Reader_November28_2019

Arts, entertainment, bluster and some news

Nov. 27, 2019

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Vol. 16 Issue 48

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(wo)MAN compiled by

Lyndsie Kiebert

on the street

‘What’s the one thing you’re thankful for this year?’

“My cats.”

Liam Davis 5th grader East Hope

DEAR READERS,

Surprise, we’re delivering the Reader a day early this week so that our staff may spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families.

We at the Reader are thankful for you, dear readers, for continuing to bring our humble newspaper into your arms each and every week. We are thankful for all or our contributors who submit articles and send photos and artwork on a regular basis. We are thankful to the advertisers who rely on us to reach thousands of people each week. We are thankful to all of those who donate to our Patreon and PayPal accounts – these are such kind gestures that we really appreciate.

I am so thankful for my talented staff, and all the gang at Keokee who provide so much support. You all make this endeavor worth it.

Also, get well, Susan Drinkard, who diligently asks the question of the week in the column to the left. Susan has been out with a broken foot for a couple weeks. We miss you, Susan – please come back! Happy Thanksgiving, all!

-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, Zach Hagadone, Lyndsie Kiebert, Schweitzer, Jesse Marshall, Bill Borders, BCHS, Eddie Sneva.

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, David Phillips, Lorraine H. Marie, Emily Erickson, Brenden Bobby, Mark Sauter, Marcia Pilgeram, Ammi Mistokke.

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Ross Davis Business owner East Hope

“Dirt bikes.”

Hunter Collett 7th grader Hope

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

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Happy Thanksgiving!

November 27, 2019 /

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NEWS

City, consultants hear public feedback on Memorial Field changes

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The city of Sandpoint and consultant firm Bernardo Wills Architects hosted a public workshop Nov. 25 on the future design of War Memorial Field.

The gathering at City Hall drew about 40 attendees, mostly from the surrounding south Sandpoint neighborhood, who viewed examples of artificial turf surfaces and infill, took in a presentation from city staff and contractors, and asked questions about the project over the course of about two hours.

Landscape architect and Bernado Wills Principal Dell Hatch opened the meeting by noting the number of neighborhood residents in attendance, telling them that the purpose of the workshop was to gather their concerns, perceptions and issues with the project.

“We’re going to take that input and do the best we can to address those,” said Hatch, whose Spokane-based firm was recently awarded $300,000 by the Sandpoint City Council to provide design services at the field, including the installation of artificial turf to replace the current grass surface.

Public input included concerns about noise and light impacts on surrounding homes, construction-related conflicts with American Legion baseball and the Sandpoint High School graduation ceremony, and what might happen with the war memorial located at the northeast corner of what is now the baseball field.

Hatch assured attendees that “we think it’s important that memorial stays just as it is,” while there’s little that can be done to accommodate early-season baseball or graduation this year, especially considering the field has to be ready for use by the Festival at Sandpoint no later than July 30, 2020.

“There’s no way that this project won’t displace Legion,” Hatch said. “For one year.”

Meanwhile, Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff said the class of 2020 graduation may instead take place at City Beach.

“We’re very sensitive to that,” Woodruff said.

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Longtime resident and former state legislator George Eskridge expressed frustration that so much of the Memorial Field planning has turned on accommodating the Festival.

“The Festival keeps encroaching on our time to have state and district [baseball] tournaments on Memorial Field,” he said.

“And I hate to bring this up, [but] we don’t even know if the Festival’s even going to be here anymore,” Eskridge added, referring to ongoing litigation between the city and Bonner County over the legality of the Festival’s weapons ban. “What happens if the Festival doesn’t prevail? Then what happens to all this planning?”

Hatch said work on the combination football, soccer, lacrosse, softball and baseball fields, along with construction of batting cages, bullpens and accommodations for the Festival, would all fall under Phase I of the project, which is set to conclude July 30. Phase II focuses on restructuring and expanding the parking lot on the east side of the field.

The conceptual plan as it stands calls for about 96 spaces, up from 44, including diagonal boat parking. Achieving that design, however, could mean the removal of a copse of trees along the eastern edge of the parking lot, to be replaced by a barrier wall. That idea drew heated responses from several attendees at the workshop.

“For parking for functions … that natural barrier for sound and sight is a beautiful thing; those trees are maybe 100 years old,” said one neighbor, “that’s what blocks the view and sound of activities down there; that’s what keeps our neighborhood a neighborhood.”

Other attendees doubled down on pushback against taking out trees to make room for parking — either on the east side of the existing lot or another concept that would see parking replace the tennis courts at Lakeview Park.

“You’ve already taken out so many trees. … You’re taking all the nature out of the park,” said one resident. “ “You’re affecting our neighborhood’s only park and putting more parking,” echoed another.

“You’ve already taken out 30 trees [behind the grandstand].”

Hatch was quick to respond that “we’re not saying this is going in here, it was a big idea that was discussed.”

The workshop grew more heated as it entered its second hour, with a few attendees again questioning the controversial decision to go with artificial turf on the field, which was approved in a tie-breaking vote by Mayor Shelby Rognstad at the Oct. 16 City Council meeting.

“That decision’s been made,” Woodruff said in an effort to redirect the discussion toward conceptual input.

“We wouldn’t be having this meeting if we didn’t want to listen,” he added.

Outlining next steps, Hatch said Bernardo Wills intends to refine its design concepts and develop them to 30% completion, refining its costs along the way, and will bring the results to the city by Jan. 2, 2020. Based on city feedback, the company will rework its design drawings to 95% completion for delivery to the city on Feb. 7. The project, estimated at $4 million in total cost, is slated to go out to bid Feb. 18.

“There will probably be very few opportunities to change direction as we refine it,” he said.

According to City Administrator Jennfier Stapleton, concepts for all parks, including Memorial Field, are available online at sandpointidaho.gov/your-govern-

ment/engagesandpoint and will be made available at City Hall as they are developed.

“Before this goes out to bid, it comes back to council to have final approval and to approve going out to bid,” she said, referring to its Thursday, Jan. 2 meeting.

“I do hope you take our inputs and I hope that you don’t radically

Residents met with consultants and city staff to learn more about potential artificial turf options for Memorial Field. Photo by Zach Hagadone. go change the concept you’ve presented here,” said one attendee.

“No, I think we’re looking at staying with the concept,” Stapleton responded.

Schweitzer to open one lift Nov. 29

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Despite Mother Nature dragging her feet, Schweitzer Mountain Resort plans to kick off its 2019-2020 ski season Friday, Nov. 29 with limited terrain available.

The resort plans to operate seven days a week from 9 a.m.3:30 p.m., though for now only the Basin Express Quad will be in operation servicing one groomed run: Midway. Beginner terrain will not be open yet, but discounted private lessons will be possible by appointment through Schweitzer’s Ski & Ride Center.

Full-day lift tickets are $45 until more lifts and terrain open.

Marketing manager Dig Chrismer said that while “natural snow coverage is thin,” the resort is able to open thanks to Schweitzer’s snowmaking system and recent cold temperatures.

“We know that everyone is

Photo courtesy Schweitzer Mountain Resort. eager to get out there and we hope that even though it’s a limited skiing and riding experience right now, it’ll be enough to help get us back into ski shape, mentally and physically,” Chrismer said.

“We hope everyone enjoys Thanksgiving with their families and will be ready to join their Schweitzer family for a few post-holiday turns on Friday,” she added.

“We are as anxious as everyone is to explore more of the mountain but until snowfall allows, keep up those snow dances and have fun just being out there playing on Midway.”

NEWS

Panida hosts annual membership meeting

Facing fall funding shortfalls and industry changes, ‘We still remain the heart of the community’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

The Panida Theater hosted its annual membership meeting and ice cream social Nov. 23, though this year the gathering was more social than meeting — a change that Panida Executive Director Patricia Walker said was meant to facilitate more one-on-one conversation to gather input from patrons.

Attendees, board members and theater staff mingled over cake and ice cream in the lobby of the Little Theater, celebrating the theater’s 92nd birthday and pausing to look at financial reports and other documents on display around the room.

The big takeaway: “It’s a tough balancing act with an extremely small staff. The goal is to have a balanced budget and with all the financial concerns, ending our fiscal year nearly balanced is cause for celebration,” Panida Executive Director Patricia Walker told the Reader in an email. “This next year may not be as rosy. The

loss of fundraising income at the final two nights of the Festival and the loss of income from the road construction have made our fall a challenge.”

According to the theater’s profit and loss report, gross profit from August 2018-July 2019 amounted to $181,451.88 with total expenditures of $182,263.99 for a net loss of $812.11. That was buffered slightly by $89.45 in other income, bringing the final figure to $722.66.

The five biggest revenue generators at the theater are rentals, amounting to 21% of revenue; followed by movie ticket sales at 20%; beer and wine concessions at 13%; general concessions with 11%; and donations and contributions coming in at 9%.

Far and away, the biggest expenditures are salares, taxes and benefits ($111,434.44) followed by utilities ($16,677.27) and insurance ($10,347).

Given these figures, the Panida reported it needs to bring in $3,505 per weekend to cover its expenses.

Yet, film distributors take between 35% and 70% of ticket revenue, meaning the theater regularly brings in less than $4 per ticket and requires more than 200 tickets per screening to break even.

Dealing with distributors has been one of the biggest challenges facing the theater.

“We can sometimes collaborate with a nonprofit bringing in a film when they get special rights to show them and that can avoid some fees, but we cannot get every movie we request,” Walker wrote. “Many man hours go into trying to secure films. We check into every request made to us but results vary. Those fees go directly to the distributor, though, and don’t cover the expenses of the theater. It is easy to see what is needed when a movie ticket is $8-$7 and we pay a distributor such a large portion of that.”

All of that is not to mention the changes to film viewership itself — driven entirely by technology.

“People now have access to large screens in their homes and,

where there used to be a window when a movie was released before it was available to the public and you could get new films in for first or second runs easily, now they go very quickly to VOD (video on demand),” Walker wrote. “The expanded role of streaming services has changed and had an effect on our ability to get movies and our ability to draw crowds large enough to pay for the expenses. … [T]he competition is fierce.”

The other major challenges facing the theater are structural and staffing related. Chief among them is the need for a new roof at the Little Theater, which has suffered water damage due to lack of drainage.

“We have re-sealed it and patched, but it needs a new roof and new configuration,” according to Walker. “The budget has not been adequate to take on that project but the damage when it leaks is concerning.”

Panida operators would also like to hire a house manager — a position that was eliminated due

Sandpoint tree lighting ceremony planned

By Reader Staff Sandpoint will usher in the holidays at 6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 29 at Jeff Jones Square when the city lights the community’s Grand Tree. The festivities run from 5-7 p.m., with visits from Santa Claus, a dance recital from the team at Studio 1, Christmas carols with Sally Spalding from Salon Lux and warm treats and refreshments.

The event draws an expected crowd of 650-1,000 people to downtown Sandpoint, with children getting an opportunity to sit on Santa’s lap from 6 p.m. until the last child in line.

The event is organized by Creations at Sandpoint for the third year, after the Business Improvement District disbanded in 2016.

The Avista Foundation is listed as sponsor. Food, hot beverages and treats are being donated by Trinity at City Beach, Ivano’s Ristorante, Baxters on Cedar, Evans Broth-

ers Coffee, Winter Ridge, Cedar Street Bistro, the Pie Hut, Miller’s Country Store, 7B Cakes, Panhandler Pies, Farmhouse Kitchen, Safeway, Starbucks and Costco.

Selections include a wide variety of tasty soups and treats like brownies and cookies.

Bonus: A surprise holiday movie will screen at the Panida Little Theater after the tree lighting, Friday, Nov. 29.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:45 p.m.

The screening is sponsored

by Young Living Essential Oils, which donated the tree, and contractor Travis Thompson, who helped coordinate the felling and transportation of the tree. Donations are welcome at the door to help support the Panida.

Creations would like to thank Dan Mimmack, Northwest Handmade and the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce for the

supply and transport of tents and tables for the ceremony Those interested in volunteering to help set up tents and tables before the event, as well as serve hot cocoa and soup, should email creationsforsandpoint@gmail.com.

Volunteers are also needed to help clean up afterward until 8 p.m.

The Sandpoint Christmas tree is transported from the Young Living Highland Flats research farm and distillery.

Photo by Jesse Marshall.

For more information, visit creationsforsandpoint.org/ treelighting.

to budget constraints, but which is sorely missed as more movie times, events and usage of the Little Theater have strained the ability of current staff and volunteers to keep up.

Looking forward, a membership drive is set to begin in January 2020 and Walker wrote that the theater is eager to fill positions on a number of committees.

