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PEOPLE compiled by

Susan Drinkard

watching

“What was your best Halloween costume ever?”

“One year I was a grandma and wore a gray wig. I accompanied my two kids who were Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.”

Chelsi Rawson Radiologic technologist Kootenai

“Ironman. I looked at the pictures of Astro Ironman and created it.”

Trinity Parker Construction Sandpoint—moved here recently from Wisconsin

DEAR READERS,

Election Day is looming closer, so if you haven’t already voted by mail, please make a voting plan for Tuesday, Nov 3. Polling places are open from 8 a.m.–8 p.m. and the Bonner County Elections office can help answer any of your questions by calling 208-255-3631.

It hardly needs to be said that this election has caused some spirited debate. One thing I’d like to ask of you, dear readers, is that we respect the process and respect the outcome – however it turns out. Voting is a sacred right that we practice in this country, and it deserves the highest level of decorum. It may be that we don’t know the victor of the national election until days or possibly weeks after election night – and that’s okay. The same happened in 2000 when Al Gore conceded to George W. Bush after more than five weeks of court battles and recounts. The world didn’t come to a screeching halt then and it won’t this year, either. Have faith in the process, keep your head about you and we’ll get through this together. Thanks for reading. And voting.

– Ben Olson, publisher

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Bill Mitchell (cover), Ben Olson, Bill Borders, Susan Drinkard, Clint Nicholson, Patricia Ericsson.

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Michael Rosedale, Steve Klatt, Brenden Bobby, Jayden Winslow, Marcia Pilgeram.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $115 per year

“My best costume will be this year’s. I am going as Mr. Incredible.”

Seth Grillo Age 11 Sandpoint

“Myself. Why not? I don’t represent anyone else or other people’s ways, not even the flag or a political party. I am just me, standing for what is right.”

Nick Douglas Contractor 7B Handyman Ponderay

“My wife made me a garbage can out of cardboard and with green paint and a green hoodie and furry eyebrows we created Oscar the Grouch.

My son Cheyne went as the Cookie Monster.”

Nathan and Cheyne Corley Sandpoint

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

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

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

Free to all, limit two copies per person.

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

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

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

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

About the Cover

This week’s cover illustration is another work of art by local Bill Mitchell. To see more of Bill’s amazing work, check out his Instagram: @billmitchellart October 22, 2020 /

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NEWS

County appeals Festival suit to Supreme Court Sandpoint’s motion for legal fees to see hearing Oct. 27

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Bonner County is appealing its case against the city of Sandpoint to the Idaho Supreme Court, after a district court judge ruled in early September that the county lacked the standing necessary to bring the case before the court.

The lawsuit, which sought declaratory judgment on the legality of The Festival at Sandpoint’s policy to ban guns at War Memorial Field during the annual concert series, first entered the court system in September 2019.

After its conclusion last month, the city filed a motion for nearly $94,000 in costs and legal fees related to defending the case.

The county filed an objection to that request, and Kootenai County District Judge Lansing L. Haynes is set to consider the motion during a 1:30 p.m. hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

In the “preliminary statement of the issues” listed in the notice of appeal, attorney Amy Clemmons, of Davillier Law Group — representing Bonner County in the case — argued that “the trial court failed to apply the correct summary judgment standard by finding undisputed facts were ‘unpersuasive’ or ‘speculative,’” and that the court “applied an incorrect or incomplete standard for standing by requiring an ‘injury in fact’ and failing to accept the facts in the record of the ‘threatened injury’ and/or anticipated harm.”

The county’s claim that Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler required a judgment on the issue in order to avoid an imminent “affray” outside The Festival gates did not convince Haynes, but legal counsel claims that the court failed to recognize facts that proved risk and the need for a “coordinated law enforcement response.”

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“The trial court found that the court could not ‘assume’ an affray would happen or that the fear of harm had any merit. This finding was contrary to the expert opinions of law enforcement officers, and the City of Sandpoint never submitted any expert response to those opinions.”

Despite the notice of appeal listing Wheeler as a plaintiff, Wheeler wrote in an email Oct. 21 to the Sandpoint Reader that he is “no longer an appellant” in the case.

“The sheriff’s duties are a subject of the appeal, but Bonner County, as the principal, is appealing the matter,” Clemmons told the Reader in an email.

“The court granted the sheriff complete discretion to interpret the law as he sees fit, without the court resolving the underlying legal dispute. ... However, the fallout of the unresolved conflict creates an inherent risk, the financial implications of which fall upon Bonner County.”

According to Clemmons, the central issue of the lawsuit remains unresolved — that is, whether the city can convey the right to a private entity to regulate firearms on public property. Memorial Field, being a city-owned property, is constitutionally protected from firearms regulation by local government.

However, the city has argued that The Festival is empowered by its lease agreement to set its own security protocols.

“The reason for this law is to allow the state Legislature to provide a uniform and consistent set of gun rights throughout the state without interference by municipalities,” Clemmons wrote. “Allowing the city to vary gun rights through a lease would cause the exact harm the Legislature was intending to prevent. … Regardless of which side of this dispute people fall on, the court is the proper location to resolve the dispute.”

In a statement emailed Oct.

21 to the Reader, Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad said: “We had hoped that the recent decision by Judge Haynes at the District Court level would bring an end to this case and the growing costs to City of Sandpoint and Bonner County taxpayers.”

“It is fiscally irresponsible for Bonner County and Sheriff Wheeler to continue to pursue this case at taxpayer expense, especially given the fact that there is another case pending before the courts, Herndon vs. City of Sandpoint,” Rognstad continued, referring to a case in which two armed citizens who were turned away from the 2019 Festival are joining forces with regional gun lobby groups to challenge The Festival’s policy.

“That case is brought by a private party that does have standing and it is likely that a court decision will be made in that case before the County’s appeal is even heard by the Supreme Court,” Rognstad wrote. “The City’s insurance carrier is covering legal costs in the Herndon case instead of our taxpayers.”

The Herndon suit is slated for a trial in February 2021.

Rognstad said that the city is looking forward to the Oct. 27 hearing regarding the motion for

legal fees.

“We are confident that we will receive an affirmative ruling in this case as there is recent precedence with the West Bonner County School District also being awarded attorney fees in their lawsuit brought by Bonner County where the court also found the County had no standing,” he said.

Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said Oct. 21 at the regular Sandpoint City Council meeting that “that hearing will go forward regardless of the notice of appeal,” echoing Rognstad’s feeling that “we are expecting a decision on Tuesday related to the court fees.”

According to a records request obtained by the Reader on Sept. 18, Bonner County had spent $145,529.65 on legal fees in the case to date. Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bauer made specific mention of the cost of the case during the commissioners’ regular business meeting on Oct. 20, as he presented a motion to move $300,000 in justice statutory reserve funds to cover legal costs accrued during the 2020 fiscal year.

Bauer said the “two main drivers” for the need to transfer the funds were the suit against

A man stands in line at the 2019 Festival at Sandpoint with a firearm. Photo by Racheal Baker. the city and ongoing litigation against Idaho Gov. Brad Little regarding the coronavirus-related CARES Act. He said transferring funds to cover professional legal services was a regular “end-ofthe-year closeout” action, since “you can’t really estimate what’s going to be litigated and what it’s going to cost.”

In attendance at the meeting, Selle Valley resident Dan Rose, who is also running for the District 1B seat in the Idaho House of Representatives against incumbent Republican Rep. Sage Dixon, questioned how the amount differed from last year. Personnel with the clerk’s office said that the board moved $250,000 in reserve funds to cover legal fees during the 2019 fiscal year.

“Very similar,” said Commissioner Jeff Connolly, who has been openly critical of the board’s tendency toward initiating litigation. “Way too much.”

Commissioners unanimously approved the motion to transfer the funds with a roll-call vote.

Additional reporting by Zach Hagadone.

NEWS

Panida adds five to board at annual meeting Membership, COVID and the uncertain future was on the docket at the meeting

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The Panida Theater added five members to its board Saturday, Oct. 17 during the nonprofit’s annual meeting, which drew about 50 community members — all socially distanced with the majority wearing masks.

Elected board chairman in August 2019, Lenny Hess, led the meeting by noting that, “we are in unprecedented times” with the pandemic still affecting businesses like theaters across the globe.

“But, small arthouse theaters like ours will be where people come out of hibernation to see shows and connect with people again,” Hess said. “We have a lot of work to do and I believe we are ready.”

Hess said he holds the Panida in a special place in his heart, remembering being dropped off at the theater when he was a

young child and seeing so many classic movies of yesteryear. He added that fundraising efforts and community-driven donations are vital to ensuring the Panida stays around for a long time.

“Please help,” Hess said.

“Fundraising at this time will be critical.”

The Panida board issued packets to each community member attending the meeting containing a profit and loss statement, a balance sheet, a call for volunteers to join Panida committees and a comment card.

After giving away several door prizes donated by local businesses and board members, five candidates briefly introduced themselves for consideration to join the Panida board; Keely Gray, Kevin Smith, Ron Ragone, Tari Pardini and Teresa Pesce.

After secret balloting from the audience, Hess announced that all candidates received enough votes to officially add them to the

theater board. The additions bring the current board to 9 members, including current members Carol Thomas, Abby Ullman, Foster Cline and Lenny Hess.

Executive Director Patricia Walker addressed the attendees, again emphasizing the importance of live theater in an artistic community like Sandpoint.

“You can sit home and watch Netflix and Amazon Prime, but you can’t duplicate live theater,” she said.

Walker said the pandemic has led to a difficult season for the theater, but not to forget that the Panida has often represented hope for the community — especially in times of adversity.

“Every economic downturn, the fact that the marquee lit up and people would save their pennies to come to the Panida — it gave them hope things could continue,” Walker said. “But with COVID, we couldn’t come here for hope. …

Hearing you laugh and clap tonight, helps me feel that hope again.”

Walker said that many theater chains were unable to survive the pandemic, creating the situation where “we may be the bigger cat in town now.”

Patricia Walker, right, and Becky Revak, left, speak at the Oct. 17 Panida annual meeting. Photo by Ben Olson.

Acknowledging that next year will likely be an “experiment,”

< see PANIDA page 6 >

Kootenai Health: Hospital capacity at 99% due to ‘surge’ in COVID-19 cases

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Statewide cases of COVID-19, the illness resulting from the novel coronavirus, have continued to exceed previous levels of positivity since the global pandemic began in earnest in mid-spring 2020, with 987 confirmed and probable cases reported on Oct. 21 alone.

That brings the Idaho total, since reporting began in mid-March, to 55,650 cases — 546 of which have resulted in death for Gem State residents.

The surge in North Idaho cases has led to Kootenai Health, in Coeur d’Alene, announcing that it is now at 99% capacity — a worst-case scenario feared by public health officials since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020.

“We are definitely in a surge, we are definitely exceeding where we were prior,” Don Duffy, Public Health Services administrator for the Panhandle Health District, told members of the Sandpoint City

Council at their Oct. 21 meeting.

“It certainly is taxing the resources that we have.”

In Bonner County — part of the five-county Panhandle Health District — the numbers of new cases are also rising, representing a spike in hospitalizations since early October, approaching the high of 41 reported in late July.

As of Oct. 19, PHD reported 34 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Bonner County. That comes not long after the county experienced its first two deaths from the virus, which health officials recorded Oct. 14 — a man and woman, both in their 80s.

PHD officials reported a historically high number of cases district-wide Oct. 20, logging 141.

On Oct. 21, they added another 71 to the toal. A total of 73 people have died of COVID-19 or COVID-19 related causes in the district since tracking began, with the vast majority in Kootenai County — the populous area remaining among the infection hotspots statewide.

