evening, the right front burner gets set aglow, warming the food prepared with love, care and fresh ingredients. Today, I’m thankful for my kitchen counter, its tempered surface splashed with memories of my childhood tabletop. The same bowls of cereal are topped with milk and questions like, “How was your day?” and, “Did you learn anything new?” have been passed down generations, just to be peppered into the mealtimes of my little family, too. The same bills my mom cut open also lay atop my counters, quietly reminding me that life goes on, no matter who’s living it. Today, I’m thankful for my art desk, its paint-splattered shelves holding all the whimsical ideas my brain can manufacture. Oil pastels sprawl from edge to edge, providing a colorful respite for anything life throws at me. In my little corner, in my little art chair, a blank piece of paper is a world waiting to be remade, in which wolves can be purple and mountains a soft, glowing pink. Rules and convention can fade away,
with only endless opportunity remaining on my ink-stained fingertips. This year I’m grateful for my bathroom sink, and all the stories swapped between mouthfuls of toothpaste. I’m thankful for my warm, soft bed, and the long nights of slumber that lead to well-rested mornings. I’m filled with appreciation for my rickety front porch, and the rocking chair that lives on it — the perfect ac-
Retroactive
companiments to cool summer evenings and crisp, hoppy beers. I’m grateful for the banjo on my wall waiting patiently to be played, and all the other props complimenting my full and wonderful life. This year, I wish you all the happiest Thanksgiving, with hopes that no matter what the day has in store, you find time to find something to be grateful for.
By BO
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COMMUNITY Local crafts for a local cause Panhandle Special Needs, Inc. Christmas Market opens Dec. 1
Bouquets: • This week’s Bouquet goes out to Schweitzer Mountain Resort for their concern and action regarding COVID-19 protocols and safety for their customers. CEO Tom Chasse has made it a priority to promote safety first, limiting opening weekends to season passholders only to help limit the number of skiers and boarders on the hill when only limited terrain is open. Being a passholder for years, I not only appreciate the safety concerns, but also the fact that Schweitzer isn’t just trying to cram as many people on the hill as possible. If we all do our best to follow their guidance while skiing, hopefully we’ll all be able to keep getting the days on the mountain and avoid any potential shutdowns. • As the story on Page 16-17 explains, Sandpoint Magazine is celebrating their 30th anniversary with their Winter 2020 edition. As an occasional writer and reader of Sandpoint Magazine, I’m proud that this Sandpoint institution is still going strong. It takes a lot to put together a publication – believe me, I know – but to do that for 30 years without fail borders on magic. Congratulations to Chris Bessler and his staff for this milestone. Barbs: GUEST SUBMISSION: • This barb is for Sweet Lou’s restaurant in Ponderay. When my wife and I went in, clad in masks and looking to support a local business, we were treated with nothing but contempt and disrespect. My pregnant wife had to stare down the glare of the patron to my left while I tried to talk to one of the many servers, who one by one looked me in the eye and then walked away. I have never experienced discrimination before, but it was unmistakable. We should be treating each other with respect through this crisis, rather than tearing each other down for making choices that are different from ours. -Submitted by Nick Belfry. 10 /
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By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Panhandle Special Needs, Inc. will open its third annual Christmas Market in the PSNI Greenhouse — located at 1424 N. Boyer Ave. — on Tuesday, Dec. 1, playing host to local artisans hoping to share their crafts with holiday shoppers. The market will be open through Dec. 20 with hours 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Holiday shoppers can expect to browse a selection of entirely local goods from more than 20 vendors, including barnwood signs, soap, honey, jewelry, handmade lanterns,
I don’t ‘hate’ Trump… Dear editor, Recently a Trump supporter told me that I hated him and would never give him a chance. Not true, I don’t hate him. I listened very carefully to him all during the 2016 campaign and for the last four years. I still don’t hate him. What I do feel is a deep seated loathing, for he is a despicable human being. He is a snake oil salesman, a conman, a misogynist and a racist. He tells people what they want to hear and doesn’t believe a word of what he says himself. His personal history would lead anyone that takes the time to research it would not hire him as a used car
stained glass, gift baskets and more. “We’re fun, we’re festive, fair priced and easily accessible, so come support a good cause and your local community by visiting us soon,” market organizers said. A portion of the proceeds from the market benefit PSNI’s programs, which aim to enrich the lives of local people with different abilities by providing life skills training and job opportunities. This year, PSNI clients have been working hard to make fresh wreaths to sell at the Christmas Market. The wreaths are about 14 inches across and cost $25.
salesman much less president. I’m sorry for demeaning used car salesmen. One aspect of the importance of his past history comes to mind — he’s always claimed to be a very successful businessman but has filed for bankruptcy four times and left numerous unsecured creditors holding the bag. I’ve often wondered how successful a businessman he could possibly be to have lost tens of millions while owning a casino. Now, after losing the election decisively, he again tries to slither from responsibility all the while setting fire to democracy. Gil Beyer Sandpoint
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 25, 2020 /
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Mad about Science:
Brought to you by:
sharp things By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Sharp tools are one of the most important things human beings have ever developed. Where would humankind be were it not for the invention of the spear, the kitchen knife or Legos left on the floor after dark? You have probably never thought much about the amazing idea of cutting things. In so doing, you are literally severing the chemical and atomic bonds that hold an object together, dividing matter so as to make it smaller and easier to handle. So how does it work? Cutting objects follows a very basic principle in physics: Force applied to a wedge is amplified at its finest point. The finer the edge of the wedge, the more effective is the force multiplier. However, if that edge becomes too fine, you risk breaking the wedge at its weakest structural point. “But Brenden! What about paper cuts?” That is an excellent question, Strawman! Paper has a very fine edge that can prove effective at cutting skin, but only at certain angles. The force applied to a piece of paper must be precisely directional, with minimal downward force to avoid compromising the structural integrity of the paper, yet given appropriate lateral force to facilitate the paper’s edge in slicing through the chemical bonds of your epidermis. If you were to strengthen the structural integrity of the paper — perhaps by encasing it in epoxy or laminate — but retaining its fine edge, you could create a very potent cutting implement. 12 /
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Throughout history, our default sharps have often been made of minerals, both natural and artificial. Obsidian — sometimes called volcanic glass — has been used by humans to cut things for tens of thousands of years. Obsidian is formed in the Earth’s mantle, where tremendous amounts of heat energy and pressure are applied to silicate (sand) to create a sturdy mineral structure that can be flaked away and sharpened to produce a cutting edge that can rival some 21st century surgeons’ scalpels. It’s no wonder Jon Snow needed so much of this stuff to kill the White Walkers — assuming anyone still gets that antiquated reference. Around 5,000 years ago, humans started developing cutting tools made from bronze, primarily spear tips used in warfare. Bronze was cheap, malleable and easy to produce by smelting tin and copper together at around 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. This was difficult to achieve with a basic wood fire, so blacksmiths of the time depended on charcoal in enclosed spaces such as forges or bloomeries to reach heat levels high enough to melt these metals. Charcoal is practically pure carbon, made after evaporating the water still locked away in wood, as well as the other chemicals like nitrogen after it has been cut. Creating charcoal is an involved process we’ll talk about in-depth another time. The Iron Age began sometime between 1200 and 500 BCE, and ushered in a new era of metals. Iron has a much higher melting point than bronze, requiring 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit to become liquid. While bronze could be shifted into a liquid form and poured
A shard of obsidian. Courtesy image. into a mold to mass produce things like spear tips, axe heads and even early swords, ancient blacksmiths lacked the energy sources to liquefy ferrous iron. Instead, they heated iron into a softer state and hammered it into desired shapes. This was a laborious task, but it produced a markedly superior product to mass-produced bronze. Bronze implements are easily damaged by applied force — especially when striking armor — whereas iron is capable of delivering multiple blows before breaking. The difference would be akin to bringing a slingshot to a dodgeball game. It wasn’t long into the Iron Age when metallurgists discovered that adding carbon to hot iron strengthened it and produced a vastly superior metal: steel. Adding carbon to iron lowers the melting point to around 2,500 degrees, requiring less energy to shape and mold it into a cutting implement — which, importantly, offered a longer window for blacksmiths to work the steel before it cooled. Swords and knives made from steel would be sharpened with a grinder, that is, a coarse stone wheel that would spin to deliver energy via angular momentum to scrape away excess metal and create an edge. It would then be buffed by a similar device to create the reflective metallic sheen we appreciate from steel objects today. In the past 150 years, we’ve discovered new ways to create very high temperatures, primarily with the aid of fossil fuels, vacuum chambers and advanced insulation that can trap and retain immense levels of heat, which allows us to mass produce things like knives by melting
steel into molds. Metals aren’t the only structures capable of making very sharp objects. Ceramics, which you would normally find at your local pottery class, can also be formed into very sharp edges and then glazed with an enamel to create a structurally strong, razor-sharp cutting implement. If you’re looking for the sharpest object ever created, look no further than the tungsten needle. Specialized tungsten
needles have been developed using a combination of heat, pressure and magnetic alignment to create a point so fine it can separate and manipulate individual atoms. I wouldn’t recommend carving the turkey with a tungsten needle, though. That would take forever. Happy Thanksgiving! Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner eys?