“The fact we still remain the heart of the community when they have so many other choices is up to all of us to keep that heart beating,” Walker wrote. “I’m grateful for a very weary but extremity talented staff, a working and contributing board of directors, a dedicated and amazing core of volunteers, and a community of patrons who stop me many times every week to tell me how much they love the Panida and how much they appreciate how much we have going on.”

Hearing postponed in county v. city gun ban suit

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

A status conference in the lawsuit between Bonner County and Sandpoint regarding the Festival at Sandpoint weapons ban was postponed Nov. 26 because the judge in the case, Kootenai County District Court Judge Lansing L. Haynes, fell ill.

The conference, which serves as a meeting between attorneys and the judge to set a timeline for future proceedings, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 1:30 p.m. at the Bonner County Courthouse.

When asked whether the postponement would affect how the county moves forward with litigation, seeing as the new date is even closer to Festival season, Bonner County Commissioner Dan McDonald told the Reader, “I don’t think it should.”

“We aren’t interested in stopping the Festival from happening; in fact, it’s just the opposite, we want the Festival to carry on,” he said.

“The question is only the legality of violating the state law by banning possession of firearms on public property.”

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NEWS

County works through Bits ’n’ Pieces RV zoning changes From east, west and beyond

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The Bonner County Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Nov. 21 to approve part of a land use code change regarding recreational vehicles — and to hold onto part of the proposed changes in order to do further research amid vocal public pushback.

The portion of the proposed changes the commission approved — and which drew very little public comment during the hearing — allowed for the expansion of RV parks into areas zoned Agricultural/Forest and Rural and Suburban. Meanwhile, the proposed code would also allow for the expansion of campgrounds into areas zoned Agricultural/Forest, Rural, Suburban, Commercial, Rural Service Center, Recreation and Alpine Village. In addition, the approved portion of code set standards for establishing RV parks and campgrounds in the new zones.

What county planners held off on was changing regulations regarding personal, permanent RV use on private property.

Currently, Bonner County Revised Code only allows the occupancy of an RV for 120 days, unless otherwise permitted as an official dwelling.

“We have lots of concerns from folks about where RVs are allowed to go. We also have lots of property that are largeacre parcels, and we have folks that want to come up and build on their property and live in an RV while they build on their property. Personally, I have been considering that option as well,” said Planning Director Milton Ollerton in his presentation at the start of the hearing.

“The challenge is that the ordinance says 120 days. The other challenge with this ordinance is that it says occupancy shall not exceed 120 days — that’s really hard to verify,” he added. “So staff has been discussing this with the planning and zoning commission to find the best way to address that ordinance.”

In order to establish permanency, Ollerton said property owners need only have the RV parking space marked with stakes.

Water and sewer hookups are not required under the proposed code.

“I understand, I grew up in an area with lots and lots of 40-acre parcels and I understand living off-grid,” Ollerton said. “Electrical can be provided through solar or wind …

Water can be hauled, sewer can be addressed in lots of different ways. Panhandle Health 6 /

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has regulations that allow the sewer to be addressed in lots of different ways.”

As the permitting agency for septic and sewer systems, Panhandle Health remained a main player in the conversation at the meeting.

“We, the county, choose to leave those responsibilities to the property owner,” Ollerton said. “The property owner is responsible for taking care of those permits with Panhandle Health for sewer. We leave that to them. If their septic system is at capacity and they want to add two [RV] parking spaces on their property, they will need to work with Panhandle Health to address that.”

As far as the potential environmental impacts, the planners discussed how there would be no clear way to estimate how many people might opt to add permanent RVs to their properties should the code be adopted.

Local social media outlets were filled with debate over the topic prior to the Nov. 21 hearing, which saw nearly 100 attendees packed into the Bonner County Administration Building first-floor meeting room.

During the public comment period, one person questioned the county’s authority to permit vehicles, wondering if it overlapped with Department of Motor Vehicles responsibilities. Others pondered the cumulative effects of permanent RVs on neighbors living in close quarters, and many cited vague language in the proposed code.

Most who commented were opposed to the overall idea of adding anything to county code, despite Ollerton’s repeated reminders that the changes would “loosen” regulations on personal, permanent RV use.

“We consider this type of administrative action to be recursive and would only increase the tax burden for the citizens of the county,” Priest River resident Tracy Roberts read from a petition that garnered 198 signatures in opposition to the code changes in the week leading up to the hearing.

“Many of us here are looking for less regulation, not more regulation. We came here to this county … and we appreciate that it’s a free place — it’s a place known for its liberty,” she added in her own words.

After nearly three hours of comments and discussion, the commission chose to approve the code changes regarding RV parks and campgrounds, but to hold onto the personal use regulations for further study and another workshop at an undetermined date.

Bonner County commissioners will have the final say on any code changes recommended by the planning commission.

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact.

A recent sampling: While cattle are faulted for massive deforestation in the Amazon (when ranchers clear cut and burn to create range land), The New York Times reports that cutting edge land management techniques would allow a tripling of production — without massive forest cutting.

Be well-rested before driving: AAA says being two to three hours short on sleep can quadruple one’s crash risk, as it causes impairment equal to drunk driving.

A second trial, wherein the U.S. government sought felony charges against a humanitarian activist, resulted in a “not guilty” verdict, the Arizona Daily Star reported last week. The first trial, last June, resulted in a hung jury when trying to determine if Scott Daniel Warren, part of the group No More Deaths, was guilty of harboring undocumented immigrants when providing the desert-trekkers with food, water and lifesaving supplies. Had Warren been found guilty, he would have faced up to 20 years in prison. The No More Deaths group stated: humanitarian aid should never be a crime.

Give a dog a bone… maybe. Some vets are saying don’t, others say it’s OK. Of course, a dog with a bone is engaging in ancient canine behavior; nonetheless it needs to be supervised, says veterinarian columnist Dr. Karen S. Becker. Case in point is a dog that required a five-hour surgery to remove bone shards from the roof of its mouth, and extensive dental work. Becker’s tips for bones and dogs: know your dog’s chewing type. “Scarfers” need a large bone that can’t be swallowed whole; in some cases no bones are advised.

“Aggressive chewers” prefer to demolish the bone ASAP, and it needs to be taken away when it’s whittled to an unsafe size.

“Soft chewers” gnaw gently, sometimes due to age; they can do well with antlers that are appropriate to the dog’s size, i.e, small for small dogs.

As of December, Thailand plans to ban the pesticides glyphosate, paraquat and chlorpyrifos. But, says Pesticide Action Network, U.S. officials are pressuring Thailand to scrap its plans.

One acre of forest can consume the pollution from one car that’s driven 26,000 miles a year, according to American Forests.

Fox News senior legal analyst Andrew Napolitano (a Republican and former

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

judge), stated last week that, from the impeachment hearing testimony, he can predict the charges against the president: bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors, election law violations, obstruction of justice, interference with a witness and “the fifth may be lying under oath.” He added that, “the evidence of impeachable behavior at this point, in my view, is overwhelming,” and the president has not provided a coherent defense. As well, Napolitano said the president has prohibited from testifying those the president says would exonerate him. Napolitano did not say this on Fox News; rather, his statements were made on Reason TV. Australia’s largest city, Sydney, is on track to run out of water in 2022, says the water minister of New South Wales.

Mysterious death: Humanitarian pioneer James LeMesurier, a former British Army officer, was recently found dead near his apartment in Turkey. Police said the 48-year-old may have died from a fall. A few days earlier, Russia had accused him of being a U.K. intelligence agent with terrorist connections. LeMesurier founded Mayday Rescue to save lives in conflict zones, and had been honored by Queen Elizabeth for his work. He is not alone in the distinction of mysterious Russian-related deaths (internet search: “mysterious deaths with Russian links.”)

Not-so-new EPA policy proposal: The agency would like to ignore links between pollution and disease, unless scientists provide all raw data, including confidential medical records, reports The New York Times. A similar proposal a year ago was shelved after public rejection. New EPA policies, even if adopted, don’t fare well in court. The Natural Resources Defense Council says they have a high 92% victory rate when challenging the EPA. Blast from the past: One of the more currently relevant quotes to come out of the 1974 Watergate hearings came from Indiana Congressman Earl Landgrebe, who was intensely devoted to President Richard Nixon. Despite near unanimous agreement of wrongdoing by the president, and calls for his impeachment from all parties, Landgrebe said, “Don’t confuse me with the facts… I’ve got a closed mind.” Nixon resigned rather than go down in history as having been impeached.

And another blast: “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers.” Socrates, Greek philosopher; he died in 399 BCE.

PERSPECTIVES

Engage Sandpoint: A missed opportunity

By David Phillips Reader Contributor Projects fail for all sorts of reasons.

Sometimes the expectations are set too high; sometimes the allocated time or resources are insufficient; sometimes the tools suffer from fundamental shortcomings. In the case of Engage Sandpoint, I believe that all of the above factors are contributing to a downward trend in utility that will ultimately cause public participation to tail off.

As someone who’s been deeply involved in software development, architecture, usability and interaction design for a long time, I’ve been regularly involved in assessing designs, functionality and standards from small businesses to enterprise-level efforts.

Some specifics: “We must write all our own software”: A lot of development teams fall into this trap, believing that they are the ones to reinvent the wheel better than anyone who has come before rather than leveraging existing tools. The problem: The tool you end up with is as simplistic and immature as a “version 1.0” of anything would be.

SeeClickFix appears to be written mostly from scratch, which explains a lot: The code is heavily focused on Microsoft products using methodology that’s outdated, and browser compatibility is sorely lacking. The application has states only for “Open,” “Acknowledged,” “Closed” and “Archived,” and its search capability is barely usable.

Our current situation speaks as well to Sandpoint’s technology procurement process, as deploying this application indicates to me that either the people making the contracting decision weren’t qualified to evaluate tools like this, or due diligence was ignored.

Interaction design: While SeeClickFix has good intentions, the product suffers from a lack of coherent user experience (UX). Again, this is essentially beta or alpha software. Navigation is inconsistent symbolically and functionally — some controls like search filtering are virtually hidden due to size or placement (look for a tiny funnel symbol for filtering). It is possible to have two search fields active on the page that do radically different things (e.g. address search and text search). It’s relatively easy to end up on a page for without any path to return to where you started. The navigation paradigm varies from page to page.

All of this indicates a lack of architectural oversight.

Search: This is probably the weakest function of SeeClickFix, and for an app like this, a critical miss. Google learned a long time ago that search results absolutely must

be consistent, comprehensive and relevant if they are to be trusted. When SeeClickFix added the “Archival” search setting, I had some hope they were getting their act together in this area. But “Archival” suggests a comprehensive search of all available data. The first release of this feature had no pagination and limited results to the first 20 issues it found. Pagination addressed that problem, but search is hardly comprehensive. Check the “archival” box and search for “truck” or “speeding” or “garage” or “snow” you’ll likely get two or three results, when there are far more in the database. This is a pervasive behavior across all searches.

Success factors: Any issue tracking system has some fundamental requirements: Clarity: A user can access an issue and understand what the issue was, what the response has been, what action has been taken, and what the current status is (the “workflow”). This means that issues must have sufficient states to clearly represent their status, and also means the people administering the system (i.e. the responders) must be consistent in their use of those statuses. Too limited a status set and the responders have to get creative.

The four-state set of SeeClickFix is likely a result of a development team building the application in isolation, without any real-world user feedback. Any commercial issue tracking system will have a “resolved”

state. And there are usually rules for using an issue, something like “you cannot close an issue without fully explaining why the issue is resolved”. As I’ve stated in other articles, “closed” and “resolved” are not synonymous. This has led, unsurprisingly, to Sandpoint staff’s predilection to close issues before they are resolved just to get them off the books: more and more issues are closed with statements along the lines of “I’m going to close this issue but we’re still working on it”, an unacceptable situation in pretty much every industry that makes use of tracking systems.

Comprehensiveness: A user can search all issues using any keywords to see issues that satisfy those criteria. Without this capability the application is effectively lobotomized.

In addition, you need an involved and transparent responder group. With rare exception, I would characterize the city’s responses to issues as pretty much the opposite of transparent, from uninspired to downright defensive or obstructionist.

Recently, the city has started closing issues and preventing them from being reopened, in my experience a really bad sign.

I believe the SeeClickFix team has an honest goal of providing a really capable tool for cities to use to stimulate dialog with their citizenry. But it’s also my impression that team lacks enterprise experience and has made

Laughing Matter

some fundamental mistakes early on, then launched their product before it was anywhere near what I’d call production ready.

Having spent more than a year using Engage Sandpoint, I find I’m losing interest.