Kootenai Health, the hospital

in Coeur d’Alene to which many regional COVID-19 patients are sent for critical care, sounded a dire alarm Oct. 21, stating on its website, “The Inland Northwest is at a critical moment in the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“As of 8 a.m. on October 21, Kootenai Health has 31 COVID-19 inpatients and 11 of these patients require critical care.

The overall hospital census for all patients requiring medical or surgical care is 99 percent full.

Spokane hospitals are also full and many cannot accept more patients,” the health care provider stated. “Because all regional hospitals are experiencing the same situation, there will be limited opportunities to transfer patients to other facilities once at capacity.

If there is no room available, Kootenai Health is currently looking at hospitals in Seattle or Portland to find space to transfer patients, but it is very limited.”

“Spokane hospitals are also full, and cannot accept more patients,” Duffy told Sandpoint Council members.

Of course, lack of hospital capacity was among the earliest and most critical concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as public health officials from the local to federal level encouraged precautionary measures such as self isolation, the wearing of face coverings and frequent hand washing to help “flatten the curve” of upward infection rates.

That effort has failed in Idaho, amid widespread political opposition to so-called mask “mandates,” including a walkout by a handful of Sandpoint Middle School students Oct. 16, which was supported by the Emmett-based People’s Rights organization fronted by Oregon anti-government transplant Ammon Bundy, who was arrested twice during the special session

of the Idaho Legislature for agitating against COVID-19 related state policies.

Idaho remains among the top states in the nation for increased positive COVID-19 cases.

According to Duffy, Bonner and Benewah counties remain in the “yellow” category of infection — a relatively good situation, considering infection rates in other regional counties. Shoshone County is at “orange,” while Boundary and Kootenai counties are at “red.” The rate of infection district-wide is 30.7 per 100,000, placing PHD as a whole in the “red” category. Duffy said a total of 12 individuals — including staff and students — have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

“The cases have increased dramatically,” he said.

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NEWS

Absentee ballot request deadline Friday Vote early in person or on Nov. 3

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff With fewer than two weeks until Election Day, the deadline to request an absentee ballot — Friday, Oct. 23 — marks every Idaho voter’s last chance to vote from home.

To request an absentee ballot online, head to idahovotes.gov and fill out the digital request form before midnight on Oct. 23. Voters must have their Idaho driver’s license or identification card and the last four digits of their Social Security number to complete the request online.

Voters can also download the request form, fill it out and take it to the Bonner County Elections office, located in suite 124 in the Bonner County administration building 1500 Highway 2 in Sandpoint.

All paper requests must be received by 5 p.m. on Oct. 23.

Unlike the May primary, which was

conducted entirely via mail due to the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the November election features in-person voting both early and on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Early voting is currently happening on the first floor of the Bonner County Administration Building Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 30. There is no in-person early voting the Monday before Election Day. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, all regular polling places around Bonner County will be open 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Those who have already submitted their filled-out ballot can check whether their vote has been counted by visiting idahovotes.gov and selecting “Check Your Voter Record.”

Anyone with questions can reach Bonner County Elections officials at 208255-3631.

< PANIDA con’t from page 5 > Walker said she was optimistic after the Panida turned a profit even after these difficult months of 2020.

The profit and loss statement showed that from August 2019 to July 2020, the Panida pulled in profit of more than $8,100, but, Walker noted, that included sales from the Panida’s ice cream booth at the 2019 Festival at Sandpoint, which represents a significant portion of annual fundraising.

Even with a robust 2020-2021, with The Festival at Sandpoint canceling its 2020 season and no ice cream booth income, the Panida will likely have to hustle to make up the difference. In comparison, the theater registered a loss of more than $1,200 the previous year and a profit of more than $11,100 in 2017-’18.

Worth noting is almost $45,000 received in donations and contributions from the community during this fiscal year — a vital piece of the Panida’s annual fundraising effort.

Walker said she is optimistic about the new board members and the renewed sense of stewardship over the historic theater, saying that “there has been a lot of chaos and backseat driving, but this is the fresh start.

This is where we get behind this board. This isn’t about somebody’s personality, this is time for us to unite. I hope we remember that as we go forward and support these 6 /

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people with no more division, because the Panida is for the whole community. That’s always been our guiding force.”

Community members sounded off on a few issues they found worthy for the board and staff to give their attention to, including a call for more regional and national live music concerts, questions about a potential sprinkler system, a call for more grant writers to increase grant revenue and how to weather the changing world amid COVID-19.

Foremost on community members’ minds, though, were the membership parameters. Currently, the Panida has a $60 per year basic membership and a $1,200 per year VIP membership available, but several meeting attendees asked for an option somewhere between. Others wanted to maintain the current system of membership, which granted voting rights for anyone who attends a Panida event, regardless of whether they can pay for a membership or not. The board assured the audience that nothing has changed on that score — anyone who attends a Panida event can vote on board members.

The meeting was adjourned after Walker reminded those in attendance that the live theater presentation of Clue would be on stage Thursday, Oct. 22-Sunday, Oct. 25.

Visit panida.org for more info.

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: New Zealand has had one of the world’s most successful COVID-19 pandemic responses. Under 40-year-old Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the nation of 5 million has had fewer than 2,000 COVID-19 cases and just 25 deaths. Ardern orchestrated early hospital preparation, border control policies, stringent lockdowns and a seven-week stay-at-home order, according to The New England Journal of Medicine.

The stock market is doing well, but 100,000 U.S. restaurants closed in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put 3 million people out of work, TIME magazine reported. As well, some 100,000 airline workers are now furloughed and Disney recently laid off 28,000 employees. While the House passed a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief package, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has chosen to ignore it, rendering it dead for now, and focused instead on the Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

The final presidential debate will be Thursday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m. (PST). To avoid the raucous nature of the first presidential debate, opponents’ microphones will be turned off if they interrupt, the Commission on Presidential Debates decided.

On Oct. 14 the U.S. had a record of almost 60,000 new COVID-19 cases, the highest since August, with close to 1,000 people dying that day. As well, The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that the Trump administration now favors adopting a policy of “herd immunity.” Health experts say that approach could lead to more than 2 million U.S. deaths.

The Great Barrington Declaration, an approach to addressing COVID-19, caught media scrutiny last week. It calls for isolating those most vulnerable and the elderly (who are willing), and would dispense with lockdowns in favor of “focused protection.”

Talking on Democracy Now radio, a signer said the plan does not seek to get people infected, but does call for the most vulnerable to have access to protective devices, paid leave and safer working conditions. The document claims to have 9,000 signatures, but some have come into question, such as “Dr. Johnny Bananas.” The declaration developed from a meeting of the libertarian-leaning American Institute for Economic Research, which draws funding from corporations including Phillip Morris International, ExxonMobil and Chevron, and partners with Koch International, the

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

Ayn Rand Institute and the Cato Institute.

AIER publications include Brazilians Should Keep Slashing Their Rainforests and The Real Reason Nobody Takes Environmentalists Seriously. Epidemiologist Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a declaration signer, told Democracy Now that doing nothing to create herd immunity is “very, very bad” and will kill people in all age categories. He acknowledged that it is right to flatten the COVID-19 curve to avoid overwhelming hospitals. The World Health Organization disagrees with elements in the document, such its lack of reference to how those who initially recover from COVID-19, including the young, but have long-term health consequences.

“I don’t want everybody to vote … our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down,” said Paul Weyrich, co-founder of influential free market, conservative think tank the American Legislative Exchange Council, in 1980.

For Republicans to gain election advantage, several voter suppression efforts have been adopted (as reported on frequently by NPR, The Guardian, TIME, the Brennan Center for Justice, the ACLU and numerous others).

They include: purging voters who have not voted in several election cycles, purging voters whose registration cards do not have exact spellings or addresses (like signatures missing a middle initial) or falsely claiming a voter is not a citizen. In 2016 states removed 17 million voters from the rolls. Slowing the postal service to create havoc with the vote-by-mail process: under President Donald Trump’s new postmaster general, workers’ hours have been cut, street-side letter boxes removed and mail-sorting machines taken out. Using the courts: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts advocated muffling minority votes when serving under Ronald Reagan, and then in 2013 got his chance as on the high court when he said there is no longer “racial disparity,” so the Voting Rights Act of 1965 could be lifted. That opened the gates for states inclined to do so to create roadblocks for minority voters (which saw the closure of 1,688 polling places). Legal efforts to suppress voters have also included suing to stop postage-paid return voting envelopes, suing counties that allow out-ofcounty poll watchers and suing to stop states from mailing ballots to eligible voters.

Blast from the past: “There are men in government who shouldn’t be allowed to play with matches.” Will Rogers, 18791935, American actor, humorist.

PERSPECTIVES

‘See the humanity’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Amid a long season of discontent, local professional photographer Marsha Lutz felt compelled to do something to make a statement about inclusion, diversity and community.

It started a few years ago, when she stepped outside to find hate literature on her doorstep. Then, this past spring and summer, as tensions around the country flared around the Black Lives Matter movement, coronavirus lockdowns and the right-wing extremist response to both, she sensed “all of these things were sort of coalescing.”

“I was kind of caught in the middle of that,” she said, referring to the early-summer BLM march by area youth that drew an unwanted and threatening armed presence by self-appointed “militia” protectors who traveled from around the region to occupy downtown Sandpoint against a phantom “antifa” threat.

“I witnessed the coal rolling; I was horrified because I literally felt like I was caught right in the middle of this really dark energy and these sweet kids who were out there with their signs, just ‘Love Lives Here,’ and standing up for basic human rights for people,” she said.

Drawing on her career as a portrait photographer, Lutz tapped into the Inside Out Project — a global citizen art project launched by French photographer JR in 2011 that invites participants to display black-andwhite portraits of individuals in support of their various causes.

More than 260,000 people have taken part in the project across 129 countries, drawing attention to issues ranging from homelessness and exile to pollution, cultural diversity, refugee justice, LGBT rights, the inspiration of sports in the developing world and community identity.

Lutz looked at the rancor animating much of the local discourse and decided, “I wasn’t

doing enough to stand up to what I was seeing happening in our community. I knew there were a lot of people who feel the same as I do, in the way of wanting our community to be more compassionate.”

It was then that she approached a few area young people — including those who had taken part in the summer’s BLM demonstrations — and asked if they’d be interested in expressing their message of racial and social justice through the Inside Out Project. With the kids’ enthusiasm and their parents’ permission, a core group developed with Lutz as leader, working together to craft a message of tolerance and identifying individuals whose portraits could stand, literally, as the face of a community united against racism, intolerance and hate.

Their message, which is posted along with the 28 portraits on the granary building located off the corner of Fifth Avenue at Church Street, reads in part that “We stand for equality for all — no exceptions. … Our group action stands for tolerance, inclusivity and respect for all citizens and visitors. We believe that by respecting and celebrating each other’s differences, we create a loving place that everyone can be proud of.”

Lutz said it’s about humanity, not partisan politics.

“You can really see the humanity [in the portraits] and see how we are alike in many different ways, yet we are all very different and there’s beauty in that,” she said. “As a portrait photographer that’s what I’m looking for — to bring out the beauty, the goodness in each single person that comes out. …

It’s about the light in the eyes and what’s shining through.”

Recognizing that the project has already drawn some criticism from those who say its message is unnecessary — even divisive itself — in a community that many argue has no issues with intolerance, racial or

otherwise (despite clear present and historical examples to the contrary), Lutz pointed out that much of that opposition has occurred online, where the root of the problem lies. As people spend more and more of their time and energy sparring over political and social issues on social media, they lose the ability to look their fellow citizens in the eye and have a legitimate conversation.

