Reader_September7_2023

The week in random review

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

quotable

“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”

— Søren Kierkegaard, philosopher

difficult in sandpoint

Here’s an ongoing list of things that are difficult in Sandpoint. It will never be complete.

— Going out to breakfast on Sunday morning in summertime. No matter where you try to go, there’s always a 30-40 minute wait. Then, after Labor Day, everything returns to normal and you can just walk in and sit down at a table.

— Exiting the YMCA parking lot onto Pine Street without spilling your coffee. The dip on the sides of Pine Street is so severe, your shocks curse you in another language every time you make that turn onto Pine.

— Seeing embroidered pillows and trinkets in tourist shops around Sandpoint with Lake Pend Oreille misspelled. If you’re going to use our lake to peddle gewgaws, the least you can do is spell it right.

— Watching the Bonner County commissioners’ weekly business meeting without banging your head on the table. It’s like watching a bunch of 12-year-olds argue about whose dad is cooler.

— Seeing emails from the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce advertising September in Sandpoint as a “secret” because it’s a quiet month for locals. Can we just let the locals breathe after the tourist season, please? Anyone advertising “secrets” in a mass email doesn’t understand what a secret is.

endless energy

I have an idea for an invention if anyone wants to make a million bucks. Find a way to harvest the energy expended every time an office worker clicks their mouse button and put it back into the grid. In our cozy offices in the Farmin Building, I usually play music on my computer, but sometimes we work in silence broken only by the occasional muffler-less vehicle on Cedar Street, a snide joke from one of us or the endless clicking of mouse buttons as we do the work that needs to be done to publish our weekly newspaper. There’s only three of us working in the Editorial Department; just think of all the cubicle farms around the world filled with millions of office workers, clicking their mouse buttons 10, 30, sometimes a hundred times per minute. It’s just a thought, because we’re giving away all this free energy.

the little things in life

Speaking of the office, I’m pleased to announce that I have eliminated one of the most frustrating parts of my job: the office printer. I went to battle with this printer almost every day for more than eight years, cursing and beating it into submission just to make it do the one function it is programmed to do: print. The other day, the last string holding my brain together finally snapped when I again had to fish paper out of the printer jam. I went out and purchased a brand new printer, and can report it actually functions the way it’s supposed to. It’s the little things in life... that will drive us insane.

READER DEAR READERS,

As summer gently fades from our lives, it’s a perfect time for locals to take stock in what brings us joy. For me, I enjoy the first smell of rain after a dry, hot summer. I like the quiet majesty of a mountain lake in the morning, as birds announce the start of another alpine day. I love listening to the water against the hull of my boat as we sail across the lake for a weekend camping trip, and hearing fellow skiers and snowboarders howl as they barrel down a powdery slope at Schweitzer. There’s the first crackling campfire of the fall, the quiet downtown streets after the bars close and before the rest of the world wakes from its slumber and the skittering of fallen leaves blowing across the pavement. Most of all, I am grateful for the good people in my life.

Monday will mark 22 years since Sept. 11, 2001, when our lives as Americans changed forever. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. My only hope is that we can start living better lives, being better people and treating one another with more respect. No matter what your politics are, that’s something (hopefully) we can all agree on.

–Ben Olson, publisher

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About the Cover

This week’s cover was taken from a vintage tourism poster and converted to work for the Reader cover by Ben Olson.

‘Egregious behavior’

W.Bonner school trustees blocked from holding ‘special meeting’ by restraining order; cancel another ahead of recall election certification

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

A season of high drama in the West Bonner County School District is moving into a new phase Thursday, Sept. 7, when the Bonner County Board of Canvassers will certify the results of the Aug. 29 special election that resulted in the recall of WBCSD Board of Trustees Chair Keith Rutledge and Vice-Chair Susan Brown.

Once the results of the election are certified, Rutledge and Brown will be officially removed from the board. After that time, the remaining members will have up to 90 days to appoint replacement trustees from the vacant zones or, if that isn’t possible, select new trustees from anywhere within the district. Should the board still fail to identify adequate replacements after 120 days, the board of Bonner County commissioners are empowered to make the appointments.

With voters turning out to recall Rutledge and Brown by margins exceeding 60%, the results appeared decisive and to end months of controversy surrounding the pair of trustees. However, that hasn’t proven to be so, with the board setting two meetings on Sept. 1 and Sept. 6, both of which were canceled after widespread concern that they represented last-ditch efforts by the recalled trustees to shore up the position of controversial Superintendent Branden Durst and set policies to which the new board would be beholden even after the election is canvassed.

District residents were particularly shocked Aug. 31 to see that a special meeting of the board had been called for Sept. 1 — the Friday before the threeday Labor Day weekend — and with an agenda that, among other actions, would have dissolved the current board, turned the meeting over to Durst, elected a new chair, affirmed previous board decisions, included an evaluation of Durst’s performance as superintendent,

secured him legal counsel for employment and consideration of legal action against the Idaho State Board of Education.

That drama unfolded quickly, with observers describing the surprise board meeting as a “takeover” and attempted “coup” with the effect of sidestepping the recall. Leaders from the local to state level speaking to the Reader on and off the record all expressed alarm at the move and questioned its legality.

Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane weighed in with a statement Sept. 1, writing that his office had received “several inquiries” about the recall, and underscored that, “The 63% turnout for the West Bonner recall election earlier this week was unprecedented for an August election. The results were clear in the affirmative to recall two school board members. …

“All public officials serve at the pleasure of the people,” McGrane added. “I encourage everyone to respect the election process and the will of the people of West Bonner who voted on Tuesday.”

WBCSD Trustee Margaret Hall told the Reader in an email Aug. 31 wrote, “It is obvious that this is an extreme effort to tie the hands of the next board by the two board members who have been recalled decisively, before their terms ends.

“My concern is that these two trustees, with assistance from Mr. Durst, are leaving a legacy of potentially a large financial burden by placing the district in a position where it is obligated to take on legal battles that it should not be in [in] the first place,” she wrote, later adding, “Individuals claim to be fiscally conservative and transparent. I do not see either, especially given again the last minute call for this meeting on a Friday of a three-day weekend. It’s inexcusable.”

Since late-June at least, many in the Priest River area have contended that Rutledge and Brown had been operating with disregard for the community’s wishes, violating open meeting laws and

making decisions based on a “hidden agenda” — specifically when it came to voting 3-2 to select Durst as superintendent.

That decision came earlier in the summer, despite the option of retaining then-interim Superintendent Susie Luckey, who is a 40-year WBCSD educator and administrator, and holds an emergency provisional certificate to serve in the job — something Durst has yet to acquire.

Once a Democratic legislator in the Idaho House, Durst later switched to the Republican Party, under which banner he ran an unsuccessful campaign for state superintendent of public instruction in 2022. Durst has also worked as an education policy analyst for the ultra-conservative free market organization Idaho Freedom Foundation, which has stated on multiple occasions its desire to see public education eliminated in Idaho.

What’s more, Durst lacks a critical qualification to serve as a superintendent, having never worked the requisite number of years in a classroom, and has yet to receive the emergency provisional certification that would allow him to hold the job.

The Idaho State Board of Education sent a letter to the WBCSD in mid-August listing numerous areas in which the district was out of compliance with state requirements, including lack of a balanced budget, lack of clarity over whether the district’s buses had been inspected per the requirements, lack of federally required intervention services for students with disciplinary action, and failure to complete its Consolidated State Federal Grant Application and submit the document for State Board approval.

What’s more, state education leaders told West Bonner that Idaho Code “strongly suggests your board’s decision to allow an uncertified individual to serve as superintendent violates Idaho law.”

A spokesperson told the Reader in an email Sept. 1 that the State Board had received Durst’s

application for an emergency provisional certification by email, but had not yet seen a hard copy.

Meanwhile, scores of district personnel have left the district either by choice or necessity since June, along with numerous students who have transferred to surrounding school districts — including the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

Concerns over what might have come out of the Sept. 1 meeting spread throughout that day, including enough worry over potential violence that Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler confirmed to the Reader in an email that he had received a request to assist the Priest River Police Department with additional security and would be sending deputies to provide support.

However, an effort to block the meeting had been underway since the late afternoon of Aug. 31, with attorney Katherine Elsaesser working through the night on behalf of plaintiffs Peggy Smith and Dana Douglas to draft and submit a complaint for open meeting violations and requesting an emergency temporary restraining order blocking the board from taking up its Sept. 1 agenda.

A judge granted the order shortly before the meeting was to start at 5 p.m., resulting in its last-minute cancellation.

“It was egregious behavior,” Elsaesser told the Reader in a phone interview Sept. 2. “They have called themselves conservatives but this was in no way conserving the Constitution. This is basically putting the district into a lot of expensive litigation at a time when our district doesn’t even have money for all of its needs.”

Elsaesser, who is an attorney with Elsaesser Anderson, Chtd. and also serves as the Priest River city attorney, said, “The blatant disrespect for the result of the recall was pretty obvious,” and, “It really was immediate and irreparable harm that was going to occur.”

“There was nothing on that agenda for the students or the district — it was exclusively for

him,” she said, referring to Durst. “Everything on there … it was all benefiting him.”

In the complaint, plaintiffs argued that the Sept. 1 meeting agenda represented items “that are an attempt to subvert the lawful election results and virtually prevent the future board from doing their due diligence as trustees,” and listed 14 specific “concerning and unlawful actions,” including the lack of legal standing for dissolving the board or putting Durst in charge of the meeting, much less reinserting items into his contract that the board previously voted to remove.

“Trustees Brown and Rutledge have continually and systematically ignored open meeting violations and quorum violations by attending with prepared motions and refusing the engagement in public discussion of their decisions, showing decisions are being made in advance of board meetings by the recalled trustees and Trustee [Troy] Reinbold,” the complaint also stated, concluding that, “There is no conceivable harm by the actions by restraining but a substantial and great harm possible if the defendants are not restrained.”

The court order is in effect for 14 days from its approval, with a sunset provision that coincides with the canvassing of the recall election results. A hearing on the order is set for Tuesday, Sept. 12.

“I’m committed because this is where I live, this is where my kids go to school,” Elsaesser said.

Yet, with the restraining order still in effect, WBCSD announced Sept. 5 that it would hold another special meeting on Sept. 6, this time limited to board findings regarding evaluations of Durst and Board Clerk Brandy Paradee — whom Durst hired earlier this summer — as well as reaffirming previous board actions from June and August.

Observers, including Elsaesser, argued that the Sept. 5 meeting represented a violation of the court

< see WEST BONNER, Page 5 >

Council selects three new pieces for ‘Silver Box’ art-on-loan program

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Sandpoint City Council members have selected three pieces of sculpture to be displayed at locations around the city through the Silver Box Program, marking the sixth year of the public art project, which establishes a rotating exhibition of pieces on loan from their creators.

This year, the city received 16 eligible submissions from a nationwide call for entries, with six meeting the program’s criteria.

Those six pieces were then evaluated by the Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation Commission, resulting in the three recommendations unanimously approved by councilors at the Sept. 6 regular meeting.

“I am so excited tonight to present the three recommendations,” said Arts and Historic Preservation Officer Heather Upton, who coordinated with the Sandpoint Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation Commission to review the submissions.