Don’t know much about turk • Turkeys are native to North America, and wild turkeys can be found in every U.S state except Alaska. • More than 7 million wild turkeys roamed the United States in 2017, compared to 242 million that were raised for meat in the U.S. in the same year. • Turkeys are galliformes, an order of heavy, ground-feeding birds that also includes grouse, chickens and pheasants. They are omnivorous, eating everything from seeds and insects to frogs and lizards. • The wild turkey population plummeted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries because of overhunting and habitat loss. Restoration efforts that began in the 1940s were successful, and today wild turkeys have regained and even expanded their original range across parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada. • Turkeys follow a strict pecking order — literally — and are known to attack birds and even people they deem subordinate, especially during the spring mating season.
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• Wild turkeys and domestic turkeys don’t have much in common. Wild turkeys are smaller and have darker, firmer meat that has a more intense flavor than their farmed cousins. They also stay quiet to avoid predators and can fly, but not very far. Domestic turkeys are bred to be white, won’t shut their gobs, have unnaturally large breasts and can’t fly at all. • Most of us are familiar with the common turkey, but there’s another kind, and it’s highly underrated. The ocellated turkey of Central America is smaller and has a bright blue head and flashes iridescent, peacock-like feathers. • Turkeys are known as such in the English language because turkeys and their close relatives, guinea fowl, were initially brought into Europe by Turkish merchants. Turkeys were first domesticated in Central America around 800 BCE for their meat, and Indigenous North Americans began using turkey feathers in robes and blankets around 200 BCE.
PERSPECTIVES
Input sought on new arts plan Sandpoint Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation Master Plan available for review, comments
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The first draft of the Sandpoint Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation Master Plan has been completed and the city of Sandpoint is now seeking the community’s input on the plan for the final draft. A second community survey was launched last week to get feedback on the goals and visions within the draft plan, as well as the overall plan. The feedback from this survey will be incorporated into the final plan, which will be presented to the City Council for adoption during the Jan. 6, 2021, meeting. Earlier this year, the city engaged Lakota Group and Surale Phillips to conduct a citywide cultural arts assessment; look at the city’s historic preservation program and policies; establish historic contexts for the city; make recommendations; and set goals for arts, culture and historic preservation. In addition to the first community survey, the consultants have
worked with a local steering committee chosen for their various relevant backgrounds, the Sandpoint Arts and Historic Commission, as well as other stakeholders in the community to prepare this first draft of the master plan. The first draft highlights a number of goals to improve the arts, culture and historical preservation in Sandpoint. “Historic buildings and places are the physical expressions of local heritage,” Lakota Group consultants wrote in the introduction to the draft plan. “Public art, music, painting, sculpture, dance and other forms of creative practice are ways in which a community expresses its history and culture — telling its stories of the past, its people and traditions.” The plan aims to make arts more accessible in Sandpoint by “building bridges to new arts patrons and participants, inspiring the next generation of preservation advocates and creating new collaborations.” For the city of Sandpoint, the plan
will potentially serve as a rubric to justify decision making on allocating resources to preservation and arts initiatives. For the broader community, including local businesses, property owners, preservationists and arts enthusiasts, the plan will serve as a resource to stimulate new ideas and ways of thinking on collaborations that can achieve a stronger community historic preservation ethic and a vibrant arts and culture scene. “The plan provides the spark for imagination and creativity to make Sandpoint a compelling destination for heritage and arts,” the Lakota Group wrote. One keynote to the plan is the fact that while Sandpoint is filled with historic buildings, only eight are actually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The survey is available online at opentownhall.com/9972. The survey site includes a link in the introduction to the draft master plan as well. The survey will be open through 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28.
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FEATURE
What we’re thankful for The Reader editorial staff shares what we’re grateful for this season
A fresh perspective
Truth, community and humor
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
This year, I’ve been given the opportunity to feel small. This has come partially from my constant consumption of news about the virus, election and other things turning our world upside down. It’s also been a result of a conscious attempt to gain some perspective. I guess a worldwide crisis can do that to a person. As someone living with severe anxiety, the end of the world is constantly on my mind. What that end might constitute is nebulous. Some days, I am convinced that my loved ones are dying. Other days, it’s me who’s sick and dying. More often than not it is an effortless but nonetheless draining obsession in the back of my mind: I’ve lost my wallet, I’m being evicted, all of the food in my freezer has gone bad, someone has hacked my email account — you get the idea. At all times, it is a pressure to produce, accomplish, create and give meaning to each day. It is exhausting. I’ve spent a good portion of my adult life mitigating these symptoms and finding ways to describe how my brain works to people who have been kind enough to try to understand. So what does any of this have to do with what I’m thankful for? The year 2020 may have been a huge step backward in some respects, but for discourse surrounding mental illness, it was a huge step forward. For many people, the ultimate change of plans — stay home, disrupt your day-to-day life and, in some cases, even lose your job and sense of security — was a nightmare come true. I get it. Some weeks, the only thing helping me keep it together is the fact that I know what’s going to happen. When everything went into a tailspin and nothing about the future felt certain, I could have easily regressed into old, destructive habits. Instead, I found community. People were more candid about their needs and concerns. Now, as things went wrong for so many, judgment went out the window. It went beyond the quippy memes about being depressed and into uncharted territory: “Today is too much. I am not going to do a single productive thing and simply exist, because that is enough.” There will be plenty of Hallmark Card
Of all my holiday traditions, I think one of the most useful is when we all used to sit around the family Thanksgiving dinner table and say what we’re thankful for. Sure, this year might look a bit different because of COVID-19, but that shouldn’t affect this simple, good thing of showing gratitude where it’s due. First and foremost, I’m thankful for my health and for the health of my family and loved ones. My sister — a schoolteacher with a heart of gold — gave us a scare a few weeks ago when she announced she had tested positive for coronavirus. I’m so thankful that she was able to get healthy again without any side effects. While a number of friends and extended family members have also contracted COVID-19, I’m so thankful that everyone has remained healthy. I’m eternally thankful to have the love of a good woman who teaches me more about how to be a good human being than anyone else has in my life. We share a life filled with adventure, music, art and love, and I truly wouldn’t know how to continue on without her guiding light in my life. I’m thankful for the members of this community who band together and help one another out, especially in times of crisis. The Reader has had some ups and downs over the years, but every time we enter another rut, the power of this community has answered in kind with kindness, encouragement, monetary donations and support. I remember the early days of the pandemic when I had to make the extremely difficult decision to lay off our entire staff for a few weeks. Sitting at my desk, cranking out the Reader by myself, I had a moment of weakness when I felt like this endeavor was probably not going to work out — especially in a post-pandemic world. Then I checked the mail and was brought to tears by the overwhelming show of support from many of you out there who reminded me that the Reader is a vital part of their weekly lives and they weren’t going to let anything jeopardize our existence. I feel an enormous weight on my shoulders every week as the publisher of a newspaper. Some of my past careers were filled with responsibility and hard work, but never before have I had to bear it all to the entire community in which I was born and
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discourse about how 2020 made us all slow down and appreciate the moment, and it will feel insincere as people continue to die from the virus and racial injustices continue to occur and people continue to be downright horrible to one another. But I am grateful for the sugar-coated, silver-lining interpretation of this year, because a lot of us are just waiting and hoping and praying for an excuse to slow down — to be told: “This sucks. Take a breather. Being alive today is all that you need to accomplish.” I am thankful for all the time I’ve spent with my dog this year. I am thankful for my cozy home and all of the food, blankets and notebooks I am able to squeeze into it. I am thankful for my fiancé, who keeps the wood box and coffee pot full. I am thankful for my jobs, and especially for the opportunity to tell people’s stories. I am thankful that our circle has been able to avoid the virus so far, and hope every day that we’ll be able to weather it when it does arrive at our doorstep. Above all, I am thankful for the opportunity to feel small. I spent several days in the woods this fall, in silence, hoping to leave with meat. I was looking up into the cedars, listening to the subtle way the forest lets you know it’s alive, feeling the cold and solid earth beneath me. It was after the Labor Day windstorm, and our regular stomping grounds had been catastrophically transformed. I felt a profound sadness looking around at all the broken treetops and obstructed game trails. Things had irreparably changed; yet, I heard birds chirping and squirrels scurrying across the bark of the still-standing trees. The breeze carried the same damp scent it always had, and made the young, resolute grand firs shudder in their familiar way. The woods carried on, and we will, too. I’d never been so thankful for the reminder.
