Reader_November21_2019

2 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

(wo)MAN compiled by

Ben Olson

on the street

‘Are there any women in history that have particularly inspired you?’

“Amelia Earhart because she was a woman pilot. I got my pilot’s license in my 20s. I was interested in that career but couldn’t join the military because of my eyesight and height, so I got a private pilot’s license. I thought, ‘If she can fly, so can I.’” Theresa Drake AquaGem Jewelry Sandpoint “How about Mother Teresa? I like what she did to take care of all those people.”

Linda G. Larson’s Dept. Store Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

I would like to ask contributors for another one of those big favors I sometimes beg of you. Last year, my girlfriend and I were invited to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a 39-foot catamaran for seven weeks – this year, we were invited back to sail in the Caribbean from Grenada to the Virgin Islands. I know, I know, rough trip. I’m not using this space to brag, but rather to invite our army of contributors to start submitting articles that aren’t time sensitive so that Zach and Lyndsie won’t be too overwhelmed by losing one of the three people that keep editorial content happening at this newspaper.

The good news is, former editor Cameron Rasmusson will pitch in and help out while I’m away, as well as our friends at Keokee, so we should be good to go, but we’re still interested in what you have to submit, writers. We love profiles about people who live interesting lives. We love humor and insightful topics that relate to life in North Idaho.

We’re open to read anything, as long as it’s not conspiracy theories or derogatory.

Please send in any contributions to zach@sandpointreader.com.

-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 zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (editor-at-large) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover design), SMR, BoCo History Museum, CDC, Meleah Shavon, Racheal Baker.

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Shelby Rognstad, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Regan Plumb, Deb Ruehle, Jason Welker, Dr. Elizabeth Wargo.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

“I’ve always been inspired by Harriet Tubman. I’m looking forward to seeing that movie about her. She really was a truly great woman – she really sacrificed her own comfort to free other people. I find that admirable.”

Tonya Whitlock Cedar St. Bridge Sandpoint “I think Queen Noor [from Jordan] was always inspiring to me. She did an amazing job of educating her people and staying neutral when the PLO was so hostile and divisive.”

Angela Cochran Alliant Insurance Sandpoint

(looks at Angela Cochran with admiration) “Angela is my inspiration.”

Gail Mico Sandpoint

Subscription Price: $115 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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

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

Free to all, limit two copies per person.

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

Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

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

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

About the Cover

This week’s cover is a cool photo illustration we saw on Adobe Stock of a man hiking in the mountains.

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 3

NEWS

Status conference set for county v. city gun suit

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

There appears to be forward movement in the lawsuit over The Festival at Sandpoint’s weapons ban, as a status conference between legal counsel representing plaintiff Bonner County and the city of Sandpoint, the defendant in the case, is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. at the Bonner County Courthouse.

Status conferences typically serve as a meeting between attorneys and the judge in order to discuss the status of the case and set a timeline for future proceedings.

The Nov. 26 conference is open to the public, but the judge reserves the right to ask attendees to leave if they’re deemed disruptive, according to clerks at the Bonner County Courthouse. The judge in this case is Kootenai County District Court Judge Lansing L. Haynes.

The suit, filed Sept. 18, seeks a declaratory action — that is, a decision without damages attached — determining whether The Festival’s prohibition of weapons, including firearms, at the annual concert series is legal under Idaho Code.

County commissioners and Sheriff Daryl Wheeler argue the gun ban violates state statute, which in part bars municipalities from regulating firearms on public property. City officials argue that by leasing War Memorial Field to The Festival, the private nonprofit organization assumes control of the property and any rules it makes are unrelated to the city.

Of major concern to many citizens is the cost of such a suit to taxpayers. Because the declaratory action doesn’t carry with it any award of damages, the city’s insurance won’t cover the cost of its legal defense, meaning property tax revenue from the general fund will be used to pay for fees incurred related to the case. The Bonner County justice fund — also funded by taxpayer dollars — is paying for the county side of the litigation.

As for what those expenses look like thus far, little information is available.

The city of Sandpoint in late-September hired attorney 4 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

Peter Erbland, of Coeur d’Alenebased Lake City Law, to represent its case. In a letter of engagement, Erbland offered his services for $200 per hour, plus $100 per hour for the work of his paralegal and $200 per hour should one of his partners provide additional support. The letter stated Erbland would bill on a monthly basis.

On Oct. 16, the council approved another contract with the firm to provide a range of services, including engaging principal partner Andy Doman as city attorney and Erbland as special counsel.

According to that contract, Lake City Law would be paid a flat rate of $3,000 per month for up to 20 hours per month. Any services provided beyond that time limit by a partner in the firm would be billed at $200 per hour, followed by $175 per hour for associate attorney time and $100 per hour for paralegal time.

In response to a request from the Reader for an accounting of the expenses incurred so far in the case, the city of Sandpoint said it had no such records.

In seeking how much Bonner County has paid its legal representation, Davillier Law Group, for work on the gun ban suit, a public records request submitted Oct. 18 by the Reader was denied Nov. 1. The request asked for “invoices billed to the county from Davillier Law Group in regards

to the Bonner County v. City of Sandpoint suit (case #CV09-191388).” Upon inquiring Nov. 4 as to what specific piece of Idaho statute kept reporters from being able to examine the records, County Prosecutor Louis Marshall replied Nov. 12: “The response to your request is $21,173.”

Records obtained by a citizen and then shared with the Reader indicate that the response from Marshall corresponds most closely to a $21,073.50 check sent to Davillier from Bonner County on Aug. 27 — the date commissioners approved a contract securing the firm’s services related to the firearm ban case. Under the terms of that contract, Davillier principal George Wentz would bill $250 per hour for his services, which must be advisory only as he is not licensed to practice law in Idaho. Davillier lawyers D. Colton Boyles and Mauricio Cardona, who were identified as handling most of the work on the case, each bill at $175 per hour.

Records show two more checks issued to Davillier since then: one on Sept. 17 for $53,432 and the other on Oct. 23 for $20,995. Because Davillier works for the county on several cases aside from the gun ban litigation, it is immediately unclear how much of the money sent to the law group since the Aug. 27 contract has gone directly to work on that specific case.

As of Oct. 23, records indicate that Bonner County has paid Davillier Law Group about $233,735 for work on a number of cases during the current calendar year — $95,500 of that since Aug. 27, constituting 40.8% of the year’s running total.

The Reader currently has another records request pending, seeking running totals for open county litigation.

When asked whether the gun ban suit is costing more in comparison to other cases in which Davillier has represented the county, Commissioner Dan McDonald told the Reader, “No, not really.”

Regarding concerns that the county initiated a suit that would rest especially heavy on taxpayers who pay both city and county taxes, McDonald said: “I get that, I really do. It’s just, you can’t walk around the fact that it was a really

A man waits to attempt entry into the venue while carrying a weapon in Aug. 2019. Photo by Racheal Baker. clear cut case, in our opinion, of a violation of state law. So do you ignore it, because it might cost money to protect it? You just can’t. We take an oath of office and we take that oath seriously. ...

“Looking at the comments on Facebook, people say, ‘Can’t you just suspend the law for two weeks while the Festival’s here?’” he continued. “It’s like, what? What if a white supremicist group wants to come in and put on a concert and they said, ‘OK, we want to put this concert on, we want to lease the property and by the way, no minorities can show up, no Jews.’

The thing continues to play out, no matter which way you slice it.”

Additional reporting by Zach Hagadone.

Executive order makes hemp transportation legal in Idaho

By Reader Staff Governor Brad Little issued an executive order Nov. 19 legalizing the transportation of hemp in Idaho in order to align with federal policy, though not without a few extra requirements.

A news release from Little’s office characterized the order as “a stopgap measure until the Idaho Legislature enacts a more permanent solution.”

“From the start, I have stated I am not opposed to a new crop such as hemp, but that we need to be sure the production and shipping of industrial hemp is

not a front to smuggle illicit drugs into and around Idaho,” Little said.

According to the news release, recent changes to federal law prevent states from prohibiting the transportation of hemp produced in compliance with the 2018 Farm Bill.

“We expected new federal rules would eventually result in hemp lawfully traveling across state lines,” Little said. “My administration has prepared for this development, working with partners in law enforcement and other interested parties. As it turns out, the rules were pub-

lished at a time when the Idaho Legislature could not quickly respond.”

Under the executive order, drivers transporting hemp through Idaho must stop at the first port of entry to the state, present documentation that the hemp is lawfully produced under the Farm Bill, consent to an inspection and drive only on interstate highways or roads in the immediate vicinity of an interstate highway.

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture, Idaho State Police and Idaho Transportation Department will work together

Idaho Gov. Brad Little. Courtesy photo. to carry out the executive order and put the temporary rules in place until the anticipated permanent solution comes out of the Legislature.

NEWS

City approves Memorial Field design contract

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

It again fell to Mayor Shelby Rognstad to break a tie Nov. 20, as the Sandpoint City Council considered whether to approve a design contract for major changes to War Memorial Field.

The vote turned on hiring Bernardo Wills Architects for design services, including construction bids, for the installation of artificial turf and a range of facilities projects at Memorial Field.

Council members John Darling, Tom Eddy and Deb Ruehle voted in favor of awarding the $300,000 contract, while Council members Bill Aitken, Joel Aispuro and Council President Shannon Williamson voted “nay.” Rognstad broke the tie, stating, “Yes. Motion passed.”

The Nov. 20 decision mirrored the one made Oct. 16, when the council engaged in nearly three hours of public testimony and discussion on the overall plan, which calls for artificial turf on a combination soccer/football/lacrosse field as well as new baseball and softball fields. Other plans include expanded parking, improved boat launch and waterside boardwalk, a new restroom and east entry plaza, new softball grandstands, a batting cage and bullpen.

The contract approved Nov. 20, which will be paid for by the 1% local option tax, stipulated that only surfaces such as cork, coconut or a combination of the two would be considered and that former Festival at Sandpoint Production Manager Dave Nygren be included as a subconsultant to make sure the Festival’s logistical needs are taken into account and included in the final design.

According to the resolution, Bernardo Wills is to begin design services immediately, with the final design completed by February 2020 and a subsequent construction contract to be awarded in March 2020.

Total cost for the project — including construction and all other related services — is not to exceed $4.35 million and work is scheduled to ensure the field is ready for The Festival at Sandpoint by July

31, 2020. The surface is set to be playable in August 2020.

Though the October meeting drew dozens of community members to testify, only four area residents turned out Nov. 20 to weigh in on the contract — all opposed to its approval and appealing to the council to pull back on its earlier decision to move forward with the Memorial Field concept as presented.

Chris Bessler, owner of Keokee Publishing and co-owner of the Reader, asked the council to reconsider the site plan, calling its approval “rushed” and lacking the appropriate amount of time for public comment.

“I’m not convinced that the council members received or had a chance to study that [plan] prior to the Oct. 16 vote,” he said, citing workshop and survey feedback data showing only 23.7% of respondents supported artificial turf at the field and 3% ranked it as a top priority among potential improvements there.