“The commission went through a painstaking process of selecting the perfect ones and they felt very confident in the ones they selected,” she added.

The selected pieces are “Natural Wavelength,” by Cincinnati-based artist Ursula Roma, which will be installed at Fourth Avenue and Church Street; “The Spirit Tree,” by Dave Gonzo, of Sandpoint, to be located at Oak Street and Fourth Avenue; and “At Rivers Edge,” by Bonners Ferry artist Anna Lee Harris at Oak Street and North Fifth

Avenue.

Each artist will receive a $1,000 honorarium to pay for transporting and installing their pieces, and the program is funded with $5,159.78 from the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency. The sculptures are on loan, and a component of the Silver Box Program stipulates that should any of the artworks be sold while on display, the city is entitled to a 10% commission on the sale.

This year’s selections will be installed Thursday, Sept. 21 and remain on display until Sept. 21, 2024.

Roma’s piece, “Natural

order, which Durst in a social media post on Sept. 4 indicated was the intention.

“Unconstitutional court orders should be defied,” he wrote. “A tyrannical judicial branch must not be tolerated. A court that tells people of faith they can’t worship together is tyrannical. A court that tells another branch of government that it can’t act in accordance with

Wavelength,” is an abstract powder-coated steel sculpture, which Upton described as “a great, kind of musical, fun motion,” which fits with the program’s unofficial tradition of installing an “artful whimsical selection” on that location next to the post office.

“Natural Wavelength” measures 46.4 inches by 24 inches by 10 inches, and is not for sale by the artist.

Gonzo’s work, “The Spirit Tree,” is a piece in steel, copper and stone representing, “the balance of masculine and feminine” and through its construction in steel “represents the strength and fortitude of the roots, trunk

its statutorily prescribed duties is tyrannical. A court that tells a family they must end the life of a loved one is tyrannical. A court that tells law abiding citizens that they can’t exercise their Second Amendment rights is tyrannical. Silence in the face of tyranny is acceptance of tyranny. I will have no part of it.”

Officials announced late Sept.

and branches,” according to his artist’s statement. The copper foliage, meanwhile, “embodies the flexibility, protection and healing elements.”

“The Spirit Tree” measures 38 by 40 by 40 inches and is for sale for $8,000.

Finally, Harris’ piece, “At Rivers Edge,” features a base of hand-painted fish on up-cyled metal, topped with rocks found in Idaho and an otter carved from European granite atop a piece of Washington basalt. A fabricated osprey flies above the sculpture, held aloft on three blue-painted poles.

“She carved it, she painted it,

6 that the meeting would be canceled shortly before it was scheduled to begin. Administrators gave no reason for the cancellation.

Rutledge also apparently approved an addendum to Durst’s contract Sept. 5, which is posted under the human resources section of the WBCSD website, though it is unclear when that addendum went before the full board for

it’s really exciting,” Upton said. “At Rivers Edge” measures 48 by 28 by 24 inches and is also for sale for $8,000.

Councilor Justin Welker commended Upton and the commission for their work on the program, noting that he watched the video recording from their deliberations, and, “It really was like an hour-long conversation about the six selections you considered.”

“I think you made a great choice to diversify the selection by choosing three artists,” he added.

approval in an open meeting or whether it, too, violates the court order prohibiting the board from entering into any contractual obligations until after the Sept. 7 canvass.

Neither the members of the WBCSD Board of Trustees nor Durst responded to a request for comment by press time.

Winning submissions for the Silver Box art project (from left to right): “At River’s Edge,” by Anna Lee Harris; “Natural Wavelength” by Ursula Roma; and “Spirit Tree” by Dave Gonzo. Courtesy images.

< WEST BONNER, con’t from Page 4 >

Almost half of Idaho public schools now using See Tell Now! safety tip line

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

As schools around Idaho opened their doors to begin the 2023-’24 academic year in recent days, the Idaho State Board of Education announced Sept. 6 that more than 300 public and charter schools throughout the state are enrolled in the “See Tell Now!” school safety tip line — representing an increase of about 33% since the start of the 2022-’23 school year.

“This school year alone, we’ve signed up two new charter schools and 10 more traditional K-12 schools,” Program Coordinator Chris Thoms stated in a news release. “Schools are getting the word out about the See Tell Now! program and students are using it.”

With a total of 309 schools now participating, officials stated that the See Tell Now! program is being used by close to half of all public schools in Idaho — including the Lake Pend Oreille School District, which established a district-wide safety task force in the summer of 2022, including city and county law enforcement, school district leaders and parents, as well as referrals from board trustees.

All schools in LPOSD use See Tell Now!, which is highlighted among the district’s other school safety programs at lposd.org/from-the-superintendent/safety-security.

See Tell Now! functions as a confidential, anonymous reporting system staffed by technicians who take and review tips related to bullying, violence, drugs or any other potential threat of harm seen or heard at school. Tips are evaluated to ensure accuracy and, depending on the level of severity, reported to school officials or law enforcement.

The See Tell Now! App is available for download on the Apple Store and Google Play, and tips can be reported online at seetellnow.org or by calling 1-888-5932835. Parents and caregivers can also sign up for alerts and a newsletter at the website.

According to the State Board, the tip line received more than 460 tips last year. Of those calls, 27 came from students concerned about their own mental health or their friends’, and related to thoughts or plans for harming themselves or others.

“Students know what’s going on with other students, and being able to intercede

and provide support early on in the process is really what we are trying to do,” stated Mike Munger, who manages the Board’s School Safety and Security program.

“We don’t want to wait until it becomes so severe that the concern becomes an emergency,” he added.

The majority of the other calls to See Tell Now! in the past school year included reports of bullying and drugs at school.

The program defines its mission in three statements:

•See — “When you are in and around your school, simply be aware of your surroundings. You may notice something that doesn’t seem right, looks odd or is simply out of the ordinary”;

•Tell — “Tell someone at your school or call the police — but tell someone. We want to know what’s happening at your school, and your observations are important”;

•Now — “Do it NOW. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate. If something looks out of place to you, it likely is. When it comes to the safety of our children, it’s always a better idea to be safe rather than sorry.”

The Idaho Legislature approved ongoing funding for the See Tell Now! program during the 2022 session, enabling schools to participate for free. The state provides outreach materials, which are displayed in high-traffic areas in the schools, as well as given to students and parents.

See Tell Now! is part of a national school safety network, though not intended to circumvent direct reporting of concerns to school administrations, which is what the Idaho State Board of Education prefers.

However, Thoms stated, “it does give students another way to share what could be life-saving information.”

“What we always see in the aftermath of critical incidents at schools across the country is that there were warning signs,” Munger stated. “People, particularly students, know about what is going on. The value in programs like See Tell Now! is being able to connect people who may have information, with people who have the ability to do something about it.”

For more information about See Tell Now! visit seetellnow.org or contact Program Coordinator Chris Thoms at chris.thomas@osbe.idaho.gov.

Bits ’n’ Pieces

From east, west and beyond

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

Two members of the Proud Boys who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection were sentenced to between 15 and 17 years in prison for “seditious conspiracy,” ABC reported. Defendant Zachary Rehl, in tears, stated, “I’m done with politics. I’m done peddling lies for people that don’t care about me. January 6 was a despicable day.” Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio also received his sentence earlier this week.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, along with fellow congressional Trump loyalists, want to shut down the government this month — unless there is an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. According to the Huffington Post, Greene issued her demands at a recent town hall, including eliminating all COVID-19 vaccines and mandates and withdrawing funds for Ukraine. The White House said “extreme” House Republicans want to trigger a shutdown that hurts the economy, undermines disaster preparedness and forces troops to go without guaranteed pay.

New jobs added to the economy totaled 187,000 in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to Axios, the first 10 drugs the Biden administration will direct Medicare to negotiate for lower prices are drugs used for issues like diabetes, heart failure, arthritis, psoriasis, blood cancer and Crohn’s disease. Drug makers declining to negotiate face an excise tax of 95% on U.S. sales — or they can withdraw their drugs from Medicare and Medicaid coverage, bypassing a large market.

The Lever reported that the 10 drugs identified by the White House are already sold in other countries “at fractions of what pharmaceutical companies are charging for them in the U.S.” And those lower-priced foreign sales result in “huge revenues.”

Scotland is exploring creating an ecocide law that would have consequences for those who destroy nature, such as by deforestation or oil spills, the U.K.-based Daily Record reported. More countries are considering making ecocide a crime, according to The Guardian.

Biden approved an early emergency request from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to aid victims of Hurricane Idalia, which recently moved through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. On the heels of storm devastation in Hawaii, Biden said, “I don’t think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

anymore,” and referred to historic floods, more intense droughts, heat extremes and wildfires causing damage “like we’ve never seen before. ”

Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is advocating a constitutional amendment to change the voting age from 18 to 25 — unless a potential voter either performs national service or passes a civics test. Ramaswamy said the purpose is to remedy “a loss of civic pride,” The New York Times reported. But, the Times hinted at Ramaswamy’s motivation: Those under age 30 voted for Democrats at a rate of 68% to 31% in the 2022 midterms.

The Georgia trial of former-President Donald Trump and 18 others for attempting to change that state’s 2020 election results will be televised, according to numerous media.

Several laws have been violated with the Trump-era rule change that allowed old-growth forest logging in the Pacific Northwest, a judge recently ruled in Oregon. The judge said the Forest Service should vacate past environmental assessments and “findings of no significant impact,” which affect 7 million acres. According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit brought by several environmental groups alleges that the environmental assessments failed to properly address “scientific uncertainty” about the usefulness of thinning — especially of large trees — for reducing fire risk. The plaintiffs argued that thinning large trees could actually increase the severity of fires.

Close to $24 billion in federal aid for day care centers and preschools, which helped stabilize the economy during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, will run out on Saturday, Sept. 30, The Guardian reported. To avoid COVID-era program closures and child care shortages, the funding had helped 80% of child care providers pay down debts and retain employees. Day care typically costs a family $10,000 annually — affecting 70% of young mothers with jobs. Price hikes for child care are likely to increase without federal aid.

Blast from the past: When President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in 1932, union membership was 2.9 million. Roosevelt favored empowering average citizens over corporations. By the end of his presidency, union membership had risen to more than 14 million individuals in a national population of almost 140 million. Today, with a U.S. population of more than 334 million, 16 million people are union affiliated.

Truth is dead

By Dick Sonnichsen Reader Contributor

There is a pernicious, frustrating phenomenon sweeping across America: a disturbing escalation in the disingenuous manner we communicate with each other — a truth famine. Truthful discussion between rational individuals is decaying and may perish if meaningful change is not soon instituted. “Truth” has become subject to individual manipulation. Yet, truth is the only tool we have to describe reality. Reality just is and doesn’t care if we acknowledge it or not.

The boundaries between truth and untruth have always been elusive. Yet, reality exists independent of human thought and individual interpretation. Truth can only be arrived at by observation, experimentation and rational evaluation. On the other hand, falsehoods are a complex tapestry of emotion, environment, education and political orientation. America’s future is in jeopardy if we do not quickly begin to honestly communicate with each other and employ our collective imaginations and ingenuity to solve thorny social problems.