raised, each and every week, and accept the feedback that comes as a result. When we make a misstep, we are called on it. When we spell someone’s name wrong, you better believe I get two or three emails about it. Everything we do is scrutinized, criticized and picked apart, and that’s a good thing, because it makes us better at what we do. If we received no feedback — positive or negative — I would think no one was reading out there, or if they were, they didn’t care one way or another. Your feedback, while sometimes inappropriate and mean-spirited, is part of this job, and I appreciate you all for caring about what we print and how we print it. Of course, the job is made easier by having editorial staffers like Zach and Lyndsie, who are absolute gems. They are both excellent writers and reporters who actually care about every word they write in this rag. I would gladly lay down in traffic for either of them. Another thing I’m thankful for this year is truth. We are living in a strange era, folks. In my life, I’ve never seen such an assault on facts and truth as I’ve seen the past four or five years. I’m grateful that there are so many journalists in our country who continually seek truth over spin. The media takes a beating every day. While some criticisms are well deserved, the practice of fomenting distrust in the media only furthers the creation of a paranoid worldview that doesn’t do anything to serve basic truth. There are consequences to telling the truth, as many in my profession have experienced (including myself), but the fact that there are still so many reporters out there who show courage and strength to speak truth to power should be something we are all thankful for. Finally, I’m thankful for humor, especially in our darkest hours. When the lights go out on decency, it’s sometimes a cathartic release just to laugh — laugh at our ridiculous battle lines and at our inability to make fun of ourselves. When we stare down at the abyss and laugh in its face, it proves that life is filled with so many emotions. Humor and laughter should always be kept high on the list, and it should start by examining our own ridiculous selves. If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re missing out on an important part of being human in today’s world. Thank you all for continuing to make the Reader a part of Sandpoint life. We’ve been through a lot together over the years. Here’s hoping there is more truth, community togetherness and laughter as we move forward.
Thankful, continued... Being mindful of my safety, security and support By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Mindfulness is a scary thing for people with anxiety, depression or otherwise overactive minds. For more than 10 years I’ve spent about 45 minutes daily listening to self-described “relaxation” and “meditation” videos on YouTube, in an effort to calm the sickening waves of abstract fear and loathing that grip me with insensible regularity. I have also unplugged and meditated the old fashioned way, taken walks, rowed boats, drank booze and smoked tobacco, played music, drawn and painted, telescoped and shot skeet, raised Venus flytraps and practiced archery, read mountains of books and watched too much TV, collected ancient coins and other historical gimcracks, acquired fencing swords and fought my friends, written piles of stories that will never be published, played video games, chopped wood and made fires, hunted grouse, hugged my loved ones and stared at the wall. None of those things have worked, entirely. I’m medicated now — the second time in the past five or so years — and that has helped smooth out the peaks and valleys, but sitting and contemplating life (including my own gratitude) always feels like wandering into a densely wooded country full of hidden pits and the ravening beasts of fairytale lore. But the daily practice of gratitude is an exercise in mindfulness — something that many experts say actually helps reduce anxiety and depression, but in my case only seems to make both more acute. I describe gratitude as an “exercise” because it is an effort. It requires us to think of ourselves as people worthy of receiving from others. I have always had a hard time with that, even as I’ve been the beneficiary of enormous support — both in love, labor and money — from my nearest and dearest as I’ve charted this absurd life of a rural state editor/writer, somehow managing to ply my lower-mid-shelf scribbler’s trade in papers throughout the West (something for which I am grateful). I suppose there comes a point when
you have so much to feel gratitude for, the embarrassment of riches feels like it comes with psychological compound interest. This year, of all years, feels like one in which those of us who can should count every blessing with extra-keen mindfulness — myself very much included. No one in my immediate family has so far tested positive for COVID-19. The members of my extended family who have fallen ill with the virus have recovered. Both my wife and I remain gainfully employed. My two children are in school and excelling as best they can under the straitened circumstances. After only five lessons, my 8-year-old son knows how to read sheet music and play it on the violin. My daughter at 5 is a better artist than I was at 10, and I’ve published hundreds of illustrations in more than a half dozen publications. Both will undoubtedly surpass me in the musical and graphic arts. Meanwhile, I remain ever-more happily married as I approach my 15th wedding anniversary — as well as 20 years of coupledom with my wife (not counting an ill-advised lapse around 2002). We rent a nice home and have filled it with books, musical instruments, games and toys, and we have a wood shed filled by the combined efforts of friends and family who helped gather, cut, split and stack all of it for the price of a couple of beers and the enjoyment of the doing. Our refrigerator and toilet paper bin are and have remained full without incident. We have a good, reliable vehicle — a profoundly generous hand-me-down from family — enough money in the bank not to worry about every purchase (just every third purchase) and, barring my high blood pressure and anxiety problems, no one has any serious medical conditions… knock on wood. I say this not to brag, but in recognition that so many people have lost so much this year. So many people will lose so much more — including, potentially, me and mine; there’s no way of knowing. Keeping that in mind, I can’t overstate how grateful I am to be here with the people I love, in a condition of safety, security and support. I hope the same for all of you. November 25, 2020 /
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FEATURE
30 years of arts, culture and everything else Sandpoint Magazine celebrates three decades of showing what this town can do
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Sandpoint has certainly changed in the past 30 years, but one constant has held true: twice a year, a fresh new edition of the Sandpoint Magazine chock full of everything that makes this community vibrant hits the newsstands. The glossy arts and culture magazine’s inaugural edition appeared in winter 1990-’91, and ever since it has been a labor of love by Publisher Chris Bessler, his dedicated staff and contributing writers — many of whom continue to write for the magazine today. Filled with stories about the heart and soul of North Idaho, Sandpoint Magazine has tackled just about everything in its 60 editions: local artists, interviews with notable Sandpoint residents, features about local industry, spotlights on movers and shakers in North Idaho and a compendium of everything to further its mission “to help you get more out of being in Sandpoint.” Earthshaking beginnings Publisher and founder Chris Bessler is no stranger to the printed word. He served as editor of the Bonner County Daily Bee from 1982-’86, working for then-owner Pete Thompson before the publication was sold to the Hagadone Corporation. Bessler then moved to Santa Cruz, Calif. and worked on an alt-weekly called Good Times, as well as an arts and culture magazine called Cruzan. It was Bessler’s work with Cruzan, a revolutionary new computer and a massive earthquake that eventually led to him moving back to Sandpoint to found Sand-
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point Magazine. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that devastated the Bay Area also impacted the office building where Bessler worked in Santa Cruz. “The earthquake destroyed the offices I was in. They didn’t level the building, but it was condemned,” Bessler told the Reader. “My boss told me, ‘If you’ll sneak in with me past the police cordon and help me get my computers out, I’ll give you a computer.” At the time, a Macintosh SE was a revolution to the printing business. Once dominated by laborious typesetting, publishing with a digital platform meant quicker work time as well as an easier and more dynamic layout. “It was a $3,000 computer, which at the time was a big deal,” Bessler said. “So after dark, we got our computers out and that’s what gave me the equipment to start Sandpoint Magazine.” Armed with his fancy new Mac — which by today’s standards seems quite antiquated — Bessler returned to Sandpoint and noticed a need for a similar glossy arts and culture magazine in Sandpoint. “The biggest factor that set me up was working with Schweitzer. They were doing their big expansion on the mountain with the Brown/Huguenin family,” Bessler said. “They had been producing a vision for Schweitzer that included building this village up there, replacing the day lodge with the new day lodge, building Green Gables, putting in high-speed chairlifts and fixing the roads up there.” Seeing the opportunity to market Schweitzer as a four-season resort, then-Schweitzer owner