Bessler told the council that if the 1% local option tax approved in 2015 to build the grandstands at Memorial Field had been presented at the time as grandstands construction combined with artificial turf resurfacing, “I can say categorically that it would not have passed.” He cautioned council members that if “if you disenfranchise voters who are unhappy about how artificial turf was rushed through, you will not get 60%” approval to renew the five-year LOT in 2020.

Rick Howarth, representing a south Sandpoint neighborhood group, focused on the effect of stadium lights, increased traffic and noise on the surrounding residents.

What’s more, he asked the council why, despite these “easily identifiable negative impacts,” neighbors were not given a letter or postcard advising them of the breadth of the changes to be potentially approved at the Oct. 16 meeting.

“Not everyone takes a paper, not everyone goes to your website, not everyone follows you on Facebook,” he said.

“There is nothing that requires you tonight to approve this contract,” he later added, asking that

it be be put “on the back burner” long enough to reassess the broader impacts and allow for a comparison between artificial and natural turf at the field — the main argument made by Council President Williamson in October when she asked to hold off on the vote in order to gather data showing the costs of retaining natural grass versus installing turf.

Fellow Sandpoint resident Iris Harrison also asked the council to reconsider.

“The impact to the neighborhood in my opinion would be very outsized for what an old residential neighborhood can handle,” she said. “Every event that’s held there comes into my home.”

Finally, Sandpoint resident Deborah Staggs zeroed in on the amount of notice and time residents had to review the plan prior to the vote, saying the first time she heard of the Memorial Field concept was less than a week before it went to the council.

“I think we need more time.

This was not presented as a sports complex, it was presented as artificial or natural turf,” she said.

“How come we didn’t get letters?

How come we didn’t get a letter on our door as if the neighbor down the street wants to change his porch? We all got a letter. How come we didn’t get something like that for Memorial Field?”

The Nov. 20 resolution noted that while discussions touching on the potential for artificial turf at Memorial Field dated back to 2015 with a cost study — followed by two public meetings and a council workshop in 2018 — “the efforts … did not produce a clear committee or community consensus relative to turf preference.” Aside from that outreach, the city also hosted a series of open houses and presentation on the Parks and Rec Master Plan, including the Memorial Field concepts, during the summer.

That said, the resolution added, concerns expressed throughout the discussion process included

An artist’s rendering of changes to War Memorial Field in Sandpoint. Courtesy city of Sandpoint. limited access and playability at the field related to poor weather and recovery time needed after incidents of heavy usage such as The Festival.

Replacing the natural grass field with artificial turf and incorporating improvements to the parking lot and boat ramp facilities will “maximize usability of the park space, including water access/recreation and … reduce impacts on the neighborhood,” according to the resolution.

Downtown construction update

By Reader Staff It’s the end of the year for downtown street construction.

The entire work zone in the downtown core open to motorists — albeit with some lane closures — and sidewalks accessible to pedestrians, the project will be shut down for the winter beginning Tuesday, Nov. 26.

Before that, crews will backfill the areas between the existing sidewalk and new curbs, as well as take down all temporary fencing and barriers.

Project manager Dan Tadic told the Sandpoint City Council on Nov. 20 that the pedestrian fencing is due to be removed Monday, Nov. 25.

Work is scheduled to resume no later than April 1, 2020, when crews will return and “complete all the work that has not yet been completed this fall,” Tadic said, including everything from lights, and signage to fiber, benches, bike racks and asphalt.

“The schedule has all that completed prior to Lost in the ’50s,” he added.

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 5

NEWS

Sandpoint P&Z gets first Bits ’n’ Pieces look at airport plan From east, west and beyond

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Members of the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission took in a presentation Nov. 19 on the airport component of the recently launched Comprehensive Plan update, hearing from consultant Miriam McGilvray and City Planner Aaron Qualls on a range of potential priorities, policies and goals for the 115-acre property.

Planners have already hosted a number of outreach events, including a meeting with members of the Airport Board, an open house at the airport and community visioning event — along with the release of a questionnaire on airport priorities, which will remain open to public feedback for at least another week. A second questionnaire is set to go up this week on the city’s comp plan website (sandpointidaho.gov/imagine).

Calling it a “jam-packed week of input,” Qualls said the Nov. 19 presentation was meant to give planning commissioners an idea of some “emerging strategies” for guiding the future of the airport, which is operated by Bonner County. The airport comp plan component is also intended to make sure that future guidance meshes with the Multi-Modal Master Plan, which is also ongoing.

“This presentation is mostly so you guys don’t get draft in hand and have to process it all at once,” McGilvray said, telling commissioners they could expect a draft plan by early next week.

Planning is focused on considerable estimated growth in operations in the coming dozen or so years. According to numbers shared with P&Z commissioners by McGilvray, more than 100 aircraft are currently based at the facility, which conducts about 35,000 operations per year. Meanwhile, the 2019 draft airport environmental assessment forecasts as many as 137 aircraft and 43,200 operations by the year 2032.

To accommodate that growth, the preliminary comp plan recommendations include a range of goals and policies meant to address public health and safety, economic benefits, compatibility of land uses, hazard prevention and future operations.

Some big changes in the preliminary recommendations included expanding and moving the existing taxiway 40 feet on the east side of the runway and constructing an entirely new taxiway along the length of the runway to the west. Along with that, the preliminary plan includes resurfacing the runway and points to potential capital improvement projects supportive of avia6 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

tion-related economic development.

Of central importance is ensuring surrounding growth doesn’t impede those other goals, which means coming up with tools such as prohibiting uses in airport areas that attract birds, create visual hazards or emit transmissions that interfere with aviation activities.

Underscoring that none of the policies discussed at the Nov. 19 meeting were set in stone, Qualls said prioritizing open space in the so-called lateral and inner critical zones is another such tool for use “if possible” in the areas immediately east and west of the airport and extending from the runway north into Ponderay and south into the northwest Sandpoint neighborhoods surrounding Farmin-Stidwell Elementary School and Great Northern, Centennial, Pinecrest Memorial and Travers parks.

Stop-gap zoning measures may also be considered in those areas to keep density from increasing, including not allowing accessory dwelling units in new or redeveloped properties, discouraging the clustering of homes, requiring disclosure statements regarding noise and other airport impacts for new or redeveloped properties, and an ordinance deterring zoning change requests that would increase density.

“We would not recommend anything too drastic,” Qualls said. “We wouldn’t recommend taking away existing property rights.”

That said, it was clear to planning commissioners that policies touching on what property owners could request in terms of zoning changes within those areas would be the most sensitive part of the plan — something city staff readily agreed with.

There is currently a moratorium on zone changes within the much larger airport overlay, which must be lifted by July 2020. That’s why, Qualls said, planners are working to expedite the comp plan process “to free up that moratorium well before you would be required to.”

“We don’t want to prohibit … that ability to apply for changes for any length of time more than we need to,” he said.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will again consider the airport plan at a joint City Council workshop Wednesday, Dec. 4, followed by a P&Z public hearing Tuesday, Dec. 10, at which time commissioners could make a recommendation and ordinance change for consideration by the council. The council may make its final decision at its Wednesday, Dec. 18 meeting, which would include lifting the airport overlay moratorium.

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: Mexico has only one gun store, which may explain: Between 2009 and 2018, of the 132,823 guns recovered from crime scenes in Mexico, 70% were traced to the U.S., the Los Angeles Times reported. The Times said most came from “straw purchasers” who then sold to cartels or middlemen.

Georgia culled thousands of voters from voter rolls for not voting. Then reporters found 294 that had voted recently but were culled anyway, according to Mother Jones. The state subsequently restored their rights. A similar scenario unfolded in Ohio, which had planned to separate 50,000 voters from their voting rights.

Speaking of voting, a cyber-security firm has found numerous election websites in Michigan and Wisconsin to be “highly vulnerable to hacking,” the Washington Post reported. The firm also found problems in Florida, and said failure to fix the problems, for which there’s been ample time, amounts to another form of voter suppression and could falsely skew election results.

New York is the first state in the nation to pass a law prohibiting the declawing of cats. Declawing could be better described as de-knuckling, says Alley Cat Allies, since it involves the amputation of the last bones of a cat’s toe. It is akin to cutting off a human’s finger up to the first knuckle. A declawed cat typically experiences pain that causes them to avoid the litter box, and can lead a cat to bite instead of using their claws. When Los Angeles banned declawing, the city experienced a 43% decrease in “problem” cats being turned over to shelters.

Maybe it should have been Plan A, not Plan B: Japan will turn the farmland contaminated by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster into 11 wind and 10 solar farms, Renew Economy reports.

Turkey “census”: there are 100 million turkeys raised on U.S. farms; 46 million will be eaten for Thanksgiving. Another 22 million, says the National Turkey Federation, sell during the Christmas season. Typical corporate-raised turkeys (accounting for 85-90% of all turkeys sold in the U.S.) have liberal doses of antibiotics, GMO feed and painful beak trimmings, and live in inhumane quarters, says the Organic Consumers Association.

Factory-farmed turkeys also generate pol-

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

lution. OCA encourages turkey consumers to seek responsibly raised birds.

A recent study of more than 46,000 male health professionals (ages 40 to 75) revealed that eating poultry or fish daily, instead of red meat, reduced their risk of diverticulitis by 20%, according to UC-Berkeley’s School of Public Health.

On his TruNews program Rick Wiles, a far-right commentator known for anti-Semitism and unique conspiracy theories, recently stated that if the president is impeached Trump supporters who “know how to fight” will start a killing campaign against Democratic legislators.

“They are going to go on a rampage and you’re not going to be able to put it back in the bottle,” he said.

Waste of judicial resources? The current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has lost 80% of its cases in the D.C. Circuit Court, compared to 19% of cases lost under the previous administration.

Since 2008, newsrooms have let go 28,000 employees (and over 3,000 this year). The Columbia Journalism Review laid out one presidential candidate’s plan for saving corporate media news from further job cuts: apply an immediate moratorium on federal approval of mergers of major media companies; give employees the chance to purchase media outlets; increase federal funding for programs that support local public media; reinstate and strengthen media ownership rules, thereby limiting the number of stations a large broadcast corporation can own; and enforce antitrust laws against Facebook and Google to stop their cannibalizing of news organizations.

Around 60% of all American wealth is inherited, according to an estimate from economist Thomas Piketty.

Blast from the past: President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937 authorized member-owned and operated rural electric cooperatives. Prior to that, 90% of farms had no power; 16 years later, in 1953, 90% of farms were wired. Today there are nearly 900 rural electric cooperatives (RECs) that provide power in 47 states, collect $45 billion in revenues and support 71,000 employees. Since 1989, RECs have received more than $600 million in federal zero-interest loans and grants that have boosted co-ops that are developing electrical power as well as internet projects. For more info check out We Own It online.