Today’s cultural wars — and the lies with which they are fought — have brought the nation to a political and social impasse. Our current political discourse is polarized by deception, distortion and outright falsehoods. Our politicians are notoriously agile

at sophistry. The ideal purpose of politics is to improve the well-being of a citizenry and increase opportunities to share in the prosperity pie.

There is a troubling elasticity in the way words are used in public discourse. We have become frightened of truth and retreated into a cul-de-sac of denial and ignorance, accepting fictions as truth. Many Americans find comfort and satisfaction in an alternate universe where simplistic bromides, superficial babble and excursions into fantasyland substitute for facts.

There appear to be no negative consequences for using untruths or falsifying reality. “Truth” has become mutable, and available in many varieties: untruths, falsehoods, lies, quasi-truths, half-truths, distortions, misrepresentations, hogwash, claptrap, nonsense, baloney and bullshit. The flimsiest evidence supporting our favorite idea is accepted uncritically. Evidence is not critically evaluated but deliberately misinterpreted to confirm a preexisting belief.

Truth is the lubricant that keeps the engine of democracy running efficiently — lies jeopardize its effective functionality. American democracy is spiraling into a rabbit hole of polarization and dysfunction. If liberal democracy is to survive, then some agreement on what constitutes democracy must be agreed upon. Writing in The Hedgehog Review, Oct., 23, 2019, Sophia Rosenfeld, professor of history at the Uni-

Ruminations on the role of honesty in preserving democracy and the world

versity of Pennsylvania, defines the criteria: “Conventional wisdom has it that for democracy to work, it is essential that we — the citizens — agree in some minimal way about what reality looks like. We are not, of course, all required to think the same way about big questions, or believe the same things, or hold the same values; in fact, it is expected that we won’t. But somehow or other, we need to have acquired some very basic, shared understanding about what causes what, what’s broadly desirable, what’s dangerous and how to characterize what’s already happened.”

The internet is a plague of dubious information, effortlessly spewing questionable content like a virus, infecting everyone. Social media platforms provide a hyperabundant smorgasbord of distorted ideas, biased opinions, warped ideologies, fantasies and distorted political platitudes that galvanize fringe thinkers into confused and sometimes violent action. Lies about vaccination extended the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Denial of global warming, in spite of overwhelming evidence that it is real, may hasten the extinction of human life. Outrageous assertions, brazen schemes and preposterous conspiracy claims go unchallenged by an intellectually impoverished citizenry.

A comprehensive education is expected to prepare a person to function in the world, equipping students to read content closely,

think critically, evaluate sources, and apply sound reasoning and judgments. It is a mistake to deprive young people of complete knowledge by avoiding or misrepresenting reality. Withholding information about how the world works results in an incomplete education.

There is a schism between educators who believe children should be taught our authentic history, the effects of war, the essentials of sex and the realities of the natural world, and those who would withhold these facts. Educators are being pressured not to teach materials or truths that might be stressful or make students uncomfortable. Wrong-headed instruction impedes children’s ability to thoughtfully evaluate information and make reasoned decisions. A complete education should furnish students with all available information and critical thinking skills for evaluating that information.

Before the current generations, the world belonged to someone else. We should respect, enjoy and understand their accomplishments. After we’re gone, the world will again belong to someone else. We are only temporary residents and have a moral obligation not to mess up democracy or the planet on which we live. The damage done by dishonesty cannot be understated. Truth is a core value in a democracy. It must be restored and preserved.

Matchwood Brewing among Idaho businesses to receive USDA clean energy grants

By Mia Maldonado Idaho Capital Sun

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is awarding nearly $142,000 in grants and $25 million in loans to nine rural Idaho businesses to make clean energy investments and improvements, according to a press release issued Aug. 30.

The investments are funded through the Rural Energy for America Program and the Inflation Reduction Act, a law signed by President Joe Biden in 2022 to provide billions of dollars in grants and loans for clean energy and climate action.

In the press release, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said the department is aiming to create opportunities for farmers, ranchers and small rural businesses interested in clean energy.

“A key pillar of Bidenomics, President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is ensuring our producers and business owners are not only a part of the clean energy economy but are directly benefiting from it,” Vilsack stated in the press release.

“These once-in-a-generation investments in renewable energy, like wind and solar, and energy efficient technologies create new markets and deliver real cost savings for our small and mid-sized agricultural operations and Main Street businesses, building and keeping wealth in rural America.”

In addition to Matchwood Brewing, the list of Idaho recipients who will receive funding from the Rural Energy for America Program includes eight other Idaho businesses.

In total, the USDA is investing $266 million in 1,300 renewable energy and ener-

gy-efficiency projects in 47 states, Guam and Puerto Rico, according to the press release.

The department expects to make additional awards in the coming months.

For more information about application deadlines and submissions, visit Page 19,239 of the March 31 Federal Register.

This story was produced by Boise-based nonprofit news outlet the Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of the States Newsroom nationwide reporting project. For more information, visit idahocapitalsun.com.

The outdoor patio at Matchwood Brewing Company is a happening place in the summertime. Courtesy photo.

Barbs:

• It’s important to remember the events that occurred in West Bonner County on Friday, Sept. 1. There are patterns in this nation where something traumatic or impactful happens, then politicians, advocates and partisan media hacks stumble over themselves convincing the world that it wasn’t that big of a deal (see the coverage of the Jan. 6 insurrection on right-wing media for a prime example of this effect).

After both WBCSD Chair Keith Rutledge and Vice-Chair Susan Brown were recalled by a wide margin on Aug. 29, the two ousted trustees who attempted to do the bidding of the Idaho Freedom Foundation in Bonner County increased the collective blood pressure of our county considerably when they announced an “emergency meeting” the following day. The agenda caused a stir, as it called for the dissolution of the existing board before turning over the meeting to Superintendent Branden Durst, who would then elect new chairpersons to the board and build a trench around his position so future trustees would have a difficult time getting rid of him.

Let’s be honest with what we call this meeting: it was a coup attempt, plain and simple. Despite the will of the voters overwhelmingly stating otherwise, Durst and his crony trustees attempted to subvert the democratic process to keep their players in power. Thankfully, we have diligent community members and an attorney who worked quickly to file a restraining order forbidding Rutledge and Brown from making contract, policy or other financial decisions until their recall votes were officially canvassed on Sept. 7. If you think this won’t happen again, you’re wrong. This is exactly how bad actors like Branden Durst, the IFF, Scott Herndon and his Bonner County Republican Central Committee, and others will continue to act to promote their ideologies over the will of the people. The circuit breaker held this time and we thwarted the coup attempt (it appears education is the third rail of Bonner County politics), but next time might not work out so well. Right now, there are bad actors like Durst scheming their next big plan. Do you know the best way to thwart their efforts? Stop voting extremists and their enablers into office.

Dear editor, Recently in the Opinion section of the Idaho Statesman, a writer stated that Sen. Tammy Nichols thinks calling extremists “extremists” is name calling. Well, as my granddaddy said, “If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck and looks like a duck, by God it’s probably a duck!”

The “extremists” controlling Idaho are responsible for every debacle currently occurring. We are led by a minority of a minority that is trying to penalize teachers and librarians over what people can read, denying the sovereignty of a woman over her own body, denying the self-determination of our LBGT+ community, eliminating reality in history lessons and books, and etc.

The WBCSD kerfuffle was an attempt to destroy public education for the benefit of the extremists’ own beliefs and agenda. Fortunately, the voters came out to stop that takeover.

We are seeing the results of decades of extremist machinations that want nothing less than to destroy the functioning of democracy. We are seeing the results of ignorance, apathy and non-involvement in the most critically important aspect of being an American citizen: voting.

If you fail to vote, or worse yet vote strictly on a party label, you are a failure as a citizen of this country.

Voting is a sacred trust granted to us by our Constitution. Failure to participate or blindly follow a party is a betrayal of that trust. Voting requires diligently examining the candidates and issues before you enter the polls.

Only informed voters can maintain democracy.

Gil Beyer Sandpoint

Dear editor, I’m going to use another quote — this one is by Jerry Kramer, as told to him early in his career by one of his coaches at Sandpoint High School. Jerry used it in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. It’s another one that will always be in my mind as it is so very true: “You can, if you will.”

That is so indicative of life. We have gone through a very rough stretch here in Priest River with our school district. It’s far from over, but Step 1 has been accom-

plished. We banded together with a huge job in front of us. We worked together regardless of different beliefs. Our common belief was that we had to do a job together for the benefit of public education, our young folks (students) and our community.

We have been the subject of mean and sometimes vile comments about how we’re not very smart in our neck of the woods. How our students are not the sharpest tacks in the shed. Yet so many of our citizens are graduates of PRLHS who have become staples in our city. Business owners, educators, laborers, mill owners, mill foremen, loggers, log operation owners, truckers, and more and more. The list goes on and on. And we are proud of every one of them. These “not-sosmart” people banded together using their well-educated brains to accomplish something that has never been done in our area before.

“You can, if you will.” We could, if we would, and we did.

Ernie Schoeffel Priest River

Dear editor, Recent shenanigans involving the Bonner county commissioners beg the question: Why is Scott Herndon, chair of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee, asking for Republican Commissioner Steve Bradshaw’s resignation?

What do you think of this?

Idaho law says that when a county commissioner’s seat is vacant, the county central committee of the same political party submits a list of three nominations to the governor, who has 15 days to choose from the list. If the governor fails to do so, the choice goes back to the county central committee of the political party submitting the nominations.

In this case, I think the governor might get out his 10-foot pole and stay out of this one.

In recent actions, Scott Herndon, the Bonner County Republican Central Committee and the state Republican Central Committee (of which Herndon is also a member) have taken control of elections out of the hands of Republican voters and into their own.

Does anyone have a better explanation?

I’ll let you decide.

Nancy Gerth

Sagle

Dear editor, I have been following the development of the Providence Road subdivision with interest. As I understand it, this subdivision would be isolated from its nearest neighbors in Kootenai, as the developer is unwilling to pay the fees associated with annexing to the town of Kootenai. We need roads and sidewalks to connect our neighborhoods — not just for safety’s sake, as in the case of fire, but because connection to other neighborhoods makes a subdivision a desirable place to live.

Research demonstrates that a desirable neighborhood is walkable. Walkability includes wide sidewalks with tree-lined streets and lighting; safe and direct pedestrian walkways; and connectivity with transportation, local businesses, green space and other neighborhoods.

Walkability means that the children who move in can walk or bike to school safely, that pedestrians have walkways that connect them with nearby shops and neighborhoods. Sandpoint’s allure includes a walkable downtown. Don’t we want that same capability in each of our neighborhoods?

A subdivision is a developer’s term — a cluster of houses with minimal infrastructure for minimal cost that creates a maximum profit for investors, often without considering safety, green space or connection. A commissioner’s job goes beyond monetary considerations to include connections between present and future residents. What the commissioners should be concerned with is creating subdivisions that could become neighborhoods where you want to take your children at Halloween.

As proposed, the Providence subdivision offers not a single benefit to the community while benefiting a single developer. How tragic to see an entire community undermined by a developer’s “rights” while the commissioners turn a blind eye to their responsibilities toward the whole community.