Bobby Huguenin saw Sandpoint as an integral part of that mission. Noting that it was a “happy coincidence” that Schweitzer was looking to expand the arts and culture of Sandpoint through their own magazine, Bessler pitched the idea for what would become Sandpoint Magazine and received positive feedback from the resort’s management. Schweitzer Magazine had already begun as a niche publication for the ski resort, but it was being published out of Montana and Bessler saw an opportunity to make it a local effort, as well as expanding the subject matter. “They committed to buying a page of advertising and even helped out with some of their accounts from their Schweitzer Magazine,” Bessler said. The first edition came out in winter 1990-’91 and featured 32 glossy pages. To give some scale of how the magazine has grown, recent editions weigh in at more
than 160 pages, with some issues pushing 200 pages. A little help from friends Bessler was the only employee in the beginning, but he enlisted the help of a few local writers to help launch the magazine in earnest. “The first issue, a key guy we got on board was Sandy Compton,” Bessler said. “He came on as a contributor and went out and corralled advertising sales, too. That would’ve been really hard without Sandy’s work. He’s a great writer and he continues to write for the magazine over the years. In fact, he wrote the cover story for this 30th anniversary issue.” Compton said he came on board after an “unpleasant experience as the owner of Sandpoint Newsline,” an erstwhile weekly Sandpoint publication. “I met Chris Bessler, who asked me, ‘How would you like something really good to sell?’ So
Chris Bessler stands next to his famous Macintosh SE in the Farmin Office Building where Sandpoint Magazine was first published circa 1991. Courtesy photo. I went to work as sales director for the nascent Sandpoint Magazine,” Compton told the Reader. “It all seemed so easy. Then Bessler found out I could write, as well.” Compton learned he wasn’t cut out for sales, so he stepped away. But, he kept writing for the magazine which has published his work in darn near every edition over the years. Of the many stories he has contributed to the magazine, Compton remembers one he did on Schweitzer’s Ski Patrol in the winter 2007 edition. “There were a couple of tales gathered in that research I felt were best left out of the submission, one involving dynamite and the other involving a couple,”
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Compton said. “Patrol is composed of a great bunch of people who do crazy things from time to time.” Compton has also contributed historical pieces in the magazine over the years, including one on the steamboats on Lake Pend Oreille and an interview with Hazel Hall, whose husband Ross Hall was the Ansel Adams of early Sandpoint history. In the mid-1990s, when Sandpoint was getting beat up in the national media after events like Ruby Ridge, Richard Butler’s Aryan Nations compound and a famous retired L.A. policeman moving to the area exacerbated the racist reputation of North Idaho, Compton wrote a thoughtful piece called “Who We Are” that still remains as timely today as it was 25 years ago. “That was one of the hardest pieces I ever put together, but the hardest ones seem to be the best ones,” he said. Compton said one of his favorite memories was when the editorial staff was picking a cover photo for the second winter issue. “Chris had chosen one of those skier-bursting-through-the-powder-in-the-trees shots,” Compton said. “I wasn’t thrilled, and he told me — in the manner of a publisher under deadline — ‘OK. See if you can find something better.’ I started digging through slides and there appeared right shortly the picture we used. It’s still one of my favorites.” (see page 16, second cover image from the left). Editorial direction Also during the first year, Bessler said a smartly-dressed young woman named Billie Jean Gerke (then Plaster) walked through the door to see what she could add to the Sandpoint Magazine family. “Billie Jean ended up being the first editorial staffer to come
on board,” Bessler said. “She contributed to the second issue, then a couple years later she came on board and became the editor through 2016. She’s played a huge role in shaping what Sandpoint Magazine was.” Gerke told the Reader she remembered seeing the first issue of Sandpoint Magazine at Harold’s IGA for the first time and “didn’t think much more about it.” Armed with a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Gerke was hoping to get a job in Spokane, but after looking for three months she found no success. “Then it dawned on me that I moved back to Sandpoint to live here, not Spokane, so I made it my goal to shift my job search to Sandpoint after the first of the year,” Gerke said. Gerke said she donned her “finest business clothes, grabbed my portfolio and headed to the Sandpoint Unlimited office on Cedar Street,” to inquire about a job. Debbie Ferguson, who had served on the then-Bonner County School Board when Gerke graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1985, pointed across the street to the Farmin Building and told Gerke she should go ask Bessler for a job. Gerke marched up to the Keokee office (fun fact: the same room where the Reader publishes out of today) and briefly talked with Bessler and Compton. Bessler offered to pay Gerke $30 to write some business profiles for their next edition, then assigned a story to her for the summer 1991 edition. After freelancing for a year and a half, Gerke said she “pestered” Bessler to hire her. Bessler hired Gerke, who served as front-office person as well as writer and ad sales representative until they agreed on the title of “senior editor.” After stepping away in 1999 to freelance from home after the
Dot-Com Boom busted, Bessler called asking for Gerke to return. She resumed working full-time in spring of 2004, staying on until 2016 when she realized her days as an editor were numbered due to her eyes flaring up from staring at computer screens for 25 years. “I always felt blessed to work in my chosen field in my hometown and to do it with a company that had integrity under the leadership of Chris Bessler — a truly wonderful, kind and talented man,” Gerke said. “As Bessler pointed out in the 20th anniversary issue, Sandpoint Magazine doesn’t belong to him, even though he’s the founder and publisher. It belongs to the community. I think we should have tremendous pride in that publication and what it’s done for our town. We have a quality journalistic product with professional writing and photography that can compete with the best of the best.” Former River Journal Publisher Trish Gannon stepped in after Gerke retired, and has remained a vital part of the editorial direction of the publication. “Chris called and asked if I could help out for an issue,” Gannon told the Reader. “And then he let me stay. So Chris is probably the one who’s the glutton for punishment!” Gannon said a strength of Sandpoint Magazine is that it “focuses more on the big picture of the community (though it doesn’t ignore the little picture) and I’ve learned a lot about things that are going on. I love this place — always have — and the magazine work just makes me love it more.” Artful designs “There is definitely a big element of creativity in producing a magazine or newspaper,” Bessler said. “People that are driven by
Billie Jean Gerke takes a break from editing duties at Sandpoint Magazine’s headquarters in the 1990s. Courtesy photo.
creative impulse and looking for a creative outlet — those are the folks that really grab onto these kinds of ventures. It’s a means of expression for them.” One of the other first staffers at Sandpoint Magazine was Randy Wilhelm, whose artful design and style helped contribute to creating a dynamic layout that makes it such a joy to look at. “Randy came on board really early and got us off the ground with much better design than I could come up with,” Bessler said. After Wilhelm left to pursue his career in education, Bessler hired Laura Wahl as lead designer, who held the position until recently when Pam Morrow took over as art director and designer. Bessler also wanted to mention the late Larry Lantrip’s assistance in helping the magazine succeed in early years. “Larry was the Macintosh guy in town,” Bessler said. “We were a small club of people and Larry had a lot more knowledge of the machine than I did. He contributed some of the graphics; and, though he wasn’t on payroll, he worked for hire on a lot of stuff. He helped get the first issues off the ground.”
Bottom of both pages: A collection of Sandpoint Magazine covers in chronological order spanning from the Winter 1991 to the Winter 2021 editions.