The buggy UX, the lack of any ability to track issues because search is unreliable and the behavior of the city — closing issues before any resolution is addressed — are disappointing in the extreme. There are bright spots, like the conversations around south Sandpoint, but these are by far the exceptions. Even those partially successful issues suffer from a certain amount of stonewalling from the city. See the Boyer and Cedar garage sale sign issues for more evidence of that. If they haven’t been hidden.

Engage Sandpoint seems about to follow the guitar I bought when I was 16 so I could become a rock star, destined for the basement closet to gather dust.

David Phillips is a technology consultant/photographer/filmmaker who arrived in Sandpoint from Colorado by way of Seattle and points further west.

By Bill Borders

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President not worthy as Commander in Chief…

Bouquets: • There has been a lot of grumbling over the past three months about the ongoing construction downtown. I’d like to take a moment to say thanks to all the construction workers who have tried their best to get the work done in a timely manner. Let’s not forget that however we may feel about the decisions the city of Sandpoint makes, we should never take it out on these workers who are just hired to do a job.

• It’s the time of year to be a little extra thankful, so I’d like to express my gratitude to all of our current and past advertisers. If you are reading this newspaper right now, it’s because we have such a wonderful group of local businesses and organizations that have supported the Reader — some from the very first issue. We also receive a lot of donations our loyal readers — which we are extremely thankful for — but this season, consider another way to show your support to the Reader: Shop at our advertisers’ businesses and tell them you noticed their ad. It really means a lot to them to know their precious ad dollars are reaching your eyes, and it means the world to us, because the vast majority of the revenue we collect is from advertising. Our annual media surveys continually show that the Reader is the most picked up publication in Sandpoint. We are humbled and grateful that this little experiment has been a success, but it can only remain viable if you support those who support us with advertising.

Barbs: • Don’t be the guy who talks divisive politics at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year. Seriously, family, friends and loved ones are more important on Thanksgiving than anything else. Put all the rest aside for a couple hours, connect with those you’d probably never speak to if not for your shared blood and give thanks for the parts of your life you couldn’t live without. We can go back to quibbling over b.s. the day after when you’re jostling with someone over a deal on flat screen TVs. 8 /

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Dear editor, I am speaking as a veteran and the member of an extended military family. I am extremely dismayed by Republicans’ continued support of the president.

This man is the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, yet he has consistently undermined the effectiveness of critical agencies responsible for the security of our country. He has repeatedly supported the head of a hostile country, Russia. The president has sided with the Russian head of state over our security agencies. He has abandoned at least one ally, the Kurds, who we relied on in the fight against ISIS. He has held the Ukraine hostage delaying critical military support in their fight against the Russian invasion of their country. He is endangering the safety and welfare of our country. Why? Every Veterans Day, I think of my father, my brother, my uncle, my son, my brother-in-law, my father-inlaw and many others who served this country during times of war. I am reminded of the Vietnam War, during which I served in the Air Force, as did my brother and my uncle. I am reminded of the huge military support given to North Vietnam by Russia. Thousands of soldiers were killed and wounded by Russian arms. Hundreds of Air Force service members were shot down and killed

by Russian radar guided anti-aircraft weapons. Russia is a sworn enemy and helped kill Americans.

Why do Republicans continue to support a president who acts in such servile deference to the Russian leader? Isn’t his behavior traitorous?

Shouldn’t he be removed from office?

You say you are a patriot. Do the right thing and denounce this man. Stand up and speak out against his actions.

His is not worthy of being called the commander in chief.

Don Moore Sagle

Extreme views don’t belong in office...

Dear editor, I just wanted to express my thanks to Chris Kohout and Ted Wert for their letters [Nov. 14] regarding Ken Lawrence’s hateful and disturbing comment in his concession speech after the recent city mayoral election.

Anybody expressing such extreme views does not deserve to run for or to hold public office and fortunately there are still enough voters who agree.

Erik Daarstad Sandpoint

More on rainbow crosswalks...

Dear editor, I’d like to continue the conversation started by George Mooney a few weeks ago [Nov. 7]. I think rainbow crosswalks would be an amazing idea.

In fact, about a year ago or so, I did approach the city administrator with such a proposal. She did say that one of the schools was considering doing this by their school, but I’m not sure if it ever happened. Yes she cited cost, and so on as a bit of a deterrent.

But I agree with George, it’s time for it to happen. And I like the idea of changing them to highlight local events. Personally, I’d like to see the rainbow crosswalks in June, as that is traditionally Pride month across the country. Yes, I’m involved in the local PFLAG chapter. As such, we’ve participated in the Fourth of July parade the past four years and each year we gain more and more support from the crowd and community. Many are supporting the “Love Lives Here” movement and I think now more than ever it’s Sandpoints time to shine.

We live in an amazing community — from the Love Lives Here folks, the group cutting and distributing firewood to those in need, and all of the local businesses collecting food donations for the food bank, this is a freaking amazing town and we need to show the rest of the world what a gem we have in North Idaho.

In fact, I’d like to propose a challenge to the mayor, city administrator and the newly elected city council to take this idea and run with it. Sandpoint is the gem of North Idaho, love does live here and we need to shout that from the rooftops.

Jeff Bohnhof Sandpoint

Fight misinformation on Medicaid expansion…

Dear editor, Members of the Idaho Legislature are spreading rumors that Medicaid expansion will throw thousands of people off health insurance and leave them with inadequate health care.

The truth is that Idaho’s proposal for a “coverage choice” (allowing people with incomes from 100-138% of poverty to choose between Medicaid and private plans) was deemed incomplete by the federal agency CMS, saying that even with revisions, the proposal “would not be approvable.”

Surprise! No one will lose coverage through Medicaid expansion which expanded eligibility! 42,000 Idahoans have been approved for Medicaid Expansion this month, including my friend and day care center owner suffering from a serious cancer. And

Medicaid expansion is fiscally responsible: Compared with the plan being pushed by House Republican leadership, Medicaid expansion is estimated to save Idaho $42.5 million per year.

An op-ed also claimed that the grassroots organization that collected signatures for the initiative is a “paid-signature-gathering group” from out-of-state. I personally gathered several hundred signatures by standing in front of the Sandpoint library in February and March in the snow and cold. I was not paid, except by the smiles of the people I met. Luke Mayville and Garrett Strizich, founders of Reclaim Idaho, grew up in Sandpoint.

They are Idahoans who are helping us reclaim Idahoans’ rights to health, education and public lands.

Our voices are not being heard. We need to be louder! Please join me in calling our governor and legislators.

Ask them not to support the coverage choice provision.

Nancy Gerth Sagle

Bad actor, bad drama...

Dear editor, The county has filed suit against the city and taxpayers will pay for the show. For this “gun ban litigation” drama, several public record requests from the commissioners’ office help shine a spotlight on the price for admission.

Bonner County’s lead actor is attorney George Wentz with New Orleans-based Davillier Law. A murky reputation follows him. In 2015 he auditioned for “Endless Litigation” before the Utah Legislature and another case where a small county in Utah forked over $485,600 in a troubling script with “Reasonable Expenses.”

When it didn’t pass their critics’ sniff test, he had several thousand bucks to reimburse. For more on these stories, Google: “George Wentz Utah.”

Now for our local drama, Wentz signed a contract in late August with our commissioners. Even though he’s not licensed to practice law in Idaho, he pulls $250 per hour to consult with two inexperienced actors at $175 per hour filing legal briefs.

Some people have been confused by his pro bono buzz, but this is simply his offer to sit free on McDonald’s “advisory committee” to save the Festival after they destroy it in court.

Wondering what our ticket price is for his performance? A public records request shows $95,500 has been paid since the August contract signing. Of this, suspense builds because we don’t know how much is an installment on this drama because the commissioners refuse to release invoices. All we know is 13 checks totaling $233,735

of our tax money has been mailed to New Orleans in 2019 with NO public accounting. Plot decisions are behind closed doors in their “executive meetings.”

The commissioners paint the scene that it’s a done deal wrapped up in the Constitution; but the truth is, there’s two actors (city and county) with different interpretations of the state statue.

The opening act by the county to push legal action creates the suspenseful scene of “Unsettled Law” requiring a court to decide. Expect multiple appeals with $cha-ching ringing in the background!

A much smarter narrative would have been to give the part to County Prosecutor Louis Marshall to request an opinion from the state attorney general for free admission.

The sad part of this story is Commissioners McDonald, Bradshaw and Connolly are willing to risk all the benefits that our summer Festival brings to our community in exchange for applause from their political base.

Coming in 2020: “New Commissioners”!

Rebecca Holland Sandpoint

Keep the memorial in Memorial Field…

To all concerned veterans and citizens of Bonner County and others, The latest diagram/layout for the new Memorial Field is not complying with the present historical use of the field for veterans and youth sports events.

1. This field was given to the veterans returning from the war. The county maintained the field for this use only.

2. The county transferred it to the city for up keep. They tried to move it to the new high school site, but found out they could not do that because they did not own it, they were just the caretakers. New people with no thought of looking into the history for the memorial think they can do anything they want to with a memorial given to the veterans and the youth of our area.

3. LOOK closely at the layout and try and find the veterans memorial.

OH! it is now part of the additional parking area.

4. I am asking all veterans to stand up and tell the city “NO way.”

Write the papers, radio stations and television stations.

I was born in Bonner County in 1943, spent 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and call this county my home. I have raised my family here.

I will be laid to rest here where the veterans in my family now rest.

Bill Stevens, Sr. Sandpoint

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist My grandparents’ television sat inside an old cabinet that could barely contain its mass.

It had a large, curved screen set into wood-like paneling, and control buttons that stuck out like thimbles from its gently worn face.

Beneath the TV was a drawer filled with coloring books and crayons, and a comfortable patch of carpet that I’d stretch across every morning during my visits.

From Sesame Street to Teletubbies, I indulged in my favorite shows and endless arts and crafts, as one can only do at their Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

But my favorite show of all, the one that captivated me enough to close the craft drawer, was Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. As the opening tune chimed and rolled and the trolley wove its way across the screen, I’d pull myself up onto my elbows and give Mr. Rogers my rapt attention.

I’d giggle as he tossed his unlaced sneaker from one hand to the other, fixed by his gaze, which looked through the television as if he were entering my Grandparents’ living room rather than his own.

This past weekend, I was transported back to that living room floor, in front of the old cabinet TV, and back into the Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood of my childhood. I was at the movie theater, sunken into a squashy red chair, with my feet resting on an uneven blanket of popcorn kernels and sticky floor. Once again, I was captivated.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks,

Emily Erickson. was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Inspired by a true story, the movie follows an angsty reporter for The New Yorker magazine, known for his ruthless exposés and a stormy demeanor, as he writes a fluff piece about an American hero, Fred Rogers.

Without spoiling the plot, the movie explores the intentionality behind Fred Rogers and his hit children’s show.

Rogers sought to provide kids with the language to explore their own emotions and give them the tools to navigate their feelings. Through his program, he sought to give children permission to feel things they’re typically encouraged to pass through quickly — emotions like sadness, anger and fear — and simulated the hardest, most inevitable parts of being a human, like loss, death and jealousy, all for the sake of learning.

Although it was never explicitly named, the movie explored the idea of teaching emotional intelligence, and how that intelligence carries over from childhood into adult life.

In an excerpt from The Handbook of Positive Psychology, authors Peter Salovey, John D.

Mayer and David Caruso describe emotional intelligence as, “the ability to perceive, appraise, and express emotion accurately and adaptively; the ability to understand emotion and emotional knowledge; the ability to access and/or generate feelings when they facilitate cognitive activities and adaptive action; and the ability to regulate emotions in oneself and others.”

Unpacking that idea, “perceiving, appraising, and expressing emotions accurately and adaptively” is the ability to understand what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling that way, and being able to put those feelings into words. It’s knowing that emotions can present themselves for a multitude of reasons, and that one presented emotion could really be another in disguise.

“The ability to understand emotion and emotional knowledge” is understanding how emotions work, and the ways in which they dictate how we operate on a daily basis. It’s placing value on learning about the way humans express their feelings, and the hurdles we often face in doing so.

“The ability to generate feelings” and participating in “adaptive action,” is the ability to recognize that we have some control over which feelings and emotions we decide to revel in.

Some feelings, in certain situations, can be acknowledged and then subdued to make space for other, more productive emotions.

For example, adaptive action is the ability to face a situation with uncertainty, to acknowledge the fear in that uncertainty and then choosing to move forward, despite that fear.

Finally, an “ability to regulate emotions in oneself and others”

is recognizing that emotions are an inevitable part of being human, and the way in which they’re expressed can change from person to person, but often abide by certain patterns and characteristics. In understanding your own emotions, and the patterns of human nature, you can better navigate yourself and your relationships with others.

Like all forms of intelligence, emotions are more easily navigated by some people than others, but can be learned and improved

through practice and study.