PERSPECTIVES

Mayor’s Roundtable:

Why the City Beach land swap is good for Sandpoint

Ida property (currently Best Western). The new hotel will serve nearly twice the curA draft of the City’s Parks rent visitors and offer and Recreation Master Plan much needed conferis under way and through the ence space downtown. planning process a number This is great for downof missed opportunities came town businesses. The to light that the conceptual land swap will also designs propose to address. enable the popular We asked the question: “If we Trinity Restaurant and had a blank slate in our parks, Lounge to remain on what configurations would the waterfront. Withbest benefit our recreational out the swap, Sand-Ida needs, economy and well-bewould not have the Mayor Shelby Rognstad. ing for the next 50+ years?” space to accommodate a restaurant and bar.

So far, consolidation and improvements Meanwhile, the majority of greenspace the in our sports complex, War Memorial Field city is trading will remain open space as it improvements, opportunities for recreis today, preserving the majestic views of ation and pristine water to co-exist in our the Pend Oreille. The city will also retain watershed, and a vibrant downtown and the beach to the east and the sidewalk that downtown waterfront with improved water wraps around the parcel on three sides. access and year round activity are a few of In summary the swap results in great the results. public benefit to taxpayers. It also accomLooking specifically at City Beach, it modates a broader vision for City Beach offers a family friendly passive recreational offering amenities beyond what we see opportunity for residents and visitors. The today. New features include a destination beach perimeter and boating infrastructure are heavily used while the middle of the park and the lawn east of the Best Western are underused. The vision for the beach is first and foremost to maximize use as passive and family friendly. Due to its proximity to downtown and its desirability, it has still-greater potential as an economic driver for downtown business.

To realize its full potential, the City Beach design concept proposes a land swap whereby the city acquires the 2.15-acre Edgewater RV park property south of City Beach in exchange for the 1.5-acre green space east of the Best Western Hotel.

The greenspace has been largely underused outside of Trinity sponsored events.

This swap provides a number of public benefits. It facilitates reconfiguration of the boating infrastructure, thereby removing congestion and traffic from the beach parking area while increasing boat access and parking. It opens up the interior of the park for special events and festival-type opportunities that will bring folks downtown and keep it active. It improves stormwater treatment through surface and subsurface treatment. It accommodates a boardwalk connecting City Beach to Sand Creek and improving access for pedestrians and boaters. It allows for more efficient design and better use for the rest of the park overall.

While this land swap has many public benefits, it also supports local business by accommodating redevelopment of the Sand-

By Mayor Shelby Rognstad Reader Contributor

park with water features that will be unique in Bonner County. It proposes a more cohesive, integrated greenspace that is more conducive to athletics and can accommodate special events like the Festival and Fourth of July activities. The central events space can be used for basketball courts in the summer and can accommodate an ice rink in the winter. This achieves the goal to create a more active park year round.

The city is committed to creating a winwin-win for taxpayers, downtown businesses and users of City Beach. The proposed beach design achieves this goal.

The land swap enables implementation of an integrated parks plan that improves public access to the water while preserving the best of what we enjoy at City Beach.

It enhances the amenities available on our waterfront and enhances economic benefit for downtown businesses. For these reasons I will bring a proposal for council consideration, following due process, to proceed with the land swap in January.

Please join me at the Mayor’s Roundtable on Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 a.m. at Cedar St. Bistro to discuss this and other issues important to Sandpoint’s future.

OPEN 11:30 am

GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

The Psounbality with Per FRESH FOOD LIVE MUSIC THE BEST NW BREWS

212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint

208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994 November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 7

COMMUNITY Fossil fuel isn’t going Support downtown retailers anywhere…

Dear editor, this holiday season

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Bouquets: • Three cheers to Jeff Nizzoli, who was a great sport during the Angels Over Sandpoint’s roast on Saturday, Nov. 16. Also, to all of the Eichardt’s family who made this event possible, thank you — the money raised will benefit those in the community who are in need. Thanks Angels!

GUEST SUBMISSION: • I recently walked into Mr. Sub to get a sandwich and saw all the pictures of their customers, friends and family on their wall.

This is a relatively new addition, and it warmed my heart to see all the smiling faces from our community. I saw the smiling faces of my grandmother, a groomsman in my wedding, my kindergarten soccer coach and people I went to high school with. Most Importantly, I saw my community and a business that appreciates them.

Thank you Mr. Sub. -Submitted by Nate Rench.

Barbs: • I would like the city of Sandpoint to provide a little more notice to the community when voting on important matters in the future. There are a lot of important changes going on across Sandpoint right now and the public needs to provide their input. In order to ask intelligent questions, we need time to know all about the issue. Part of the Reader’s dedication to this community is to help folks understand an issue that has the potential to be complicated. We can only do that if we have ample time to write articles and explore the topic.

In the case of the vote where the City Council adopted the master plan for Memorial Field to include artificial turf, we were sent notice from a council member that an important vote was coming up just three days before the meeting. We didn’t have time to prepare an article or investigate the issue in print before the meeting.

8 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

Imagine for a moment what Sandpoint would be like without our downtown shopping district.

Driving through other towns across the country, it’s hard to miss the fact that most of them look the same. There are chain stores, fast food restaurants, payday loan businesses. Mile after mile of parking lots and soulless buildings. Let’s just call it by its right name: sprawl.

We don’t have that here in Sandpoint. We have earnest, good-hearted locals and newcomers who have populated our historical downtown district with a wide variety of businesses. When you shop at stores downtown, you aren’t funding some corporate CEO’s latest yacht or funnelling money into the richest family in the world, you are helping locals send their children to college.

You’re helping locals make their mortgage payments, get their car fixed when it craps out on that cold winter morning.

You’re helping a community remain a community. Because when you think of the alternative; chain stores littering the downtown corridor like ugly baubles on the necklace that once was a unique town, it doesn’t seem too great.

Jean Plue and her sisters shop downtown.

Photo by Jean Plue.

In the letters to the editor section of this paper and on Facebook local forums, I’ll often read about how some folks “refuse to come downtown anymore” because of the construction, parking, prices or some other reason. That’s fair, and that’s their choice, but why are these folks trying to influence others? Why can’t they just choose to spend their money elsewhere and let it be?

I, for one, am choosing to ignore those naysayers. I believe in our community and I support our local retailers.

So, as we get closer to the holiday season, I encourage you all to give our downtown shops a chance. If nothing else, just purchase one present from your list downtown. You are funding a community by doing so, and that is such a good thing.

FROM LAKE TO LAKE Reader Patreon Stephanie Wilson brought the paper along on a trip to South Lake Tahoe, Calif. recently, writing: “I know it’s not that exotic but here’s me and the Reader in front of the South Lake Tahoe sign. I moved from there to Sandpoint in early April this year, which is a good or bad thing, depending on who you talk to.

But it works for me!”

Thanks Stephanie!

In a recent article in the New York Times, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) outlined his “Clean Cars for America” plan, wherein all vehicles on the road will run on electric power by 2040.

But replacing gasoline-powered cars with electric cars is only half of the solution. Electric cars don’t pollute while they’re being driven but they do pollute to varying degrees while being recharged; it all depends on the power plant that supplies electricity to the charging port.

In Kentucky or West Virginia, where coal supplies over 90% of the electrical power, an electric car is in effect a coal-powered car; if you live there and want to save the earth, buy a gas-powered car instead. It’s cleaner.

But if you live in Sandpoint, an electric car makes more sense. Avista gets 53.5% of its energy from clean sources — 49% from hydroelectric and 4.5% from wind. Fossil fuels (natural gas and coal) account for the other 44.5%.

Electricity is not a source of power; it is generated by consuming a source of power such as coal, natural gas, etc., so the argument is not between gasoline-powered cars and electric-powered cars, but between gasoline and the source of electricity for electric cars. The key to clean air is a clean source of power.

Fossil fuels supply 77.6% of the energy in the U.S., nuclear supplies 9.6% and renewables (hydro, wind, solar, etc.) supply 12.7%. It’s doubtful that any more nuclear power plants or hydroelectric dams will be built, so the energy output from these two sources is essentially maxed out.

If fossil fuel plants are shut down what will they be replaced with? The only clean sources left are wind and solar and neither is reliable or predictable and they would require vast acreage to generate enough power to replace the fossil fuel plants.

Who wants the entire U.S. covered with wind towers and solar panels? Visit the San Gorgonio Pass wind farm in southern California before answering that. Grotesque.

Fossil fuel isn’t going away anytime soon. It’ll be needed to power Schumer’s electric cars.

Dave Mundell Sandpoint

Public spaces over parking spaces...

Dear editor, Many favorite memories over 70+ years of life were made at Lake Pend Oreille.

This unique lake surrounded by beautiful mountains is one of North Idaho’s best-loved natural (and public) resources.

I agree with former Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk [Perspectives, “City waterfront giveaway,” Nov. 14, 2019] that the green space adjacent to the lake should remain in the public domain.

Natural areas are too scarce and precious to trade away, especially for seldom-needed extra parking.

More parking will always be demanded, no matter how much of it is provided.

Clarice McKenney Bonners Ferry

Man in the High Castle?...

Dear editor, I read the book [Man in the High Castle] by Philip K. Dick, but have not seen the TV series on Amazon Prime now in its fourth and final season. Check it out and see what type of country we could become in Trump is reelected. There is a photo of both Hitler and Trump, yelling at a rally, angry, both fists held up in a clench. It’s almost as if Trump were the reincarnation of Hitler.

Lawrence Fury Sandpoint

Editor’s note: According to Godwin’s Law, “As a discussion on the internet grows longer, the likelihood of a comparison of a person’s being compared to Hitler or another Nazi reference, increases.” While we’re all in favor of a corollary allowing for reasonable Nazi comparisons online and elsewhere, the implication in Godwin’s Law is also that discussions are rendered moot when Hitler makes an appearance.

Also, the fourth season of Amazon’s Man in the High Castle is pretty darn good, but the ending was a bit of a letdown. — ZH

Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor. We publish letters under 400 words that are free from libelous statements and profanity.

COMMUNITY

Connecting kids to coverage

Thousands of kids in Idaho may be eligible for health insurance

By Reader Staff Thousands of Idaho children could be going without critical prescriptions or life-saving surgeries simply because their parents don’t have health insurance.

Many of those children were removed from federal health insurance coverage over the last few years due to eligibility reporting requirements for the state of Idaho. Those issues between the state and the United States government have been resolved.

Low- to moderate-income families without health insurance may be eligible for federal programs once again.

“Insurance coverage for kids is critical,” said Yvonne Ketchum-Ward, CEO, Idaho Primary Care Association. “Without it, children in Idaho will suffer unnecessarily and be unable to get the care they need to become healthy adults.”

The Idaho Primary Care Association received a $1 million grant to help enroll thousands of children in health insurance plans. The money will be distributed to 15 community health centers across the state

to bolster their enrollment efforts over the next three years.

Enrolling those families and children is part of a new Connecting Kids to Coverage project.

The federal grant is intended to help an estimated 29,000 children in Idaho gain coverage, and keep eligible families in coverage. The state currently ranks 40th in the nation for the percentage of children without health insurance. Federal policy changes caused Idaho to have the steepest decline (11%) in the nation for children enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid, according to a recent study released by Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and Idaho Voices for Children.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hope to increase enrollment in CHIP/Medicaid. Started in 1997, CHIP provides comprehensive healthcare coverage to children under age 19 from low to moderate-income families.