“People aren’t connecting, and the cause of pain is isolation,” Lutz said, “so much so that when you’re in pain you lash out in anger.

“I strongly want to bring the community together,” she added, encouraging viewers to have conversations about what the project means to them and why.

“I do not see this as a partisan political statement. Human rights is a moral issue, not a political message.”

To learn more, and show sup-

Portrait installation at the granary aims to spark conversation about community inclusion

port for the Sandpoint Inside Out Project, visit facebook.com/sdpt. insideoutproject or instagram. com/sdpt_insideoutproject. Take a selfie or post your own image with the portraits and share your statement about the project by

Marsha Lutz’s Inside Out Project on display at the granary building off the corner of Fifth Ave. at Church Street in Sandpoint. Photo by Ben Olson. tagging its accounts on Facebook and Instagram.

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I think I know who you are...

Bouquets: • I love when talented artists submit artwork for future Reader covers. If you’d like your photos or original artwork to grace our covers in the future, please send them my way. We’re always happy to see the talent and creativity of our readers. This week’s cover was drawn by Bill Mitchell, a talented illustrator who has worked for some big outlets in the past. Really stoked to have Bill’s work in the Reader. Send any future submissions to ben@ sandpointreader.com.

Barbs • When it comes to voting, I have never been able to comprehend the logic behind making voting more difficult for registered voters. With horror stories like voters in Georgia standing in line for upwards of 11 hours to cast their ballots, it’s both inspiring that people are so passionate about having their votes counted and horrifying that we are unable to make voting a more streamlined process around the country. Like recyling, I think voting should be made as easy as possible for Americans. The more difficult we make it, the less people participate in the effort (which is clearly the point of making it difficult). Whatever party you belong to, you should realize that a true measure of our electorate includes a large percentage of the population of those eligible to vote. Efforts to suppress votes, to limit official ballot drop-off boxes and polling places, to cause feelings of doubt and fear for the validity of the election and to generally make voting a more exclusive practice are not helpful to ensuring America is adequately represented by a candidate the majority of voters stand behind.

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Dear editor, I think I know who you are.

You’re the one who chooses to throw trash out of your car window while speeding down the highway and talking on your cell phone.

You’re the one who chooses to eat all of that last huge piece of delicious pie without offering to share.

And you’re the one who chooses to spread COVID-19 instead of wearing a mask to protect yourself and others.

I’d like to know you when you start making better decisions.

Sandra Deutchman Sandpoint

Steve Johnson will balance the needs of all county residents…

Dear editor, This November in addition to national level elections we will also be voting for our local county commissioners to direct and guide Bonner County through the next two years of growth. With Idaho being one of the fastest growing states in the nation it is imperative that we elect someone who has a history here, who listens instead of talks, someone with ties to our community who understands how to balance growth while serving our local businesses and fellow community members.

Steve Johnson has repeatedly shown that he is a person of integrity, whose commitment to our community is unfaltering. In addition to operating his farm and raising his own four children here he has also served the families of Bonner County by teaching at Southside Elementary (10 years), LPOHS (22 years) and serving as principal at Sagle (10 years)! During which he was a patient and responsive leader for students and faculty alike.

As we attract new residents, many of us struggle to find jobs and affordable housing. Steve has promised to revisit planning and zoning and weigh public input before condoning additional industrial activities in rural and residential areas. Steve understands how to balance growth with infrastructure that will continue to support those in our agricultural industries, and will expand and improve opportunities to attract business and provide good-paying jobs.

Our need to grow while still maintaining our small-town values will take someone like Steve Johnson to successfully balance the needs of everyone in our community. The county commissioners’ job is to manage the county infrastruc-

ture responsibly with financial prudence and genuine concern for all residents. So, I urge you to vote for Steve Johnson as county commissioner so we can put an experienced and thoughtful voice on our team of commissioners.

Thank you, Jenifer Wirz Sandpoint

Get rid of incompetent county incumbents...

Dear editor, A casual look at the oil trains crossing the railroad long bridge on Lake Pend Oreille reveals our community’s vulnerability to a train accident. In 2017, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, in cooperation with Bonner County and other agencies, issued an updated geographic response plan that provides direction to emergency responders in the event of a hazardous materials spill, such as an oil train derailment. That document listed numerous vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the emergency response infrastructure.

The document recommended development of an all-season boat ramp near Sandpoint, an updated and detailed evacuation plan, additional training, and caching of more spill response equipment.

A key function of the county commissioners and sheriff’s department is to support the emergency response infrastructure. However in the three years since the recommendations were made, our county commissioners and sheriff have done little to implement those recommendations.

Meanwhile, BNSF railroad is building a second bridge without consideration of an all-season boat ramp and an updated evacuation plan has not been issued. Instead, our commissioners and sheriff wasted $240,000 of your taxes on frivolous gun lawsuits to satisfy the local wingnuts and undermine the local economy.

It is time for a change. Let’s get rid of the incompetent incumbents and vote in Steve Johnson for commissioner and Cindy Marx for sherriff.

Daniel Haley Sandpoint

Help me thank you...

Dear editor, I learned a new word the other day – comity. Michael Gerson, with The Washington Post, used it in an opinion article I read in our regional paper. I didn’t know what it meant,

so I looked it up on Google. The first definition is an association of nations for their mutual benefit.

I want to use comity in its second definition — courtesy and considerate behavior toward others.

I want to plead for comity at your upcoming polling place. Please wear your mask to the polls or use the one we provide for you. Please try to stay apart and shift if we ask you to move. Your vote is important and that is our first job. We have lots of directions to give you. We can really concentrate on our job, making sure you cast your vote, if you wear your mask and try to stay socially distant. It will be a grace to us that you can give.

Then, I can thank you for helping keep the polling place as safe as possible.

Sandy Ross Poll worker Sandpoint

Vote for Sage Dixon…

Dear editor, Please join me in voting to re-elect Sage Dixon. He is an individual with high intellect and a thorough understanding of our national and Idaho constitutions. His actions in Boise will continue to benefit those of us who live in District 1. Sage is by no means a career politician. He and Heather Scott were first elected in 2014 – six years ago. I consider Sage a friend because his honesty and integrity show in all he does. If you want our northern counties to continue to influence what happens in Boise the man to vote for is Sage Dixon.

Pam Stout Sandpoint

Trump is the issue...

Dear editor, Decades-long friends in Priest River discovered in 2016 that I wasn’t voting for Donald Trump and ended our friendship. A Democratic Party field worker’s life was recently threatened in North Idaho by a man promoting a Republican candidate. Last week a Biden-supporting neighbor said she won’t place his campaign sign in her yard citing, “Too many wackos out there.”

When did civility and thoughtful discourse end? In the Trump era we’re awash with aggression, violence and division.

For decades U.S. citizens have respectfully exchanged differing political points of view. Intelligent discourse is a mature way to convey one’s

perspective, as well as expose one’s self to opinions not yet considered.

Today’s thoughtless Trump Tweets, lies and alienating rhetoric fuel fires of discord and political division.

Lately, whenever I try to have an intelligent issues-based discussion, I only hear regurgitations of Fox News, I’m accused of watching Fake News (a term brow-beaten into us by Donald Trump) and have to endure the latest presidentially promoted conspiracy theories. There is no substantive discussion of issues; just finger pointing, name calling and falsehoods. Alas, Trump is the issue.

Issues of national concern (listed alphabetically) include: alternative energy opportunities, border protection, child abuse, cvil rights, cimate change, COVID-19, crumbling infrastructure, decline of U.S. international standing, drug abuse, education, environmental safegueards, fair elections, gun rights, homeland security, honesty in government, immigration, jobs, overpopulation, poverty, rights of protest, rising sea levels, Russian electoral interference, separation of church and state, terrorism, totalitarianism, USPS, white supremecy and so on.

There’s barely enough time before Nov. 3 to discuss the serious issues facing our nation. Which candidate genuinely shares or addresses your concerns? Don’t fall for bragging, bluster and brainwashing.

Become an informed voter!

George Edward Priest River

The green green grass of home...

Dear editor, “You’ll find your heaven of blue is waiting for you… back in your own backyard. You’ll find that happiness lies right under your eyes… back in your own backyard.”

That great old optimistic ode, first recorded in 1928 (even before I was born, but not much before) has never meant more than right now, right here. Because of COVID-19 anxiety, unprecedented chaos and con jobs lobbed from the White House, a handful of county politicos with finite skills and a flood of tailgating visitors in search of greener pastures (yet often unacquainted with common courtesies like please and thank you), public morale here is in a deep ditch.

Some of our finest, friendliest, most caring and responsible citizens are worn down and mumbling about leaving. Well, forget it! Take it from my 1957 bride and me (we are in our 14th and final home), the grass

< see LTE next page >

< LTE con’t from prev. page > in Sandpoint is as green as grass gets in America today. And we know, ’cause we’ve lived everywhere. (Well, that’s fake news, a hoax, rigged; but we have lived in a bunch of places). As far as finding a more verdant nest in Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia or the isle of Antigua in the West Indies, our Predator has made Americans unwelcome just about everywhere. (That seems unimaginable, and is shameful, and could change with the upcoming elections).

The tact to take, friends, is to keep the Sandpoint ship “steady as she goes.” Tough it out, dig in, help manage change so it’s positive, not ruinous. Vote into office those who are decent, moral, caring and capable. Volunteer. Remain involved. Help restore Sandpoint to the Shangri-la you came here for.

If you run away, the game goes to the goons. This is your backyard, where “happiness lies right under your eyes.”

Don’t stand down or stand by; stand up!

Tim H. Henney Sandpoint

Fulcher only offers stunts on Capitol Hill, vote Soto instead...

Dear editor, Friends and neighbors, most of us share a love of North Idaho for its incomparable beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities, and peaceful surroundings. We fell in love with the place for the forests, mountains, lakes, trails, hunting and fishing access, skiing and also the lively arts community.

It is important to us to preserve this environment.

We need to vote for Rudy Soto for U.S. representative because he understands the value of these Idaho assets. He will work to address the effects of climate change, to increase development of renewable resources, and to effectively manage our wild lands to prevent fires and pollution of air and water.

When interviewed by the Reader, incumbent Russ Fulcher said the three most important issues are “adversarial partisanship,” the economy and federal debt. He ignores the pandemic, health access for Idahoans and the environment, including sustainable infrastructure development.

His idea of wildland management is unregulated logging and mining. Rep. Fulcher is rated one of the most partisan members of the House, which belies his first assertion. His concern about the federal debt means that he favors cutting programs and services. His ideas for the economy ignore the effects of COVID-19, for which he has no solution. Without a decrease in infections, economic growth is uncertain at best.

Rep. Fulcher’s only notable accomplishment during his term was to unlawfully invade a secure hearing room with his cell phone and lots of pizza during a secure hearing, interfering with national security and leaving plenty of trash behind. He has only stunts to offer. He has not shown much interest in helping Idahoans, and his priorities are not those of average Idaho citizens.

Rudy Soto will work hard for us in Congress.

He knows what Idaho values are and will strive to preserve them.

Ann Warwick Sandpoint

Rep. Dixon is a man of integrity... Vote Biden-Harris to save democDear editor, As I scrolled through social media and the unavoidable, and prolific, political posts, one in particular stood out: Rep. Sage Dixon is helping seniors. And according to the poster, out of his own pocket.

You see, a local family, all of whom are senior citizens, were feeling under the weather but refusing to go for COVID testing; they’re unable to pay the fees and keep food on the table.