A stable of talent Another contributor who came out of the woodwork for the very first edition was Susan Drinkard (fun fact: Susan has done the “People Watching” column for the Reader each and every week for the past five years). Drinkard wrote her first article for Sandpoint Magazine on how cross country skiing is like a haiku. “I was teaching language arts at the Sandpoint Middle School then, and didn’t hang out at the Keokee office very much, but I do have fond memories of fun repartee with the late author Dennis Nicholls, who died too young.” Drinkard said the role of Sandpoint Magazine has remained constant over the years: to present the best of what this town has to offer. “My brother, Rob, who lives in Hayden, once told me he reads every article in the Sandpoint Magazine because each one is interesting and well written,” Drinkard said. “It’s far more than a tourist magazine. It is packed with historical information, recreational opportunities, news of business endeavors and in every edition there is an interview with someone relatively famous who has ties to Sandpoint. I can imagine 15 different ways the magazine could be used in secondary classrooms. “With Chris Bessler at the helm, you can always expect a classy publication; folks have no idea how expensive it is to produce,” she added. Among her most memorable stories, Drinkard includes, “an interview with the late world-famous installation artist, Ed Kienholz, whose art was known to shake up norms through shocking
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events
November 25-December 3, 2020
WedneSDAY, November 25
Giving Thanks Community Feast • 5-7pm @ The Burger Dock Enjoy a FREE meal including a full burger, special sweet potato fries and a pumpkin pie milkshake at The Burger Dock. The Powers of Gratitude (modified event) • 4-8pm @ matchwoodbrewing.com A modified event, with a live virtual show on Facebook. Make donations to the Priest River Ministries Advocates for Women. Show starts at 5:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, November 26
Live Music w/ Doug Bond and Marty Perron 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Guitar and mandolin duo from Sandpoint
Free Thanksgiving Meal 11am-3pm @ Hoot Owl Cafe Turkey, potatoes, gravy, green beans, bread and pie. To-go meals available
FriDAY, November 27
Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 8-10pm @ The Back Door (limited seating)
SATURDAY, November 28
Shook Twins Virtual Concert 6pm @ Shook Twins Facebook A virtual show featuring John Craigie. Donations collected will be given to the Panida Theater POAC Shop Local Gallery Sale 10am-5pm@ POAC Gallery Support POAC with this Shop Local Gallery Sale! 110 Main St., Suite 101
Live Music w/ Nick Wiebe 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Acoustic guitar and loop pedal experience Small Business Saturday @ Downtown Sandpoint retailers Support small businesses in downtown!
Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 8-10pm @ The Back Door (limited seating)
SunDAY, November 29
Open Piano on Sunday Afternoon • 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Have you wanted to play the grand piano at the Winery? Now’s your chance. Sign up to play a single song or play up to 15 minutes. Arrive early to sign up for your slot MCS Radio Broadcasts • 6pm @ KRFY.org or 88.5 FM Music Conservatory of Sandpoint’s Young Performers will perform the School News Report. Listen at 88.5FM or stream online at KRFY.org.
monDAY, November 30
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Outdoor Experience Monday Night Group Run – All levels welcome 6pm @ Outdoor Experience
Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “Faith and Science: Discoveries from the Scientist Who Led the Human Genome Project”
tuesDAY, december 1
BCRWI’s annual Christmas Bash • 6pm @ Ponderay Events Center Hors d’oeuvres, wine and sparkling cier served. Silent auction. Featuring Christian comedian Brad Stine. Tickets $25. Contact Robin Gray: stuartchristianacademy@yahoo.com
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< MAG, con’t from page 17 > exposure. Let’s just leave it at that. And my interview with Marilynne Robinson, who wrote the novel Housekeeping, set on our lake, and who had just won the Pulitzer Prize for Gilead, was a big coup for me.” Drinkard still contributes articles, and even gives the magazine a last look before publication. “I am fortunate to proofread the magazine before it goes to print, and when I am finished reading it, I realize that I am just not cool enough to live here,” she said. “There’s so much incredible talent in the community!” Gannon added. “Reading Susan Drinkard’s proofreading notes is a highlight of every issue.” Another local writer who gravitated toward Sandpoint Magazine was Dave Gunter, who had his share of interesting encounters over the years in the name of journalism. “My interview with Gunther Schuller during the early years of The Festival at Sandpoint got off to a famously bad start when he, right off the bat, launched into a tirade about being interviewed by people who thought Madonna was a great artist, knew nothing about him or his career, cared less about classical music, and on and on,” Gunter told the Reader. “He was being an ass, to put it mildly. I correct myself — a proper, pompous ass.” Gunter said he waited for “Herr Schuller to draw a breath,” when he broke in to say, “Hold it, sport!” and rattled off a few highlights from his own diligent interview preparation, along with a few items that established Gunter’s musical cred. “He stammered a bit, said, ‘Oh, well... in that case,’ and we were off to the races,” Gunter said. “But it was a damn close call.” Gunter said that after 30 years of publication, “The intent and tone of the magazine have remained remarkably intact, from my perspective. That’s no mean feat, since it’s an enormous challenge to preserve the original flash of creativity and energy that comes with starting up a publication with what was, basically, a tiger team of publisher, editor and layout staff and a scrappy group of freelance writers. If anything, the overall quality and content has improved over the years.” When asked what Sandpoint Magazine contributes to the community, Gunter said, “Having a high-quality, glossy periodical that actually originates from Sandpoint and covers subjects of local and regional interest makes a big — and very important — statement about not only the people behind the magazine, but also the readership and businesses that support its continued vitality. Interestingly, the nature of modern publishing has made it possible for some additional publications to crop up with the word ‘Sandpoint’ in their titles. There’s only one original, in my opinion, that truly calls Sandpoint home and has purely local origins.”
The nature of an arts community What started as an attempt to explore and celebrate local arts and culture has morphed into an important reciprocal relationship. “We have, by intention, sought to support that culture by writing about it and using the photography we use,” Bessler said. “But it’s a symbiotic relationship — we want to support the arts, and by writing about the arts, we foster artists to seek their own ways to express themselves creatively and give them an outlet for that. Part of what gives Sandpoint Magazine interest to readers is writing about these interesting people and the things they are doing.” A vital part of Sandpoint Magazine’s success includes Ad Director Clint Nicholson, Bessler said, whose daily interactions with business owners helps to not only create revenue for the publication, but to also pass on the trends to Bessler’s editorial staff. “Clint has a finger on the pulse of Sandpoint that is profound,” Bessler said. “He’s always talking to a lot of different business owners out there, and he’s able to give us a head’s up on what concerns and issues and neat things are happening with them on the editorial side of the magazine.” Acknowledging that today’s pandemic world hit while print publications were already on shaky ground, Bessler is confident that Sandpoint Magazine will keep on keepin’ on. “I think niche publications like Sandpoint Magazine, and the Reader itself, are going to thrive where general consumer publications will be decimated by ad dollars going to the online sphere,” said Bessler, who also co-owns the Sandpoint Reader. “Because we have really well-defined readerships, we can really describe to our advertisers who is going to be looking at their ads because of the type of editorial content we carry.” Printing 25,000 copies each winter and 30,000 each summer, Sandpoint Magazine remains the premier Sandpoint publication with the largest circulation around. Bessler said that the main goal is to “present Sandpoint in a positive light. We do often deal with issues that are in town — problems that the community faces — but we try to deal with them from a positive point of view. We try to find the common ground that everyone can agree about what they like about Sandpoint — whether you’re conservative, liberal, a tourist or a local, there’s a lot of common ground in there. Hopefully if we do any good at all, it’s in helping people see that they do have a lot in common with their neighbors and other groups. We’re in a fractious time right now, so it might be hard to see that, but we have more in common than apart.”