“The Children’s Health Insurance Program is an important source of healthcare

coverage for working families,” said Kaniksu Health Services CEO Kevin Knepper.

“Kids who have access to doctor visits, dental care, immunizations, well-child visits and prescriptions are more likely to have good health and do better in school, forming a strong foundation for future success. If your children don’t have insurance, please call us to see if we can help get them enrolled in health coverage. ” Kaniksu Health Services is one of the participating community health centers involved in Connecting Kids to Coverage.

The Connecting Kids to Coverage project will engage more than 70 outreach and enrollment counselors at health centers to assist families with application assistance for health care coverage.

Health Centers won’t be doing it alone. The Idaho Foodbank, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, and Your Health Idaho will provide support for the project to engage and assist parents in urban and rural areas.

“CHIP has consistently had bipartisan support from lawmakers. Since 1997, the

program has provided affordable health insurance for kids in modest-income families.

It’s an effective federal-state partnership that provides essential health coverage for kids that is a critical part of the state’s healthcare system and an investment in families and our state’s future,” said Knepper.

Lions Club hosts Turkey Bingo

By Reader Staff The Sandpoint Lions Club will kick off their annual Toys for Tots campaign with a Turkey Bingo fundraiser from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22 and noon-4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 23 at the Bonner Mall in Ponderay. Everyone is invited to join the fun, and the proceeds will help benefit the community through the Toys for Tots program.

There will be lots of prizes for bingo winners, including raffle items available.

Basketball School of Sandpoint hosts Thanksgiving week camp

Participants at a past Basketball School of Sandpoint camp. Courtesy photo.

By Reader Staff The Basketball School of Sandpoint is hosting a co-ed camp at Kootenai Elementary School Monday, Nov. 25-Wednesday, Nov. 27, welcoming kids ages 7 to 15 for three days of skill building.

Boys and girls ages 7-10 play each day 8-11 a.m., while campers 11-15 years old hit the court 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Campers will be grouped based on ability and taught fundamentals including ball handling, passing, shooting, rebounding and defense. Daily activities will also

include creative games, competitions, races and tournaments, all while developing core skills. Participants will also learn about teamwork, sportsmanship and accomplishing goals through hard work, and have the chance to earn Championship Awards on the last day of camp.

Cost is $55 per player, $105 for two siblings attending together, $155 for three siblings or $205 for a set of four siblings.

Kootenai Elementary is located at 301 Sprague St., right off Highway 200 in Kootenai.

Find more information and register online at basketballschoolofsandpoint.com.

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 9

Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

slavic folklore

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist You might be wondering what a bunch of Slavic fairy tales are doing in a science article. That’s good. Curiosity and skepticism are important traits to have while reading, and two traits most often emphasized by folktales throughout history.

Why Slavic, you ask? Well, I have Eastern European ancestry with some wild stories to share, and it’s always fun to see the similarities and potential origins of stories you know from your own childhood.

Most folktales, or fairy tales as we know them, are Germanic in origin. Germanic paganism had a lot of influence from the Nordic cultures around Norway, as well as the Slavic peoples from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, not to mention the invaders of Rome. Though the Soviet Union tried to snuff out remnants of pagan culture in many Slavic countries throughout the 1900s, the stories persisted in rural villages throughout Poland, Ukraine, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Baba Yaga is one of the most powerful and enduring figures of Slavic folklore, an enigmatic figure whose name is uttered in fear even today. She is an old woman that lives in the forest within a house that walks on chicken legs. Sometimes she flies through the sky in a large mortar and pestle. Baba Yaga’s role reflects the crone or witch in Germanic folktales, which is reflective of the role played by trickster and mischief-maker Loki in Nordic mythology.

Stories about Baba Yaga are generally cautionary, warning children not to trust strangers 10 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

or let their curiosity lead them into dangerous situations like the forest. Her role varies from story to story however, and I could probably write an entire article on her influence alone.

Strigoi are another, more malicious entity from Slavic folklore, and the origin of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Strigoi are essentially vampires — sapient corpses that lived sinful lives, risen from the dead to feast on the blood of the living. Removing a strigoi is no simple matter, requiring exhumation of the offending corpse, placing cloves of garlic beneath its tongue, cutting out its heart and pinning it to the coffin with a wooden stake through the chest.

The most interesting traits of the strigoi come from its name, which has roots all over Europe.

Striga is a genus of parasitic plant also known as “witchweed” that is notorious for destroying cereal crops throughout Asia and Africa. In Latin, strega, means “witch” and has seen a resurgence in use as a form of neopaganism, similar to Wicca.

Vodyanoy are a form of water spirit attributed to drownings throughout the Middle Ages and early Communist rule of Eastern Europe. They appear as a cross between an old man and a frog and will often lure curious onlookers to the water’s edge, where they will be pulled in and drowned.

This figure is fairly common throughout all of Europe and even beyond, bearing a resemblance to the Japanese kappa and the Scottish kelpie that have served as cautionary tales to avoid being foolish near rivers and lakes, and to avoid unfamiliar animals at the water’s edge.

As far as appearances go,

A painting of Baba Yaga, courtesy Wikipedia.

Vodyanoy are a far cry from the beautiful Rhinemaidens popularized by Richard Wagner in the Ring cycle, the musical series responsible for the famous piece: “Ride of the Valkyries,” and by extension, the Looney Toons episode: “What’s Opera, Doc?” The effect of water spirits in folklore may be one of the reasons that many of our ancestors survived long enough to reproduce, and if you share an indirect genetic lineage with me, you may have the Vodyanoy to thank for that.

Not all entities in Slavic folklore were malevolent. The domovoi was a house spirit believed to keep a family’s home in order. Small, bearded and sometimes furry in appearance, the domovoi was a sign of good luck… Most of the time. Bumps and creaks of the house at night, or objects falling from shelves were interpreted as signs of good fortune, as the domovoi was happy and moving around your house. Loud crashes or freaky sounds were interpreted as the domovoi being unhappy and warning you of your impending doom.

The purpose of the domovoi legend was partially one to teach respect of the home and of the unknown. Balance and care in your home directly translates to the same outside of it — even if you’re having a miserable day, your home is a place you love returning to. These beliefs were linked to a number of superstitions that persists to this day, and could just be a product of the human brain actively searching for correlations and connections to things and events we can’t effectively rationalize.

While I can’t guarantee the library will have any of these

stories any time soon, Mother Goose and Storytime are available for kids under the age of 5 every Tuesday, from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the Sandpoint library. The Clark Fork library also has stories and more every Wednesday from 10:30 a.m.-

11:30 a.m. It’s always good to check the events calendar on their website beforehand. Who knows, maybe your domovoi needs you to step out for an hour so he can return that sock you lost to the dryer in 1992.

Random Corner ical superstitions?

Don’t know much about naut

We can help!

There are a lot of odd superstitions that sailors have followed for centuries. Here are some origins and possible explanations behind some of the most prevalent. — BO • Never start a voyage on a Friday: Some sailors point to the fact that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ occurred on a Friday. Other cultures have noted Friday as an “unlucky” day, but there is no clear origin as to where this superstition emerged.

• Never change a boat’s name: This is a big no-no among superstitious boat owners. According to folklore, since Poseidon keeps records of every vessel’s name, a boat owner must follow a set of rituals to purge the former name from Poseidon’s book and memory.

• No women onboard: The fairer sex were considered too much of a temptation for ancient mariners. Women were also blamed for making the seas angry, resulting in dangerous voyages.

• No redheads allowed: Gingers are people too, yet several cultures over the centuries believed them unlucky, which is probably why sailors shunned them. Another possibility was because redheads were considered fiery personalities, which doesn’t bode well on a small boat with a large crew.

• Just say “no” to bananas: A few explanations exist, but one

makes particularly good sense.

Bunches of bananas are a favorite hiding place for stowaway spiders, some of which have nasty bites. In centuries past, ships transporting bananas from tropical islands often carried these sometimes deadly spiders onboard, resulting in dangerous bites for unlucky sailors.

• Always step on board with your right foot: Why? Apparently a voyage begun with the left foot brings bad luck.

• Don’t whistle: According to lore, putting together one’s lips and blowing onboard a ship will stir up the wind and therefore give sailors high seas to deal with.

• Cats are good omens: Old trade ships used to draw a lot of rats due to being heavily laden with food cargo. Rats carried disease, gnawed on ropes and contaminated food supplies. Since cats hunt rats, this one seems logical.

Note: While crossing the Atlantic last winter, my crew broke five out of eight of these superstitions and ended up safely crossing without incident. Knock on wood and cross your fingers for my upcoming trip in the Caribbean.

FEATURE

Sick situation

N. Idaho hunters prepare for the worst as chronic wasting disease closes in on the state’s eastern border

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff As hunters hit the mountains this fall on their annual mission to fill their freezers, many harbored a concern that the meat they harvested might be tainted by chronic wasting disease — a neurological affliction recently found in a number of deer, and even in a moose, in neighboring Lincoln County, Mont.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CWD is a progressive, fatal disease that affects the brain, spinal cord and other tissues of both farmed and free-ranging deer, elk and moose.

But is CWD in Idaho?

The answer to that question may come sooner rather than later, as the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has placed a number of check stations around the Panhandle where hunters can take deer heads for CWD testing. The stations are set to operate Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to sunset. For hunters in Bonner and Boundary counties, the temporary locations are in Priest River along Highway 57 and in Samuels along Highway 95. Permanent freezers where heads can also be dropped for inspection are located in Bonners Ferry at Far North Outfitters, 6791 South Main St., and in Sagle at the WaterLife Discovery Center, 1591 Lakeshore Drive.

IDFG officials will take lymph node samples from the heads and get back to the hunter with results in about four to six weeks.

IDFG Senior Conservation Officer Matt Haag said the question is not if CWD will make its way from Montana into Idaho, but when.

“On a whole scale, it’s going to be here,” Haag told the Reader, “but this year, I don’t know if we’ll test one.”

First identified at a captive deer facility in Colorado in 1967, CWD has since spread to 24 states, Canada, South Korea, Finland, Sweden and Norway. No case has ever been recorded in Idaho, and IDFG is taking measures to keep it that way — including outlawing the importation of caracasses from other states and banning the use of natural cervid urine for big game hunting. Cervids are any mammal of the deer family.

CWD is caused by abnormal proteins called prions, which cause damage to other normal prion proteins found in brain tissue and the spinal cord, as well as other

tissues throughout the body, leading to brain damage.

Similar prion diseases include bovine spongiform encephalopathy — also known as mad cow disease — and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, which causes dementia and ultimately death. Symptoms of CWD in cervids include drastic weight loss, lack of coordination, drooping ears and exhibiting no fear toward people. However, most animals with CWD don’t exhibit any symptoms.

CWD spreads among animals through contact with bodily fluids, but evidence also suggests prions can live in soil for decades and can only be destroyed in temperatures above 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Haag said the greatest culprit in the spread of CWD is people feeding wildlife.

Though officials like Haag frown upon the practice for a variety of reasons, CWD is adding new urgency to the issue. Haag said feeding encourages species of all types and ages to congregate, heightening the chances of saliva sharing and nose-to-nose contact between infected and uninfected populations.