Rogers understood the value in equipping children with the skills to better navigate their emotional worlds, preparing them to handle the many things life would inevitably throw their way.

As for me, I’m grateful these concepts have gotten a national stage in the form of a beautiful movie.

With all the emotion I can muster, I say, “Happy Thanksgiving, and I’m glad to be your neighbor.”

Retroactive

By BO

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

Medieval cuisine

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

Movies, television and film have given us an idea on what medieval food must have been like: slop and watery gruel for the peasants while the aristocracy bathed in luxuries. This depiction has merits and some critical flaws. Winters before refrigeration were brutal and over the course of at least five centuries, famine was bound to strike several times leading to some dire circumstances when it came to food.

It might surprise you that the peasantry ate very well for the rest of the year.

Note that the medieval period was a hugely expansive length of time across several continents, so for the purposes of this article, I’ve focused mostly on the experiences in England and northern France. However, there are some rules that held true from London to Jerusalem.

When it comes to medieval life in general, practicality and status were extremely important and often highly opposed in the medieval family’s way of life.

Being less practical showed you could afford to be, which isn’t too different from today. If you can afford to overnight fresh fish and an award-winning sushi chef to entertain for a party, you’re the talk of the town.

What differed in the medieval period was the actual food.

Salmon was a staple in English peasant meals and considered to be uncouth to the noble palate.

It was popular among the lower class because it was a fairly large animal that was easy to catch, prepare and preserve. Pork was also commonplace among nearly all in the lower and middle 10 /

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classes, as most homes owned at least one pig that acted as a garbage disposal for trimmings and scraps, as well as a source of food over the winter.

Another misconception is that food was disgusting, bland and hardly nutritious. In a comparison to what most people eat today, the medieval peasant’s diet was much more nutritious, packed with carbohydrates from bread and tubers, and protein from meat as well as the blood in the form of English black pudding as opposed to the huge quantities of salt, sugar and carbs packed into our ready-to-eat foods. The most important part of the peasant’s diet was that they worked off everything they ate. It’s believed that most peasants were in incredible shape, just from the sheer amount of work they needed to complete in a day.

This marks another dietary difference between the lower, middle and upper classes of the medieval era: heartiness. It’s still important to have a hearty meal when your primary job requires physical labor, but as one departs from that style of work into more administrative roles — as was the case with the knighthood and lower vassals of the era — heartiness just starts sticking to your ribs.

Meals of the middle classes were marked with spices and flavors, usually imported from Spain, France, Italy and northern Africa. They were luxuries guarded under lock and key, where only the lady of the house and the chef had access to them.

Could you imagine working for an entire day to pay for four nutmegs? The meals became lighter and more varied, with aggressive spices. Pork was still heavily featured in the middle class diet,

because it was practical, but still a cut above the food eaten by household servants.

In the highest echelons of medieval society, kings, dukes, bishops and others that acted as effective billionaires enjoyed a huge variance of food, most of which was imported. Interestingly, chicken was a staple enjoyed regularly by the elite, and was considered to be a posh dish.

For hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years, it was commonplace for every home to harbor chickens. They were more valuable for producing eggs than being eaten, but by eating them regularly you showed you were above the common rabble, well insulated and protected from famine. Pastries were featured heavily in the aristocracy’s cuisine, too, though the pastry dough was virtually inedible and acted more as a container for whatever was inside it, be it custard, puddings or the innards of shepherd’s pie.

One of the important traditions at the time in these households was to cut the upper crust of the bread and present it to the head of the household, or a visitor of higher status. This is the origination of the term “upper crust” when speaking about billionaires and the like now.

Bread was a common link between all classes of the era, which has made an interesting reversal today. Unrefined flours that made darker breads were for the peasants, while the bread got whiter with more refinement the higher up your status became.

For those of us who suffer from celiac disease and can’t digest the gluten protein, I can imagine we must have lived short and miserable lives in those days.

One final point I found inter-

“Pass the turkey leg or I will have you run through.” esting was that celebrity chefs were a thing during the medieval period. In fact, ledgers of food are some of the most well-preserved historical documents we have from that period, and they seem to reflect that prominent chefs were shuffled from castle to castle as they were poached

by kings and bishops.

As you sit down and break bread this Thanksgiving with your friends and family, just stop for a minute and try to imagine medieval Gordon Ramsey calling some posh noble a muppet and getting away with it.

See you after the food coma!

Random Corner ksgiving?

Don’t know much about than • President Abraham Lincoln first proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday Oct. 3, 1863, 242 years after the first “Thanksgiving” took place at Plymouth as a threeday feast. According to attendee Edward Winslow, the gathering was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims.

• The first president to pardon a turkey was Ronald Reagan, who was facing questions over the Iran-Contra affair and weighing the decision whether or not he would pardon Oliver North. The “pardon” of the turkey was offered as a joke to deflect those questions. When Reagan’s successor, George H. W. Bush, instituted a turkey pardon in 1989, it became a regular presidential move that still continues today.

• The average American consumes about 3,000 to 4,500 calories on the special day, which would take 10 hours and 33 minutes for the average male to burn off on the treadmill.

• An estimated $552 million is spent on Thanksgiving turkeys each year in the United States.

• There is no clear proof that turkey was on the menu for the first Thanksgiving feast. Food items that were recorded included lobster,

We can help!

seal and swan. The Wampanoag also brought five deer to the feast.

• While president, Thomas Jefferson refused to recognize Thanksgiving as a holiday because he strongly believed in the separation of church and state. Since Thanksgiving involved prayer, the president thought making it a national holiday would violate the First Amendment.

• The woman who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is also responsible for Thanksgiving being recognized as a national holiday. Sarah Josepha Hale convinced President Abraham Lincoln to declare it a national holiday after years of persistent lobbying.

• A Thanksgiving mix-up inspired the first TV dinners after a Swanson employee accidentally ordered a huge shipment of turkeys for the holiday in 1953. To get rid of them all, salesman Gerry Thomas thought about prepared foods on airplanes and came up with the idea to fill 5,000 aluminum trays with turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, peas and sweet potatoes. The meals — obtained for under a buck — were a huge hit, especially with kids and busy households.

GAMING

The gift of gaming

By Brenden Bobby Special to the Reader Holiday gifts in the age of the internet are tricky business. This article is primarily aimed at parents and grandparents who want to make a splash at Christmas without a lot of knowledge in the world of electronic games.

I’ll list off what devices these games can be played on, what kind of content they have and who they’re geared toward. When I list Steam as one of the platforms, that means it’s exclusively played on a personal computer using a program called Steam. Steam was developed to create a nexus for computer games users could download online, eliminating the need for DVD installations.

Also worth noting, I’ve listed the prices of these games when I looked them up. During sales, such as Steam’s Autumn Sale (Nov. 26-Dec. 3) and Winter Sale (Dec. 19-Jan. 2) the prices of these games can plummet into the single digits, meaning big bang for your buck.

If you’re unsure what device your loved one uses, slyly ask some questions. You might get some indignant “You know nothing” huffs, but I guarantee they’ll be squealing with joy when you get them exactly what they wanted on their device.

Enough talk, let’s rock.

Disclaimer: All games with online multiplayer are rated without online interactions taken into account. Foul language may not be programmed into the game, but that doesn’t stop someone’s friends from using it while they play.

Warframe — free to play Platforms: Steam, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Warframe lets you live the life of a spacefaring ninja with superpowers. While the game is free to play, it has a microtransaction store built-in, meaning you can pay real money for in-game perks. The best way to do this is with a gift card for your gamer’s console of choice.

Warning: It’s extremely bloody, recommended for young adults.

A holiday buyer’s guide for digital games

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 — $59.99 Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One Does your gamer love shooting stuff while you abhor the idea of killing innocents? The Division 2 puts you in the boots of a government operative setting out to make things right, cleaning up the post-apocalyptic streets of Washington D.C. one bad guy at a time. If playing on a personal computer, it requires the Uplay application, which is free. This one has frequently gone on sale for under $30.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — around $20 Platforms: Steam, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch If your gamer loved Skyrim, they will lose their mind over The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Featuring open-world maps totaling more than 136 square kilometers, it’s easy to get lost in the seemingly infinite content. It’s won a ton of awards and can be extremely addictive. It can also be quite bloody, as you’re tasked with killing monsters and bad guys.

Subnautica — $24.99 Platforms: Steam, PS4, Xbox One Find yourself stranded on an ocean world, tasked with building a base, chasing the story and surviving at all costs. Pick up Subnautica: Below Zero, a standalone expansion, to experience it all beneath a frozen ocean. Kick up the claustrophobia factor by playing it in virtual reality. No blood, no foul language.

One, Nintendo Switch, Android phones/tablets, iOS devices This game is far sillier than the name suggests. Your entire goal in this game is to be a goat, smash into stuff and break things. It’s completely silly, and you should probably wait until it goes on sale before you buy it.

Black Desert Online — $9.99 Platforms: Steam, PS4, Xbox One, Android phones/tablets, iOS devices One of the most popular Korean massively multiplayer online games (K-MMO) on the market, it offers an immense amount of content for a reasonably low price.

It has some of the best character

customization of any game on the market, but is also requires a large time investment to fully enjoy.

A screengrab of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, available on Steam, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch. Courtesy photo.

One really neat feature of Steam is that you can buy items and then safely gift them digitally via email. It’s all very clearly labeled in Steam, and it does a great job of walking you through the process. You do need to register an account, but doing so is free.

If the family member you’re shopping for wouldn’t be interested in anything on this list, or already owns all of it, don’t fret.

Most retailers offer gift cards for Steam, the Microsoft Store (Xbox One), the PlayStation Store and the Nintendo Online Store.

Getting a gift card for a gamer isn’t an insult, it can be the perfect present when it’s a gift card for their favorite console. Video games are evolving daily and many of them offer downloadable content (DLC) at a premium after they’ve been released. Think of them like expansion packs. Your family may own the game, but they may really want that new desert map all of their friends have been playing on, and a gift card could be their ticket in.

Surgeon Simulator — $9.99 Platforms: Steam, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Android phones/ tablets, iOS devices Ever wanted to perform openheart surgery without fear of consequence? Maybe you just want to see what happens when you fling a saw across an operating room.

Highly entertaining, a great party game. Blood and organs are present, but it all looks like playdough.

Goat Simulator — $9.99 Platforms: Steam, PS4, Xbox November 27, 2019 /

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COMMUNITY

Chamber welcomes Forrest M. Bird Charter Schools

By Reader Staff

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce welcomed Forrest M. Bird Charter Schools to its membership Nov. 13 at a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Named for the late inventor/innovator, Dr. Forrest M. Bird, the charter middle and high schools serve students grades six-12 in the surrounding Sandpoint area. Their mission is to “create

innovative learning opportunities by fostering community, individuality and imagination.” The schools limit grade sizes to 50 students and focus their education efforts on project-based learning in a creative environment.

They provide each student with one positive adult adviser to support the student’s success.

Programs like family and community engagement encourage partnerships with family and community in order to enhance student achievement in education by creating a welcoming school climate. They host events bringing parents, siblings, students, community and staff together to build authentic relationships and encourage meaningful volunteer opportunities. School administrators believe teamwork will build trust and trust in the school is crucial to student success.

“Being a smaller school allows us to focus on individual student needs while allowing students to grow their

Chamber staff and ambassadors join Mary Jensen and Jennifer Greve, along with their board members (and school mascot Maddie), at a ribbon cutting on Nov. 13. Courtesy photo.

learning through Project Based Learning with a Master Education Philosophy,” charter administrator Mary

Jensen said. “We are proud of our local community and excited to be new members of the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, where our staff and students can enhance our community ties and help … the community through community service projects.”

The charter school is funded through the state of Idaho publi -school system and there is no cost to the student or family to attend. It is based on an application and lottery system when needed. Applications are accepted throughout the year based on availability.

For more information visit forrestbirdcharterschool.org.

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PERSPECTIVES

Our turn: Together we can do better

By Mark Sauter Reader Contributor Last month the Bonner County Fire Chiefs Association (BCFCA) held three public forums. The BCFCA pointed out, in multiple, evidence-based ways, how Emergency Medical Services (EMS) would be improved in our county if all the EMS providers simply worked together, shared resources and communicated better.

If the BCFCA recommendations were implemented, response times would be reduced, patient care would improve and some duplication of service could be eliminated.

The following is an abbreviated list of the BCFCA recommendations:

Ambulance Operations Separate and relocate the two Bonner County Emergency Medical Service (BCEMS) department ambulances (and crews) housed near Bonner General Hospital. House one ambulance and crew at the Sandpoint fire station. Move the other ambulance and crew to the Northside fire station in Ponderay. These moves improve response times for Ponderay, Sandpoint and Kootenai immediately.