STAGE & SCREEN
Grand mastery Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit is one worth taking By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff When a lot of people like something, it’s typically wise to give it a wide berth until evidence suggests otherwise. Suffice to say, succumbing to the buzz surrounding the Netflix limited series The Queen’s Gambit is a wise play. Based on the eponymous 1983 novel by Walter Tevis and adapted for a seven-episode run by Scott Frank and Allan Scott, the miniseries debuted Oct. 23 on the streaming platform — immediately prompting critics to fall all over themselves with praise. Writ large, it’s the story of a fictitious chess prodigy orphaned at the age of 9 when her mother dies in a car wreck. The grief-paralyzed little girl discovers chess as a salve for her trauma and rapidly rises to the highest levels of play. Along the way, she comes of age while navigating sexism, self-doubt, addiction and the general contours of Cold War America. Of course, that synopsis doesn’t come close to doing justice to The Queen’s Gambit. The protagonist, Elizabeth Harmon (played to stunning effect as a child by Isla Johnston and a young woman by Anya Taylor-Joy) begins her journey in earnest when she’s remanded to a Dickensian orphanage in Kentucky circa the 1950s, where she and her fellow troubled wards are routinely doped with tranquilizer pills; filled with stilted lectures on sex ed, morality and other
staples of mid-century “girls” education; and generally made to feel like convicts and failures simply for having lost their parents. From the start of the series we know that Elizabeth — or Beth, as she prefers to be called — is going to be both a smashing success and a tortured soul. The opening scene puts us in 1967, years after she’s grown up and left the orphanage, as she awakens in a palatial yet trashed Parisian hotel room, where she’s apparently been holed up playing chess with mini-bottles of booze. After a quick shot of vodka and in a panic she flies downstairs and races, shoeless, to a baroque reception room where she’s met by hordes of photographers and fans before sitting down to what seems to be an extremely important chess match. With her external rise and internal fall clearly foregrounded, we then flashback to young Beth, wandering in a drugged up haze through the dim-lit, lonely corridors of her orphan’s life, where her only friend is a Black girl name Jolene (Moses Ingram), who affectionately calls her “cracker” and routinely warns her about dependence on the little green “vitamins” doled out daily to the girls in a scene reminiscent of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Beth’s salvation — or damnation, it’s unclear which — comes when she meets Mr. Shaibel, the grumpy old janitor in the basement. Shaibel (the fabulous Bill Camp) spends his time in solitude playing chess and, after some grumbling resistance, allows
Beth to learn the finer points of the game. Her fascination with chess quickly becomes an obsession, as she spends her nights moving imaginary pieces on a hallucinatory board on the ceiling above her bed. Before long, Shaibel realizes Beth is something special. “Am I good enough?” she asks her initially reluctant mentor. “To tell you the truth, child, you’re astounding,” he responds. The first episode is far and away the finest of the series, as Beth breaks gender norms to become a local chess phenom — the game also clearly gives her a lifeline to a larger world, opened even wider when she’s adopted at 15 by a husband and wife in a loveless, boozy suburban marriage. By Episode 2 we’re squarely in underdog coming-of-age territory, as Beth goes to high school and embarks on her chess career despite the discouragement of nearly everyone in her life. There are a lot of tropes in play throughout the subsequent episodes. As many reviewers have noted, this is essentially a very long “sports movie,” with Beth moving through increasingly obnoxious, self-entitled male gatekeepers — each time, inexorably and regardless of their lame power plays, catching them with their pawns down. Yet the sumptuous period costuming and set design (a la Mad Men), meticulous pac-
Anya Taylor-Joy in The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix. Courtesy photo. ing and simmering performances do much to excuse its essential predictability. Even more so, the metronomic thudding of chess pieces on the board and the tick of the clock provide a subtextual soundtrack that somehow evokes contemplation, competition and the merciless progression of life itself. The show manages to make this sound one freighted with high drama in a feat of storytelling that underscores both Beth’s prowess and vulnerability, as her genius comes front-loaded with something like madness. All that said, the tension in the series comes not necessarily from the chess play itself, but from empathy for Beth’s psycho-social plight and our somewhat morbid curiosity about how — or if — she can put and keep own inner demons in check.
The best Thanksgiving dinner scenes in film Unlike many Christmasthemed films, movies with Thanksgiving scenes often portray this holiday with a bit more realism; or, in the absence of realism, pointed comedy that explores the complicated nature of extended family members gathering for the holidays. Below are some Thanksgiving dinner scenes that exemplify this complicated subject matter.
Whitford, takes him to task for his past actions in the military, as well as his alienation of the family. The scene ends with Pacino putting the snotty nephew in a chokehold after sticking up for his prep school handler, played by a young Chris O’Donnell. The tense dinner is uncomfortable to watch, but paints a perfect picture of the rough and tender side of Pacino’s award-winning performance, and shows the realistic awkwardness of some Thanksgiving dinners.
Scent of a Woman Al Pacino pulled out all the stops for his performance as Frank Slade, the cantankerous blind retired Army officer in Scent of a Woman. A short scene in the film depicts an uncomfortable Thanksgiving dinner scenario where Pacino’s nephew, played by Bradley
The Blind Side This heartwarming film tells the mostly true story of Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Michael Oher, whose impoverished upbringing and adoption by a caring family helped him on the way to his professional career. The Blind Side earned Sandra Bullock
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
an Oscar and was also nominated for Best Picture because of its uplifting story. The Thanksgiving scene is memorable because of the casual air of the family loading their plates and eating around the television to watch a football game. Sandra Bullock’s character notices Michael sitting alone at the dinner table — both overwhelmed by the feast and unwilling to casually sit on the couch eating it. She then snaps off the TV and makes the protesting family sit around the table to interact with one another instead of the boob tube. It’s a memorable scene because it shows how we often need others to show us what we take for granted. While Bullock’s character and her family show Michael that there is love and support in the world, Michael showed them that
this precious time we have together shouldn’t be distracted by a television over Thanksgiving dinner. Funny People Thanksgiving dinners in movies are often filled with groomed family members around the table with awkward comedic lines thrown in, but they don’t often tackle the “misfits’ Thanksgiving” that many of us have experienced in life. Whether we don’t have family with whom to spend the holiday or can’t spend the holiday with them, the gathering of friends around Thanksgiving further shows that we sometimes find our family structure in unexpected places. At a Thanksgiving dinner scene in Funny People, Adam Sandler’s speech to his fellow comics and “misfits” without family was very realistic. The surrogate family of
stand-up comics and jokesters brought fun to the table, but they also acknowledged the importance of propping up each other up in times of togetherness. Little Fockers The Thanksgiving scene in Little Fockers is not only hilarious but touching, as you see Ben Stiller’s character trying to embrace the tradition and failing (as usual) to impress his father-in-law, played by Robert DeNiro. When a lizard scares DeNiro’s character, Stiller ends up slicing his hand while carving the turkey and the scene devolves from there. My favorite line from the actor playing Stiller’s son: “Daddy, can I ask you a question... can a girl poop from her vagina?” It’s almost guaranteed the writer who included that line has children. November 25, 2020 /
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FOOD & DRINK
Give thanks for the drinks of the inventors of Thanksgiving By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Among the many aspects of Thanksgiving history — our peculiar Usonian holiday — that we’ve collectively forgotten in the interest of socio-political and economic convenience, the prevalence of drink in the annual celebration remains something like an open secret dating back to the supposed inaugural event in 1621. The “pious Pilgrims-meetfriendly-Indians” fiction is absurd on a number of levels (see Page 22 for more on that), including that these godly goodmen and goodwomen were sober. Multiple sources — no less than the captain of the Mayflower, Christopher Jones — are clear that the Puritans not only stowed away more beer than water on their evangelical voyage, but the ship landed at Plymouth, Mass. not by providence, but because it had been blown off course and likely wouldn’t sustain enough beer on board to serve the crew for its return voyage unless it put into port as quickly as possible. At one point, Jones even faced a possible riot because he withheld beer rations from the passengers in order to save some for his sailors. Deciding to land in Massachusetts solved that problem; knowing that he could restock meant he could have a freer hand with the suds, appeasing both his clients and the thirsty Jack tars under his command, all of whom demanded at least a quart of beer per day. Of course, it’s also forgotten that among the first actions of the Puritans at Plymouth was to build and put into operation a brewery. Along with their food crops, the hapless colonists also tried — and famously failed — to cultivate the necessary vegetable constituents needed to brew beer, thus had to starve not only for food but slake their thirst with, horror of horrors, water. Historical records of the exact spread on the table in 1621 are speculative, though we know that alcoholic cider and beer were staple beverages of the period. Hard cider, despite its relatively recent reappearance in quantity on grocery shelves, is more rightly regarded as the original “American” tipple, being drunk in heroic amounts by man, woman and child throughout the entire early republic — that is, until whiskey took over in the 20 /