“Usually bucks aren’t feeding with fawns, so it just exponentially ups the chances of it spreading further,” he said.

While North Idaho’s deer, elk and moose are certainly at risk for CWD, the question as to whether humans can contract the disease remains largely unanswered. Most wild game and health officials advise against eating CWD-infected meat, but studies have yet to indicate a clear transfer from ungulates — or hoofed mammals — to humans.

One study, conducted by veterinary scientists at the University of Calgary, exposed macaque monkeys to chronic wasting disease prions by a variety of methods, including inserting the prions straight into the monkeys’ brains and having them eat infected meat. Though the study is not yet complete, scientists say some monkeys have displayed “subtle and transient” symptoms of what might be CWD, but for now, the evidence is inconclusive.

All the counties where CWD has been found in free-ranging populations highlighted in red. Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hank Edwards, a wildlife disease specialist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, told High Country News that he’s seen a range of reactions when hunters find out they harvested an animal with CWD. He heard about one hunter burning his clothes and cell phone, and disposing of his gun. Another received the news and opted to eat his kill anyway.

Haag said that because research is ongoing and there are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to CWD, the concern he’s seeing from some local hunters is completely merited.

“When something new shows up, there’s panic,” Haag said. “[But] there are some states that have been dealing with [CWD] forever. I don’t think it should cause a panic, but it should cause concern and some behavioral changes in what we do.”

For one, Haag said people need to stop feeding wildlife in their backyards. Second, proper carcass disposal can be helpful in preventing the spread of the disease. Haag said animal carcasses should be taken to the nearest waste transfer station in order to be most safe. If tests reveal an animal is CWD positive, he said the carcass should be taken to a lined landfill, the nearest to Bonner County being the Fighting Creek Landfill in Kootenai County.

Local hunter Travis Icardo said CWD has been on his radar for the past decade, but that in recent years — as the disease has become more prevalent closer to North Ida-

ho — the topic has come up more and more in his conversations with fellow hunters.

“It’s not just something that’s going on on the other side of the Rockies — that’s what people need to know,” Icardo said.

“We’ve been blessed because it didn’t seem to be traveling very fast, but now it seems to have jumped from eastern to western Montana in what seems like overnight.”

Icardo is working with Haag and a number of other concerned citizens to spearhead a local effort to spread the word about CWD. Though their overall strategy is still in the works, Icardo said a main goal is to educate people about the detrimental effects of feeding wildlife.

“Will we ever get everyone in Bonner and Boundary counties to stop feeding?

No,” he said. “But if we stop 50%, does that slow the spread?”

Since Panhandle hunters haven’t been faced with the disease firsthand, Icardo said it makes sense that very few are aware of the risks that come with harvesting a CWD-infected animal.

“But in life moving forward — we’re going to have to be,” he said.

Learn more about chronic wasting disease at cdc.gov/prions/cwd. Those with questions about the CWD check stations should contact the IDFG Panhandle Regional Office at 208-769-1414.

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 11

event t h u r s d a y

21

f r i d a y

22

s a t u r d a y

23

s u n d a y

24

m o n d a y t u e s d a y

12 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

Girls Pint Out 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Cool Chicks! Great Beer! No Dudes! Bring a snack to share and be prepared to pair with several beer styles

Trivia Night with TriviaLive 6-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Create a team with friends and family or play solo. Questions are fun and challenging and are always new. Prizes awarded for winning teams

F 6 C jo h p li

Live Music w/ Red Live Music w/ Mike and Shanna Thompson DJ Night 9pm-close @ A&P’s 5-8pm @ Pend d’O 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Miah Kohal Band Join Brian, Chris an Husband-wife duo playing night of eclectic so 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge some of your favorite songs Lions Club Turk Sandpoint’s outlaw rock band Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 6-8pm @ The Bon Live Music w/ Groove Black 8-10pm @ The Back Door 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Fundraiser for To A sweet voice for the blues Now featuring Paz Rainbow on the trumpet Live Music w/ Tom Burr Live Music w/ Dimestore Prophets Food Bank 8-10pm @ The Back Door 1-5pm @ A 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Live Music w/ Dustin Drennen Trio from Moses Lake brings the heat Lake Pend 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority with inspiration based in rock, reggae annual fall Live Music w/ The Spare Parts Trio and groove. Dance and feel-good tunes Hearthside 7:30pm @ 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Spokane-based trio, perform a mixture Visual Communication Skills and American Sign of acoustic sounds, tight harmonies, 10:30am @ Sandpoint Library A hands-on workout in communication skills. Meet and favorites spanning generations Piano Sunday with Dwayne Parsons Fall Sandpoint Chess Club The 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Parsons plays the concert grand piano dess Sunday Brewery Brunch in a most unique way - he doesn’t read mas 10am-7pm @ Matchwood Brewing rece All day brunch, beer specials, DIY mimosas sheet music and is a self-taught loca Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills Lifetree Cafe O 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant 6 Karaoke An hour of conversation and stories. This week’s A 8-close @ Tervan topic: “A Day in the Life of the Hidden Homeless” b

25

26

w e d n e s d a y t h u r s d a y

Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry Open Mic Night w/ KC Carter 9pm-12am @ A&P’s

f

27 28

Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Webrix for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen

Trivia Night 7pm @ MickDuff’s Show off that big, beautiful brain of yours

Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Denis Zwang

Trivia and Taco Tuesdays at the Teen Cente 2:30-5pm @ Sandpoint Teen Center - 221 S. D A volunteer reads trivia questions split into dif or rounds, and then questions are then answe groups of people in an audience. And tacos of Geezer Forum • 2:30- 4pm @ Columbia Bank Hosted by Paul Graves. This week’s topic: BG

Magic Wednesday 6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s Enjoy close-up magic shows by Star Alexander right at your table

Giving Thanks Community Feast 3-6pm @ The Burger Dock Everyone is welcome to a FREE Thank ing meal generously provided by The B Dock. One meal per person while supplie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Trot • 9am Join Litehouse YM Trot and food drive to run or walk (no b the Bonner Commu ticipation waiver (m

ful

Nov. 21-28, 2019

A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com.

Reader recommended

French Wine Dinner featuring Joseph Droukin 3rd Thursday Women’s Meetup 7:45pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. 6pm @ 41 South Celebrate the special release of this year’s Beau- Make connections with other local women. Open to all. jolais Nouveau with a five-course dinner and More Than A Woman Trivia hearty wine pairings at 41 South. Cost is $75 per 6:30-9pm @ The Back Door Bar person and reservations are required as seating is A fun night of laughter and female-focused limited. Call 208-265-2000 to make a reservation trivia. Supports REturn REtreats nonprofit Hearthside Stories (Nov. 21-24) sic w/ Red Blend OE Film Night feat. Patagonia’s 7:30pm @ The Panida Theater Pend d’Oreille Winery Mountain of Storms Unknown Locals and the Panida Playhouse n, Chris and Meg for a 7pm @ Outdoor Experience Players team up for two one-act plays to kick clectic songs Free film showing with Patagonia off the holiday season. $15/adult; $10/seClub Turkey Bingo reps there, with Matchwood Brewnior-student at the door. Panida.org @ The Bonner Mall ery beer, raffle prizes from PatagoHearthside Stories (Nov. 21-24) ser for Toys for Tots nia. Beer and raffle ticket sales will 7:30pm @ The Panida Theater benefit Pine Street Woods.

Karaoke ood Bank Fundraiser Party KNPS Presentation DJ Night 8-close @ Tervan 9pm-cl @ A&P’s 5pm @ A&P’s Bar and Grill 9:45-11:30am @ ake Pend Oreille Idaho Club’s Sandpoint Community Hall Lions Club Turkey Bingo nnual fall fishing contest 12-4pm @ The Bonner Mall earthside Stories (Nov. 21-24) Free presentation from Kinnikinnick Kickoff fundraiser for Toys for Tots 30pm @ The Panida Theater Native Plant Society. Speakers Sharon K&K Thanksgiving Fishing Derby Bosely and Molly McCahon: “Prerican Sign Language serving the Water Resources of the Nov. 23-27, Nov. 29-Dec. 1 Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club’s Lake Pend Oreille Watershed.” ills. Meets again Nov. 30 annual fall fishing contest ons Fall Serenade Concert • 5pm @ The Heartwood Center Hearthside The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint hosts its annual Fall Serenade Concert and Stories ano dessert auction to benefit all MCS scholarship programs, featuring works by the great 3:30pm @ ead masters, performed by MCS artist instructors. Join the staff for an appetizer and wine The Panida reception before the concert and bid on one of the outrageous desserts donated by Theater local restaurants and pastry chefs; no-host bar. $20 adult, $5 MCS student/faculty

aLive Winery nds and uestions and are ded for

Outdoor Experience Monday Night Run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience week’s A chill, three-mile(ish) group run with optional meless” beverages to follow. Headlamps recommended

en Center - 221 S. Division Ave. it into different categories hen answered by different d tacos of course! mbia Bank topic: BGH services

Teen Center: Book Group and Monday Milkshakes 2:30-5pm @ Sandpoint Teen Center Pick a book and join the group, and milkshakes too!

Ecstatic Dance • 10am-12pm @ Embody Ecstatic Dance is a free-form all-ages silent dance meditation where music is your teacher. $8-$15 sliding fee

Nov. 29 Sandpoint Tree Adult djembe class (12 and up) Lig hting Ceremo5:45-7:30pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint ny @ Jeff Jones Join Ali Thomas for this djembe (drum) class Tow n Square The Powers of Gratitude - Thankgiving eve celebration Feast 5-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Nov. 29 Join Matchwood for this annual community celebration and ben- Sch weitzer OpenEE Thanksgivefit with live music by The Powers, the lighting of the Gratitude

by The Burger Tree and a donation collection for this year’s local charity (ac- ing Day (weather hile supplies last cepting diapers, feminine hygiene products or non-perishables) permitting) Nov. 29 Trot • 9am @ Travers Park Tre e Lighting house YMCA and Sandpoint Parks and Recreation for the 12th Annual Turkey food drive. This low-key event features a 5k, 10k, or whatever distance you want and Santa’s Arwalk (no bikes or dogs). This fun run is free with your nonperishable donation to rival @ Jeff Jones er Community Food Bank. Arrive early to drop off donations and to sign a parTown Square n waiver (minors need a parent or guardian signature). Best costume wins a pie!

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 13

OUTDOORS A four part special on frontcountry trails in bonner co.

In early October a delegation of Sandpoint residents attended the Recreation Innovation Lab in Whitefish, Mont. The conference addressed on-the-ground challenges and shared innovative, community driven approaches to creating, protecting and enhancing “frontcountry” outdoor recreation access close to home.

Some universal themes emerged: a sustainably built frontcountry trail network provides a community with a connection to the natural world, creates economic value from underutilized forest resources, promotes conservation and education opportunities that are local and relevant, improves the physical and mental health of residents, and helps conserve forests in their natural state.