Sincerely,

Gail Blasingame Sandpoint

crisis, and if we do not pay attention and make changes, the planet (our only home) is doomed. Just ask any legitimate scientist. Or anyone who is living in the scorching heat or tragic flooding in the southwest and East Coast. The water temperature in the Florida Keys is as warm as a hot tub!

We here in North Idaho are lucky, at least for now. But no single community is immune. “Fire weather” is making us even more vulnerable to devastating drought and catastrophic forest fires.

I know that a logical explanation and alarm-sounding is lost on you, deniers. But the rest of us know the truth and will be doing all we can to save our planet in spite of the “headin-the-sand” insistence of the few who say the climate crisis is a myth. Nope, it is as real as it gets.

Ranel Hanson Sandpoint

Dear editor,

Inundated by world news and noise, I sometimes feel depression approaching my brain: the world may be on the brink of WWIII, people are starving and need water in many countries, gangs are taking over the nations of democratically elected leaders and the global weather is unpredictable.

The poor of the world may call for an uprising if richer nations cannot assist them.

In stressful times like this, I like to sit by a stream in North Idaho and wonder what the water molecules think about their life. If they don’t want to travel all the way to the oceans and become one with salt, are they able to decide to just evaporate into the skies and then fall back to their source on Earth and again enter the same stream to begin the journey once more?

Then, I contemplate one of mankind’s greatest inventions. Whether sitting on a beach reading a hardcover book with a strong breeze flowing, or at night in bed with a paperback, there is one tool that allows me to have a free hand to hold a cup of black coffee or a glass of good merlot: the lowly and honorable clothespin.

Everything is right with the world!

James Richard Johnson Clark Fork

Dear editor, Come on. The evidence is everywhere. Climate change is certainly a

‘It’s probably a duck’…

‘You can, if you will’…

An open letter to climate change deniers…

In praise of the clothespin…

‘Making a neighborhood, not just a subdivision’…

‘What’s goin’ on’…

PERSPECTIVES

Bonner County voters show how to stand up for public education

By Jim Jones Reader Contributor

Having followed public affairs in the Gem State since 1966, I have always believed that most Idahoans are practical people who appreciate and support reasonable, pragmatic political leaders. They generally can see through those who seek to gain political power by stoking fear and outrage, which is the hallmark of the dark-money supported Idaho Freedom Foundation. Traditional Idahoans are slow to anger; but, when they get their feathers ruffled, they are not reluctant to toss out political charlatans.

And boy did the voters of West Bonner County School District rise up and repudiate the IFF-supported trustees who took over the board in a low-turnout election in 2021. Keith Rutledge and Susan Brown, together with a third IFF-supported trustee, have had WBCSD in turmoil ever since that election. Most notably, they hired Branden Durst, an unqualified IFF henchman, as superintendent of schools. It all came to a head on Aug. 29, when a massive voter turnout recalled those two trustees in a landslide vote exceeding 60%.

After the election, Durst hatched a scheme to tie the hands of the incoming trustees and save his job. He was taken to court for trying to overturn the will of the voters. The judge correctly saw the scheme as an effort to subvert the law and brought it to an abrupt halt.

The alarm bells at IFF should be ringing, because Idahoans have awakened to the fact that it and its followers have nothing to offer in the way of sound public policy. They thrive on creating conflict and division with non-issues.

Idaho teachers are not teaching critical race theory or grooming kids or teaching a “woke” agenda, whatever that is. They are doing their level best to educate our kids, often without adequate resources. That’s just what the teachers were doing at WBCSD before Durst came on the scene.

I’ve spoken with a wide array of traditional Idaho Republicans in the past couple of years about the political trajectory of our state and they are sick at

heart with the conflict and turmoil stoked by IFF and its minions. WBCSD patrons took care of addressing that very issue in their school district recall election.

I am convinced by what I hear from my Republican friends that we will see much of the same reaction across the state in the 2024 elections. A number of disruptive Republicans will be defeated in the primary election by responsible Republicans. And the people will adopt the Open Primaries Initiative (OPI) in the general election as a permanent means for ridding Idaho of IFF’s hardedged, non-productive style of politics.

There will be a furious fight over the initiative in the coming month because IFF’s big guns, Brent Regan of Coeur d’Alene and Bryan Smith of Idaho Falls, know it will destroy the iron grip they have on the extremist branch of the Idaho Republican Party.

As Smith said in Idaho Falls on Aug. 23, “If Idaho gets ranked-choice voting, we’re finished. It’s that simple.”

The OPI will hit the IFF and its minions much like the WBCSD voters hit the

IFF trustees in the recent election.

One of the reasons the extremists have not been dealt with already is that many Idahoans have had an inflated view of their numbers. They are much louder and more in your face than the majority of Idahoans. Plus, they seem to have an element of menace about them that causes sensible, conflict-averse folks to hunker down. The WBCSD election revealed that even in a conservative community, the reasonable folks greatly outnumber the conflict-minded.

People across the state should take heart that they can stand up, speak out and vote the disrupters out of office, replacing them with officials who will deal with the real problems facing the state and its communities.

We all owe the good folks of West Bonner a heap of thanks for showing us the way.

Jim Jones is a Vietnam combat veteran who served 8 years as Idaho Attorney General (1983-1991) and 12 years as a justice on the Idaho Supreme Court (2005-2017). He is a regular contributor to The Hill online news. His columns are collected at JJCommonTater.com.

Jim Jones. Courtesy photo.

(From left to right): Holly Jepson, class of 2003; Connor Nelson, first grade; and Melissa Nelson, class of 2004, show their support for the Aug. 29 recall election. Courtesy photo.

Science: Mad about

microplastics

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Publisher’s note: Brenden Bobby is off this week, so publisher Ben Olson is filling in for him.

Anyone with access to an internet connection the past decade will have undoubtedly stumbled upon the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean measuring about 620,000 square miles. The patch is located within a convergence zone about 100 miles north of the Hawaiian Islands, where warm water from the South Pacific meets up with colder water from the Arctic. The result is that this gyre — or rotating ocean current — collects an astounding amount of marine debris, most of which is plastic, which comes from land-based sources.

But the real danger in our oceans is not the plastic we can see, but microparticles measuring fewer than five millimeters, or about the size of a sesame seed.

These microplastics come from a variety of sources, including from larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces. A particular category of microplastics called microbeads are very tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants to health and beauty products like soap, facial scrubs, cleansers and toothpastes. They may also be added to overthe-counter drugs to make them easier to swallow. The round nature of these plastic beads help create a ball-bearing effect in creams and lotions, which can result in a silkier texture. Finally, colored microspheres add visual appeal to some cosmetic products.

These microbeads are so small that they often pass through water filtration systems and end up in

oceans and other bodies of water, posing a threat to aquatic life.

Microbeads first appeared in personal care products in the 1970s, with plastics increasingly replacing natural ingredients in the following years. Despite more than 50 years of use, the longterm effects of microbeads on the oceans — and the human body — are still relatively unknown.

One study suggested that the beads can absorb and concentrate pollutants like pesticides and polycyclic hydrocarbons. One reason why such high levels of pollution have been found in Lake Erie is the concentration of microbeads released into the Great Lakes from land-based water treatment plants serving large cities like Chicago, Cincinnati and others.

One main reason microbead plastics have detrimental effects to fish and animal populations is because insect larvae, small fish, amphibians, turtles, birds and some larger mammals mistake microbeads for their food source and ingest the plastics — harming not only their own bodies, but spreading toxicity those animals higher on the food chain.

Starting in the 2010s, the world began taking greater notice of microbeads and microplastics, with an app called Beat the Microbead developed by the North Sea Foundation, which allowed Dutch consumers to check whether their personal care products contain microbeads. The app became more successful amid growing concern around the world, and it is now available in seven different languages.

One benefit of the app is introducing natural and biodegradable alternatives to microbeads, which have no environmental impact when washed down the drain, as they will decompose or be filtered out before releasing into the ocean. These alternatives

include using natural exfoliants like ground almonds, oatmeal, sea salt and coconut husks. For example, Burt’s Bees and St. Ives both use apricot pits and cocoa husks instead of microbeads in their products.

Since 2012, many cosmetic companies have pledged to reduce and/or eliminate microbeads from their production lines, including L’Oreal, Johnson and Johnson, and Crest.

Former-President Barack Obama signed the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, which prohibited the manufacture and introduction of microbeads into interstate commerce by July 1, 2017. South Korea passed a similar act the same day, and other nations around the world followed suit, passing their own laws banning the use of microbeads.

While microbeads have been effectively banned in at least 13 countries around the world, there are still few laws affecting the use of microplastics, so they remain ubiquitous.

Author Matt Simon listed several contaminating sources of microplastics in his book, A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies. Simon claims that one may inhale up to 7,000 microplastics each day. One major source is to-go coffee cups, which release tens of thousands of microplastics and millions of nanoplastics into hot water (or tea, coffee or other heated liquids) in just 15 minutes, which are then ingested while sipping the beverage.

Simon also pointed out that microplastics and nanoplastics — microplastics after they’ve broken down even further into tinier particles — can move through our organs, including our brain, and can enter our cells. Microplastics have been found in placentas, breast milk, and the blood of

humans and other animals.

Even raindrops contain plastic waste, Simon wrote, which has wide-ranging ramifications for planetary health.

While microplastics are everywhere, the best ways to avoid ingesting them are to choose natural materials, ditch plastic bottled water, filter your tap water, use a filter in your washing machine to catch microplastics from going

to the water treatment plant, eat more fresh foods rather those packaged in plastic, use a wood cutting board in the kitchen, check your products for microplastic usage online and, finally, try the plastic-free challenge to see how long you can go without using plastic.

Stay curious, 7B. Brenden Bobby will be back next week.

Corner

•Mushrooms are more closely related to animals than they are to plants, but they are neither. Fungi and animals share a common ancestor that separated from plants about 1.1 billion years ago. Also, fungi (like animals) are heterotrophs, not autotrophs (organisms that produce their own food).

•Mushrooms breathe in oxygen and exhale CO2.

•Scientists have identified about 10,000 different fungal species, but believe more than 5 million may exist.

•Similar to animals, mushrooms have a fibrous substance called chitin in their cell walls. Chitin is also found in lobster and crab cells.

•Mushrooms are the fruit of fungus.

•The so-called “Humongous Fungus” is the largest and oldest living organism on the planet. The Armillaria ostoyae was discovered in 1998. It grows on 2,400 acres

of land in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Scientists claim it has indefinite growth potential.

•Mycorrhizal fungi have a symbiotic relationship with host trees and plants. These fungi interact with the plant’s roots and provide nutrients, getting simple sugars in return. It is due to these fungi that trees are able to “talk” to one another through a vast network that allows trees to share nutrients and warn each other about droughts, pests and diseases.

•There are about 80 known species of mushrooms which glow in the dark.

•Exposure to lightning strikes can increase the shiitake mushroom crop by double.

•A biotech company is designing mushroom mycelium to grow durable, compostable packaging material. The mushroom packaging is similar to styrofoam, but it takes 45 days to compost, instead of the 500 years it takes styrofoam to biodegrade.