These moves eliminate a $7,000 per month BCEMS lease payment. This also eliminates the need for building two new “ambulance only” stations in the same communities as the noted fire stations. The Dufort Road and Highway 95 ambulance station built three years ago cost approximately $1.5 million. Administration of BCEMS should be moved to the Dufort Road ambulance station to further streamline spending and infrastructure utilization.

Emergency calls for service, equipment breakdowns and non-emergency patient transfers can quickly exhaust the available ambulances in the county. The research showed there is ample room in existing fire stations for at least two more 24/7 ambulances in the county — one below the Long Bridge and one between Priest River and Sandpoint.The ambulances could be staffed with a combination of firefighters and BCEMS employees.

The additional ambulances better serve their areas and back-up the existing ambulances. An additional reserve ambulance could be housed in Sandpoint for use during peak emergency demand.

Support The fire district and volunteer ambulance providers serve a critical role for EMS response times, emergency operations and for the extra staffing needed for patient care. To perform their duties well, they need proper

EMS training and equipment. Currently, they pay most of their EMS training costs and equipment purchases.

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) should fund the costs of EMS training and equipment for the fire district and volunteer ambulance providers from ambulance levy revenues. The volunteer ambulance areas — Clark Fork, Schweitzer and Priest Lake — bring in four times the revenue they get returned to them for their operations each year.

Governance The BOCC regionalized Bonner County EMS in 2005. They have directed and funded BCEMS operations, with the help of their own EMS manager, utilizing nearly all the ambulance levy and patient transport revenues as their funding source. The research revealed a large number of BCEMS managers have resigned or “moved on” since 2005.

The Fire Chiefs recommend the BOCC implement a joint powers board (JPB) concept like Kootenai County EMS. A combination of elected officials from the county, the cities and the fire and volunteer ambulance districts should be responsible for the oversight of the county-wide EMS system.

The JPB would provide accountability for every EMS dollar spent among all the providers, offer a more stable environment for the EMS manager and provide full transparency for the public and the providers.

There is currently no monthly forum for EMS operations for all representatives of the emergency providers, the medical community and other stakeholders in Bonner County. A group like this (with 10-15 participants) last met two years ago. The BOCC needs to restart a true stakeholder group. Working with all the providers is challenging. Doing the hard work of establishing supportive organizational relationships, developing consensus and team building are the best paths forward.

The BCFCA believe our county EMS system would be better if we implement these recommendations (and others we have already brought forward). Our community members and guests deserve the best patient care and robust EMS delivery system our emergency resources and revenues can provide.

Mark Sauter is the elected president of the Bonner County Fire Chiefs Association.

He served in the fire service for 30 years, holding the ranks of firefighter/paramedic through fire chief. He has committed more than 700 volunteer hours to this project.

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Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

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Happy Thanksgiving

Live Music Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA 8-11pm @ 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Devon Wade Join Sandpo Multi-instrumental indie folk-rock trio 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge and Packwo Sandpoint’s independent country singer Live Music w/ Echo Elysium Tree Lighting 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Come one, com DJ Night Spokane-based dynamic electric and Studio On 9pm-cl @ A&P’s Bar and Grill and acoustic guitarist. Free show 6pm, with a vis Pray for Snow party and Live Music w/ Dangerous Type 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Spokane-based 4-piece playing classic rock and funk favorites with 10 Barrel Brewing on tap. Drink specials, giveaways and a raffle to win a new snowboard! Pray for Snow!

Shook Twins’ ‘Giving Thanks’ concert 7:30pm @ Panida Theater It wouldn’t be Thanksgivint without a kickass Shook Twins show at the Panida! These Sandpoint natives will be joined by Honeysuckle (feat. Sandpoint’s own Holly McGarry) and John Craigie. This one sells out often, so make sure you get your tickets!

Live Mu 5-7pm @ New blu

Live Mu 7-10pm Acoustic and imp

Live Music & Brunch w/ Brian Jacobs Sandpoint Chess Club Littl 10am-7pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee 6-9p Sunday Brewery Brunch All day brunch, DIY mimosa bar and live Com 10am-7pm @ Matchwood Brewing music with Brian Jacobs from 11am-1pm IGA All day brunch, beer specials, DIY mimosas Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills Outdoor Experience 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Lifetree Cafe 6pm @ Outdoor Expe 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant A chill, three-mile(ish Karaoke This week’s topic: “Angels Among Us” beverages to follow. H 8-close @ Tervan

Giving Tuesday Night-Out Karaoke Trivia Night 7pm @ MickDuff’s All day @ Throughout Sandpoint 9pm @ 219 Lounge Show off that big, An international movement with a mission to Join DJ Webrix for a beautiful brain to donate to organizations in their region tha night of singing, or Djembe class just come to drink FSPW Giving T 5:45-7:30pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint 5-8pm @ MickD and listen Join Ali Thomas for this djembe (drum) class Bring a receipt fr Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Tom Duebendorfer Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

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

Sandpoint Cutthroat Lacrosse Club 5-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority With Deschutes Brewery beer on tap, Marty Perron and Doug Bond, silent and raffle prizes and complimentary app

Repeal Day Prohibition Party 5:30-9pm @ 219 Lounge Travel back in time for this Bonner Co. History Museum fu the 1930s as the Niner turns into a speakeasy! Dress to im sic cocktails offered and delicious eats and music of the era

ful

Nov. 28 - Dec. 5, 2019

ng!

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

Turkey Trot • 9am @ Travers Park Join Litehouse YMCA and Sandpoint Parks and Recreation for the 12th Annual Turkey Trot and food drive. This low-key event features a 5k, 10k, or whatever distance you want to run or walk (no bikes or dogs). This fun run is free with your nonperishable donation to the Bonner Community Food Bank. Arrive early to drop off donations and to sign a participation waiver (minors need a parent or guardian signature). Best costume wins a pie!

Schweitzer Opening Day ive Music w/ BTP All Day Happy Hour 9am-3:30pm @ Schweitzer Mtn. Resort 12-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. -11pm @ Eichardt’s Pub oin Sandpoint trio Baker Thomas The Basin Express Quad will be open Shop local, drink local, with an all day nd Packwood for a night of classics servicing only Midway until more snow! happy hour, featuring gift card deals, Lighting and Santa’s Arrival • 5pm @ Jeff Jones Town Square swag, holiday beer deals and more! e one, come all as Sandpoint kicks off the holiday season. Festive carolers Thunderstruck 18 film Studio One dancers will perform from 5-6pm and the tree lighting follows at 6pm @ Panida Theater Extreme snowmobiling film , with a visit from Santa Claus at 6:10pm!

Santa at Cedar St. Bridge Teen Bowling and Pool 11am-3pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Competition Santa will visit with children from 11-3!

3:30pm @ Karaoke DJ Night Live Music w/ John Firshi Huckleberry Lanes 8-close @ Tervan 9pm-cl @ A&P’s 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Join the Sandpoint Teen Acoustic originals, obscure covers, Center for their Teen Bow- Live Music w/ Truck Mills 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery and improvised loop jams. Yeah baby ing and Pool Compeition A wide variety of blues, esp. country blues Live Music w/ Turn Spit Dogs 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority New blues rock group

Altra Running Shoe Demo and Group Run Little Wolf in Concert 9am @ Outdoor Experience 6-9pm @ The Longshot Come see a special concert with indie folk stars Little Wolf (Josh Hedlund and Justin Landis) with Harold’s IGA opening and lots of special guests! $10 suggested donation for this special show at the Longshot.

Parade of Trees (Dec. 2-5) • 8am-4pm @ BGH Classroom xperience Monday Night Run All proceeds to benefit the BGH Employee and Volunteer Education Fund door Experience ee-mile(ish) group run with optional o follow. Headlamps recommended

Bonner Mall Seniors Day 9am-12pm @ Bonner Mall mission to help encourage local communities All are welcome to walk the region that are accomplishing good things mall, plus there will be a featured W Giving Tuesday event speaker or entertainment. Free re@ MickDuff’s Beer Hall freshments, games and a drawing a receipt from a local retailer to enter for a prize

osse Club Fundraiser rity er on tap, live music by nd, silent auction items mentary appetizers served

Museum fundraiser to Dress to impress, clasc of the era. No cover.

National Wild Turkey Federation Happy Hour 5-8pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. A happy hour event with $1 of every beer sold will be donated to the cause. This event supports building local membership and education Festival of Trees (Dec. 5-7) 4-6pm @ Bonner County Fairgrounds Thursday night is family night, open to the public and free of charge! Enjoy hot cocoa, cookies and a visit with Santa and view the magically-decorated trees

Dec. 6 Backcountry Film Festival @ Panida Theater Dec. 7 Waldorf School Christmas Faire @ Sandpoint Waldorf School

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COMMUNITY

Sandpoint holiday events light up downtown

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Downtown Sandpoint is a magical place during the holidays. After three months of construction along First Avenue and Cedar Street, the city of Sandpoint took the fencing down between the sidewalk and street Monday, offering holiday shoppers a wider berth and more breathing room while ambulating downtown.

The city of Sandpoint has a handful of events scheduled from Thanksgiving through December. Take a look and support your downtown:

Sandpoint’s annual tree lighting Creations for Sandpoint hosts the annual tree lighting at Jeff Jones Square at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29. Join the crowd of revelers for caroling, a dance performance

by Studio 1, warm beverages and goodies.

Santa Claus will also make an appearance.

Small Business Saturday Support downtown Sandpoint merchants on Saturday, Nov. 30 for this nationally recognized event. There will be in-store giveaways and more at downtownsandpoint.com.

First Friday Pend Oreille Arts Council, the Pend d’Oreille Winery and the Sandpoint Shopping District team meet up every first Friday of the month to offer shopping deals, art exhibits and an after party at the winery. This month’s event starts at 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 6 and ends with the Pend d’Oreille Winery after party from 6:30-8 p.m. Shoppers receive a raffle ticket with every purchase at a participating business. Prizes include gift certificates to local businesses and POAC events (must be present at the after party to win).

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A holiday motif atop Burl Wood Dreams on First Avenue. Courtesy photo.

Girls Night Out Grab your girlfriends and tackle some holiday shopping on Friday, Dec. 13. This annual tradition starts at Cedar St. Bistro on the Cedar St. Bridge with pre-event live music and wine, and finishes at the Pend d’Oreille Winery with an after party from 7-9 p.m., with live music and a passport drawing (get four punches on your passport at participating retailers and enter to win a prize). The grand prize is a shopping spree totalling $400. The pre-party will be from 3-5 p.m. at the Cedar St. Wine Bar and the shopping will take place from 3-8 p.m. at participating stores.

Last-Minute Late-Night Shopping For those who procrastinate on holiday shopping, downtown retailers have got you covered Friday, Dec. 20 with sales, specials and last-minute gift ideas to check off the boxes. The 219 Lounge will also offer a late-night pint special when you make a purchase at a participating merchant’s store.

Window Decorating Competition The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce hosts the second annual Window Decorating Competition from Friday, Nov. 29 through Friday, Dec. 20.

Downtown businesses will be Lighting Up Downtown with their unique window displays. Pick up a map and voters’ ballot at the tree lighting Nov. 29 or at each participating business. Categories include people’s choice, social media favorite and grand prize.

Winners will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 24.

For more info and additional events, visit the Sandpoint Shopping District page on Facebook.

COMMUNITY

Shopping spree raffle winners

By Reader Staff For the second year, local nonprofit P.E.O. has raised money for women’s education by selling raffle tickets. Graduating senior girls from Sandpoint and Clark Fork can apply for scholarships and this past year Chapter CA gave five. A portion of the money raised also goes to four lucky winners of Yoke’s gift cards, drawn at an Oct. 24 luncheon.

Winners included: 1st prize: Linda Raynor, $400 2nd prize: Camile McKitrick, $200 3rd prize: Maribeth Portz, $100 4th prize: David Libbey, $50 Like last year, the first-place winner generously donated their gift card to a local nonprofit. Linda Raynor chose to donate hers to the Bonner Community Food Bank.

Debbie Love, the manager of the Sandpoint location, was thrilled to receive the gift —

From left to right: Camille McKitrick, Judy Payne, Cindy Wanek, Dusty Johnson, Debbie Love, Carol Warren.

Courtesy photo. especially during the holiday season. The food bank serves 4,200 clients each month and the extra money for food is greatly appreciated.

The gift cards were presented at Yoke’s

by Cindy Wanek, a member of Chapter CA. P.E.O. Chapter CA appreciated all the people who purchased tickets in the raffle, knowing the money would go to a good cause even if they didn’t win. Yoke’s provided a place to sell the tickets and advertise the shopping spree. The chapter will announce its scholarship winners in the spring.