Below, four of the Sandpoint attendees share their takeaways of how frontcountry trails can help achieve four specific outcomes: economic development, education, health and conservation.

Trails for Conservation

Trails for Health

By Regan Plumb Reader Contributor

By Deb Ruehle Reader Contributor

Trails may be most immediately associated with providing opportunities for fresh air and exercise, but there are more subtle factors at play just beneath the surface.

Conservation is just one example.

Defined as using something carefully so as not to deplete it, conservation is often at work with regards to thoughtfully developed trail systems. For example, trails are generally located within landscapes that are beloved, historically significant or aesthetically pleasing, and thus worthy of conserving. These landscapes may provide open space, wildlife habitat, clean water and healthy forests.

The fact that they also provide opportunity for outdoor recreation serves as reassurance that the conservation values of the land will be tended to into the future, whether by a written or tacit agreement or understanding.

While lands with trails are often intuitive landscapes for conservation, the converse is often true as well. Permanently conserved lands, such as Sandpoint’s Pine Street Woods, provide an exceptional canvas for trail development because their open space condition is secure into the future, thus safeguarding the fate of their trails as well. In fact, financial contributors to new trail development projects may prioritize proposals on permanently conserved lands in order to ensure the longevity of their investment.

If we look deeper still, we see the capacity that trails hold for imparting the value of conservation to their users. When we walk the trails of Pine Street Woods, the Pend

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” — Henry David Thoreau

14 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

Liz Wargo at Pine Street Woods.

Photos by Jason Welker. d’Oreille Bay Trail, Mickinnick or countless others, we are able to breathe deeply, take in the sights and smells of the season and feel gratitude for access to open space. Trails are a powerful force for teaching the value of the natural world around us, and the importance of caring for it into the future. They serve as ambassadors of conservation for every individual who sets foot upon them.

Finally, trails hold vast potential for educational lessons related to conservation.

Whether by presenting an access point to an outdoor classroom space for exploration of the natural world, or a teachable moment regarding environmentally sound trail construction, a trail user with an open mind will learn something new about the world with each visit.

When we step onto a trail, we are immersed in our natural surroundings in a much more authentic way than is possible from a sidewalk, a car or a couch. If we conscientiously use and care for these trails, and the environments that they meander through, they will, in turn, help to sustain us, too. This is conservation.

Regan Plumb serves as the conservation director at Kaniksu Land Trust, where she helps private landowners protect special places in North Idaho and northwest Montana.

Nicole Grimm, a certified family nurse practitioner in Sandpoint, observes, “Physical activity is one of the most effective steps people can engage in to improve their overall health. ... There is no more powerful medicine known to mankind than diet and exercise.” Grimm often prescribes lifestyle changes before any medication, and one of her favorite recommendations is to walk in nature for 30 minutes a day.

According to Grimm, “Physical activity has numerous health benefits — it helps to prevent heart disease, lowers blood sugar levels, reduces blood pressure, boosts bone density, strengthens muscles, improves balance, promotes weight loss and positively impacts mood. Exercising in nature can greatly reduce stress, calm anxiety and reduce the risk of depression.”

There is a movement toward “prescribing nature” in the health care industry, as demonstrated by Grimm and organizations like Park Rx America, a nonprofit whose mission is to decrease the burden of chronic disease, increase health and happiness, and foster environmental stewardship. Park Rx works closely with land managers and health care professionals to “make it easy” to prescribe parks and other protected areas to their patients in clinical-practice settings.

Spending time in natural environments increases physical activity and stimulates the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, thereby decreasing the risk of developing chronic diseases.

Easily accessible trails are also important for children and teens. Richard Louv wrote about what he called nature-deficit disorder in his 2005 book, Last Child in the

Woods. The most common health conditions affecting youth, he said, are obesity, stress, anxiety and depression, particularly among teenagers. Louv cites about 60 studies looking at the benefits of nature and the problems that can come from being too isolated from the natural world. Spending time in nature, Louv concludes, can improv teens’ cognitive function; mental, social and emotional health; academic performance; and motor function.

Veterans with PTSD are also finding nature to be a tool for mental health recovery.

Some legislators are even attempting to write nature therapy into federal law. Introduced in May, House Resolution 2435 “requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an interagency task force on the use of public lands to provide medical treatment and therapy to veterans through outdoor recreation.” Outdoor recreation provides veterans struggling with combat-related injuries or post-traumatic stress with powerful therapeutic and healing experiences.

With the opening of Pine Street Woods this summer and the development of Sandpoint’s 4,200-acre watershed included in the city’s parks, recreation and open spaces master plan, trails are becoming increasingly accessible in Sandpoint’s frontcountry.

Pine Street Woods already offers an ADA-compliant trail, giving those for whom a stroll in the woods until now would have been difficult, if not impossible, access to nature right on the edge of town.

The physical, emotional and social health of our community depends on access to nature, and trails provide a path into the outdoors that people of all ages desire.

Deb Ruehle serves the Sandpoint community as a physical therapist and a city councilperson.

OUTDOORS A four part special on frontcountry trails in bonner co.

Trails for Economic Developement

Trails for Education

By Jason Welker Reader Contributor

By Dr. Elizabeth Wargo Reader Contributor

A trail is more than a place to ride a bike, walk your dog or exercise your horse.

A trail is a community asset; it is part of the infrastructure that makes a place livable.

Just like schools, hospitals, parks and sidewalks, a trail network is an amenity that makes a town a better place to live and a more desirable place to visit.

The term “trail town” has entered the lexicon of those who work in rural economic development, which can be understood simply as “improvements in a community’s wealth and health.” Trails are increasingly contributing to both economic opportunity and increased livability in rural areas across the West.

There are several trail towns within a day’s drive of Sandpoint, familiar to local hikers, mountain bikers, hunters, nordic skiers or equestrians who have made road trips to towns like Fernie, British Columbia; McCall, Idaho; or Winthrop, Wash. In each of these communities, collaboration between user groups; city, state, provincial or federal officials; and private landowners have led to the development of world-class trail networks that have increased quality of life for residents and paid for themselves many times over through increased economic activity.

One example of a frontcountry trail is the 42-mile Whitefish Trail, a popular destination for visitors, 70% of whom plan to use the trail when visiting Whitefish. The average visitor spends $278 per day in local businesses, creating income and jobs for the accommodation, food and beverage, and retail industries. According to an analysis of the economic effect of outdoor recreation and the Whitefish Trail by Headwater Economics, 68 jobs and $1.64 million of additional spending are realized annually as a direct and indirect result of the trail’s impact on tourist visits.

A trail network can result in increased recreation spending by locals as well.

The average Whitefish resident who uses the trail spends $1,400 annually on recreation-related gear and services at local businesses, compared to only $660 by those

who do not use the trail. In total, $6.4 million of additional income is earned by local businesses and households each year due to trail-related spending.

How does this compare to the cost of the trail? Between 2009 and 2017 the total amount spent on the development, maintenance and operation of the Whitefish Trail was $1.89 million dollars, or an average of $236,250 per year. Even these costs can be seen as an economic benefit for the community, as they also support jobs in construction, recreation, education and conservation.

Seen as an investment, the Whitefish Trail provides the community an annual return of around 3,000 percent.

Economic development is about more than the financial costs and benefits, however — the quality of life of a community’s residents is also positively affected by trail networks. When asked why they moved to or choose to stay in Whitefish, residents identify summer recreation as the most important factor, ranking it above community, job, family and friends. The No. 1 reason residents use the Whitefish Trail is for their health, followed by access to open land, to exercise their pets and for social opportunities.

Sandpoint today is an aspiring trail town and there is momentum toward expanding and connecting our disparate frontcountry trail networks in partnership with private and public landowners. Examples include the effort by the Pend Oreille Pedalers to improve and expand the existing network of mountain bike trails on city property in the Schweitzer Basin and Kaniksu Land Trusts’s collaboration with Sandpoint Nordic Club to develop a new nordic skiing, hiking, mountain biking and winter fat biking trail network in Pine Street Woods.

Continued development of our local frontcountry trails will undoubtedly result in similar development outcomes for Sandpoint as those other trail towns have experienced, promoting business opportunities and improving the quality of life for Sandpoint residents.

Jason Welker is an economics teacher, a board member of the Pend Oreille Pedalers and business administrator at a local nonprofit working in outdoor recreation.

Sandpoint may be an aspiring trail town, but it has long been a place that values local educational opportunities that get youth into the outdoors. Scroll through Sandpoint High School yearbooks in the archive room at the Bonner County Historical Society and what quickly emerges is just how much time children — even while in school — used to spend in our region’s forests. Yet today, despite being surrounded by forestlands, most youth in the area spend more time indoors (and online) than they do in the woodlands surrounding town.

Imagine, if you will, what a typical classroom will look like in 30 years. Many will see students sitting at desks with tablet computers in their laps, interacting with online content aimed at equipping them with knowledge needed to excel on standardized tests. While it is important to hold students to high standards, a singular focus on standards disembeds learning from the community, leaving students with few skills to differentiate them from the millions of other standardized students produced by schools around the world.

Imagine instead a classroom in which technology and standardized tests are one element, but not the driving force — one in which students interact in the outdoors with community members to engage in authentic learning experiences in fields that actually exist in their community. Students work alongside foresters, conservationists, trail designers, planners and builders, recreation and marketing specialists, web designers, geographic and information systems specialists, and other professionals involved in the development, maintenance and management of a local trail network.

Such “outdoor classrooms” can be thought of as “spaces where students can experience familiar and unfamiliar phenomena beyond the normal confines of the classroom.”

Part of the challenge faced in providing outdoor classrooms in Bonner County is the limited access to frontcountry recreation spaces, as those woods that used to ring Sandpoint have been developed into

residences and commercial properties, are posted with no trespassing signs or simply lack the trails to make them accessible.

For whatever reason, publicly accessible forestlands are surprisingly difficult to find near town. More abundant are backcountry spaces, accessible only after long drives up bumpy roads, putting them out of reach for the typical student within a school day.

However, the benefits of getting students into the outdoors are well researched.

According to one study of students engaged in outdoor learning experiences, while “there were many descriptions of curriculum-related outcomes in terms of increased knowledge and understanding of geographical [and] ecological processes and of the development of values and beliefs about the environment, young people also referred to the development of more personal skills (increased confidence, improved social skills and a greater belief in personal efficacy) and, for some, an understanding that learning could be fun.”

Stated simply, outdoor classrooms not only make learning more fun, they result in more socially adept, knowledgeable learners as compared to the outcomes observed within a traditional classroom environment.

Today, with the logging industry employing fewer than 2% of the workers in Bonner County, it is a perfect time to imagine the repurposing and revitalization of our public forests for multiple uses, not just for extraction. Looking at a swath of public land like Sandpoint’s historic watershed, it is easy to envision an outdoor classroom, one in which local youth learn the knowledge and skills that will set them apart in the economy of the future, and leave them infused with an appreciation of place and the environment that the alternative view of the modern classroom is unlikely to provide.

Dr. Elizabeth Wargo is an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Idaho whose research focuses on rural schooling and community development.