Bonner County can do more to protect water quality

By Susan Drumheller Reader Contributor

Idaho is lucky to have environmental experts looking out for public health when it comes to land use decisions that impact water quality. These experts were on hand to share information and answer questions about the unique nature of rural wastewater systems at a meeting Aug. 22 hosted by Bonner County Commissioner Asia Williams.

But the Panhandle Health District can’t protect drinking water, lakes and rivers on their own. They need the cooperation of the county government — something that has been largely lacking in Bonner County since commissioners began changing land use codes in 2016.

Bonner County is unique in the state by not requiring health dis-

trict approval prior to approving development plans and building permits (with few exceptions). The flaws in the system were demonstrated when health district officials, in response to a question, shared that permitting septic systems in the new Camp Bay development was “a challenge” because lot lines, buildings and roads were established before health district involvement and before any land was set aside for sewage drainfields.

The Camp Bay development has 37 lots, including some waterfront parcels and parcels less than two acres. The developer originally intended to install a community sewer system, but now is planning to use individual septic systems, according to the health district.

Bonner County planning officials say they require any new

lots under 2.5 acres to have health district approval; however, the smaller Camp Bay lots were established through boundary line adjustments, which are not subject to health district review. Other larger lots were created through minor land divisions, which also didn’t require health district review.

Generally, it appears we no longer have a reliable process to ensure health district sign-off before most land divisions or building location permits are approved.

The deregulation of land development in Bonner County began in earnest in 2016 and the problems are coming home to roost. Camp Bay is just one example.

Issues with lax county rules regarding septic systems are outlined in a recent memo following a previous meeting Panhandle Health District staff had with

WEIRD NEWS

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

county officials. You can read this memo at project7b.org/smart-septic-installation.

When developing land, building a home or buying a home in rural Bonner County, it is strongly advised you understand requirements for sewage treatment in order to avoid financial hardships due to lots unsuitable for a standard septic system. If you have questions about septic systems or community sewer districts, contact the local Panhandle Health District Environmental Division.

Susan Drumheller is a former conservation associate with the Idaho Conservation League and serves on the board of directors for Project 7B, a local nonprofit that advocates for responsible land use planning and public involvement in land use decisions.

What you see is what you get

Thoughts from the Healing Garden

By Susan Geise Reader Contributor

It happened again, just a few minutes ago. As it often does. Perhaps as it was intended from the start.

At first, I thought I was alone in the Healing Garden. It’s located close to my office and as the BGH volunteer coordinator, I sometimes escape to that special place.

“What you see is what you get,” is a tried-and-true idiom, originally intended to assure someone that they will indeed get what they think they are getting.

But is there another way to think of that phrase? Perhaps shift your emphasis from what we see to what we see. Our senses perceive something, while our mind gives it meaning.

Take our Healing Garden as an example. What do you see when you enter that place? Could it be a metaphor for life?

Let me explain.

The sheer diversity of the plants in the garden is astonishing. Hundreds of trees, flowers, shrubs

and grasses thrive alongside each other, not to mention coexisting with artifacts of human construction.

The garden is in a perpetual state of change. Every day the flora ebbs and flows, flourishes and fades. So do we. We, too, have our seasons — phases of our lives that stubbornly emerge to seek the light and times of triumph tempered by seasons of struggle. We thrive, produce the promise of the future and ultimately diminish, our work enshrined and our legacy left as a testament to our being.

So time spent in the Healing Garden reveals that its beauty is not in being manicured but its

value lies in its bounteous and sometimes unruly abundance. Its value is magnified by the members of our community who tend it with love and attention.

My visits there are nearly always shared with all sorts of folks. Today’s visitors included a grandmother and her very young granddaughter, who carried a very pink purse. We gave each other space to enjoy the garden in relative seclusion, but I lingered to point out to the small girl that not only do those last surviving roses at just her level smell good, they matched her purse exactly. All three of us seemed delighted to realize that.

FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED CROSSING ATLANTIC IN HAMSTER WHEEL

If a news story begins with “Florida man…” it’s usually going to be good.

In this case, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted and arrested Florida man Reza Baluchi about 70 miles off the coast of Georgia after a three-day standoff at sea.

Baluchi’s makeshift contraption is shaped like a giant hamster wheel, with paddles designed to propel it forward as the wheel revolves while he runs inside the structure.

The criminal complaint alleges the condition of the vessel made it “a manifestly unsafe voyage.”

Were the roses past their prime? Sure. But, maybe so are some of us. Each of us is in an appointed phase, just like the multitude of the flora of the garden. Each of us here inhabits this shared space.

“What you see is what you get,” carries a new meaning for me now. Stop, see, recognize and appreciate the beauty that is glorious in all its imperfections.

As are we all.

Susan Geise is the volunteer coordinator at Bonner General Health.

When Coast Guard officers approached the “vessel” at sea, Baluchi refused to leave the “bubble” as he called it, claiming he would kill himself. He also claimed there was a bomb on board. Three days later, he finally surrendered. The “bomb” was later determined to have been a fake.

Baluchi now faces federal charges of obstruction of a boarding and violation of a Captain of the Port order.

This isn’t Baluchi’s first rodeo with strange floating “bubbles.” He was rescued and arrested from a similar contraption near St. Augustine, Fla., in 2014; again near Palm Beach, Fla., in 2016; and in 2021 while trying to paddle (run?) from Florida to New York.

The BGH Healing Garden. Photo by Ben Olson.

Want to support an informed community? Donate to the Reader

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

When I brought the Reader back into publication in January 2015 after two and a half years out of print, I was hopeful for our future, but had no idea the newspaper would become as ingrained in the community as it is today.

The Reader began its life in 2004, founded by three recent college graduates — one of whom continues to work as its editor-in-chief to this day. To say it’s in our blood is a bit cliché, so I’ll just say this newspaper remains a central focus in our lives, for good or ill.

There’s hardly a day that goes by when we don’t hear from one of our readers about something — whether it’s goose poop at the beach, shenanigans within the Bonner County government, growing pains felt during the continued development of Sandpoint, the endless effort to redesign the town or perhaps just to stop us on the street to say we misspelled a word — we hear from you a lot. Sure, some of it is hate mail, and some makes me wish I’d never embarked on this endeavor in the first place; but, after the dust settles, we always receive more love and support than we do hate and vitriol — just barely.

All that said, sustaining a business is no easy feat. It takes sacrifice, humility, determination and no small amount of grit. Often business owners are the first to donate goods or services to a nonprofit’s fundraiser, the last to get paid when times are tough and the first person to take the blame when an unhappy customer gets a bee in their bonnet about something.

But running a print newspaper in 2023? It’s like trying to bring back cassette tapes.

The New York Times recently reported that more than 360 newspapers have shuttered for good in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic. Sure, closures averaged to about two per week before the pandemic — accompanied by a years-long trend of newspaper consolidations and sweeping layoffs — but conditions the past few years have been less than inviting for ventures like ours.

In the absence of local sources for information, more and more people rely on social media to keep track of events. These ever-expanding “news deserts” now encompass nearly one-fifth of the U.S., amounting to more than 60 million people who have little to no idea what the hell is going on in their own communities.

Overall, 2,500 newspapers in the U.S. — about a quarter of the total number in existence — have closed since 2005. Experts predict the country will lose about one-third of its still existing newspapers by 2025. Even where local papers continue to survive, there are also massive cuts to staff and circulation, while the focus on investigative, watchdog journalism is replaced with infotainment and advertorial articles that are quick and easy to produce and provide zero real news value.

As far as the Reader goes, we’re in this for the long haul. Three of the four members of our staff were raised in this community and two of us were born here, about two blocks north of the newsroom at Bonner General Health.

We are independently owned and operated, which means we bow to no corporate overlord. We are invested and

we care about the future of this community. Sure, corporate media and social media can inform you of happenings on a national stage, but who is going to sit through a four-hour Bonner County budget meeting and quickly distill it into an article? Who is going to attend the grand opening of a new restaurant, the unveiling of a new art mural or a dedication ceremony for the saving of a historic building? Who is going to hold candidate forums and questionnaires so voters know who they cast ballots for?

It’s not Facebook, and it sure ain’t The Washington Post. It’s local newspapers, like this one and the Bonner County Daily Bee, who are sharing accurate, verified information about our community.

As journalism professor Muse Abernathy once said about the impact of local journalism, “Truth of the matter is, who I elect to the school board affects me more than who I vote for president. That’s why we’ve got to get back to rebuilding local news in these struggling communities.”

We’re doing our part, but we’re finding it more and more difficult to remain in operation due to declining advertising revenue and rising costs. To be frank with you all, we need help. If you can afford to advertise, please advertise. If you can afford to donate, please donate. If you still owe for a past advertising run and haven’t paid your bill, please do so.

At the rate we’re going, the Reader probably won’t survive to the end of 2024, which would be the 20th anniversary of our first edition. We’ve trimmed down most of our overhead and streamlined our operations as much as

possible, but the writing is on the wall if we don’t see a change.

Which brings me to my buried lede: The Reader is holding a donation drive from now to the end of the year with the hopes of raising $50,000 to get us over the hump and back into a more sustainable position. Our readers have always been so generous with donations over the years, but the truth is if we don’t start moving the needle in the opposite direction, the Reader will join those other 2,500 newspapers that closed since 2005. With all that is going on in our county and city governments right now, we need more oversight and accountability, not less.

If you value the Reader and want to see us stick around, please consider making a donation of any amount. Every dollar we generate goes right back into our community in the form of the product we produce, the rent we pay and the salaries we earn in order to spend them around town. We’re not padding the accounts of corporate shareholders or generating revenue for some faceless investment firm. We’re a two-room clubhouse on the second floor of the Farmin Building.

If you’d like to donate online, please visit PayPal.me/SandpointReader. If you’d like to send us a check, please send to Sandpoint Reader, 111 Cedar St. Suite #9, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

Thanks so much to all of our readers who have supported us over the years. We remain in your service, each and every week, until the wheels fall off.

Take care, be kind to one another and thank you for supporting an informed community.

Ben Olson is publisher and co-owner of the Sandpoint Reader.

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

Right: Guy Lothian brought the Reader to the Pinnacles Trail at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Bottom: Don Swanstrom snapped this excellent photo of a rainbow over the Windbag Jetty in Sandpoint. Bottom right: Vicki Reich and her brother Andrew Reich brought the Reader to the shore at Harvey Cedars, Huntington Beach, N.J. Photo by Rachel Posner.

Growing up in a climate of fear

For the children whose worlds have been shattered

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

At 10 years old, in the city of love and lights, I stood at the feet of the Eiffel Tower and looked warily around at the crowd. My mom was slowly dragging me toward the ticket booth so that we could climb the 674 iron stairs and take in the beauty and history of Paris.

All I could think was, “What if a bomb goes off while we’re up there? What if someone has a gun?”

I was barely over a year old when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks left 2,996 people dead. I have no memory of the event, nor of the world before the towers fell. All I know is the fear and the violence that came after.

I’m reminded of that world I never knew every time I have to fly. Someone, often my parents, will tell a story about the days when you could “buy a ticket and just walk onto the plane.”

When I would fly home from college, Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses would caution everyone to report unattended baggage over the SeaTac airport loudspeakers. The threat of violence has become so normalized that it now features celebrity cameos.