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1820s-1830s, prompting an aged oenophile Thomas Jefferson (d. July 4, 1826, the same day as John Adams, who started each day with a full tankard of hard apple cider) to decry the “poison” of the spirituous liquor, which was rapidly turning his countrymen into raucous, sectional sots spoiling for a civil war even then. Even Increase Mather, the otherwise humorless Massachusetts Puritan clergyman who helped oversee the Salem Witch Trials, had this to say about hooch: “Drink is in itself a good creature of God, and to be received with thankfulness, but the abuse of drink is from Satan. The wine is from God, but the Drunkard is from the Devil.” What follows are three recipes for drinks that can be roughly correlated to the three eras of Thanksgiving: 1621, 1863 and 1939. Whatever you pour into your glass, we hope it’s to toast a season of thankfulness and (guarded) optimism for the future. We’ve all earned a hearty celebration for making it this far, all the while remembering what it took to get us here. Hot ale flip Hot beer is anathema to the human spirit (pun intended). Warm beer in wartime has generated several monographs by historians — especially in the context of World War II — when GI’s were specifically warned upon enlistment that the beer they would receive while in theater would very likely be room temperature, at best, and in the Pacific, positively hot. This made for one of the most common grievances among soldiers; of course, other than dying. Anyway, it seems highly irregular to think of any alcoholic concoction that includes beer above at least a minor chill. Yet, our so-called founders were quite fond of this proto-cocktail, consisting in broad strokes of beer, rum, molasses and eggs. On its face, that sounds like an abomination. Yet, the flip is as American as apple pie — drawing on a combination of a few of our inherited national traits, that is, taking something we like all the time (beer), accelerating it (rum) and bizarrely suggesting “it’s good for you” (eggs). Kind of like patriotism. There are a lot of “flips” in my Old Mr. Boston’s De Luxe Official Bartender’s Guide (publication date 1941), but this exact concoction doesn’t show up in its pages. I do, however, trust the website seriouseats.com, where I found this recipe,
which dates from 1690 — a bit past Plymouth Rock, but we’re working with “circa” here: • 2 eggs, beaten, in a pitcher • 2 oz. rum (I would double this) • 1 tbs. molasses (or superfine sugar) • Combine by beating In a saucepan, heat 8-10 oz. brown ale (an amber or English Special Bitter would do, the latter perhaps by Red Hook, which I personally like) over low until it steams Pour the warmed beer into the eggy rum Blend the mixture by pouring back and forth into separate vessels until fully combined (when frothy) Shave some nutmeg on the head and serve. Mr. Boston’s has the “Hot Brandy Flip,” which calls for 1 egg, 1 1/2 oz. brandy and 1 tsp. powdered sugar, beaten and poured into a mug, filled with hot milk and topped with grated nutmeg. Whiskey Americans have never been drunker than they were in the mid-19th century. There’s a damn good reason we had a temperance movement at the turn of the 20th century; we were simply a nation of dire drunks after the trauma of the Civil War. Not that the war itself made us turn to drink — that had been building since those early days of cider for breakfast and flips for lunch. (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition, by W.J. Rorabaugh, is essential reading to understand how the “American Experiment” is better described as “Drunk-Dialing History.”) People in the newly reconstituted United States of America had long been accustomed to “toasts,” which were highly public events of highly public drunkenness, especially during times of giving thanks. As Rorabaugh writes, these occasions were essentially group binges, during which participants would slurp down enough booze to turn things, well, weird. People woke up in gutters, on sidewalks, in trees — you name it. Some died, some were killed. It was like a booze-fueled purge, except it happened all the time. Lincoln, of course, was not a habitual friend of “the creature.” Yet, as the consummate politician of American history, he understood both that his countrymen were by
and large lushes and also that they needed to make friends after years of slaughter. Enter: Sarah Josepha Hale, a writer (some my know her as the pen behind “Mary Had a Little Lamb”) who from her position as editor-in-chief of Godey’s Lady Book, lobbied Lincoln into canonizing an official day of “thanks giving” to heal the divide in the country, specifically after the Battle of Gettysburg. Shrewd operator that he was, Lincoln was into it, and issued a proclamation on Oct. 3, 1863 that the last Thursday of November should be a day of Thanksgiving for delivering the union out of an apocalyptic war. In keeping with the prickly nature of “state’s rights” during the period (nothing changes), individual communities could decide whether or not to observe the new holiday, but many did. Though the 19th century saw the birth of the cocktail as we know it today, the booze of choice during that time was good old fashioned whiskey. Americans love a holiday — especially when it gives them an opportunity to get blasted and not worry about going to work the next morning: • 2 oz. whiskey (I suggest Old Forester, as it’s the oldest bottled-inbond brand) • Add 1/2 oz. water, if you feel like it If you own or fly a Confederate battle flag and/or own and/or display a Gadsden flag in any way shape or form, substitute all above ingredients for toilet bowl water, then stick your head in the toilet bowl. The FDR martini Among the too-many-to-mention aspects of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
three terms (albeit, tragically, partial) terms as president, are his repeal of Prohibition and establishment of Thanksgiving as we know it today, on the penultimate Thursday in November. FDR, next to George Washington and Lincoln, are The Presidents of the United States. I have my thoughts about GW, but I’ll keep them to myself. The reason you can hoist a drink anywhere outside your home (or bathtub, if you’re one of those mad home gin makers, which is still frowned upon. Seriously, you’ll go blind.), is because of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Regardless of his iconic status and historic administration, I argue one of his greatest achievements was making Thanksgiving “a thing.” Hitherto it was a local affair, contingent on whether folks had enough to celebrate and/or wanted to. Remember: When FDR took office this country was in the worst position it had been in since Honest Abe — a fact Frank D. was well aware of (read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s No Ordinary Time for more). To unite the country, yet again, the Great Man not only made all booze legal, but made Thanksgiving a set day on the second Thursday of November, condemning all our dearly beloved retail, restaurant and otherwise service workers to hustle for our economy and convenience. Talk about job creation; FDR’s still making work 75 years after he died. That’s why some called the holiday “Franksgiving.” Here’s to him: • 2 oz. gin • 1 oz. dry vermouth • A minor dollop (soupçon) of olive brine • Lemon twist and 1 olive • Stir with ice (sorry James Bond) and pour Lore, which I take to be legit, says that Winston Churchill would visit his transatlantic partner on occasion and the two would toast well into the wee hours with the aforementioned martinis by the U.S. president and UK PM drinking “old brandy,” as he described this “essential” provision for day-to-day life. Yet Winston’s fave was Pol Roger champagne. He consumed a bottle with every lunch. (And another with dinner.) He was half American, on his mother’s side, so deserves a toast of thanks giving, too.
MUSIC
‘Spreading gratitude, not COVID’
Matchwood Brewing’s 3rd annual Powers of Gratitude event adjusts to the times
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff For the third year in a row, Matchwood Brewing will host its Powers of Gratitude event to kick off the holiday season on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, Nov. 25. The shindig, which features music from North Idaho musical duo The Powers, is meant to celebrate gratitude and the magic of giving. The 2020 rendition of the event will still aim to accomplish such a celebration, but with modifications. “Our priority is spreading gratitude, not COVID,” said Matchwood Brewing owner Andrea Marcoccio. “We have modified this year’s event to be focused on the act of giving and kindness.” This year’s Powers of Gratitude event is happening Wednesday, Nov. 25 from 4-8 p.m. Matchwood will light an outdoor “gratitude tree,” featuring handmade ornaments created with supplies provided by the brewery, or that people in the community have made at home. The Powers — known for
their sweet harmonies and uplift- The nonprofit is in need of diaing acoustic music — will play a pers, feminine hygiene products, virtual show streamed live on the non-perishables and monetary Matchwood Brewing Facebook donations. Matchwood Brewpage at 5:30 p.m., which can be ing will be accepting donations enjoyed either at for the ministries The Powers of Matchwood or throughout the Gratitude event from home. holiday season. The Powers Despite the Wednesday, Nov. 25; 4-8 of Gratitude challenges presentp.m.; FREE. Matchwood event this year ed by the ongoing Brewing, 513 Oak St., will raise dona- 208-718-2739, matchpandemic, Marcoctions for Priest cio said she hopes woodbrewing.com. Listen River Ministries at thepowersmusic.com. everyone who Advocates for wants to partake in Women, which assists local the annual event can find a way, women and children in need. whether it be by contributing an
Dan and Shelley Powers, of the band The Powers, in simpler times. Courtesy photo. ornament to the gratitude tree, watching The Powers’ live show online, making a donation to Priest River Ministries Advocates for Women, or by ordering some Matchwood craft beer and food to-go for the holiday weekend. “In an attempt to safely spread joy, kindness and gratitude, we hope you will participate in a way that is best for you and our community,” she said.