That’s where Rep. Dixon stepped in: He immediately began looking into state funds earmarked for COVID to see if he could obtain for them the testing fee funding they need. But there’s more: Rep. Dixon has promised to pay the fees himself if state funds are unavailable.

And I hear it’s not the first time Rep. Dixon has stepped in to assist our most vulnerable amid the virus outbreak.

You won’t hear about these stories from Rep. Dixon, though, because that’s the kind of person he is: He goes about his work on behalf of his constituents without patting himself on the back. Why? Because he’s a man of integrity who walks his talk, and that’s the definition of “honorable.”

As an out-of-district resident, I can’t vote for Rep. Dixon. But if I could, I would. For never in my life have I known an elected official as giving of his time and who keeps the promises he’s made.

For all these reasons and more, I ask that you vote to re-elect Sage Dixon on Nov. 3rd.

Jodi Giddings Sagle

Rep. Sage Dixon: effective, honest, principled...

Dear editor, Politicians are a dime a dozen. We see them all over our television screens blaming each other and rarely solving the problems they say they will if we’ll just give them our votes.

And we see them in our local central committee, where some elected precinct committeeman, who are tasked with supporting our GOP primary winners, are instead pushing a write-in candidate — himself a PC — and publicly sniping at the candidate who handily won his, destructively dividing the party into factions.

And then there are true statesmen.

And that’s where Rep. Sage Dixon lands.

Rep. Dixon is, and has never been, a self-congratulatory, look-at-me banner-waver. Instead, he works quietly, and effectively, on behalf of his constituents, where he’s worked to lower taxes, helped secure funding for area schools, taken positions he knew were politically dangerous but the right thing to do and has never wavered in doing whatever he can to further our freedoms.

And he listens to his constituents and does whatever he can to make their requests a reality.

And it’s why he deserves re-election.

So please vote for Sage Dixon, a statesman, not a politician, on Nov. 3. It’s the right thing to do.

Sandra Rutherford Sandpoint

racy, restore national dignity…

Dear editor, I was born in 1933, just days before Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as president.

Most agree he did a good job of leading us out of the Great Depression and overseeing our victory in World War II. In the 1950s, I supported Republican Dwight Eisenhower, who led us through the Cold War — when I served as a USAF fighter pilot.

Having lived through the terms of 14 different presidents (I mistrusted Nixon’s honesty and Reagan’s competence) I believe most did a decent job.

But now we have a president, seeking re-election who not only is the least prepared but also the most immoral, egotistical and incompetent president to serve in my time.

His unwillingness to confront the greatest pandemic in our history has resulted in more than 219,000 American deaths. His failures include inhumane handling of immigration, concealing and lying about his taxes, encouraging violent militias, denying climate change, ignoring police brutality and racial injustice, and cozying up to dictators (Putin and Kim Jong-un of North Korea).

And now he is rushing to have a hand-picked supreme court nominee confirmed by the Senate two weeks before a national election.

What we can and must do now to save our democracy and restore our nation’s dignity is vote for Joe Biden for president and Kamala Harris for vice president on Nov. 3 James W. Ramsey Sandpoint

Bonner County is no great shakes…

Dear editor, When I went to vote early at the county offices yesterday (Oct. 19), I was shocked to find that only one of the eight people handling the voting wore a face mask. It is very unfair of Bonner County officials to put their constituents’ lives at risk while exercising their civic duty. Despite the impression generally given in the Reader, Bonner County is one of the worst places to live in the United States.

Donald L. Kass Sandpoint

Small sacrifices can help beat COVID-19…

Dear editor, All of us need to step up, mask up and take care of each other here in Sandpoint; the bubble can burst here as it has elsewhere in our state.

For just a small sacrifice of wearing a mask we can keep this ugly thing away from ourselves and our family are friends and associates here at home.

Remember our sacrifice will only be for a short time, and by wearing a mask we may defeat this together in our community. We all go to our stores to buy our food, clothing, beverages, building supplies and medicine. We take our kids and loved ones with us when we travel to the store to shop for our elderly and maybe our neighbors. So as we have in our life here taking care of each other in times of need and just

being a friendly wonderful community, let’s do it now more than ever.

Wear a mask to protect ourselves, wear a mask to protect our neighbors, wear a mask to protect our loved ones.

We can’t let it get here and take over our winter and haunt us all through spring/summer because we’re not masking. A simple wearing of a mask may keep our kids in school, food on the shelves, and the hospitals from being overburdened and overtaxed with people. It may help us all help one another Just this week Great Falls, Mont. and Bismarck N.D. had a terrible outbreak and deaths.

So let’s all realize what this is about and be real and wear the masks for a short period of time all around others at least. Remember our sacrifice only will be for a short time. By wearing a mask and social distancing, we can defeat this together in our community.

Steve Berenson Sandpoint

Hold officials accountable for ‘atrocious’ pandemic response…

Dear editor, It is now almost the end of October and the number of COVID cases in Bonner County is 438 with one death — 34 cases since last week and a percentage point of 79.6 per 100,000. The entire state of Idaho has shown 53,790 reported cases since Feb. 29 with daily reported cases rising 23% according to The Washington Post.

Our elected officials have done nothing to stop the onslaught. From the president to the Idaho governor to local officials of Bonner County and Sandpoint, nothing has been done beyond a month-long stay-at-home order to help curb and stop the spread. Our governor refuses to issue a mask mandate, passing the buck to local officials. The Panhandle Health District issued a mask mandate for Kootenai County when they should have ordered one for all the counties within the District. The Kootenai County sheriff refused to enforce the mandate and protesters refused to wear masks.

Sandpoint City Council member Deb Ruehle tried to get an ordinance passed to give the mayor authority to issue a mask mandate but that was voted down. And then a number of state legislators, including Sage Dixon, signed a letter denouncing mask mandates. All the while bars, restaurants, health clubs, schools, a county fair, team sports and other activities have been at full swing.

Simply put, the response to the COVID-19 virus pandemic in the United States and Idaho in particular has been atrocious. There has been no enforcement of social distancing, wearing of masks or limiting crowds. Here is who I won’t be voting for: Donald Trump, incumbent Sage Dixon, Sen. Jim Risch, Commissioner Steve Bradshaw and, as they come up for re-election, Gov. Brad Little, Mayor Shelby Rognstad and other council members voting against an ordinance to allow a mask mandate.

Beth Allen Sandpoint October 22, 2020 /

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COMMUNITY

Election announcement

By Michael Rosedale Reader Contributor Early voting is now open in the lobby of our County Administration building, located at 1500 Highway 2.

Early voting hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekMichael Rosedale. days through Friday, Oct. 30. Please feel free to vote in-person during these times. If you requested your absentee ballot and have not yet returned it, you can bring that in as well and either drop it off in the absentee ballot box, or have one

of our poll workers spoil it and issue you a new one to vote right then. By issuing you a new one your old one will be electronically voided in our system.

You can also bring your absentee ballot to your polling place on Election Day and deposit it in the ballot box — make sure it is in the white affidavit envelope and signed — or have the poll worker spoil it and issue you a ballot to vote there in your polling place, if that is what you prefer.

Again, upon issuing you a new ballot, your old ballot will be electronically voided.

I encourage everyone to vote, and if possible please vote early here at our county office, even if you’ve been issued an absentee ballot but haven’t returned it yet.

I also want to remind everyone that wearing political hats, shirts, jackets, etc., can be deemed electioneering, as are large flags, car signs, etc., within 100 feet. This is a federal crime. Please show civility and for that short part of your day leave your endorsement gear at home or in the car.

We are neighbors, family, friends, coworkers, teammates and so much more.

Let’s show the world how amazing North Idaho is, especially Bonner County and be super civil to each other.

VOTE! Michael W. Rosedale serves as the Bonner County Clerk.

Road Reflections — fall 2020

By Steve Klatt Reader Contributor Autumn equinox and measurable rain in the same week had me thinking of what the Road Department needs to be focused on for the next month or so, and also wondering what little tricks Mother Nature has up her sleeves to make our lives a bit more interesting. Those of you driving our 360plus miles of gravel roads had probably not even noticed many of these are a little bit roughed up by traffic increasing in volume and speed this past dry summer. We had a heck of a time getting our mag chloride applied because of the June rains and, since then, we never received enough rain to help hold the roads together.

Road graders will be getting out fairly steadily and we will be starting the process of getting the gravel roads ready for winter.

Although we have touched up a number of roads and rough spots, we have been holding off on our regular grading program hoping for seasonal rains. Since we have not been getting any natural moisture, we have been sending water trucks out with our road graders to begin smoothing up our gravel roads.

The Sagle crew is trying to get as much prep work done as possible to the western end of Lakeshore Drive to get ready for applying BST early next summer. The Priest River crew is still gathering and clearing up storm debris along Eastshore Road up at Priest Lake, then will haul gravel and begin to refurbish Gleason-Mcabee Falls Road.

The Sandpoint crew is starting a brushing project along Lower Pack River Road from the Highway 200 end that will cause a few traffic delays on that road.

The Road Department had some notable moments this summer, starting with getting several issues resolved with our chip sealing program and once again, putting down quite

a few miles of quality asphalt preservation.

We just finished replacing a small bridge in the Sagle area and doing our most extensive bridge deck restoration project on Peninsula Road above Priest River. After putting sustained efforts in rebuilding the structure and drainage systems under North Kootenai Road, we were just rewarded with the satisfaction of covering the road surface with hot mix asphalt.

The Bonner County commissioners have encouraged the Road Department to work on a novel idea for funding road improvement projects, primarily focused on new asphalt treatment for our existing gravel roads, but that could also include bridge repairs and replacement. The idea is to propose a two-year override levy to the voters next spring that will be dedicated to specific road improvement projects we will define and make known to the public for your consideration. We are developing a 10-year countywide program schedule, identifying specific road improvements that will need to be approved every two years for the program to continue.

Given the constraints and restrictions of current Bonner County budgets and funding, numerous worthy road improvements are decades away from being completed.

Our job is to develop a realistic program cost and schedule for your consideration and we are beginning to work seriously toward that end.

Courtesy photo.

Steve Klatt is the director of the Bonner County Road and Bridge Department.

October 22, 2020 /

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

the medieval executioner

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Everyone knows the image of the executioner: a burly hooded man wielding a massive axe, like the shadow of death itself. As All Hallows’ Eve draws nigh, we will look into the grisly life of the medieval executioner.

Like most stereotypes, the hood-wearing, axe-wielding butcher wasn’t a completely accurate depiction of the medieval hatchet man. Executioners had a curious lot in life, and were often very interesting, tormented people. The ultimate edgelords, society needed them while also fearing them, shunning them and not empathizing with the poor executioner.

As with most societal roles in medieval life, the career of an executioner was generally a hereditary one passed from father to son. In many respects, it wasn’t much different from any other task in medieval society, as executioners often took great pride in their craft.

In most medieval villages throughout western Europe, an executioner took many roles throughout their day-to-day life: axeman, undertaker, farmer and physician. Properly and efficiently ending human lives took a great deal of anatomical understanding, as a clumsy and vicious executioner was viewed as cruel and sinful. Judgy looks weren’t the only fear of a bad executioner, as it didn’t take much to set off a crowd of bloodthirsty peasants if an execution took a few too many whacks to complete. The possibility for the executioner to join his intended victim was ever-present.

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executioners understood what maladies plagued the human body — at least as well as any medieval mind could understand the human body before the discovery of microbiology — and because of this they were often their villages’ resident physicians.