If any female seniors are interested in applying for these scholarships, contact Scholarship Committee member Nancy Lewis at nancylewis1733@gmail.com.

Support local organizations on Giving Tuesday

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Since 2012, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving has been dubbed Giving Tuesday — an international day of charitable giving intended to kick off the holiday season.

Engineered as a response to rampant commercialization and consumerism that occurs post-Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday has been billed as a chance to give worthy organizations a philanthropic boost.

Locally, it’s a chance for donors to support outfits that have done good things for the community.

Several local organizations are participating in Giving Tuesday on Dec. 3.

The Bonner County History Museum is seeking to raise $8,000 this year, with the museum board agreeing to match the first $2,000 raised. The museum hopes to raise the money, “$5 at a time.” To donate, click the Giving Tuesday button at bonnercountyhistory.org.

Creations for Sandpoint has set a

fundraising goal of $20,000 this year to build an indoor treehouse in their 7- to 12-year-old discovery play area. Already, with grants, donations and fundraisers, Creations has raised $14,000 of that goal.

The nonprofit declared that all donations received on Giving Tuesday will go directly to building the treehouse. To donate, visit creationsforsandpoint.org.

The Friends of Scotchman Peaks are celebrating Giving Tuesday with a get-together at MickDuff’s Beer Hall from 5-8 p.m. on Dec. 3. The Friends have encouraged locals to stop by between 5-8 p.m. with a receipt from a local retailers (dated no earlier than Nov. 29) for a chance to win prizes from the FSPW merchandise store. Or just stop by to chat with fellow wilderness lovers over a pint. To donate to FSPW, check out scotchmanpeaks.org.

This is by no means a comprehensive list — any local nonprofit would be happy to accept donations, so consider supporting your favorite community organization on Dec. 3. Every little bit helps.

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HEALTH

Simple. Clean. Beautiful.

EarthLab Cosmetics returns to Sandpoint after finding Canadian success

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

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Like most great innovations, EarthLab Cosmetics was born out of sheer necessity.

Jennifer MacDougall and her mom, Diane Peterson, began looking into gentle, natural alternatives to traditional makeup when they couldn’t seem to escape skin sensitivities.

“I found that [with] anything I put on my skin, I would get irritation,” MacDougall said. “Anywhere from breaking out in a rash to my skin would literally burn.”

Thanks to plenty of research and experimentation, the pair eventually started their own line of clean makeup and skincare products: EarthLab Cosmetics. The business debuted on First Avenue in Sandpoint in 2008, but eventually made its way to Canada, where EarthLab is widely recognized as a natural, organic option in the beauty industry.

Now, EarthLab is back in Sandpoint, as MacDougall is doing demos out of Headlines Salon at 223 Cedar St. She said she moved back to North Idaho so that she and her two daughters, ages 9 and 10, could be closer to her parents.

“Plus, I love Sandpoint,” she said.

What started it all was EarthLab’s loose mineral foundation, which MacDougall said is an essential substitute for traditional — and oftentimes unforgiving — powders.

“It makes your skin soft and dewy,” she said.

Aside from the mineral foundation, Earthlab’s makeup line is made up of mineral blush and bronzer, eyeliner, mascara lip gloss and more. EarthLab also began offering a skincare line in recent years.

“I call it a simple line, but [there’s] some amazing products,” MacDougall said, “and all with clean ingredients.”

EarthLab boasts about the fact that consumers can actually pronounce those ingredients — a stark contrast from the verbal backflips required to navigate the processed ingredients going into drugstore makeup.

Some easy-to-identify EarthLab ingredients include kaolin clay, zinc oxide and mica in the makeup, and essential oil blends, cucumber extract, aloe and mango butter in the skincare line.

That’s also how EarthLab offers so

Headlines Salon owner Kim Bond, left, and Earthlab Cosmetics owner Jen MacDougall, right. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert. many gluten free products. Though “gluten free” is often associated with food products for those with wheat sensitivities, MacDougall said it makes sense to apply the same thinking to makeup.

“Your skin is the largest organ on your body. Your skin absorbs everything,” she said. “So if you’re putting something on — a makeup or a beauty product that has wheat or gluten in it — that’s getting absorbed into your body as well.”

EarthLab’s products are also vegan — free of animal-derived ingredients and never tested on animals.

“We can test on ourselves,” MacDougall said. “If you’re afraid to test it on yourself and you have to use an animal, what are you putting in there?”

MacDougall said she hopes to make more women aware of her products by offering consultations at Headlines Salon, and to hopefully demonstrate the quality of product that can come in a clean package.

“There’s this falsity ... that organic and natural makeup doesn’t wear the same, doesn’t hold up the same, isn’t going to perform as well,” she said. “It couldn’t be more false. It’s all about ingredients.”

EarthLab is currently offering free demos with a Raw Mascara purchase. Schedule an appointment by calling 208-627-3079.

Learn more about EarthLab Cosmetics at earthlab.ca or on Facebook at facebook. com/earthlabcosmetics.

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COMMUNITY

12th annual Turkey Trot

Burn some Thanksgiving calories while supporting the Food Bank

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Americans ingest 3,000 to 4,500 calories at an average Thanksgiving dinner, which is almost double the recommended daily allowance.

But hey, it’s a holiday right?

For those seeking a way to jumpstart their metabolism before the festive event, or for families interested in a physical activity that everyone can participate in, look no further: The 12th annual Turkey Trot is here.

A collaboration between Sandpoint Parks and Recreation and Litehouse YMCA, this yearly tradition takes place Thursday, Nov. 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at Travers Park, 2102 Pine St. in Sandpoint.

It’s a non-competitive, casual event open to walkers, joggers and ambulators of all ages.

“It’s a casual event for families, kids, everyone,” said branch manager Tammy Campbell. “We want everyone to come out for it.”

This year marks the first Turkey Trot Litehouse YMCA will participate in after taking over for Sandpoint West Athletic Club in November 2018.

“Something I didn’t realize would be happening was that people dress up,” Campbell said. “I find that super exciting.

We give a coupon for a free pie from The

Pie Hut for the best costume.”

As this is a casual event, strollers are welcome, but please no dogs or bicycles.

Participants can run or walk any distance they wish.

Campbell said the mission is to support the Bonner Community Food Bank.

The entry fee for the event is simple: just bring a non-perishable food item and you’re in.

“We’re hoping to raise 1,400 pounds for the Food Bank this year,” Campbell said.

Besides the philanthropic cause, Campbell said it’s important to share physical activity with family, especially on a day when overeating is the norm.

“I feel like if any time you can get your family together to do physical activity, even casual, that’s a positive,” she said. “It’s a great chance to get out there and get your blood pumping and support your community.”

20th annual Festival of Trees

Kinderhaven’s biggest fundraiser of the year

By Reader Staff

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Kinderhaven’s 20th annual Festival of Trees will kick off Thursday, Dec. 5 with Family Night from 4-6 p.m. at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. Families are welcome to tour the magically decorated trees free of charge, with hot cocoa, cookies and a visit with Santa.

The Holiday Luncheon will take place from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6 at the fairgrounds. The event consists of a silent auction, after which participants can head over to the main event area for lunch and a viewing of the decorated trees.

Tickets are $50 each or table sponsorships are $650 (for eight people).

The Grand Gala will be on Saturday, / November 27, 2019

Dec. 7, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

Guests will partake in hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar while perusing silent auction items. After the auction, guests will move onto dinner provided by Ivano’s Ristorante and a live auction of the decorated trees and packages. Tickets to the gala are $85 each or $1,400 for a table sponsorship.

This event marks the biggest fundraiser of the year for Kinderhaven, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting children in crisis and giving them back their right to thrive by providing safe, secure homes in which their emotional, physical and mental well-being are protected and enriched.

For more information, visit kinderhavensandpoint.com.

STAGE & SCREEN

A striking snowmobile film Thunderstruck 18 brings extreme backcountry sledding to the Panida

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff What the late, great Warren Miller did for ski movies, Thunderstruck Films has been doing for snowmobiling with more than 20 films since 2000.

The Colorado-based company helped pioneer the genre of snowmobiling movies with its Thunderstruck films — a series that this year reached 18 installments and with the latest set to screen Friday, Nov. 29 at the Panida Theater.

Presented by the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center and showing at 6 p.m., Thunderstruck 18 is currently touring throughout the West in both the United States and Canada. The Panida show follows a premiere in Calgary, Alberta and will be followed by a Nov. 30 screening in Revelstoke, B.C. Team Thunderstruck specializes in pushing the sport of backcountry snowmobiling to its outer limits with insane hill climbs, hair-raising crashes and death-defying jumps in awe-inspiring locales. Quick-cuts and driving music fuel every Thunderstruck film, amounting to a feature-length feast of super-charged excitement as expert riders show just what can be done with a good sled and no small amount of chutzpah.

Founded in 1996 by rider Jim Phalen, who started with little more than a handy-

Sledder Shad Simmons performs a pirouette in a previous Thunderstruck film. Courtesy photo. cam and some friends, the company has since grown into “the only snowmobiling film in the world that incorporates every genre and style of western riding,” according to snowest.com.

The Thunderstruck series has piled up a good number of awards over the years, including “Best Rider in a Snowmobile Film” from Xtremey five times between 2004 and 2008. A host of more than 20 international riders make up the team, including a few Idahoans such as Riley Jensen-Hoyle, of Island Park; Julio Eiguren, of Boise by way of Australia; Mark Mesenbrink, of Hayden; Sid Huntsman, of Idaho Falls; and John Outhet, of Star.

As the company’s mission statement puts it: “Thunderstruck Films mission is to promote the sport of snowmobiling through the filming of our crazy antics and to hope that no one ever tries to repeat what we do in our films!”

Fair enough, but it’s definitely recommended that you watch those antics on film if you’re a fan of high-energy backcountry motorsports, complete with amazing deep powder sledding and stellar cinematography.

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater

Kitchen comfort

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

As much as I love my travels to foreign destinations, exploring fascinating new (to me) cultures and sampling unknown foods that amuse my palate, our old friend Dorothy from Kansas said it best: “There’s no place like home.” Nothing affirms that statement more than the familiar homestretch, crossing the iconic Long Bridge.

I often find myself foregoing the more efficient bypass so I can make a loop through our sweet little village and check out what’s happened since I last left town (this past year has seen myriad changes). I especially love it when the town is lit up pretty for the holiday season.

It’s the time of year when I like to plant my feet in Ponder Point, listening to Pink Martini and baking lots of holiday favorites, especially for each of my kids: Irish shortbread for Ryanne, Mexican wedding cakes for Zane and Blarney Stones for Casey. Though not one of my children — nor theirs — has ever included my holiday fruitcake on their favorites list (I don’t think they have even dared to taste it!), it never stops me from making a double batch.

Late every October, I whip up a double batch of the thick batter and bake it in a variety of small lined pans, after garnishing it with the requisite pecan halves and maraschino cherries. After baking and cooling, I cover the tops with cheesecloth that’s been moistened in good Irish whiskey.

Then, every other week or so, I give it another dose of whiskey until it’s cured and ready for Christmas.

Much has been said about the

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holiday fruitcake. Like them or not, they were a tradition in my childhood home and the familiar, fragrant smell that comes from my oven evokes tender moments from my past.

I just filtered and decanted a small batch of homemade huckleberry vodka, a gift for a special friend. It’s the first time I’ve made it since preparing a huge batch for Casey’s wedding six years ago (shipped to Chicago under the guise of homemade vinegar). Again, the familiar fragrance and ritual of macerating huckleberries brought back all the memories associated with preparing for her perfect wedding.

Casey has been a vegetarian for more than 15 years, yet one of her favorite aromas is still a pot roast, braising in the oven, reminiscent of her own youth.

She says if she ever comes back to carnivorism, it will be for a bite of her mother’s pot roast.

Thanksgiving is coming right up, and every one of us has that familial food or two we expect to see served up on the holiday table. On our table — along with the obligatory turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy — you’ll find a heaping bowl of colcannon and a big serving of potato and onion stuffing. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without them.

I’m not even sure if we savor these foods because they are so delicious or because they provide such sentimental value to us. like the fruitcake. Personally, I love preparing food with others as much as I love sitting down and sharing it at the table.

It seems there’s always family lore involved with prep time —

a certain knife, a specific pan or a kitchen spat over cooking time — that we can now laugh about each time we gather.

I have more recipes and cookbooks than the average human. Many were gifts from loved ones or former catering clients and are autographed by the chef/author. Some were gifts from publishers or authors of books for which I tested recipes, and a couple even contain my own contributions. The cookbooks are mostly well organized (thanks to my journalism professor son-in-law, Russ) on shelves that line my kitchen walls, stairway landing and half the wall space in a spare bedroom.