Terror follows us from airports into crowded tourist spots and pervades the hallways of our schools. Growing up after 9/11 means living in the world of school shootings — 386 since the Columbine High School massacre, according to The Washington Post.

The destruction of the Twin Towers shaped the worldviews of those old

enough to remember, but the pain that defines my generation is the constant fear of being murdered in the very classrooms where we learn our ABCs or take the SAT.

Every September we mourn the loss of life on Sept. 11, 2001 — even those of us who don’t remember. In high school, I would stare up at the flag at half-staff and wonder, “Why don’t we deserve to be mourned?” The nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise states that 12 children die each day from gun violence in the U.S.; altogether that’s 4,380 per year. The number falls on deaf ears.

Hate is an incredible motivator. In hindsight, it was much easier to rally around the victims of 9/11 when we had someone — however faceless — to blame. In the case of gun violence, we must face down poverty, mental health issues and ignorance, but most crucially of all we must confront ourselves. A drone strike won’t bring peace to the middle school hallways.

When former-President George W. Bush addressed the nation following the 9/11 attacks, he spoke of “the children whose worlds have been shattered” and of “all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened.” Members of my generation have spent 22 years growing up in a shattered world, never to experience that sense of safety.

The War on Terror has gone the way of the Cold War — it’s been a part of us for so long that the fear has faded into life’s soundtrack, constantly influencing us, yet easy to forget if we aren’t paying attention. This doesn’t mean the scars

are healing, only that we have new, louder fears.

We can’t claim to be free, or battling terror, while children practice hiding under their desks from armed assail-

ants. As we remember all that we lost on Sept. 11, try to imagine a future that isn’t defined by pain. May the next generation be shaped by peace.

ID Labor Dept. to host workforce webinar for veterans

By Reader Staff

According to the U.S Census Bureau, there were 122,331 veterans living in Idaho in 2021 — amounting to about 8.6% of the total adult population — and, while quite a few re-enter the workforce after their service, it can be a daunting transition.

To help veterans navigate the civilian working world, Idaho Department of Labor economists Matthew Paskash and Ryan Whitesides will present a free webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 12 from 1011 a.m. via Zoom.

The presentation will focus on providing labor market information and identifying the desirable workforce traits of veterans.

“Veterans entering the civilian

workforce will face challenges applying certain skills they acquired while in the armed services. But they also are wellequipped in other skills that are sought by employers, including many soft skills like leadership, teamwork, time management and a strong work ethic,” Paskash stated in a news release.

The webinar will also include a presentation from Idaho Labor Department veteran representative Denise Spring about the department’s veteran and employer services.

Sign up for the webinar at bit. ly/3Z8Y9fr. Viewers can watch previous webinars from this series on the Labor Department’s YouTube channel, available at youtube.com/@IdahoDeptofLabor.

Courtesy photo.

Applications for the Festival at Sandpoint’s 2024 poster contest now open

By Reader Staff

Submissions for the Festival at Sandpoint’s 2024 Fine Arts Poster Contest are now open, marking the second year of the organization’s new annual tradition. Despite being the first year of the new contest, the Festival received more than 30 submissions for the 2023 concert season.

“With the overwhelming quantity and quality of the submissions we received last year, we are incredibly excited to see all of the creative pieces that our local artists will submit for our 2024 contest,” Festival Executive Director Ali Baranski said.

All ages are encouraged and welcome to apply, though entrants 18 years of age or younger will require parental/guardian consent. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2024.

Submissions are evaluated on multiple criteria: originality, creativity, execution, quality, demonstrated skill, and how well the art embodied the spirit of the Festival community in a creative or innovative way.

The Festival at Sandpoint’s Fine Art Poster tradition has been ongoing since the

start of the nonprofit arts organization in 1983. What started as an advertisement and fundraising opportunity for the Festival has become a way to celebrate and publicize the work of some of the community’s many talented artists.

The winner will be unveiled in July, and the silent auction for the artwork will begin. The auction ends at the conclusion of the Grand Finale concert.

Copies of the original art piece are printed and sold for $15, as well as various merchandise items. All proceeds go to the Festival’s mission and serve as a fundraiser for the organization’s educational outreach programs.

In addition to a publicity boost, the winner will receive two sponsor season passes to that year’s Summer Series. For currently enrolled high school or college students who meet specific criteria and requirements, a scholarship option could be applied in lieu of tickets.

To learn more about the 2024 Poster Contest or submit an application, visit festivalatsandpoint.com/poster-contest.

Ponderay celebrates community with annual Neighbor Day

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

As the city of Ponderay celebrates its seventh annual Neighbor Day on Saturday, Sept. 9, it’s easy to forget that it all started with beans in jars. The community event began as a way for residents to give feedback on the proposed plan to connect Ponderay to the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail

and reshape the waterfront. In classic carnival style — and reminiscent of the ancient Greeks — participants dropped beans into various jars to vote on the future of their city. Organizers initially thought the event would be a one-off.

“The city was asked repeatedly, ‘Are you going to do this again next year?’” said Ponderay Planning and Zoning Director KayLeigh Miller.

The event was such a hit that the city brought Neighbor Day back as an annual celebration, in which locals can have a hand in reshaping their shared home.

“We receive more feedback on this one day than we receive during the rest of the year,” Miller added. “It really helps guide our path.”

Planning for the event began in March, and officials predict that between 500 and 700 people will show up to enjoy a day of special events and the music of renowned fiddler Justin James.The carnival boasts inflatable bounce areas and pony rides for the kids, a beer garden for adults and much more.

Seventy vendors will set up booths featuring free games and activities, with food and other goods available for purchase. Otherwise, the event is completely free.

Organizers said that as Ponderay continues to expand, it’s never been more important to offer family-friendly activities that are available to all, regardless of finances.

“I anticipate that we’re going to see more growth, and I think that there are not enough family activities,” said Miller. “It’s always been really important to me that for this one day, nobody has to tell their children ‘no.’”

Ponderay Neighbor Day is FREE and takes place at Harbison Field from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9. For more information, visit cityofponderay.org/ponderay-neighbor-day.

Sand Creek Regatta back for its fourth year

By Reader Staff

The annual Sand Creek Regatta returns to Sandpoint Saturday, Sept. 9 with a start time of 10:30 a.m. for a madcap race that takes place between Bridge Street bridge, Cedar Street Bridge and back.

The paddle race is a locals’ favorite, with teams building watercraft out of salvaged materials to vie for bragging rights after racing up and down Sand Creek.

The origins of the race stretch back to the 1980s, when it was called the Businessman’s Raft Race and one of numerous events that took place during Waterfest, but was brought back to life as the Sand Creek Regatta by organizers Jon and Amanda Knepper in 2019.

Spectators will line Sand Creek from the starting point at Bridge Street, north along the paved bicycle path to Cedar Street Bridge. There are also good vantage points on the west side of Sand Creek along the boardwalk adjacent to Gunning’s Alley.

Trophies will be presented to the winning team after the race, as well as awards for most creative and most epic fail at the

after-party, which will take place at Idaho Pour Authority (203 Cedar St.).

Find more info, including registration details,at facebook.com/sandcreekregatta.

Spectators watch the race from the boardwalk on Sand Creek. Photo by Woods Wheatcroft.

Courtesy photo.

POAC announces new adult art class schedule at new location

By Reader Staff

The Pend Oreille Arts Council has announced the fall adult art class schedule at its new location, which will be ready for students by mid-September.

Classes offered at the relocated Joyce Dillon Studio (313 N. Second Ave., on the ground floor directly across the street from Jalapenos) include everything from metalworking to weaving to painting and more.

Joyce Dillon Studio Committee Chair and Board Member Jan Rust said that POAC is pleased to welcome two new teachers this fall: Dave Gonzo and Robi-

lyn Robbins.

“Robilyn will be teaching classes in watercolor portraits. Her classes are for students with all levels of experience,” she said. “They are recommended as a perfect introductory class for anyone wanting to try watercolor or portrait painting for the first time. Classes start on Friday, Sept. 15.”

Meanwhile, Gonzo will offer classes in metalworking, including in torch-welded sculpture, forging ornate wall hooks, and creating copper and steel ladles. Those classes will take place at Gonzo’s studio at 1023 Baldy Mountain Road and begin on Thursday, Sept. 14.

Among the classes at the Joyce Dillon Studio include sculpting in polymer clay starting Thursday, Sept. 21; and kimekomi fabric art on Friday, Sept. 29. In October, classes will include weaving essentials, wildlife and landscape acrylic painting, drawing and crafting glass wind chimes.

Registration deadlines, fees to attend, times and dates vary. Find the complete schedule at artinsandpoint.org. As each class is limited to 10 students, participants are encouraged to sign up early.

Changing lives one slope at a time

By Reader Staff

Every winter, thousands of residents and visitors alike enjoy Schweitzer Mountain Resort’s slopes on skis and snowboards; however, a large number of local kids never experience the joy of snow sports. Skiing and snowboarding are simply too expensive for many of North Idaho’s families, despite the fact that the mountain is in their backyard.

As one fourth-grade student wrote to the North Idaho Mountain Sports Education Fund after a free day of skiing lessons provided by the nonprofit, “Thank you for the best day of my life. I probably won’t see any of you ever again. So goodbye.”

North Idaho Mountain Sports Education Fund, a.k.a. NIMSEF, was founded on the belief that kids should have more than one “best day” on the mountain. And, in the run-up to this winter’s ski season, the organization is seeking community donations to support its mission of helping “North Idaho children realize the dream of being a part of something special.”

NIMSEF accomplishes its goal by giving kids in the community the opportunity to develop a sense of belonging, accomplishment and pride by sponsoring their skiing and snowboarding lessons. To qualify, children must be between

the ages of 7 and 17, live in Bonner or Boundary counties, and demonstrate economic need.

By involving the children in fundraising activities and allowing them to work for part of their tuition, participants learn to value their gift, build their work ethic and give back to others.

Scholarship recipients are put into groups based on age and ability, and attend all-day lessons — on either Saturday or Sunday — for eight weeks with the same certified instructor.

The program, sponsored by Schweitzer and NIMSEF, also provides

season passes, bus passes and equipment rentals that can be used throughout the season.

NIMSEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit run by volunteers, where the majority of donations directly benefit the children it sponsors. For more information, or to enroll in the program, visit nimsef.com. Donations can be sent to North Idaho Mountain Sports Education Fund, Inc.; P.O. Box 170; Ponderay, ID 83852

POAC’s Joyce Dillon Studio is moving to 313 N. Second Ave. in time for adult art classes to begin mid-September. Pictured is student, Meyla Bianco Johnston, completing a wall hanging in the weaving essentials class. Courtesy photo.

Some young skiiers follow their instructor down the Schweitzer ski slope. Courtesy photo.