Imagine the dread of visiting the doctor’s office if you knew their specialty was killing the people you grew up with. You can imagine that executioners weren’t very popular for this reason, so they often had to overcompensate by presenting themselves as extremely pious and morally just — traits that were extremely important in medieval society.

An executioner’s piety and anatomical know-how helped them care for prisoners during the final weeks of their lives.

They would get to know the prisoner, attempt to show them the error of their ways, and push them toward repentance for their crimes and allow them some semblance of hope with the promise of a good afterlife in heaven. Inevitably, they would still kill this person. Imagine the difficulty of the executioner’s task when they need not only perform their role flawlessly, but end the life of someone they’ve come to know very well.

We generally envision the executioner with a massive axe, but these implements are largely fantasy, as they would be extremely unwieldy and difficult to use. Executioners had many tools in their arsenal, though they seldom had the luxury of choosing which tool of the trade they would use for any particular execution. In medieval Germany, executions would be presided over by a judge and jury in something called a blood court, where the crimes of the condemned would be weighed

against numerous factors, including their willingness to repent and whether or not the family they affected has forgiven them, which, in and of itself, is another very curious practice. The judge of this macabre court would decide the manner in which the condemned would shuffle off this mortal coil, and would then ensure the deed was, ahem, executed to their expectation.

Beheading with a sword was one of the more common forms of medieval execution, especially for those of the noble class.

This form of execution took great finesse and understanding of human anatomy. Relieving someone of their head isn’t as simple as gripping a sword and swinging. Human bones are dense and fully capable of halting steel under the right circumstances. A medieval executioner would have needed to effectively navigate the edge of a sword between vertebrae in a single strike.

Those who had not held the hereditary fortune of nobility often suffered a much more brutal demise: at the end of a rope. Hanging common criminals was fairly commonplace because of the ease of rigging up a set of gallows, and the device could be reused without the need for sharpening or user fatigue. Punishments for relatively mundane crimes during this period could be particularly harsh, so it wasn’t irregular for a local lord to schedule dozens of hangings in a day.

Though far less common, fire was another tool used by medieval executioners.

Sometimes the condemned were burned alive at the stake, and other times they would be boiled alive in what was essentially a massive cauldron.

Another particularly gruesome tool was the breaking wheel, a device that could be employed to myriad ends — among them, breaking all of the accused’s limbs then threading them through the spokes of the wheel and leaving them for the crows.

Though undocumented, the mental toll this kind of life must have taken on executioners is undeniable. Despite the fact they were shunned by society, many apparently set aside the sword

later in life and committed themselves to healing others, becoming fairly wealthy in the process.

Though the practice of executions has waned in recent years, the last state-sponsored public execution in Europe took place in 1997. It’s wild to think that Pokemon Red and Blue released on the Game Boy just a year before that.

Check back next week for more ghoulishly educational fun! Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner ?

Don’t know much about music • Listening to music while working out measurably improves physical performance.

We can help!

they do when listening to speech, according to a study.

• You don’t like the original version of a song because it’s better.

You like it because it’s the one you heard first.

• Only about one in every 10,000 people has “perfect pitch,” the ability to identify a musical note just by hearing it, with no reference note.

• Warner Music collected more than $2 million in royalties in 2008 for public usage of the “Happy Birthday” song.

• Finland has more heavy metal bands per capita than any other country in the world. Rock on, Finns!

• None of The Beatles could read music.

• The iconic lyric, “Do you know where you are?! You’re in the Jungle Baby!,” was actually yelled at Axl Rose by a homeless man in New York.

• Your heartbeat changes and mimics the music you listen to.

(Death metal enthusiasts must have jackhammer heartbeats.)

• Elvis Presley didn’t write any of his songs. He had some co-writing credits on a few songs, but none of his more than 600 recorded songs were written by him.

• Loud music can make a person drink more in less time.

• Babies remain calm twice as long when listening to a song as

• Music can help severely brain-injured patients recall personal memories.

• About 5% of people have a biological disdain for music, called “musical anhedonia.”

• Group singing has been scientifically proven to lower stress, relieve anxiety and elevate endorphins.

Greeting boos and ghouls. Welcome to another collection of local photos. The top photos show the moment when the old Monarch Mountain Coffee building was demolished on Oct. 20. I have a lot of fond memories in this building including meeting my girlfriend for the first time at an open mic night.

Sad to see it go.

To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.

Top left and right: A backhoe demolishes the old Monarch Mountain Coffee Building on Fourth Avenue in Sandpoint. Photos by Clint Nicholson.

Bottom right: A still day at Garfield Bay. Photo by Patricia Ericsson.

Bottom left: Leah and Nathan Corley on Walnut Street are getting â&#x20AC;&#x153;into the spiritâ&#x20AC;? for Halloween. Photo

by Susan Drinkard.

October 22, 2020 /

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COMMUNITY

Chamber names Pack River Store Bulldog Bench named October as October Business of the Month Volunteers of the Month

By Reader Staff The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce recently announced Pack River Store as its October Business of the Month. The ceremony took place Oct. 8 at the chamber’s first in-person general membership luncheon since March.

Founded in 1975 by Cliff Banks, Pack River Store has morphed slowly from general store to convenience store and now a full-service restaurant. Brittany and Alex Jacobson took over PRS from Arlene, Alex’s mother, and used their combined years of service experience, Alex’s mastery of the culinary arts and Brittany’s local ties to solidify PRS’s place in Sandpoint area history.

The Jacobsons, their two young children and business were relatively unaffected by the shutdown in March. Through social media and a source inside the school district, Brittany began to realize how deeply many families were struggling. Especially heartbreaking was the realization of the number of children who only ate breakfast and lunch through the school lunch program.

“Alex and I decided to do 100 lunches on a Friday — thinking that kids could take a couple and have them through the weekend. We figured we could help the kids in the neighborhood by putting the lunches out on the porch at the store for a shamefree, no-questions-asked pick up.” Once the community caught wind of their generosity, the donations started pouring in.

“It escalated quickly,” Brittany said.

“We decided to do lunches once a week through the pandemic, or until the money ran out. It didn’t run out.”

They gave away 3,500 sack lunches during the governor’s stay at home order, relying on a team of regular volunteers who

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Accepting the Business of the Month certificate are Pack River Store owners Brittany and Alex Jacobson, presented by Kate McAlister, right. Photo by Ricci Witte. came in once a week, packing the lunches in an assembly line. Eventually teaming up with Arnie Raines from Arnie’s Conoco in Kootenai, Heather Neer at Travel America, Ross Davis at Davis Mercantile in Hope, Savannah Clark from the Burger Dock and Leo Hunsaker from CTNI, distribution stretched throughout the entire county. They sent 100 lunches up to Bonners Ferry and contacted Kinderhaven, who used funds to purchase their entire supply list.

Along with Kootenai Elementary Principal Kelly Knowles, the Jacobsons found several ways to put the donated funds to use. They provided seven different families a week’s worth of food. Bobbie Coleman, director of Child Nutrition for LPOSD, helped them pay off the entire district’s school lunch debt for the Lake Pend Oreille, West Bonner County and Boundary County school districts. Finally, they plan to use leftover funds to provide meals during the holiday breaks this winter.

For more information on PRS, visit their website, packriverstore.com or call 208263-2409.

By Reader Staff

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is honoring Sandpoint’s Bulldog Bench Booster Club as October’s Volunteers of the Month. The ceremony took place Oct. 8 as the chamber’s first in-person general membership luncheon since March.

The decades-old 501(c)3 nonprofit is a booster club charged with fundraising for Sandpoint High School sports programs. It provides needed items like uniforms, equipment, meal and travel funds for state tournaments.

In addition to supporting multiple sports in both male- and female-specific leagues, Bulldog Bench provides several scholarships to deserving athletes each year. Due in large part to

Accepting the Volunteer of the Month certificate is Bulldog Bench Secretary Clint Gunter, Treasurer Matt Mire and President Bob Witte along with presenter Ricci Witte, right. Photo by Julia Klontz.

fundraisers, such as the Spring and Fall Golf Scrambles, the organization is able to give away up to $40,000, depending on need.

With many lifelong members, Bulldog Bench remains a pillar of the local nonprofit community. That’s why the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is honoring Bulldog Bench as its October 2020 Volunteers of the Month. For more information on Bulldog Bench, find it on Facebook, email bobwitte@blueskybroadcasting.com or call 208-290-5796.

HALLOWEEN FEATURE

Phantom footsteps and the graves next door Learning to live with the family ghosts

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Everybody is afraid of something. When I was 7 years old, there was a period of time lasting about a year when I was consumed by the fear of ghosts and paranormal activity. I recall agonizing nights lying in bed with the covers pulled tight to my chin, my overactive imagination turning the bedside table lamp’s silhouette into a disembodied head, or the pattern of the wallpaper morphing into a grinning apparition about to slip its hand over my nose and mouth to suffocate me in my sleep. Often I would hold out as long as I could stand, then sneak downstairs to sleep on the living room couch, where the sounds of my dad’s snoring or the gentle cooling tick of the fireplace was enough to finally lull my brain to sleep.

One would think the fact that I grew up next to a graveyard would have something to do with this irrational childhood fear, but the truth was, the cemetery was always a peaceful, serene place. Like some creepy kid in a Stephen King movie, I would always stand at my bedroom window watching whenever someone was laid to rest. After the service, I’d walk over and check out the new neighbor’s tombstone.

Sure, the cemetery was a spooky place to bring friends on dark Halloween nights, but in reality there was nothing remotely scary about living next to a graveyard. I’ll bet many of you out there would gladly prefer a couple hundred quiet skeletons next door over your loud neighbors who don’t understand that it isn’t cool to start the table saw at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings.

No, that childhood fear of ghosts was the result of my mom’s experience living in — and my brief visit to — a haunted house in California.

My mom, Val, grew up in

Ventura, Calif., which is where she met my father. She was temping at the FBI, where my dad was working as a welfare fraud investigator in the 1970s after he retired from the U.S. Army. While making plans to move away and start their family in North Idaho, they both stayed briefly in my grandparents’ home in Ojai, Calif., where this ghost story really begins.

“It was an old Victorian home in Ojai on Grand Avenue,” she said in a phone interview. “It was on an acre or two-acre lot, and there was a church next door and a barn out back.”

According to my mom, the legend went that an old man committed suicide in the house years before her parents owned it, but she was never able to confirm whether it was fact or folklore.

“I don’t remember if he hanged himself, or what, but the bottom line was there was a presence in that house,” she said.

“It was an active house.”

That was proved one night while my mom and dad were watching the house for my grandparents while they were out of town.

“Your father, as you know, was a skeptical person,” my mom reminded me as a precursor to the story.

They were lying in bed and started hearing footsteps — loud, heavy footsteps. Then a door opening and closing abruptly.

“The problem was, that door that opened and closed was there, but my dad had a huge piece of furniture blocking it,” she said. “It was not really used a whole lot. And I’m sure that’s the door we heard open and close.”

It wasn’t the first time something else had been detected at the house. My mom recounted to us kids stories about how the lights would flicker on and off, hearing footsteps, seeing peripheral visions and a cold feeling when in certain rooms of

the house.

“The house was most active in my brother’s room,” she said.

“A lot of times, all the drawers would be pulled out in the morning and stuff would be strewn everywhere. Sometimes things were turned upside down.

You never really saw anything straight on, but sometimes you’d see something in your peripheral vision. You just knew something was there.”

She said it wasn’t a terrifying feeling, but generally a feeling that someone was attached to the house.

“Oftentimes, I would be upstairs by myself talking to someone on the phone and all of a sudden it got real cold,” she said. “It was like someone was breathing. You could feel it.”