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 15

OUTDOORS

Big fish on the big lake

The K&K Thanksgiving Derby returns to Lake Pend Oreille

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

For more than 40 years, the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club has sponsored the K&K Fall Thanksgiving Fishing Derby on Lake Pend Oreille, giving local anglers a chance to reel in the big ones before the snow flies.

This year, with fishing the best it has been in years, it should prove to be a banner event.

The derby will run Saturday, Nov. 23-Sunday, Dec. 1 (taking Thanksgiving Day off), offering more than $10,000 in cash and prizes to division winners.

Divisions include adult categories for mackinaw and rainbows, two youth divisions (8 and under and 9-13 years) and a junior mackinaw and rainbow category. Entry fees are $40 for

16 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

adults, $20 for juniors and youth 13 and under enter free.

The minimum length for the rainbows are 32 inches for the adult division, 28 inches for the junior division and no minimum length for both youth divisions and any mackinaw.

Adults will also be awarded $150 for the largest mackinaw caught each day.

Weigh stations will be placed at Holiday Shores, Captn’s Table, MacDonald’s Hudson Bay Resort, Ralph’s Coffee House, Fins and Feathers, North Ridge Outfitters, Sandpoint Marine, Mark’s Marine, Black Sheep Sporting Goods, Odie’s Bayside Grocery, Captain’s Wheel, Priest River Hardware, North 40 Ponderay, White Elephant No. 1 and No. 2 and Bayview Mercantile. The derby will end at 4

p.m. on Dec. 1 with an awards ceremony at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Bonner Mall.

LPOIC member Clint Nicholson predicts the club will award a lot of patches this year.

“This year has been a banner year,” Nicholson said. “The club is going to give away more patches this year than we have in 20 years — you get a patch if your rainbow or mackinaw is 25 pounds or bigger.”

Nicholson, a member of the club since 2009 and vice president from 2013-2018, said the good fishing is an indication that the kokanee population is healthy.

“Idaho Fish and Game tells us that if we want to keep these big predator fish, concentrate your efforts on the kokanee, which is the biomass which trophy fish eat,” he said. “So it’s important

to sustain healthy fishing practices on the kokanee.”

Nicholson said 25 years ago, the only predator fish that fed on kokanee were rainbows and mackinaw, along with bull trout, dolly vardens and cutthroat trout. But that has changed today.

“Now we have very robust largemouth bass and smallmouth bass fisheries,” he said.

“Walleyes are here, pikes are here, and they’re here to stay.

So there’s a lot more pressure on this biomass of food.”

Nicholson said he keeps coming back to the derby each year because it’s a tradition, as well as an opportunity to spend quality time with fellow anglers.

“It’s a good time to go out with your friends and fish,

maybe have a few drinks, play cards, eat some good food,” he said. “I ended up winning the spring derby in 2013 and realized there were only 63 people that have ever won the spring derby. I became a part of a very small group of people who had won the derby. I felt like I was part of a fraternity.”

While he doesn’t fish every day during the Fall Thanksgiving Derby, Nicholson said he still enjoys the camaraderie and tradition.

“We’re all trying to do the same thing: Have a good time and catch a big fish,” he said.

For more information about the derby or the LPOIC, visit LPOIC.org.

STAGE & SCREEN

Happy Holi-plays

Hearthside Stories brings one-act holiday-themed comedies to the Panida

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff People often do a lot of acting around the holidays — acting like they love green bean casserole, acting like their career is “going great” when their father-in-law corners them for some subtly pointed conversation in the kitchen, acting like they didn’t hear what Uncle Jeff said after his fourth post-dinner rum and Coke.

What better way, then, to celebrate the onset of the holiday season than with live theater. For the second year, Unknown Locals and the Panida Playhouse Players join forces for Hearthside Stories — a double-header of one-act plays Thursday, Nov. 21-Sunday, Nov. 24 at the Panida Theater.

This year’s event features Thanksgiving Next by local playwright Becky Revak, who penned last year’s Jingle and co-wrote the original musical Christmas Carole in 2016, and True Believers — a “sorta-sequel” to the 2018 original play True Believer — by playwright,

director and sometimes-actor Chris Herron.

Revak’s play centers on a family Thanksgiving gathering and a sibling who everyone thinks is now a clergy member.

Herron’s play stars local actor Ken Wood, reprising last year’s role as Santa Claus, alongside Herron and his actor/director/producer wife Madeline, with whom he has helmed the theater group Unknown Locals since 2014.

Portraying a couple “with serious doubts about this whole Santa thing,” Herron said the play asks, “Will the big guy be able to help us see the light before the curtain falls?”

No spoilers here, but Santa may be a captive audience to these true believers’ doubts.

The plays run about about 40 minutes each Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Hearthside Stories comes amid a healthy time for live theater in Sandpoint, as Cade Prophet Memorial Productions just finished a strong second season with well-received performances of The Laramie Project, written and first produced in 2000 by Moisés Kaufman, at the Heartwood Center in October.

“I think local theater is in a really strong place. There’s at least four different groups looking to bring various types of theater to the area with a variety of different tastes and styles,” Herron told the Reader in an email, citing Cade Prophet Memorial Productions, the Panida Playhouse Players, Pend Oreille Arts Council and Unknown Locals, which in its six years has produced almost 20 shows.

Herron recently enjoyed a major accomplishment in his playwriting career, when his first original play, the pitch-black comedy Quick Exit, was published by Heuer Publishing. (You can read more about that in the Winter 2020 edition of Sandpoint Magazine.)

Meanwhile, he and other members of the local theater scene are enjoying what could be an ongoing feature of Sandpoint’s artistic season.

“Sandpoint has a mix of classic, contemporary and original productions, and now we have a potential annual tradition of holiday one-acts Thursday, Nov. 21-Saturday, getting off Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, the ground,” Nov. 24, 3:30 p.m.; $15 adults, Herron said. $10 seniors and students.

“For a tiny lit- Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., 208-253-9191. Get tle mountain tickets at Evans Brothers Coftown, that’s fee and online at panida.org. not so bad.”

Hearthside Stories

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 17

OUTDOORS

NIMSEF still accepting donations for youth scholarship ski program

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The North Idaho Mountain Sports Education Fund is accepting donations to help fund its annual scholarship. The nonprofit was founded in 2011 by Jeff Rouleau to help give local kids access to snow sports regardless of their financial ability to otherwise participate. Since then, NIMSEF has helped hundreds of kids learn to ski and snowboard.

The organization offers scholarship kids free use of equipment for the season, as well as a season pass and lessons to give them unfettered access to Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

“We have a few different programs,” Rouleau said. “The biggest is for kids aged 7-14, who are involved in the Schweitzer Fanatics program. What we provide is equipment they can use for the season, which is owned by NIMSEF, then we get them a season pass and they’re good to ski every day of the season. We also enroll them in lesson programs.”

Rouleau said this year NIMSEF is also offering programs to provide mountain access to disabled vets and others — including those with learning disabilities — with adaptive equipment.

“Disabled veterans can apply for our program if they need help with equipment and the use of a season pass,” he said.

All scholarships are based on economic need. Though the submission period for 2019-2020 scholarships has ended, Rouleau said donations are always gladly accepted from the community to help NIMSEF keep providing access to skiing and snowboarding for North Idaho kids.

“Last year we had a record number of 108 kids in our program,” Rouleau said.

“The year before was 72, so that’s a huge increase.”

To support NIMSEF’s mission to give access to skiing and snowboarding for area youth, send donations to P.O. Box 170, Ponderay, ID 83852, or donate online at nimsef. com and clicking “How You Can Help.”

RAMPING UP FOR OPENING DAY

A drone photo looking east-southeast down the mountain at Schweitzer Mountain Resort on Nov. 20. Marketing manager Dig Chrismer said the resort received 4 inches of new snow over the previous 24 hours.

“With temps dropping, we should be able to make more snow this week,” Chrismer wrote.

Opening day is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 29, weather permitting.

“Keep those snow dances up and we’ll be out there skiing and riding in no time!” Chrismer wrote. Photo courtesy Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

18 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

HISTORY

Leading ladies of the local past Bonner County History Museum opens ‘The Women Who Shaped Bonner County’ exhibit

City Council and the first woman nominated for U.S. Congress from Idaho.

When Bonner County Museum Another was Ella curator Heather Upton showed her M. Farmin, who taught “Tales From the Wardrobe” exhibit, school, practiced medithe elaborate dresses and constricting cine, worked as a telegwhalebone corsets that the women of Bonner County wore around the turn of rapher for the railroad the century had more than one museum and served as the president of several local visitor raising their eyebrows. organizations.

“A lot of the individuals who saw Still another, much the Edwardian and Victorian dresses closer to contemporary were amazed that they were able to live times, was Hazel Hall, in a rural area and be corseted in those who worked with a handdresses,” Upton said. ful of other women to It got her wondering: What were hire an outside consultant those women doing in those dresses? to come to Sandpoint and How were they making their way in help them develop arts in North Idaho? the community.

Those answers will be on display Still, Upton knows starting Saturday, Nov. 23, when the there were hundreds of museum debuts its new exhibit, “The Women Who Shaped Bonner County.” women working over the The exhibit focuses on influential local years to make Bonner County the place it is women during the years 1880 to the today, and her exhibit is late 1950s.

“There’s no one current,” Upton said. only highlighting a select few — a reality of doing “That’s a whole other fabulous list.” history.

Upton’s research led her to separate “There were so many key figures into a few vignettes based women that were incredon what aspect of the community they ible and did great things, most impacted: pioneering, arts and but they weren’t necesculture, education, business, and civic sarily documented,” Upton said. “That’s and political matters. She found that many women made waves in more than the one thing that keeps me up at night, and still — as I’m exhibiting — I have one category. not closed my research.”

“These women were so powerful,” Standing amid an array of half-comUpton said. “They were such amazing pleted displays as she individuals that really prepared for the Saturshaped and forged their day opening, Upton’s way, and had a vision for face lit up more and this place and did what more with each signifithey needed to do to cant woman she named. make that come alive.”

Though the project has One such woman was Nell K. Irion, who Saturday, Nov. 23; 4-6 p.m.; been a taxing one, Upton $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, said she’ll be sad when came to Sandpoint in $1 for ages kids 6-18, FREE it’s over.

1906 and worked as for kids under 6 and those “I’m dreaming about a school teacher bewho make a purchase from these women every fore becoming the first the gift shop.

Bonner Counnight,” she said. “They female superintendent ty History Museum, 611 S. have become a part of of schools in the counElla Ave., 208-263-2344, me.” ty, the first woman to bonnercountyhistory.org. serve on the Sandpoint

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Nell K. Irion came to Sandpoint in 1906. She taught school and became the first female superintendent of schools in the county, the first woman to serve on the Sandpoint City Council and the first woman nominated for U.S. Congress from Idaho. Photo courtesy of the Bonner County History Museum.

The Women Who Shaped Bonner County exhibit opening

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 19

MUSIC

A homemade show

Shook Twins to play annual Giving Thanks show, featuring John Craigie and Honeysuckle

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Each year when Sandpoint natives Laurie and Katelyn Shook come home to play their annual Giving Thanks show at the Panida Theater, they put in work.