STAGE & SCREEN

Sandpoint Summer Music

Series: John Firshi and Monday Night Blues Crew & Headwaters

6pm @ Farmin Park

Free outdoor tunes from talented locals, with food and drinks available for this last concert of the year

Live Jazz w/ Bright Moments

5:30-8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

Live Music w/ Big Phatty and the Inhalers

THURSDAY, september 7

Live Piano w/ Rachel Cole

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Nashville singer-songwriter playing guitar and banjo in a bluesy, groovy fashion

Live Music w/ Rachel Cole

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Nashville singer-songwriter

Contra Dance

September 7-14, 2023

Artist Reception for Teascarlet

5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Meet the artist and take a moment to appreciate the artwork

Live Music w/ Jacob Robin

6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Alternative chill

FriDAY, september 8

7-10pm @ Sandpoint Comm. Hall

Live music, lively caller, new dancers welcome, please arrive early. $5 donation or $20/families

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Rock / Grateful Dead

Live Music w/ Get Back Duo

5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33

Live Music w/ Snacks At Midnight

9pm @ The Hive

STEM Trailer at WaterLife

10am-2pm @ WaterLife Disc. Ctr.

Address: 1591 Lakeshore Dr.

Indie rock band hailing from Spokane. Doors at 7pm

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill

6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Country / Rock

Live Music w/ Ben Vogel

5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

9am-1pm @ Farmin Park

Produce, crafts, food and more.

Live music w/ Oak St. Connection

Fundraiser and live music for Ryan Kraus

5-7pm @ 219 Lounge

Benny Baker and Ali Thomas will play a fundraiser show for Ryan Kraus of the Sandpoint Post Office, who lost everything in the Oregon Road fire in eastern WA.

Live Music w/ Oak St. Connection

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Lounge, rhythm, rock and sway

Monarch Grind Movie Night

7pm @ Panida Theater

Hosted by Syringa Cyclery, a short film shown by Scott Rulander followed by classic bike film

Breaking Away. Fundraiser for Panida and KRFY

Live Music w/ Truck Mills

7-9pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

SATURDAY, september 9

Sand Creek Regatta

10:30am @ Sand Creek (Between Bridge St. and Cedar St. bridges)

A local favorite, with rafts built from scratch and paddling against one another for bragging rights. Free to watch!

Live Piano w/ Wiebe Jammin’

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Rock, looping, pop and friendly jams

Little Hurricane live at The Heartwood Center

7-10:30pm @ The Heartwood Center

Married duo playing grungy blues on a whole other level.

Sandpoint Chess Club

9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee

Meets every Sunday at 9am

Panida to show classic cycling film to support local organizations

By Reader Staff

The Panida Theater will show the classic feature film, Breaking Away, preceded by a short film by Scott Rulander on Friday, Sept. 8, in conjunction with the Monarch Grind gravel cycling gran fondo, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16.

Hope MCC Date Night Dance

7-8:30pm @ Hope Memorial Comm. Center

Dance workshops:

Ponderay Neighbor Day

1-6pm @ Harbison Field (Ponderay)

Family-friendly community carnival. Free and open to all. Live music w/ Justin James (1:455:45pm), vendors, pony rides, face painting, beer garden, petting zoo, carnival games, kids crafts, inflatables and more

Panhandle BluesFest at Priest River

12-10pm @ See Facebook for details

See Page 21 for list of bands and start times

SunDAY, september 10

Magic with Star Alexander

5-8pm @ Jalepeño’s

Up close magic shows at the table

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Weekly Trivia Night

6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Live Music w/ Frytz Mor

1-3pm @ Barrell 33

monDAY, september 11

Outdoor Experience Group Run

6pm @ Outdoor Experience

3-5 miles, all levels welcome

Hosted by Zach Hagadone and other rotating hosts

Sip and Shop fundraiser for Sandpoint

Strikers soccer team

4-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Support the U11 Striker girls. Silent auction and raffle support the team

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park

Produce, crafts, food and more

Live Music w/ Sheldon Packwood

6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Acoustic rock

Beginning East Coast Swing Sept. 1, 8, 15. Beginning Rumba Sept. 22, 29 and Oct. 6 N. Idaho Bellydance Fest

Various @ Pearl Theater

1pm yoga and dance for flexibility, 2:30pm

Arabic pop choreography workshops ($20/ each) plus full-length bellydance show at 7pm, $20 tickets. ashleylopez. com/bellydance-fest

Live Music w/ RFB

9pm @ 219 Lounge

Right Front Burner plays funk, pop, rock and dance tunes

WaCanId Ride (Sept. 11-16) @ WaCanId.org

6-day, 370-mile bike tour.

tuesDAY, september 12

MCC Art Classes • 1-3pm @ Hope Memorial Community Center

Classes in drawing, acrylics, watercolors, origami, collage and more. Call 208-264-0415 or email veegee2@gmail.com to confirm class

wednesDAY, september 13

Live Piano w/ Bob Beadling

5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

ThursDAY, september 14

2023 Fall Northern Rocky Montain Biodiversity Challenge

4-day collaboration known as “bioblitz”

Find more information at inaturalist.org

The movie night and gran fondo are organized by Syringa Cyclery as a benefit for the Panida Theater and KRFY, Panhandle Community Radio. The Panida Theater movie night will include an intermission between the short and feature films, during which a gravel bike donated by Syringa Cyclery will be raffled off. Proceeds from the bike raffle benefit the Pend Oreille Pedalers, Sandpoint’s bike club and trail building organization.

Breaking Away is a film about a working-class Indiana teen, Dave, and his buddies who have just graduated from high school in a town overshadowed by the local university. Dave, obsessed with an Italian cycling team, vies for the affections of a college girl while searching for life goals with his friends. The four friends face opposition from all corners as they decide to make Dave’s dreams come true in the university’s annual bicycle endurance race.

Released in 1979, Breaking Away is a charming coming-of-age feature by noted filmmaker, Peter Yates, that launched the careers of several actors.

The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $20, available at runsignup.com/Race/Store/ID/ClarkFork/MonarchGrind.

Local videographer and editor, Scott Rulander, of Otter Moon Films, has put together a film about the annual ¾ Minus Cykeltur, a gravel cycling gran fondo, that takes place in early May benefiting Pend Oreille Pedalers.

The Monarch Grind gravel gran fondo is the third and final leg of the 2023 Idaho Panhandle Gravel Series. It was preceded by the ¾ Minus Cykeltur in May and the Chafe 150 gravel route in June.

Riders have accumulated points in the series and the results of the Monarch Grind will determine this year’s Idaho Panhandle gravel champions.

Breaking Away

Friday, Sept. 8; 7 p.m.; $20. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., 208263-9191, panida. org. Get tickets at runsignup.com/Race/ Store/ID/ClarkFork/ MonarchGrind.

The Monarch Grind starts and ends on the banks of Lightning Creek near Clark Fork and takes riders up to Johnson Saddle and more than 70 miles of U.S. Forest Service roads along the hills behind the Green Monarchs. An awards ceremony will follow, including food by Mandala Pizza and beer from Matchwood Brewing.

Registration for the Monarch Grind gravel gran fondo costs $70 and is available at runsignup.com/Race/ID/ClarkFork/MonarchGrind.

Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “A Kingdom Without Walls”

Hope, fear and a universe full of Luke Skywalkers

A history of imaginary aliens in light of the U.S. congressional hearings on UFOs

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

This July, the House Oversight Committee’s national security subcommittee heard testimony from multiple military officials alleging the existence of alien life — and, confirming the long-held suspicions of many, that the U.S. government has known about these “biologics” visiting Earth since the 1930s.

The news was met with bored acceptance.

Whether or not aliens have visited Earth, the idea of extraterrestrials permeates our culture so thoroughly that they have become a means to process our deepest fears and issues.

Humanity’s obsession with aliens dates back at least to the second century C.E. Syrian author Lucian of Samosata wrote the satirical work A True Story — sometimes translated as True History — which details an encounter with the peoples of the moon and the sun, called Hippogypians and Hippomyrmicks, respectively.

In his tongue-in-cheek account, the two civilizations are at war over the right to colonize the Morning Star — an apropos topic for an author living in the Roman Empire.

The aliens are differentiated from humanity by their bean hull helmets, their breastplates made of lupines and the enormous vultures with lettuce for feathers that they ride into battle. Despite the fanciful descriptions, these aliens provided a means for Lucian to process the major political events of his time without explicitly having to write about them.

Later science fiction built upon this concept by dehumanizing aliens, allowing the fictitious works to mirror humanity’s greatest flaws while distancing us from the blows of the implicit critiques.

The octopus-like Martians in H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel War of the Worlds may sound far from Lucian’s bean-clad men in appearance, but the anxiety they represent is quite similar. Like the British Empire under which Wells lived, his Martians colonize Earth in an attempt to consume its resources and destroy the indigenous inhabitants — in this case, humans.

The fictional image of alien imperialism hit so close to home that a 1938 radio drama of the story — narrated by Orson Welles — sent U.S. listeners into hysterics as they mistook the show for actual news.

It does take a certain amount of narcissism to imagine that alien villains look

like beasts while alien heroes look like humans. Luke Skywalker is no more from Earth as the xenomorphs in Alien, but there’s no question as to which of them will save the galaxy.

Prolific author Orson Scott Card plays with this idea in Ender’s Game, in which a war between humans and insectoid aliens isn’t as morally black-and-white as it appears. Ender’s Game is the evolution of the previous trope used by Wells: Instead of transposing humanity’s flaws onto an inhuman creature, Card invites readers to question their own fallibility. What makes

ate more beings like themselves. Encoded in that DNA were pieces of a treasure map, so that if all the planets worked together in peace, they could find their way back to the homeworld. The aliens looked out across a strange universe and had one single motivating thought: They didn’t want to be alone.

When humanity imagines other lifeforms that look exactly like us, it may well be conceited, but it is also a kind of plea. Please be like us. We’re afraid that we’re alone.

It’s the same wish heard in 55 languages on the Voyager 1 probe’s Golden Records. Humanity may be divided, but on those recordings, greetings and invitations from the world’s cultures can be heard one after another in perfect harmony.

“Hope everyone’s well. We are thinking about you all. Please come here to visit when you have time,” is spoken in Mandarin Chinese.

“Welcome home. It is a pleasure to receive you,” a voice says in Punjabi.

Forty years later, the recent congressional hearings have revealed the possibility of other intelligent life in the universe, yet it barely made the news. Why, after millennia spent staring up at the night sky, would this be our response?

Because, sadly, the hearings are just another X-Files episode. Rather than a grand discovery, these “biologics” have been reduced to a political scandal in which citizens are told, once again, that their government has been lying to them. It’s become a kind of disaster fatigue — there are too many problems in the world for us to care about something we already knew.

We’ve spent all these years waiting and hoping, just to let our terrestrial struggles overshadow all the excitement. To quote Kurt Vonnegut’s Tralfamadorians, “So it goes.”

a being monstrous: their fangs or their actions?

Our narcissism is watered down with a dash of hope. No other science fiction is as optimistic as Star Trek; with its utopian future depicting a universe full of humanoid beings who are differentiated only by their ears or spots or lumpy heads. Instead of lamenting its tight budget, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Chase” gave an in-universe explanation for this genetic similarity: Billions of years prior, the only humanoid race in the galaxy seeded hundreds of planets with their DNA to cre-

We’re (probably) not alone. Alright, we can accept that; but when the UFOs fly in for a chat, how will we see ourselves reflected in them? If science fiction is anything to go by, they’re going to have the same problems we do.