These were just “ghost stories” she told us while we were growing up, but it wasn’t until we visited our grandparents years later in Ojai and wound up visiting the old haunted house that my fear of ghosts truly took hold.

It was a home tour and my mom explained that this was the house she told us about. When

we knocked on the door and the current owners answered, she explained to them that she used to live in the house.

My mom asked the owners if they had experienced any of the “activity,” and when the wife nodded slowly and said they had, all my fears coalesced in that one gesture. It wasn’t just a bunch of spooky stories anymore; it was a real place, where real people had also experienced the phenomenon.

After we returned home to Sandpoint, my imagination had already taken flight and cemented that terrible year of frightening images flickering through my brain whenever the lights went down.

No matter how much teasing my sisters gave me and how much my mom explained that the “presence” wasn’t an evil one, I was convinced that my bedroom was haunted with all sorts of freakish ghouls. One night, our family dog was lying in bed with me and suddenly sprang up and started barking at a spot on the wall, then ran yelping from the room. Another time, I swore that I woke up as

Courtesy photo.

my pillow was yanked out from under my head and flung across the room. But those are easily explained away as benign interactions — it was the thought that there were actual ghosts existing in this world that made it so hard for me to close my eyes at night.

Then, one day, the fear suddenly subsided. I was able to sleep alone in my bedroom through the night and gained control over my active imagination.

Today, as a journalist, I view ghost stories with my father’s skepticism, but I can’t explain away the fact that the house we visited in Ojai was haunted by something. My grandparents knew it, my parents knew it, the new owners knew it. Scarier than any ghost was the fact that they all agreed something was there, which means it could exist anywhere.

Even here.

Sleep tight.

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HOLIDAY

Fun and frightful festivities Halloween events slated for next weekend

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

’Tis the season for silly costumes, sweet treats and spooktacular Sandpoint parties.

Whether you’re a young witch craving something caramel-covered or an old ghoul seeking pumpkin beer to quench your thirst, there are gatherings galore to help you get your Halloween fix next weekend.

Friday, Oct. 30 Haunted Hope @ Davis Grocery and Mercantile, 620 Wellington Place, Hope 5-7 p.m.

Davis Grocery is hosting its third annual Halloween carnival — Haunted Hope — and the free event is slated to be bigger and better than ever. Half of the property — located next to the post office in Hope — will be spooky, while the other half will be “totally kid friendly,” according to organizers. There will be plenty of kids’ treats and drinks, carnival

games and prizes, a scary maze and a beer garden.

Bonner County Fairgrounds Halloween Party @ Main Exhibit Building, 4203 N. Boyer Ave., Sandpoint 5:30-7:30 p.m.

This free party is geared toward the kiddos, featuring children’s games and activities along with a kid-friendly movie.

Aside from popcorn and treats, kids have a chance to bring home prizes for costumes in four categories: most creative, best handmade, funniest and scariest. This event is hosted by the Bonner County Fair Board and fair staff.

Saturday, Oct. 31 North Summit Church Trunk or Treat 201 N. Division Ave., Sandpoint 3-5 p.m.

The North Summit Church will be transforming its parking lot into a Halloween hub for the community’s cos-

tumed kids. There will be space for 25 cars to serve as “trunks” at this trunkor-treat event. Those wishing to have their car included need to sign up at the church’s information kiosk.

Museum Trick-or-Treating @ Lakeview Park, enter at the corner of Ella Avenue and Ontario Street in Sandpoint 4-7 p.m. (Haunted Woods open until midnight) The Bonner County Historical Society, Kinnickinnick Native Plant Society and Sandpoint Lions are known to throw a killer Halloween bash, and 2020 is no different. Trick-or-treat for Litehouse apple cider and popcorn from 4-7 p.m. and get your costume documented in a spooky photo booth. The Haunted Woods will be open until midnight, and according to organizers, “as darkness falls, it will be a thrill for those looking for a fright!” This event is free to people of all ages, and organizers will utilize COVID-19 precautions such as paced entry, masks and gloves to keep participants safe.

Live music w/Big Phatty and the Inhalers @ Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St., Sandpoint 5-8 p.m.

Costumes heavy on the big hair and tie-dye will be perfect for the Pend d’Oreille Winery’s Halloween party, as Big Phatty and the Inhalers plan to provide an evening of ’70s rock jams. Big Phatty and the Inhalers is Steve Rush on guitar, Ali Thomas on drums, Scott Taylor on lead guitar, Denis Zwang on sax and

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Haunted Hope at Davis Grocery in Hope. Courtesy photo.

flute, and Erich Brandt on bass. This event is free and open to the public.

Live music w/Brittany Jean @ the Panida, 300 N. First Ave., Sandpoint Doors at 6 p.m., music at 7 p.m.

Nashville recording artist Brittany Jean will bring her folksy charm and “slice-oflife songs” to the Panida stage on Halloween night. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for those ages 18 and under. Buy tickets at bjeanmusic.com or panida.org. Find her music at bjeanmusic.com, as well as on Apple Music, Pandora and Spotify.

Live music w/Nights of Neon @ the 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., Sandpoint 9 p.m.-midnight Who better to bring the tunes to a funky night like Halloween than Sandpoint’s beloved Nights of Neon? Known to play covers as well as originals, the band is set to bring its signature funk — complete with hints of hip-hop, reggae and jazz — to the 219 all the way into the wee hours of Nov. 1.

St. Bootober Bash @ the St. Bernard, 479 NW Passage, Schweitzer Mountain Resort 5-11 p.m.

Enjoy drinks and music on the mountain at The St. Bernard’s first ever Halloween costume party. Gift card prizes will be awarded to top individual costume and best couple/group costume.

OUTDOORS

Voices in the Wilderness

‘A most memorable wilderness experience’

By Jayden Winslow Reader Contributor Straddling the summits and flanks of northwest Montana’s Cabinet Mountains lies the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area.

Over 94,000 acres of primitive, rugged and pristine Montana landscape that welcome exploration by hikers, mountain climbers, hunters, fisherman and all those individuals that want to see part of our state as it has been for millenia. It is here that my story unfolds.

Summers in northwest Montana usually create conflict within my family. Not your normal family discussions, mind you, but somewhat heated discussions regarding allocation of time. With so many wild places to explore and such limited time in which to do it, tough decisions have to be made. “What do you want to do today?” is the question. Float the Bull River, explore the South Fork of Ross Creek, hike the Pillick Ridge Trail, go see the Berray Mountain Lookout, and this list goes on and on.

After much discussion and consideration for the members of the excursion, we decided to hike to Cliff Lake, and perhaps, for some, to the summit of Chicago or St. Paul Peaks in the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area. This particular adventure appealed to all members of the group, as our ages and fitness levels varied greatly. The initial trek into the meadow below the peaks is an easy hike, whereas the summits of Chicago and St. Paul Peaks are somewhat more challenging. The preparation for the hike builds excitement.

Daypacks are filled with snacks, drinking water, mosquito repellent, cameras, and first aid kits are stocked, checked, restocked and checked for a final time.

Children and parents alike will share the load, although not

equally. A quick check of the map for the directions and into the truck we go.

Driving south on Highway 56 provides some very dramatic vistas of the Cabinet Mountains.

At one point, Chicago and St. Paul Peaks are clearly visible, and they seem very far away. It is hard to imagine that we will arrive there later in the day. They seem so remote and far away.

The trailhead to Cliff Lake lies at the end of a rough, rocky road high in the Cabinets. It doesn’t take long to remove ourselves from the valley of the Clark Fork River, as we make our way up, and up, and up to the trailhead.

The Cliff Lake trailhead is very close to the wilderness boundary, which is different than most trails in the area. This trailhead provides easy access to wilderness. The value of such access has been debated often by my family. On one hand, this access point allows people of various fitness levels to experience wilderness, and perhaps come to value all that it has to offer, and spread the word to others. Some feel that a true wilderness experience can only be obtained through arduous and difficult access, thereby keeping the solitude and remoteness of wilderness intact.

Arriving at the trailhead, packs and walking sticks are removed from the bed of the truck, and the hike begins. We progress

refreshing water. Laughs echo through the small basin as the lake gives us new energy. The time passes quickly, and soon we gather our gear and begin the hike back. As we leave the basin of Cliff Lake, we spot a nanny goat and a kid on a ledge above the lake. They seem to watch us. Perhaps wondering if we will return to this place. We will return to this place, and it will be then as it is today, as it has been for millennia.

Jayden Winslow, doing what she loves. Courtesy photo. single file, ascending, then flat, views obscured by alpine fir and rock outcroppings. Descending, then flat. No signs of people.

Perhaps the “leave no trace” practices that my father preaches are being heeded. Soon we emerge from the timber to the meadow below Chicago Peak, and the shoulder of St. Paul to the north and east. Bear grass is in bloom speckling the meadows and flanks of the peaks. Lunch time. Looking for mountain

goats time. Conversation time.

Reflection time. The day warms and Cliff Lake calls us. Enthusiastically, we cross the meadow and drop down to the frigidly

Jayden Winslow is a 2019 Libby High graduate. Submitted to the 2019 Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness scholarship competition, hers was one of the top two from Libby High School.

Voices in the Wilderness is written by neighbors, friends and visitors in the vicinity of the proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Voices features memorable personal experiences in wild places. If you have an adventure tale based in untamed country (it doesn’t have to be local), write to info@scotchmanpeaks.org for guidelines.

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events

October 22 - 29, 2020

THURSDAY, October 22

Clue on stage at the Panida (Oct. 22-25) • 7:30pm @ Panida Theater A mysterty comedy with some of Sandpoint’s biggest stage actors! Tickets $16/adult, $8/youth up to 18 years. Support local theater! COVID protocols followed.

FriDAY, October 23

Live Music w/ Nick Wiebe 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Devon Wade 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 8-10pm @ The Back Door

Live Music w/ Blake Christiana 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Christiana is the leader singer for the band Yarn, who have played at the Panida before

Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Nick Wiebe Jammin 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Pints for Polio 3-5pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Rotary Club of Ponderay and Sandpoint co-sponsoring this fundraiser to help eradicate polio from the world.

Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 8-10pm @ The Back Door

Winter Welcome at Pine St. Woods 2-5pm @ Pine Street Woods A walk around the trails with beer, vendors, silent auction and socially distanced bonfires. Presented by Sandpoint Nordic Club.

Boo Bash Costume Ball 7-10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall An easy Merengue dance lesson from 7-8pm and general dancing after, with costume judging. COVID protocals observed. $9

SATURDAY, October 24

SunDAY, October 25

Piano Sunday w/ Dwayne Parsons 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

monDAY, October 26

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills Monday Night Run Posse (free) 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub 6pm @ Outdoor Experience Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “The Witch Next Door: What’s the Appeal of Wicca and Paganism?”

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COMMUNITY Pine Street Woods earns national award

By Reader Staff For Katie Cox, executive director of Kaniksu Land Trust, any recognition for the success of the Pine Street Woods project belongs to the community that made it happen. That would include a prestigious national award.

Cox was notified earlier this week that the Pine Street Woods Project had been selected in the Multiple-Use Management and Corridor Sharing category of the American Trails’ Coalition for Recreational Trails Annual Achievement Awards. As the 2020 recipient, Cox will be invited to speak at a gala awards ceremony, normally presented on Capitol Hill, but held virtually this year due to COVID-19. Award recipients will be invited to Washington to receive the actual award in person at the 2021 awards program.

In a letter congratulating Cox and her team, CRT Co-Chairs Marianne Fowler and Derrick Crandall commended the organization for helping the American public enjoy more outdoor recreation and boosting the local economy with access to such opportunities.