Shook Twins virtual show to support Panida Theater By Ben Olson Reader Staff Although they had to postpone the live taping of a virtual concert due to COVID-19, Sandpoint’s own Shook Twins will perform a live virtual show on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 6 p.m. Laurie and Katelyn Shook will be joined by John Craigie, a favorite in Sandpoint’s live music scene before the pandemic. The show will be free to watch live on Shook Twins Facebook page, but donations are encouraged. Proceeds will given directly to the Panida Theater. This marks the tenth Giving Thanks concert for Shook Twins, who told the Reader in early November that they were donating proceeds from the concert to the Panida Theater because it was their favorite venue to play live music. Tune in live at: www.facebook.com/ShookTwins
This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert
READ
It is all too easy to lean on Google when we want to expand our knowledge of a topic. Thanks to my lifelong relationship with our local library district, my inclination is often to browse the directory of books and other media to guide me on new educational journeys. Nothing replaces a hardcover book when you’re becoming your own expert on a new hobby or home improvement project, and the librarians themselves are also an invaluable resource. Try it sometime.
LISTEN
If you’re looking for permission, here it is: Turn on the Christmas music. As someone who normally waits until after Thanksgiving to kick out the yuletide jams, I am only slightly embarrassed to admit that I started listening to the classics on the first day it snowed a few weeks ago. If the holiday season gives you the warm fuzzies, there is no need to hold back. Lord knows we earned some comfort this year. I suggest the “A Soft Piano Christmas” playlist on Spotify.
WATCH
The hype surrounding the 2019 film Jojo Rabbit was entirely merited. The combination of outrageous humor and sometimes violent frankness doesn’t sound like it would meld well, but it does, as 10-year-old Jojo navigates loyalty and love in Nazi Germany. His imaginary friend — a juvenile and bombastic Adolf Hitler — is the highlight of the movie, followed closely by a moving performance from Scarlett Johansson as Jojo’s mom.
Laurie and Katelyn Shook of Shook Twins. Photo by Meleah Shavon Photography. November 25, 2020 /
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BACK OF THE BOOK
Talking turkey From Northern Idaho News, Nov. 21, 1911
WAGE CAMPAIGN FOR NEW DEPOT The united forces of the Sandpoint Commercial club and the Bonner County Business Men’s association will be directed against the officials in the Northern Pacific in an attempt to secure a new depot for Sandpoint. For several months the Commercial club, through a committee appointed for that purpose, have been in correspondence with President Elliott of the Northern Pacific in connection with the new depot. At first, they were told that a time in the future Vice President Slade would visit the west and would stop at Sandpoint and look over the situation. Up to the present time none of the citizens of Sandpoint have been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the railway official nor have they detected any signs that would intimate that this city would be graced with a new depot. After several letters had passed back and forth between the president of the Northern Pacific, the club received a communication setting forth the losses of Northern Pacific the past three months and telling the club that on account of the several new and growing towns in the northwest it was impossible for the company to gratify the wants and needs of the several cities. ... Sandpoint is the largest shipping point for cedar products in the world, and is one of the largest shipping points for timber products in the northwest. It has been cited that the depot at Rathdrum on the Northern Pacific is much superior to the one at Sandpoint and that at several other different stations much smaller than Sandpoint, better depots are evident. 22 /
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/ November 25, 2020
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
History is rough. So rough, that most people prefer to ignore it or concoct their own self-pleasing version of it. The central problem is that history is simply inconvenient; those mountains of dead people piling up and telling us they’ve already done it all. What’s worse, reminding us that we’ll all be just as dead as them someday. Maybe tomorrow? Who knows. More Americans have died in the past 10 months than perished from both combat and disease in World War I — a conflict that, history tells us, the U.S. participated in from April 6, 1917 to Nov. 11, 1918, or about 20 months. Breathing the air in 2020 America is, therefore, at least twice as deadly as fighting in the trenches of eastern France. Ugh. Shake that off. Better to keep on keepin’ on — or, as British PM, half-Yank and WWI vet Winston Churchill used to say, “keep buggering on.” Well, to Winston’s ghost, I employ a cliche: “That’s easier said than done.” What I’m here to do in this space is be that jerky distant relative who shows up to Thanksgiving dinner and ruins everything with a Serious Conversation when all you want to do is fill your couch cushions with turkey farts and doze off at 6 p.m. It’s a bummer, but I have breaking news: Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoag, did not “give” food to the Puritans at Plymouth, Mass., when they tripped off the Mayflower in the early 1620s. Those ranters and ravers, who verily got kicked out of England because their creed was anti-, well, everything, were seemingly easy marks entering the extremely savvy and complex political matrix that long predated their arrival at Plymouth Rock.
STR8TS Solution
The inconvenient history of Thanksgiving
Those big-hatted, big-buckled goodies trod without any real thought into a civilizational context that had existed for at least 12,000 years — not even that, but somehow “we” have concocted the notion that the Pilgrims in 1621 made “first contact” and laid the groundwork for the United States of America. Bogus. Europeans had been mixed up with East Coast and present-day Canadian tribes for more than a century before the Mayflower dropped anchor, and the U.S. of A. wasn’t even a twinkle in their eyes. The early waves of epidemic disease that started with the invasion of Florida by Spaniard Juan Ponce de León in 1513 had already killed huge swathes of two generations of Indigenous peoples prior to the “providential” landing at the Rock — an event that Malcolm X rightly described as “landing on us,” referring to the soon-after enslavement and forced transportation of millions of Black Africans to toil on the land already being actively wiped clear of its millenia-long inhabitants in the 1620s, a process that continued well into the 20th century and whose results are with us to this day, including in Idaho. This makes white people uncomfortable — including me, a white man whose German ancestors barged into upstate New York as eager settler-colonists in 1710 — but it’s true. Massasoit didn’t help the Pilgrims out of kindness; it was an opportunity. The Atlantic coastal tribes had adjusted to the presence of Europeans by making their trade goods a critical part of inter-tribal diplomatic relations, which relied on reciprocity of high-value trade as a signifier of power and prestige. Massasosit saw the Pilgrims as a main chance to capture a trade node, which he could leverage against his rival chiefs.
This backfired, as the sachem underestimated the tenacity and rapaciousness of the newcomers. Fifty-four years later Massachusetts erupted in an orgy of violence known as King Philip’s War, led by Massasoit’s second son Metacom — a.k.a. Metacomet and “King Philip” — against the colonists and their Indigenous allies. The Wampanoags lost, with Metcom ending up mutilated in a swamp and his wife and children sold as slaves to Bermuda. Hence, what we consider Thanksgiving, the descendants of Massosit’s people — and all Indigenous peoples on this continent — regard as a Day of Mourning. For further reading, I suggest Facing East from Indian Country, by Daniel K. Richter, The Saltwater Empire, by Andrew Lipman and — especially — This Land is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving, by David Silverman.
Crossword Solution
Sudoku Solution You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he’s read sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
Solution on page 22
Solution on page 22
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
Laughing Matter
CROSSWORD By Bill Borders
ACROSS
irenic
Woorf tdhe Week
/ahy-REN-ik/ [adjective] 1. tending to promote peace or reconciliation; peaceful or conciliatory.
“Isn’t it ironic that our irenic efforts at peace started a major war?”
Corrections: We’re thankful that there are no errors or dumb typos to report this week. We’re also grateful for all of you red pen warriors who keep us honest out there when we make a mistake. – BO
1. An exact duplicate 6. Pleads 10. Contributes 14. Ancient Greek marketplace 15. Nobleman 16. He writes in verse 17. Heroic tales 18. Brother of Jacob 19. Data 20. You jump up and down on this 22. Not warm 23. Caught a glimpse of 24. To swallow up (archaic) 25. Of higher order 29. Untangle 31. Letter 33. Cite 37. Boil 38. Slog 39. Brisling 41. Chevrotain 42. Whole number 44. Visual organs 45. Only 48. Pertaining to the oceans 50. Strike heavily 51. Sketcher 56. Provisions 57. Angers 58. Girlfriend (Spanish)
Solution on page 22 59. Portent 60. Rational 61. Foolish 62. Sourish 63. Attired 64. Stories
DOWN 1. Spar 2. Food thickener 3. Roman robe 4. Study hard 5. Catches 6. Straightaway 7. Less difficult
8. An old woman 9. Swing around 10. Beekeeping 11. Giver 12. Free from mist 13. Filched 21. Luxurious 24. Style 25. Netting 26. Type of sword 27. Layer 28. Styptic 30. Experienced 32. Yours (archaic) 34. Lazily 35. Curved molding 36. Catches
40. High ranking officer 41. Contrived 43. Lead sulfide 45. Cravat 46. Andean animal 47. Not inner 49. Not the most 51. Platter 52. Dogfish 53. Cultivate 54. Leer at 55. Beams
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