Collectively, that’s thousands of recipes, acquired over 40 or so years. I know and love most of them by heart, yet it’s the same

Fondant potatoes

dog-eared handful in my collection that I use the most.

I have a penchant for the books I discovered in the ’70s and ’80s, when I started becoming more confident with my culinary skills and I could finally afford the ingredients. Fondant potatoes are one of those foods for me. Once I discovered these crispy and tender potatoes, I made them until I had perfected the recipe — and gained more than a pound or two.

I’d be tarred and feathered if I placed them on the Thanksgiving table, so I’ll save them for Boxing Day, paired with roasted prime rib. But honestly — between us — they’re pretty darn tasty alongside a turkey.

-8 servings

These potatoes are crispy, tender and a perfect side to roasted meats. Or, for a delicious vegetarian entrée, use vegetable stock and serve with a salad and Greek yogurt.

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

• 4 Idaho Russet potatoes (evenly sized) • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • 3 tbs olive oil, for searing the potatoes.

• 3-4 cups vegetable, chicken or beef stock (more or less) • 1 cup of butter • 6 cloves of crushed garlic • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary (chop one for garnish) • A few sprigs fresh thyme • Sea salt flakes, for serving • Chopped chives and rosemary, for garnish

Peel the potatoes with a knife (not a peeler — you will lose some potato with the peeling), into cylinder shape, then cut evenly in half. Soak in salt water, pat dry just before cooking.

Place an oven-proof pan on stovetop on medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Sear the potatoes in the hot pan on both sides until golden brown (don’t undercook).

Set potatoes on a plate; pour off any remaining olive oil; reduce pan heat; and add the butter, garlic, sage, rosemary and thyme, stirring until butter melts. Return potatoes to pan, coat all sides, stand on end, then add stock, not quite to top of the potatoes.

Place in a 450-degree oven and cook until the potatoes are golden and tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Lift from stock and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle with sea salt, finely

chopped rosemary and chopped chives. Ladle a little stock over the potatoes and serve.

FEATURE

‘The saloon will never come back’

Sandpoint’s boozy history makes it the perfect place for a prohibition repeal party

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff It is a well known fact that Sandpoint’s early history was rough and tumble. When researchers excavated the original townsite on the Sand Creek peninsula preceding work on the byway, they unearthed nearly 600,000 artifacts — the largest archeological dig in Idaho history. What they found was evidence of widespread debauchery.

As reported in The Other Side of Sandpoint: Early History and Archaeology Beside the Tracks, which covered excavation and analysis from 2006-2013, opium and tobacco pipes “are very common in the Sandpoint assemblage,” as were huge amounts of alcohol bottles, jugs and alcohol-related items such as bottle openers, bottle caps, even an absinth glass and spoon. The presence of booze paraphernalia was so prolific among the artifacts that the inventory contains a completely separate object category marked “alcohol.”

This seedy state of affairs prevailed from the late 1800s until a series of raids and closures targeting the “Restricted District” on the east side of Sand Creek from 1906-1916. By 1921, nearly all the brothels, dance halls, saloons, opium dens, unsanctioned boxing rings and cockfighting pits had been closed as Sandpoint made its “bid for respectability,” as The Other Side of Sandpoint put it.

At the same time, public morals were front and center in both state and national politics. Idaho had long been a bastion of the anti-saloon movement, outlawing Sunday liquor sales in 1907 and passing a constitutional amendment barring all booze sales in 1917. In the meantime, Bonner County went voluntarily dry in 1913. These measures predated the Eighteenth Amendment, which extended the prohibition on alcohol sales and consumption nationwide effective Jan. 19, 1919.

Ratification 100 years ago touched off the so-called Prohibition Era, which lasted until repeal on Dec. 5, 1933 — 14 years during which organized crime flourished

in service of the illicit trade in spirits. The country may have gone officially “dry,” but its citizens were as “wet” as ever thanks to the bootleggers who made sure the liquor flowed in spite of the Volstead Act. To celebrate the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, the Bonner County History Museum is partnering with the 219 Lounge to host a Repeal Day Prohibition Party on Friday, Dec. 5. From 5:30-9:30 p.m. at the 219, step into a modern-day speakeasy with live music, prohibition-style cocktails, an exhibit, hot eats and general revelry intended to celebrate “the cocktails that were lost to… the great music that came out of… the iconic clothing worn during… and the mixed bar culture that resulted from… Prohibition.”

Use the password “coffin varnish” to order from the special menu, though admission is free for imbibers 21 and older.

A portion of proceeds go to support the museum, and as history shows, Sandpoint is the perfect place for a prohibition party. Far from the splashy mobsters of Chicago and New York, Sandpoint’s own history with prohibition was no less exciting.

Drawing from the sprawling archive of Sandpoint newspapers dating back to the 1890s and hosted online by the East Bonner County Library, it becomes immediately clear how central a place prohibition played in the life of the town.

In 1913, the pages of the Northern Idaho News featured heated debate over the efficacy of prohibition. An op-ed titled “Saloons vs Bootleggers” penned by Mrs. W.V. Dell offered a sophisticated analysis of how licensed sales could benefit local institutions whereas saloons destroyed morals and bootlegging brought with it all the evils of the liquor trade with none of its ancillary benefits.

In 1915, no less than town matron Ella M. Farmin wrote a letter to the editor in the Pend d’Oreille Review calling on the local press to help give prohibition “a fair trial” and “cultivate a sentiment for law enforcement in our community.”

In 1916, the Northern Idaho News carried another op-ed decrying the “prohibitoriness of prohibition,” which argued that while Idaho’s anti-liquor law was “the most Draconian … ever written into the book of laws,” it seldom went fully enforced. The next year, the Pend d’Oreille Review printed a story about the so-called “fighting parson,” Rev. MacCaughey, running for city council on a dry platform.

While the editorialist claimed support for law enforcement, he or she also noted wryly that no one wanted to pay for it: “The city hasn’t a police power sufficient to ‘keep after bootleggers’ in the manner it would be necessary to keep after them to make Sandpoint ‘dry’ under municipal authority.”

Finally, with the Eighteenth Amendment firmly in place in 1919, the Northern Idaho News published a strident attack on prohibition, equating it with Bolshevism in its curtailment of rights and warning that moralistic legislation could be bent to serve anti-capitalist ends. “[T]he precedent of prohibition will be found securely imbedded in the constitution of the United States to justify every measure of confiscation and every invasion of personal rights that predatory Socialism may decree,” the editorialist wrote.

“Lenine and Trotzky are ingrates indeed if they have not cabled their congratulations to the Anti-Saloon league.”

The headlines from 1900 to 1923 are filled with examples of bootlegging and public hand-wringing over what to do about it. Local characters like “Thirsty Tim” McCarty, a “lumberjack and general bad man”; “Chuck Slough Pete” Pearson; and Charles Dale, the “king of the bootleggers,” cut wide swaths through the newsprints. A search of the terms “prohibition,” “prohibitionist” and “prohibitionism” returns 2,318 results from Sandpoint newspapers dated 1900-1939.

Among the more dramatic tales to come out of Prohibition Era Sandpoint was the case of Bonner County Sheriff William Kirkpatrick, whose career as a lawman exploded in 1923 when he was

arrested first for bribery and, upon further investigation, implicated as the ringleader in a complex scheme to rob a bootleggers’ train bound for Spokane and keep the spoils for himself and his associates.

In its Nov. 27, 1923 edition, the Northern Idaho News devoted several thousand words to Kirkpatrick’s trial in Coeur d’Alene, which painted a riveting picture of local corruption. As prosecutors successfully argued, Kirkpatrick conspired with his deputy, Ralph Decker (whose right middle finger had been “mutilated” by Mrs. James Folden when she bit his hand during a liquor raid at White’s Lunch in 1921) to steal nearly 100 cases of illicit liquor from a train as it stopped in Sandpoint for coal and water.

The midnight caper included handoffs and safe havens with bagmen at the Club pool house and the county jail itself — even a pair of country doctors and the sheriff’s own daughter. Decker served as courier and general lieutenant in the crimes, driving back and forth from the train to the jail, the Club, a secret staging ground south of the Long Bridge and an isolated spot past the slaughter house on the Dover highway.

Over the course of three days, Kirkpatrick and his several co-conspirators criss-crossed the area trying to dispose of their contraband, but things got serious when some Spokane bootleggers caught wind of the operation and attacked one of the booze cars where it sat — stuck on a stump — south of the Long Bridge. The violence didn’t

Whiskey bottles found smuggled in pig carcasses that were seized at the border during the Prohibition Era. Photo courtesy Bonner Co. History Museum. sit well with Decker, as he testified, “I drove up town and drove around town and decided to wash my hands of the affair. I drove to the place where the other men were and told them of my decision.”

That didn’t sit well with the syndicate, as Len Ulrich — a German immigrant with a thick accent — threatened Decker that the members had “lots of money behind them and they would make trouble for him.”

Nonetheless, he confessed to the grand jury about the details of the crime, which led to Kirkpatrick being found guilty of conspiracy, sentenced to a year in jail in Kootenai County and a $1,000 fine.

In an opinion piece following the verdict — and amid Kirkpatrick’s refusal to give up his star, which he was forced to do by court order in early 1924 — the Northern Idaho News shook its head at the unrest prohibition had brought to Sandpoint.

“As long as it is so profitable there will be illicit traffic,” the paper wrote. “The prohibition law has extirpated some of the worst evils of the liquor business. But it has also brought some evils in its train.”

History has proved that to be an apt analysis, yet the paper made one somewhat iffy prediction: “The saloon will never come back, there is no chance that it ever will.”

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FOOD

A delicious decade

Dish at Dover Bay celebrates 10 years by staying open all winter

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

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As the Dish at Dover Bay restaurant enters its 10th year in business, owner Gary Peitz and executive chef Eddie Sneva have plenty to celebrate.

For one thing, rarely in the restaurant business do you see the head of management and executive chef stick together for an entire decade. Second, that consistency has led them to be able to remain open through the winter for the first time ever, with the summertime hotspot set to be open 4-9 p.m., Thursday-Sunday, even through the coldest of seasons.

“We’ve always had requests to stay open [in the winter],” Peitz said, “but we wanted to get to a point where we thought we’d be successful, and Dish is probably more popular than it’s ever been.”

Though most would likely think of tacos and avocado fries on the sunny, waterfront deck when they think of Dish, the changing seasons means a change in offerings. On the winter menu, Sneva highlighted the kale and squash salad, shrimp and polenta, Columbia River steelhead, pan-seared duck breast and stuffed acorn squash chicken pot pie as some signature Dish meals going into the colder months — “fun, good, hearty, comfort winter food,” as Sneva summed it up.

“To his credit, [Sneva] has basically 100 percent creativity with the menu and has kept it vibrant and fresh for 10 years, where a lot of our competition ... run the same menu year after year after year,” Peitz said.

The Dish team also takes pride in providing gluten-free and vegetarian options, all made with quality ingredients.

“We could go with a lot cheaper ingredients and charge the same amount, and we don’t do that,” Peitz said. “From the quality of the food to the quality of the drinks and the wine — the price point is right, especially for being on the water.”

The Dish cocktail menu has also been updated for winter, featuring a snickerdoodle martini and hot buttered rum — but the ever-popular blood orange martini remains on the menu, as well. Peitz said rarely a night goes by that he doesn’t receive a compliment about the work of longtime Dish bartender Val Guglielmetti.

Though Peitz originally imagined Dish would be home to a bar scene known for

its happy hours, the restaurant has grown into something more refined in the decade since it opened.

“We have become a true dinner house,” Peitz said. “We are a destination dinner house, and in the deep summer, that — in combination with being in a marina — is what fuels this place.”

But with the water too low to sustain that marina scene over the fall and winter months, Peitz said he’s relying more than ever on locals to fill the tables at Dish.

Thankfully, that’s something they’ve been doing a lot of lately.

“We’ve got to give a shout out to the Dover Bay residents,” he said, “because really, without them, we wouldn’t be sitting here.”

Top: Dish owner Gary Peitz, left, and Dish executive chef Eddie Sneva, right. Photo

by Lyndsie Kiebert.

Bottom left: Pan-seared duck breast, available at Dish. Photo by Eddie Sneva.

Bottom Right: Stuffed acorn squash chicken pot pie. Photo by Eddie Sneva.

Dish is located at 651 Lakeshore Ave. in Dover. View the full Dish winter menu at dishatdoverbay.com.