“We are proud of the fact that Pine Street Woods is for users of all abilities and this award really symbolizes what so many volunteers have worked so hard to make possible for our community,” Cox said.

This particular award is significant, not only for the recognition, but because it epitomizes the shared success of the partners involved in making the project happen. The award in this category is given to an organization that facilitates or encourages usage for multiple types of trail activities, espe-

cially those that are not typically shared on a common trail. The Pine Street Woods trail system was designed to accommodate trail enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. With over seven miles of new trail work added to the existing twelve miles of trails on the adjacent parcel, the park can accommodate a variety of interests simultaneously.

Thanks to support from the local community and several foundation gifts, Kaniksu Land Trust raised $2.1 million over several years to purchase the 180-acre property for recreational and educational use by the public.

LOR Foundation, Equinox Foundation, and grants from the U.S. Forest Service and Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation funded the bulk of the purchase. The remaining balance was covered by Idaho Forest Group and other local businesses along with a significant number of individual donors.

The small team of four staff rely heavily on community partners and volunteers to keep the trails accessible to runners, cyclists, cross-country skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

“Receiving this national recognition of trail initiatives at Pine Street Woods is a tremendous honor,” said KLT Conservation Director Regan Plumb. “For KLT, this award underscores that working shoulder-to-shoulder with community partners like Pend Oreille Pedalers and Sandpoint Nordic Club to create multi-use trails for all is simply the right thing to do.”

Pine Street Woods is open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and located minutes from downtown Sandpoint at 11915 W. Pine St. For more information about Pine Street Woods or Kaniksu Land Trust, visit kaniksulandtrust.org or call 208-263-9471.

STAGE & SCREEN

The future of community theater is... complicated

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

It seems everything has been turned on its side during the COVID-19 pandemic, but one area that has been especially hard hit is community theater. With social distancing guidelines and widespread uncertainty about the virus, the already razor-thin margins that community theater normally operates under are made even thinner by less audience capacity.

With venue rentals and production costs already making it hard for those producing local theater to break even, the future of community theater remains uncertain moving into the fall and winter.

Longtime thespian and man about town Andrew Sorg has dabbled in just about everything involving a stage. He’s directed, acted in, produced and hosted a bevy of events on stage over the years in Sandpoint, and now that he’s moved back to town after a stint on the East Coast, is looking forward to the time when the effects of the pandemic are diminished enough to get back to what he loves: theater.

Sorg told the Reader that he has been working with newly elected Panida Board member Keely Gray with a new venture called Lake Pend Oreille Repertory Theatre to set the balls in motion for a glorious return of community theater. The problem is, nobody knows when exactly that will be.

“We’re actually looking at Clue as a good benchmark,” Sorg said. “If Clue is able to sell out and we see a big need for more theater in town, that will mean something to us.”

Sorg said he and Gray are mostly planning for 2021, when he envisions a big return to live events like stage plays after people have had enough of home life and binge watching shows on Netflix. The pair hopes to turn LPO Rep into an umbrella for the various local

theater producers to coordinate their efforts so no plays conflict with others in what many hope to be a busy return season after the virus fears diminish.

“We’re going to try to get everyone together and make sure everyone is all on the same page,” he said.

Sorg said he and Gray are using a waitand-see approach to evaluate what 2021 will look like. They have rough plans to put on their first production in May. “We’re looking at planning one musical for next year, maybe getting that organized together with other small plays under that small umbrella,” Sorg said. “Nobody knows what 2021 is going to look like, or how much COVID is going to be locking things down, so we don’t expect any play or live theater until then.”

Sorg said he is focusing on online fundraising at this point to generate a nest egg of about $5,000 to make sure they are ready to fund future productions.

For Chris Herron and Maddie Elliott, who co-own and operate the local theater production company Unknown Locals, the pandemic has brought their normally prolific output of stage productions to a screeching halt. Unknown Locals has showcased about 20 local productions in its eight-year tenure, seven of which were original full-length plays written

by Herron.

“We’ve had to put the kibosh on three things that were written and ready to go,” Herron told the Reader.

Herron wrote a full-length play called First Wave that was oddly prescient of the pandemic: “It was weirdly timely, being a show about the end of the world, people living in bunkers.

We called it First Wave because we thought it was sort of benign, that it wouldn’t really relate to anything happening right now. Boy were we wrong.”

Herron and Elliott had to postpone the

play, which was originally slated for summer 2020, as well as two other one-act efforts because they didn’t feel good about the logistics of producing a play during a pandemic.

“I’m optimistic come late spring, early summer, that we might be able to put something on, but it all depends,” Elliott said.

“People are definitely going to want to get out and do something when this is all over with, so we’re planning for that.”

Herron and Elliott said they have been relatively dormant during the pandemic, even letting their insurance lapse to save a bit of money since they weren’t producing anything this year.

Herron said in pre-COVID times, they only needed about 25-30 people to attend each performance to break even, which they consider a success in community theater. But with the uncertainty of the world and the potential glut of productions that were either canceled or postponed from 2020 may oversaturate the theater scene, setting up a scenario where each production may not be able to reach the breakeven point.

“After our first play, which we used our own money to produce, we’ve never had to put in a dollar of our own money to fund the ones that came after,” Herron said. “Everything has been continually generated and produced by the company, so as long as we can continue to do that, it’s a success.”

Still, Herron said the end-of-the-world play First Wave will probably be their first effort when Unknown Locals reemerges, but he may have to rewrite a few sections to recognize the pandemic.

“The funny thing is, we didn’t really explain what caused the end of the world in the play,” Herron said. “We always left it sort of vague, but I didn’t know the world was going to answer the question for me.”

Live production of Clue set to open Oct. 22 at the Panida

By Reader Staff

stage actor at one time, is back, and brings his signature energy to the cast. Lead character Wadsworth the Butler, played by Dean ThomIf you haven’t already, now is the time to as, carries the play with his immense amount premeditate your attendance at a murder on of dialogue and comedic antics. the Panida Theater main stage, with the live The cast is rounded out by talented newproduction Thursday, Oct. 22-Sunday, Oct. 25 comers Holly Beaman, Penelope Olson, Bret of Clue — the play based on the movie based Johnson, Ryan Durbin, Steve Durbin and on the board game of the same name.

Russ Sabin. Sabin plays two roles, and also Written by Sandy Rustin, based on the designed and built the set. Sound Designer screenplay of Jonathan Lynn and directed Josh Vest is like another charby Becky Revak, the local Clue on stage (PG) acter in the play, with multipresentation features 12 cast members who will perform Thursday, Oct. 22-Saturday, Oct. ple cues and tight timings for the fast-paced, quippy dark 24, 7:30 p.m. each night; Sunday, superb supporting music and effects.

Oct. 25, 3:30 p.m.; doors open mystery-comedy that fans of Opening night is Thursthe 1985 film know and love. 30 minutes prior to the show; $16 adults, $8 youths 18 and under. day, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and The large cast includes Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., COVID-19 safety protocols familiar local comedic stage 208-263-9191. Get tickets at talents Kate McAlister, Cory the door or panida.org. Entranc- will be in effect, including Repass, Sarah Caruso and es and exists, as well as seating, socially distanced seating.

Clue will be the 12th Amy Sherman. Andrew will be socially distanced.

Panida Playhouse Players Sorg, a prolific Sandpoint

Andrew Sorg as Mr. Green and Dean Thomas as Wadsworth the Butler in the stage production of Clue at the Panida. Courtesy photo.

production since 2016. This is the Panida’s second live theater production since its soft opening in August, with The Festival of the Bards, which showcased three original one-act plays by local area playwrights.

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater In a nutshell

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

Happy National Nut Day. Talk about timing! But it’s just a fluke, folks. I’m speaking of tree nuts and peanuts, and this is a holiday I can embrace like no other. Ever since nearly overdosing on Lay’s BBQ potato chips in the fourth grade, nuts have been my snack of choice. Back then, I ate a lot of pistachio nuts. A lot. They were inexpensive and bright pink.

You have to be of a certain age to remember that before pistachios were grown in the U.S., they were mostly imported from Iran and dyed pink to mask the shells’ imperfections and discoloration. It was hard to deny you had just polished off a handful, as the telltale signs were left behind, staining your fingertips and lips.

Nuts are good for us. According to the International Nut and Dried Fruit Association, nuts like pecans, almonds and filberts (hazelnuts) are good for our hearts. They can help reduce risk factors, such as hypertension, bad cholesterol, cell damage and aging. They also report that peanuts, high in vitamin B3, B6 and magnesium, contribute to reducing tiredness and fatigue. If this is all true, I figure I should be good to go for at least another 50 years!

Most of my family is also nuts for nuts. I guess we naturally come by it. Nearly 90 years ago, my great grandparents farmed a filbert orchard in Woodburn, Ore. Decades later and farther south, I, too, harvested Oregon filberts when oldest daughter Ryanne and 20 /

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her husband attended graduate school in Eugene, Ore. I would visit Ryanne and Russ several times a year (especially after the arrival of grandchild No. 3). But I cannot lie: My autumnal visit was intentionally planned around the filbert harvest at Dorris Ranch — the nation’s oldest filbert farm — located along the picturesque Willamette River in Springfield. We’d take a picnic and their little red wagon, gleaning the nuts left on the ground after the harvest. Back then, I was a high flyer with Alaska Airlines, entitled to two free luggage pieces on every flight. More than once, I left my wardrobe behind to fill a black garbage bag-lined suitcase with 50 pounds of coveted filberts.

Once home, I would spend

endless evenings hand cracking the nuts before roasting and freezing them for future use. One winter, following the nut-cracking sessions, I required wrist surgery for tendonitis.

Coincidence? I think not.

Everyone in my family has a different favorite nut. Some nuts did not fall far from the tree: Ryanne prefers peanuts, the same as me (and my mother before me). My son Zane is a cashew lover and Casey, the youngest, likes almonds in their natural form.

My kids are spoiled, as evident when I make up custom holiday Chex Mix batches for each of them, loaded with their favorite nut. I still use my mother’s recipe, and while modern versions only call for an hour or so of oven time, I roast mine

low and slow for hours, just as she did. I remember Mom and Gram taking tired dish towels to wipe out the turkey roasters before filling them to the brim with a mix of cereal, pretzels, nuts and nips. Maybe they kept the batches in the oven for hours as an excuse for an afternoon at our worn, red Formica table, playing hearts and nipping a bit of whiskey.

The only nut we do not care for is a walnut. Maybe it’s genetic that they taste way too bitter for our tastebuds (like people with olfactory-receptor genes, who think cilantro tastes like soap). My mother used to put them in all her baked goods, but I prefer pecans and go through copious amounts with my Christmas baking. I just returned from a quick visit

to North Carolina, and while I wasn’t picking them up off the ground on orchard walks, I purchased more than 20 pounds of plump, shelled pecan halves from a country road stand.

With the surge from our nasty enemy COVID-19, I was afraid there could be a shortage of Christmas baking goods, so I have been stocking my pantry in preparations. Besides the pecan stash, I have totes filled with varieties of pistachios, peanuts, filberts, almonds and pine nuts — whole, shelled, chopped, salted, raw, roasted and smoked.

In a nutshell, I am ready.

Feel free to use any nut you wish when you make these highly addictive nut bars. Just do yourself a favor and make them!

Salted Nut Bars

This sweet-salty combination is the bomb! Equally delicious with peanuts or mixed nuts.

Be sure to use salted nuts. Crust can be mixed by hand.