From self promoting to hiring a stage manager to gathering all the necessary equipment, the Shooks build the show from scratch. In more than one sense, the show is homemade.

“It’s our favorite show of the whole year. It’s the show that we put the most of ourselves into, for sure,” Laurie told the Reader. “The more work you put into it, the better the reward in the end, and the reward is always there.”

At the Giving Thanks show — this year slated for Saturday, Nov. 30 — Laurie said that reward comes in the form of her family and friends singing along in the front row.

“I look out at the audience and see my dad dancing down the aisle and it just

20 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

makes me want to cry,” she said.

“When you’re working so hard and you’re stressed out, it’s hard to take it all in and reap the rewards, but at this show, I’m able to do that and take it all in.”

The Shook sisters have been living in Portland for the bulk of their musical career as the aptly named singer-songwriter group Shook Twins. In those years, the band has seen many changes, but with Laurie and Katelyn always the constant factor. Right now, the band is comprised of the sisters and multi-instrumentalist Niko Slice, who Laurie said has added artistry and complexity to the band’s ever developing sound, which lands somewhere in the indie-folk realm.

“We got to play with more badass players and established more of a groove,” Laurie said of their time in Portland. “We have a very distinct groove that is deep within us.”

That groove is evident in the first few seconds of the first track on Shook Twins’ 2019 release Some Good Lives. That opening track, “What Have We Done,” sets the tone for an album rich with signature Shook harmonies and a plethora of personal touches, including samples of the twins’ grandfather playing the piano.

Some Good Lives ultimately serves as a tribute to the people who helped shape the Shook sisters — particularly the men.

“We talked a lot about what the album meant and how we wanted to honor the good men in our lives,” Laurie said,

Shook Twins will play at the Panida Theater Nov. reflecting on the album release tour for 30. Photo by Meleah Shavon.

Some Good Lives earlier this year. “That felt cathartic and good to keep repeating.”

Earlier this month, album,” she said.

Shook Twins released As for the upcoming thought of a b-side, Giving Thanks show, a five-track EP on Shook Twins will headwhich they shared two line a night full of local Saturday, Nov. 30; doors at 6:30 new originals as well flair, including fellow p.m., show at 7:30 p.m.; $20. The as acoustic versions Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., Sandpoint native Holly 208-263-9191, panida.org. Listen McGarry and her band, of three tracks from Some Good Lives: “No and buy tickets at shooktwins.

Honeysuckle, as well as a com. Tickets available online and Choice,” “Got Your “special surprise Sandalso available at Eichardt’s Pub Message” and “Wantpoint guest,” according through Friday, Nov. 29.

Love.” Laurie said the to Laurie. The night will band enjoyed sharing a also feature honorary new side of those three songs. local John Craigie — a longtime friend of “It’s been cool to dive deeper into that the Shooks who seamlessly blends charming stand-up comedy into his musical performances.

“It’s going to be such a nostalgic Sandpoint time,” Laurie said.

Since its inception, the Shooks have used their Giving Thanks show to raise money for a cause, this year choosing a cause both close to home and close to their hearts: the Panida itself. A portion of proceeds from both ticket and merch sales will go toward the theater.

Laurie said both she and her sister plan to move back to Sandpoint someday, and plan to continue investing in the historic building when they do.

“We love it so much,” she said, “and we want to put our energies and efforts into making sure it’s there to stay.”

Shook Twins Giving Thanks show

MUSIC

This week’s RLW by Ed Ohlweiler

Classics for a cause

READ

Considering that I read Toni Morrison‘s Song of Solomon some 20 years ago, it’s understandable that a lot of the details are fuzzy. What isn’t fuzzy is the wow factor on so many of the pages. In all of the ensuing years and all of the ensuing books since then (including other Pulitzer-Prize winners), few have had that lasting effect. It’s a testament to the strength of the book itself and Ms. Morrison’s writing. May be time for a revisit.

MCS Fall Serenade to benefit student scholarships

By Reader Staff

While the weather outside might be getting more and more frightful, the inside of the Heartwood Center will be filled with the warmth of classical music when the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint begins its Fall Serenade.

This popular annual event will take place Sunday, Nov. 24 at 5 p.m., featuring the extraordinary talent of MCS staff.

Tickets are $20, which includes the musical performance and light appetizers. There will also be a no-host wine bar at the event. All proceeds will benefit community youth who wish to study at the school.

Each year, MCS doles out more than $4,000 in tuition assistance, a significant portion of which is raised from the annual Fall Serenade.

“A goal this year is to recognize community collaboration,” MCS Board President Kathi Samuels said. “We want to show our appreciation for the partnerships between MCS, various

LISTEN

Courtesy photo. businesses and supporters who have helped us bring music to the many.”

Washington Trust Bank is joining with MCS again this year to inspire matching gifts, so donations will be gladly accepted at the concert. In addition, MCS greatly appreciates donations from dozens of local businesses that contribute to the success of this event.

“It takes years to get ready

for the big stage, and we mentor students from beginners to pre-college music majors,” Samuels said. “At the serenade, our instructors will perform works by the great masters in support of all our scholarship programs.

It’s our annual Fall Serenade and we hope music lovers will come and celebrate our cause.”

MCS Fall Serenade Sunday, Nov. 24; 5 p.m.; $20.

Heartwood Center, 615 Oak St., 208-263-6699, heartwoodsandpoint.com. For more information visit the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint website at sandpointconservatory.org or call 208-265-4444.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint The Spare Parts Trio, Nov. 23, Pend d’Oreille Winery If isn’t broken, don’t fix it — especially if you have The Spare Parts Trio on hand.

The Spokane-based group won “best cover band” in the Inlander’s 2017 Best of the Inland Northwest, which is a major accomplishment, considering the number of performers in the region who specialize in the art of the homage.

It’s even more impressive when you consider The Spare Parts concentrate on the truly iconic: from The Beatles to James Taylor to Simon and Garfunkel, these are the artists and bands that many consider the high point in modern music history.

With Joel Johnstone and Scott Randall on guitar, and Kim Davis on bass, it’s uncanny how well The Spare Parts nail those acoustic sounds and tight harmonies.

— Zach Hagadone 5-8 p.m., FREE. Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St., Ste. 101, 208265-8545, powine.com.

The Two Tracks Duo, Nov. 24, Upside Kombucha When comforting folk harmonies combine with the subtle twang of classic country, the result is a brand of bluegrass meant for staring out a car window, reflecting on the good moments of life while a western landscape races by. That brand of bluegrass comes from The Two Tracks.

Though The Two Tracks is normally a four-piece based out of Wyoming, vocalists Julie Szewc and David Huebner occasionally embark on tours as The Two Tracks Duo, sharing the band’s signature sound in a package half the size.

Sandpoint staples Brenden Kelty and Pete Hicks will open this small house show, and all proceeds will go straight to the musicians.

— Lyndsie Kiebert Doors at 5:30 p.m., show at 6 p.m.; $20 suggested donation.

Upside Kombucha, 1333 Superior St., upsidekombucha.com. Listen at thetwotracks.com. Limited space. Email Mattox Farm Productions at mattoxfarmproductions@gmail.com to RSVP.

Crazy how often in the last couple of weeks a single name has come up in conversation among us acoustic music junkies: Billy Strings. In all fairness, Billy Strings is a talented innovative bluegrass band, but Billy himself has something that only comes along every so often. Presumably he mastered Doc Watson at an early age, and just lit out from there. The freshman album Turmoil and Tinfoil garnered a lot of people’s attention, and the songs I’ve heard on Home, their newest release, are outstanding as well.

WATCH

I’ve always had a soft spot for heartwarming movies without a single murder. The 2001 French movie Amélie remains a refreshing example of the way quirky characters in our lives can touch and impact so many, suggesting even a way that we ourselves can touch others if we take the time. It was also the breakout role for my secret celebrity crush — don’t tell anyone — Audrey Tautou.

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 21

From Pend Oreille Review, Nov. 20, 1914

‘TOTE TEAM’ HELD UP BY 3 MEN A freight team, referred to in the woods vernacular as a “tote team” was held up at 8 o’clock yesterday morning about a miles out of Priest River. Deputy Sheriff Mulcahy, who went to investigate upon report of the hold-up to the sheriff’s office yesterday afternoon, found that the driver, who was held up had continued his trip into the West Branch country to the camp of the Fidenlity Lumber company between which and the town he was driving the freighter. His name was George Cummins and he was familiarly known as “Shorty.”

From the story learned by the officer at Priest River it appears that Cummins was accosted by three armed men who ordered him down from the wagon, two of them covering him with their guns and a third going through him. The hold-ups secured $105 in money, some time checks and a postal order. Cummins had the cash for men at the camp having cashed checks for them in town.

A few weeks ago the Priest River stage automobile was held up. The sheriff is of the opinion that local talent did both jobs.

22 /

R

/ November 21, 2019

Crossword Solution

Higher beings from outer space may not want to tell us the secrets of life, because we’re not ready. But maybe they’ll change their tune after a little torture.

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS

Woorf tdhe Week

chutzpa

/KHOOT-spuh/

[noun] 1. audacity; nerve.

“The chutzpa of her saying that, after I helped her pay rent!”

Corrections: We accidentally spelled “Downton Abbey” wrong in the calendar and in a photo caption last week. You can blame it all on me – I don’t watch the show and I’m not a Brit. Cheerio -BO

1. Supplications 6. Devil tree 10. Rapscallions 14. Shelf 15. Ear-related 16. Defrost 17. Beneath 19. Color of the sky 20. Heavy and filling food 21. Nonclerical 22. Cavort 23. A red fluorescent dye 25. Eats 26. Leer at 30. Sour 32. A receptacle for letters 65. Consumed 35. Craftsman 66. Depend 39. African antelope 67. Lease 40. Bring into harmony 68. Smelter waste 41. Mosaic tile 43. Truancy DOWN 44. Anagram of “Steals” 46. Accomplishment 1. Add 47. Divided 2. Gave temporarily 50. Of a pelvic bone 3. Cocoyam 53. Relating to urine 4. Elderly 54. In song, the loneliest 5. Twilled fabric number 6. Female deer 55. Emanating from the center 7. Slanted font 60. Mongolian desert 8. Historic ship 61. Deviation 9. Sore 63. Assist in crime 10. Overlapped 64. 1 1 1 1 11. Cantaloupe for

Solution on page 22 example 12. Feather 13. Stairs 18. Prefix meaning “Modern” 24. A single-reed woodwind 25. Weight loss plans 26. Leave out 27. Contest 28. What we kiss with 29. Stretchability 31. Blah 33. Sheep sound 34. Paddles 36. Melody 37. A single time 38. Tall woody

perennial grass 42. Laughable 43. Former boxing champ 45. 1 less than a dozen 47. Sweetener 48. Investigate 49. Slander 51. Arrive (abbrev.)

52. Behind bars 54. Smell 56. Beloved 57. Moving within 58. Cards with 1 symbol 59. Focusing glass 62. Eastern Standard Time

November 21, 2019 /

R

/ 23