MUSIC

What g es around c mes ar und Fueled by nostalgia, vinyl is back (and better than ever)

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The Recording Industry Association of America noted in its mid-year 2019 report that vinyl records earned $224.1 million in the first half of the year, which is closing in on CD sales for the same period, which earned $247.9 million. If these trends hold, vinyl records could soon outsell CDs, a feat that hasn’t been achieved since 1986 (fun fact, Madonna’s True Blue was the best-selling album of 1986).

Even on the rise, vinyl still pales in comparison to digital and streaming sales, only contributing about 4% of total revenue during the first half of 2019. Paid subscriptions to streaming services like Spotify generated 62% of industry revenues. Also, since CDs average $13.32 each and vinyl records average almost double that at $26.06 each, it’s clear the costs are much higher to produce vinyl, so we may still be years away from the format officially surpassing CDs. But one thing remains crystal clear: vinyl is back.

According to The Guardian,

“Lonely, middle-aged men love vinyl.” The resurgence is not driven by younger adults wanting to embrace the novelty of a physical item, but by those wishing to stoke midlife nostalgia. According to London-based research data group YouGove, those most likely to purchase vinyl records were aged between 45 and 54, while those from the 18-24 age group were least likely to buy the old format.

Local collectors, regardless of age, have a variety of reasons why they are drawn to wax.

“The format is really interesting and it’s a connection to the past,” said Josh Hedlund, who has collected 800-1,000 records since his early teens. “One of the biggest things about listening to a record is the sound quality.

There’s something unique about it — but also, it forces you to engage with the music more.

When I sit down a put on a record, I listen to the whole thing. You’re not just skipping around like you would with an mp3. It keeps you involved.”

Racheal Baker — who is neither lonely, nor middle-aged, nor a man — collects and listens to vinyl because of the connection

to her family.

“It reminds me of my dad, who has a huge vinyl collection,” Baker said. “I grew up listening to vinyl. I like the noise - that little crackle. It’s totally nostalgic for me. It was just so relaxing to listen to when I was a child, hearing that crackly noise and going through records with him. It developed into what I listen to now.”

Both Hedlund and Baker said they buy most of their vinyl from thrift stores, where old records can be obtained for as little as 50 cents.

Jeremy Holzapfel’s vinyl collection is a bit more specialized, thanks to his history of deejaying and mixing records for parties and raves over the years.

“I’ve probably streamed my collection down to about 400 records,” Holzapfel said. “I used to have thousands.”

Holzapfel said most of his collection amounts to singles, which he uses to sample hip hop breaks from.

“I especially like the feel of vinyl, especially when you’re mixing records,” he said. “I’ve tried mixing CDs and playing with the computer, but there’s a totally different connection when you’re touching the records and feeling the grooves. It’s the sound of vinyl itself versus the crispness of a CD

or an mp3.”

For Tim Henney, whose age is higher than the fastest RPM one can play on a record and was lonely and middle-aged when Nixon was being impeached, vinyl reminds him of simpler times.

“My mom collected records,” Henney said. “When I put on Helen Forester or Peggy Lee or Rosemary Clooney, it reminds me of good times. It brings back memories of people who aren’t here anymore.”

With a collection of more than 1,000 records, Henney doesn’t purchase new titles anymore, but claims his collection spans generations of singers.

For those seeking to start their own vinyl collections, National Record Store Day falls on Friday, Nov. 29. This day — also celebrated on April 19 — aims to bring those who love the unique culture of records together with independent record store owners.

Local shop 7B Grooves, located inside the Cedar St. Station at 502 Cedar St., is a great starting point, with new and used records, record players and accessories and a knowledgeable staff that can help steer budding collectors into a lifelong habit.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Little Wolf, Harold’s IGA and Special Guests; Dec. 1; The Longshot Those in the know regarding the Sandpoint local music scene have long known the work of singer-songwriter Josh Hedlund, who along with fellow wellknown local musician Justin Landis performs as Little Wolf.

While for more than 15 years Hedlund has been a sought-after solo artist, strumming his intricate melodies and delivering lyrics of trademark complexity and feeling, the collaboration with accomplished guitarist, drummer, keyboard player and vocalist Landis brings ever more complexity and depth to Little Wolf’s sound.

The Longshot, Sandpoint’s new “all day cafe,” is the perfect venue for these pillars of the Sandpoint sound, made even better with the addition of Harold’s IGA as opener and a super-secret special guest that those in the know will also know, but only if they’re there in person. No spoilers here.

— Zach Hagadone 6-9 p.m., $10 suggested donation. The Longshot, 102 S. Boyer Ave., longshotsandpoint.com.

Pray for Snow Party; Nov. 30; 219 Lounge

Ah, that time of year when the religious and agnostic alike clasp their hands together to plead with the powers that be to bring snow.

The annual Pray for Snow Party at the 219 Lounge has become a right of winter passage, with prize giveaways, free entry, a retro ski costume contest and the chance to win a free snowboard.

Spokane-based band Dangerous Type will bring their unique blend of classic rock and funk from 9 p.m.-midnight, and 10 Barrel Brewing Co. will be featured on tap all night.

If beer, free prizes, live music and DayGlo ski outfits haven’t convinced you yet, the 219 Lounge will donate a portion of all beer sales during the event to Kaniksu Land Trust, which recently gave the community the gift of Pine St. Woods.

— Ben Olson Party starts at 7:30 p.m., live music 9 p.m.-midnight, FREE. 219 Lounge, 219 First Ave., 208-263-5673, 219.bar. Listen at reverbnation. com/dangeroustype.

This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert

READ

I’ve finally found a true hobby outside of my work: learning as much as I can about my dog. The Secret Language of Dogs by Victoria Stilwell has been an easyto-read reference for understanding the most basic aspects of dog behavior, from the importance of smell in how a dog builds emotional memory, to learning how to decipher different tail wags, ear positions and barks. The book is a good contemporary source on the topic, having been published only three years ago.

LISTEN

Lo-fi indie bands are often hit or miss for me, but I can’t seem to get enough of Orlando-based duo SALES. The band’s 2018 release Forever & Ever highlights Lauren Morgan’s airy vocals — which shine particularly bright on tracks “White Jeans” and “Rainy Day Loop” — as well as just how pretty two guitars and electric drums can be. Plus, SALES’ Spotify bio says, simply: “All the pop, no industry bullshit.” That’s a philosophy I can get behind.

WATCH

After months of hearing friends rave about the joyous goodness that is The Great British Baking Show, I finally understand. Where British humor, heartwarming camaraderie and elaborate cakes collide — that’s where I’m meant to be, sipping tea on my couch and saying things I never knew I would, like, “Poor Luis, that sponge is not going to rise,” and, “Dammit, Martha, you better get to piping that icing soon.” But in the end, unlike in American cooking competitions, no one is treating the ordeal as if it’s life or death, which is so nice.

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HEALTH

A grain of salt A health column... sort of From Sandpoint News Bulletin, Oct. 5, 1944

BIG PLANE CRASHES IN ATTEMPT TO LAND HERE Forced to try a landing on the too-short Sandpoint air field when his gas ran low while he was trying to find his way out of the mountain hiding fog back to Euphrata flying field from which he was on a routine training flight an army pilot wrecked the big P-38 pursuit plane in a field of the state experimental farm but saved himself from any injury.

Heavy weather and its low ceiling caught the student flyer over this region with an apparent out-of-order compass that added to the confusion caused by the fog and his danger in attempting in out over the mountains.

He flew low over the city and spotting the field, evidently tackled the landing as his best bet. He brought the big plane down on the west end of the field but skidded the full length of it, through two heavy fences, a telegraph pole and a power line pole, both of which were cut off, across Boyer avenue and into the experimental station field.

Many viewed the wrecked plane from the highway but no pictures were allowed, nor close inspection, the army authorities being notified and ordering this caution until they could arrive late in the evening from Euphrata to inspect the wreck and question the pilot.

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Gifting yourself down-time

By Ammi Midstokke Reader Columnist It’s that time of year again. We’re obliged to parties and gatherings and second helpings. We’ve got relatives to relate to, colleagues to Secret Santa with and everything tastes like pumpkin spice. Of course, this festive season is followed by the black misery of January and February, which also includes the credit card bills for our debauchery.

There is something to be said for hibernation or even the Danish trend of hygge (roughly translated as “the good life with good people,” and there’s some candlelight, fish and well-printed fabric in there, too).

The holidays come just as our bodies and brains are recovering from the whirlwind of summer and school starting. We finally get into our routine. We’re making it to the gym.

We survived flu season.

Then BAM! We have no fewer than 14 original baked dishes to create, 87 thoughtful gifts to find and myriad people we have to enjoy (some of them more easily than others). Let’s add to that eggnog, desserts, less time at the gym, gray days and ugly sweaters.

I know this happens because as I was describing the magnificent holiday costume party attire I had managed to spend a small fortune on, I volunteered to cook something.

“Oh no, don’t inconvenience yourself.

Unless you want to make a cassoulet to go with the theme.”

I had to Google it while nodding my head (it’s a French bean and pork dish, which is far more sophisticated than pork and beans, as far as I can tell). The truth is, I want to do all of those things. I want to go to all the parties and, mostly, drink all the eggnog and eat all the pie. I want to have the energy and stamina of humor to bippity-bop from gift exchange to aprés ski to snowshoe race. It’s just that sometime after the age of about 22, we get rather affected by that busy-ness, lack of sleep and carbohydrate intake.

Every year, we promise not to do the same thing again. Some of you are really great at that and you leave the country, which as far as I can tell is the smartest way to go about keeping your calendar lean. Without fail, January rolls around and smacks us upside the head like a sock full of change. It says, “Your pants don’t fit and you have not left the house in four days.

Your New Year’s resolution is a farce.”

Now is your chance to get ahead of it.

Here’s my recommendation for how: Holiday things can be sneaky and since you want to go to the things, it’s hard to say no on the fly. Practice that. “No.” Your mouth should make a little “o” when you say it. Then, look at the next six weeks of your calendar on a single page. Does is look like Sharpies threw up on your schedule? Are you committed to

more than one party in any given week? Are you running at full-tilt with hot toddy in your fist through the next month?

Now you have two options: mercilessly strike social engagements, shopping trips, dental cleanings (OK, maybe not those) from your calendar; or, schedule some intentional recovery time. Because you are probably not familiar, recovery time looks like this: Trust me, if you take a little time for yourself, you’ll enjoy the time you spend with your loved ones so much more. This year, give yourself the gift of down time.

Do only as much as your body and brain can comfortably handle. The season is about spending time with friends and family, basking in gratitude for the abundance we have, and pie. If you prioritize in that order, you can’t really go wrong.

Crossword Solution

Advice to vampires: why not “do your business” as a bat, not a human. Easier that way, and less pollution.

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS

Woorf tdhe Week

rhapsodic

/rap-SOD-ik/

[adjective] 1. extravagantly enthusiastic; ecstatic.

“Brad’s rhapsodic performance on stage caused a stir.”

Corrections: Nobody’s perfect, but it looks like we were last week. Have yourselves a perfect (or, rather, “tur-fect”) Turkey Day. -ZH Publisher’s note: These dad jokes have got to stop. I’m going to have a word with Zach at our next meeting. Yours in non-dad jokery. -BO

1. Attired 5. “Hogwash!”

10. Young bears 14. Hindu princess 15. Drink garnish 16. Dwarf buffalo 17. Jobless 19. Telephoned 20. Lair 21. Communion table 22. Chopin composition 23. Demesnes 25. Aligned 27. Ancient unit of measure 28. Titillating 31. Forbidden 58. Cap 34. Pilotless plane 59. Come together 35. Letter after sigma 60. Does something 36. Alright 61. Essence 37. Restricts 62. Leered 38. Guns an engine 63. Despicable 39. Hale 40. Smidgens 41. Anagram of “Debit” DOWN 42. Unaided 1. Unrefined 44. Grayish brown 2. Paths 45. Scrapes gently 3. Concerning 46. Employees 4. Not brilliant 50. Plods 5. Common allergen 52. Small slender gulls 6. Small slits 54. Caviar 7. Hello 55. Anagram of “Loot” 8. Dislikes 56. Prophecy 9. Married

Solution on page 26 10. Syndicate 11. Not financially examined 12. Agent 007 13. Wise one 18. Terrace 22. Border 24. Greeting at sea 26. Hotels 28. Threesome 29. Central area of a church 30. Burst of wind 31. Curdled soybean milk 32. Analogous 33. Lavatories 34. Hating

37. Lasso 38. A building for skating 40. Varieties 41. Small fluid-filled sac 43. A young eagle 44. Put clothing on 46. Produce a literary work 47. Genus of heath 48. Ancestors 49. Feel 50. Male deer 51. Hubs 53. Wicked 56. Twosome 57. Bar bill November 27, 2019 / R / 27

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