INGREDIENTS: Crust • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour • 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar • 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled • 1/4 tsp salt Glaze • 1/2 cup light corn syrup • 1 cup butterscotch-flavored baking chips • 2 tablespoons butter • 12 oz can salted peanuts (or mixed nuts) • 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13- x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine all crust ingredients in bowl of stand-up mixer, blend on low, scraping bowl often, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press crumb mixture firmly onto parchment paper (or foil) lined pan. Bake 10 minutes.

With food processor, quickly pulse nuts to coarse chop (or chop coarsely by hand).

Place topping ingredients (except the nuts) in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes or until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.

Sprinkle nuts over partially baked crust, pour glaze mixture over the nuts (be sure to pour evenly and into corners). Return to oven and bake

another 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Sprinkle

sea salt over warm topping. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

MUSIC

Not a second for granted

Blake Christiana of Yarn to play solo show at Eichardt’s Friday

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff This year has not been particularly kind to Blake Christiana or his band, Yarn. Despite the hardships that the novel coronavirus pandemic imposed on musicians, Christiana is one to look on the bright side.

“I’m doing my best to make the best of it,” he said. “There’s opportunity here to do things that I otherwise couldn’t have done.”

At first, that meant spending time working on his house, but that “got tiring quick,” Christiana said. Before long, he was back to playing music at “COVID-responsible gigs” — small gatherings with social distancing and PPE guidelines in place.

“I’ve been doing those since the second month of this madness because I just can’t sit still,” Christiana said, noting that he’s thankful to those who opened their homes and other spaces to make the small shows happen.

Christiana founded Yarn in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2006, and the high-energy bluegrass four-piece now hails from North Carolina. As the band hangs in the balance — booking spring shows in hopes that things will be nearer to normal by then — Christiana’s COVID-era shows have largely been solo gigs. As a result, he said he’s had a chance to hone his craft more than ever before, and locals will have a chance to hear for themselves when Christiana plays Eichardt’s on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.

While Yarn shows are more rock ’n’ roll, Christiana said his solo shows take on a more acoustic singer-songwriter feel.

“It’s much more raw,” he said. “It’s much more, ‘This is how the song was written.’”

Christiana said he tries to make his shows funny, too.

“It’s definitely not, ‘Sit down and get deep with me,’” he said with a laugh. “Some of the songs are pretty dark, but I try to lighten it up with the commentary. It’s more a listening show and less of a dancing show, but you’re always welcome to dance.”

As for upcoming projects, Christiana said Yarn actually has two albums completed and ready to drop: an LP of originals, as well as a tribute album to ’50s teenage rock heartthrob Ricky Nelson.

When that music will be available to listeners is unclear.

“Everything is crazy, everything is up in the air,” Christiana said. “I might just throw them out there next week, you never know.”

If this trying year has taught Yarn’s frontman anything, it’s to diversify his time. Christiana said he’s made a concerted effort to take time away from music to kayak and be outdoors.

“It’s the only thing that’s been able to shut my brain off from all of the madness of the world,” he said.

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

READ

After enjoying the first season of HBO’s Lovecraft Country, I decided to pick up a collection of works

by H.P. Lovecraft — not only in honor of the creepy season, but because of his influence on modern horror, science fiction and, to an extent, postmodern existential philosophy.

Look past the “The Call of Cthulhu” to some of his other stories (like “The Nameless City” and “The Outsider”) to see his truly inventive range. Mind the anti-Semitism and racism, though.

LISTEN

Another pandemic-induced lesson?

Never, ever stop being thankful. Christiana said he’s always worked hard to count his blessings — in particular, that he’s able to make a living as a musician — but 2020 has only enhanced that gratitude.

“When all this comes back, and we’re at shows again and we’re hugging and we’re sliding around in the mud at a festival

Blake Christiana of Yarn. Courtesy photo. together, I don’t think we’re going to take a second of it for granted,” he said. “Maybe this is a reminder of how precious every moment is and being able to be around people and enjoy music. This is the first thing to shut down and the last thing to come back, so we can’t be taking this for granted again.”

It’s unclear what Halloween 2020 will look like — whether the kids will be out hunting candy or the adults indulging their sinister sides with costumed debauchery.

No matter, if we can’t party like it’s 2020 then we can at least look back to Halloween 1920 with an expertly crafted YouTube playlist: “13 Halloween Songs from the 1920’s & 1930’s.” Whoever put this together deserves a huge tip of the witch’s hat.

WATCH

Like most parents, I tend to tune out the cartoons my kids like to watch. However, on a Saturday morning back in January, I kept looking up from my digital news scrolling to find myself captivated by an animated Netflix series called Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. Gorgeously designed, brilliantly scripted, funny and inventive and wild, the 30-episode series concluded this month.

Stream it all before it’s gone.

October 22, 2020 /

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BACK OF THE BOOK

Beyond the game

For every lesson I teach a player, they teach me a dozen more

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

From Northern Idaho News, Oct. 19, 1920

THREE MASKED MEN OVERPOWER FOURTEEN Three masked men went into Beardmore’s camp No. 3 on Pack river last Thursday evening at 7:30 o’clock and held up the 14 men there in the room, where a few of them were engaged in a friendly game of cards. They succeeded in securing over $500 from the crowd and made their getaway. The men were dressed in coveralls and caps, with handkerchiefs tied over their faces. One of hte men was taller and bigger than the others and the little hair on his head that could be seen under the camp and handkerchief was gray.

They were tracked next morning to the S.I. railroad track, but there all trace was lost and it is thought they may have caught a freight train and thus made their escape.

Sheriff Spoor was called early Monday morning and sent a couple of men to hunt for the desperadoes but they were unable to find any clue.

A couple of cases were reported some time ago of holdups in lumber camps, in both of which men were playing cards when the holdup men entered. One of these was in a Dover Lumber company camp and the other in a Humbird camp, but the holdup men were not so successful in these cases.

The Beardmore camp No. 3 is a new one and is located five miles from Samuels on Pack river, where the company expect to get out a lot of timber this winter and have it ready for the drive next spring.

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/ October 22, 2020

Fresh out of college and piecing together part-time jobs, I applied to coach volleyball at Clark Fork High School.

I’d always intended to help out my alma mater however I could, but hadn’t quite envisioned myself in the gym every afternoon for nearly three months, seated on benches across North Idaho in a royal blue polyester jacket with a clipboard in hand. Now, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else from mid-August to Halloween.

Since taking that assistant coach job in 2017, I’ve been roped into helping with junior high basketball — though “roping” me in mostly consists of asking me nicely — and also started coaching a club volleyball team in the spring.

I am endlessly thankful that my newspaper job allows for the extra gigs, and have become pretty adept at conducting interviews and writing stories aboard a moving school bus. We become adaptable when we get to do what we love.

Coaching is certainly a labor of love, and a labor of constant life lessons. In honor of my fourth season of coaching, here are four things the job has taught me: 1. You’re going to be wrong — so, so wrong. You’re going to say the wrong thing, make a bad call, regret an interaction the next day. Luckily teenagers are forgetful and forgiving. Give yourself some grace.

2. You have a fair amount of wisdom to impart — most of it having nothing to do with sports. Teach the kids to laugh at themselves, to lose themselves in competition, to care about how they represent the community. Strive to offer an open and empathetic ear when it’s 6 p.m. on a Tuesday, you’re turning off the gym lights and a 16-year-old just needs to talk to someone who isn’t their mom. Refrain from giving any serious advice — reserve that right for

STR8TS Solution

parents and school counselors — but offer up the comforts that work for you: “Your feelings are valid,” “This too shall pass,” and “Most problems can be solved with water and a good night’s sleep.”

3. It is possible to subsist entirely on sandwiches eaten in the car at 3 p.m. because the day has gotten away from you and it’s time for practice and you need to consume some calories before you pretend to be a fully functioning and responsible adult for a bunch of impressionable young people for three hours. Try not to harbor too much disdain for all the grown-ups who never told you that 80% of adulthood is figuring out when and what to eat. Attempt to prepare your players for this cruel reality.

4. You learn why teachers love to teach. You see a correction turn into a kill turn into a winning point turn into confidence in every aspect of the player’s life.

You see why every word of encouragement and every “I know you’re capable of more” matters. Create expectations and standards and watch the kids rise to the challenge when it’s least expected. You can’t want

Lyndsie Kiebert, center facing the camera, bosses her young athletes during a 2019 volleyball match. Photo by Leslie Kiebert. something for someone, but once they decide to want it all on their own — that feeling outshines every Christmas and every birthday combined. It is the ultimate gift.

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution

I think the monkeys at the zoo should have to wear sunglasses so they can’t hypnotize you.

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

Laughing Matter

By Bill Borders

ACROSS

1. Narcotics 6. Oversupply 10. Nile bird 14. Hearing-related 15. Be worthy of 16. Exploded star 17. Greek letter 18. Portent 19. Protruding part of the lower jaw 20. Appraisal 22. Anagram of “Deer” 23. Songs of praise 24. Conducts 25. At a distance 29. No longer working 31. Mark for misconduct 33. Readable 37. Moisten 38. Filament 39. Warehousing /DOHL-druhmz/ 41. Horse’s hoof joint 42. Voter [noun] 44. Female sheep (plural) 1. (used with a plural verb) A state of inactivity e h t f 45. An unwholesome o or stagnation, as in business or art. atmosphere 48. Employs “The fall always brings on the doldrums for the tourist season in North Idaho” 50. Skin disease 51. Child or grandchild 56. Bearing 57. If not Corrections: Cross our fingers, knock on wood, 58. Fertile areas No corrections means we’re all good.

59. Not straight (This week, at least.)

60. Masterstroke -BO 61. Inuit boat

doldrums

Word Week

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD

Solution on page 22 62. Anagram of “Star” 63. 1 1 1 1 64. Rips

DOWN 1. Early 20th-century art movement 2. Regrets 3. Website addresses 4. Way in 5. Gash 6. Eyelet 7. Bewail 8. Implement 9. Canvas dwelling 10. Beyond belief

11. An inferior black tea 12. Overgrown with ivy 13. Smooths 21. Hypodermic 24. On the up and up 25. Contributes 26. Accomplishment 27. Ammunition 28. Acts as an agent 30. Umpire 32. Kingdom 34. Found over each eye 35. Bloodsucking insects 36. Large North

American deer (plural) 40. Troop formation 41. Baby extractor 43. Kleenex 45. Arboreal snake 46. Less friendly 47. About 49. Muzzle 51. A style of design 52. Lady 53. Largest continent 54. Close 55. Sounds of disapproval

October 22, 2020 /

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CONNECTING NORTH IDAHO

TO THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

For nearly 150 years, BNSF Railway has been connecting this region's farmers, manufacturers, and businesses to customers around the world.

And as America's largest mover of intermodal freight, we're proud to move millions of carloads of freight each year that help feed, supply, and power homes and businesses across North America.

RA/�WAY

Connecting the Pacific Northwest since 1873

WHAT BNSF CARRIED IN 2019 INDUSTRIAL: 1.9 MILLION UNITS

ENERGY: 1.8 MILLION UNITS

BNSFtransports enough lumber every year to build more than

BNSFhauls enough energy to power one

'U

£').;: 500,000 homes.

Each year BNSFtransports enough asphalt to lay a

single lane road twice around the equator.

!II. ii

J11_ BNSF hauls enough J,. grain to supply 900 million people with a year's supply of ..........◄ bread.

--

II I

I

Y

of every 12 US homes.

CONSUMER: 5.3 MILLION UNI

rs

A new vehicle is loaded or unloaded onto a BNSFtrain

every 11 seconds.

5.3 million intermodal shipments were

transported by BNSF's rail lines instead of highways.