Instead, perhaps, when we imagine distant beings, we’re really looking for someone to tell us that we aren’t the only ones who struggle and fight among ourselves. Out there, in the cosmos, might be a friendly face willing to forgive us and lead us to a better future.

Despite all our faults, we don’t want to be the monsters in someone else’s movie.

The iconic poster that hung in Fox Mulder’s office in The X-Files. Courtesy image.

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

My girls, their families and I wrapped up summer with a long Labor Day weekend in Spokane. In keeping with tradition, we stayed at the former Cavanaugh’s Inn at the Park, now a Davenport Hotel property called the Centennial Hotel. It’s a perfect gateway to all the activities at Riverfront Park, which included Pig-out at the Park and lots of concerts during our stay. It’s also kitty-corner from the outstanding new, $9 million Riverfront Park and Playground.

We’ve been staying at that hotel for more than 35 years. Watching daughter Casey’s 3-year-old Runa blowing bubbles in the pool reminds me of my 3-year-old Casey doing the same. Back then, our trips to Spokane were mostly business, though we always took added time for some fun. We’d head west from Montana and spend a few days exploring the city, dining at Cyrus O’Leary’s, and shopping every department at the Crescent and Bon Marche.

The kids always got plenty of pool time before we’d pack up and head to the new Costco Warehouse on Third Avenue, stocking up on all the goods our trusty pickup would hold.

I don’t remember food samples offered back then, but I remember wandering every aisle and scooping up coveted items, like 10-pound bags of Ambrosia semi-sweet chocolate chips for $10.99!

Back then, there were but three Costco stores: Spokane, Portland and their flagship warehouse in Seattle. Today, nearly 900 warehouses are operating worldwide and, next week, I plan to shop at one of the international ones in Sevilla, Spain. I’ll pick up some Spanish potato chips,

The Sandpoint Eater Thanks Costco!

saffron and Marcona almonds to bring home (which will invariably require purchasing an extra bag to return with my goods).

My purchasing patterns have changed since I first started shopping at Costco. I’ve bought goods as a ranch cook, a restaurateur and caterer; a nonprofit event coordinator; a student activity volunteer; and the mother of brides. Now that I mostly only shop for myself, many bulk products are more than I can manage (though sometimes I stock up and share certain items with family and friends).

Once or twice a year, I still get my “major Costco fix” by helping my son Zane’s family with their biannual shopping pilgrimage to Billings, Mont. We usually get a hotel room (with a pool) for some pre-shopping fun; and, while most of the family goes on other

errands, 15-year-old granddaughter Miley and I load up a few carts that will tally about $ 3,000 at checkout.

Loading them up for their return trip to the eastern corner of Montana entails filling and stacking myriad totes in a four-horse trailer (sans horses). As you can imagine, we get a lot of parking lot gawkers and a few unsolicited advisers during this lengthy exercise.

I have always been a big Costco fan. Back in my train operation days, our rail product was one of the first to be featured by Costco’s newly formed travel department, and I spent a lot of time at their corporate headquarters in Issaquah, Wash. I was always impressed by their friendly Northwest culture, the generous pay provided to their employees and, indeed, their local support with

Costco gift cards for my many nonprofit fundraising endeavors.

I’m not the only Costco devotee. My friend Marlene, who resides in Missoula, has a small room in her home devoted entirely to Costco products. Years ago, I traveled on the train with the late-Pat Volchok, columnist for The Costco Connection and editor of Entertaining the Costco Way. While stopping for our overnight stay in Missoula, I told her about Marlene, and we hatched a plan.

Later that night, Pat knocked on Marlene’s door as I hid in the bushes. Pat told Marlene word had gotten to her about the Costco room. Pat said she’d come a long way to see it and also handed my speechless friend an autographed copy of her book.

Many of us have favorite Costco products, and I often find myself picking up an item or two

for friends when they heed the call, “Headed to Costco. Need anything?”

Salmon burgers, bulk coffee beans, $4.99 rotisserie chickens, imported cheeses and toilet paper usually top the list of requests.

I’m delighted to have another Costco devotee in the clan: Casey’s husband, John. He does most of the grocery shopping for their family, and I can always count on him to bring me a gift from his most recent trip there. I’m not much of a flower sort of woman, but my son-in-law sure knows the way to my heart: Kirkland-brand organic feta from Greece.

Besides being a great husband and father, he’s a great shopper, and this is the feta I deem worthy of my Mediterranean chickpea salad recipe. Thanks, Costco (and John)!

Mediterranean chickpea salad recipe

A colorful and tasty chickpea salad full of crunchy cucumbers, assorted bell peppers and tangy feta. Great side for grilled chicken, served with warm pita bread. Best when made and chilled 4-6 hours before serving. 8-10 servings.

INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:

SALAD:

• 28 oz. can chickpeas rinsed and drained

• 1 cup finely diced red onion

• 1 each red, orange, yellow and green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

• 1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1 small bunch stemmed and finely chopped parsley

• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives

• 8 oz. crumbled feta (use feta in brine, if possible)

DRESSING:

• 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tbs red wine vinegar

• 2 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice

• 2 cloves garlic minced

• 1 tsp fresh oregano stemmed and chopped

• 1 tsp fresh thyme, stemmed and chopped

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

Place the chickpeas, parsley, red onion, bell peppers and cucumbers in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with lemon zest.

Whisk together in a glass bowl: olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Pour over the chickpea mixture. Add kalamata olives and crumbled feta, toss lightly. Chill, garnish with lemon slices and fresh thyme sprigs. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for 3 to 4 days.

MUSIC

Sandpoint Summer Music Series free outdoor finale features ‘locals’ night’

By Reader Staff

The Sandpoint Summer Music Series is an event that draws out the locals each year. Presented by Mattox Farm Productions, the free monthly outdoor music concerts have become a highlight of summer, and the series finale features “locals’ night” to end the run.

Headwaters will play with the Monday Night Blues Crew Thursday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. at Farmin Park in Sandpoint.

The free live concert is sponsored by Washington Trust Bank, Ting, Pend Oreille Arts Council and many others.

Headwaters is a three-piece Sandpoint string band known for their progressive Americana and bluegrass influences, playing a mix of originals and old favorites to get

your feet tapping.

Sandpoint music lovers might know the band as their first iteration, called BareGrass, but even if you’ve never heard the trio consisting of John Firshi, Jared Johnston and John Edwards, it’s sure to be a good time.

Also on stage will be the famed Monday Night Blues Crew, a loose tribe of musicians who play at Eichardt’s Pub once a week in a free-form jam session that has been a Sandpoint institution for more than 30 years.

This concert marks the final entry in Mattox Farm’s 2023 Sandpoint Summer Music Series, made possible by donations from local businesses. Attendees are invited to bring a chair or blanket and get comfortable for a night of great tunes. Food and drinks will be available to purchase.

Panhandle Bluesfest at Priest River

By Reader Staff

The Panhandle Bluesfest is an annual celebration of blues bands in the Pacific Northwest in one of North Idaho’s most unique outdoor venues. The Bluesfest takes place Saturday, Sept. 9 on Blue Lake Road in Priest River.

Dry camping is available for $10 per night per person and there is plenty of room for RVs and tents. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs, canopies and blankets, and camping is available on

a first come, first-served basis. To receive correct directions to the event, make sure to enter “Blue Lake Priest River, ID” into Google and then follow the signs. Do not Google “Prater Mountain,” because event organizers warn “you will end up on top of the mountain.”

Tickets are $30 per person for the event, with those aged 12 and under entering free. There will be a Jam Friday night around camp and all are invited.

The lineup Sept. 9 includes The Meat Sweatz from noon-2

p.m., Justyn Priest from 2:30-4:30 p.m., Meghan Sullivan Band from 5-7 p.m. and the Bobby Patterson Band from 7:309:30 p.m.

Panhandle Bluesfest

Organizers stated that “pets are not encouraged, but if you must bring them, attendees will be responsible for keeping them contained, on-leash at all times. Please pick up after

them and no aggressive pets.”

Food and drink will be available to purchase at the gazebo.

Saturday, Sept. 9; noon9:30 p.m.; $30/person, $10/ person for camping. Google “Blue Lake Priest River ID” for directions and follow signs. Get more info at facebook. com/Panhandlebluesfest.

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

READ

In her rumination on the age-old human fascination with aliens on Page 19 of this week’s paper, Reader Staff Writer Soncirey Mitchell refers to True History, by the Syrian writer Lucian of Samosata and published sometime in the second century C.E. It deserves extra emphasis here. It’s one of the trippiest and, dare I say, “modern,” pieces of ancient writing I’ve ever read. Find a downloadable version of it at gutenberg.org and search for “Lucian of Samosata.”

LISTEN

The Panhandle Bluesfest raises money for Priest River’s school music department. Concertgoers can also give their support by donating items for raffle and purchasing raffle tickets.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Little Hurricane, Heartwood Center, Sept. 9 Wiebe Jammin’, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Sept. 9

The origin story of Little Hurricane sounds like the beginning of a dark romantic comedy. When Celeste “CC” Spina posted a YouTube video of herself drumming in the “musicians wanted” portion of the site, her video caught the attention of Anthony “Tone” Catalano, an audio engineer and songwriter who has worked with the likes of Neil Young and Gwen Stefani.

The duo hit it off and, within months, had quit their jobs to hit the road, playing a unique mix of grungy blues and rock, with lyrics

that speak of love and loss. Think the White Stripes with a bit more blues tossed into the mix.

Their sound is a fresh reminder that not every duo sounds alike. Tickets to their show at The Heartwood Center in Sandpoint are currently on hold due to an injury, but will hopefully resume soon on EventBrite.

— Ben Olson

7-10:30 p.m., tickets TBA. The Heartwood Center, 615 Oak St., 208-263-8699, heartwoodsandpoint.com. Listen at littlehurricanmusic.com.

Nick Wiebe returns to Pend d’Oreille Winery — his favorite venue — to perform his fun and funky spins on classic songs.

“My goal is to play music that feels good, has a nice groove and makes people smile or feel something special,” Wiebe told the Reader. “I seem to have a knack for putting a reggae spin on old favorites or songs from other genres like Led Zeppelin tunes, Journey or even Linda Ronstadt.”

Throughout his career, Wiebe

has played with bands spanning multiple genres, but he loves the rhythmic beats of reggae most of all. Come out for a Saturday show at the winery and get your groove on to the expert tunes of this oneman-band.

— Soncirey Mitchell

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

Long before the Barbie movie and amid the opening stages of his ascent to the Hollywood A-list, Ryan Gosling co-led the doomstruck indie rock duo Dead Man’s Bones. Alongside collaborator Zach Shields and backed by an entire children’s choir, the band released only one, self-titled, album in October 2009 — and that’s a shame. Inventive, playful and macabre (with more than a hint of pop), it should be on your autumnal playlist in the run-up to Halloween. Find the full album on YouTube.

WATCH

After teasing the premiere of the second season of Good Omens back in late-July, I never followed up with my impressions. Short answer: Good Omens 2 is as charming and affecting as ever with its odd-couple chemistry between angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant), as they transcend the binaries of the universe in attempt to save the frail human race — and thereby preserve their own freedom. It’s a love letter to life, absurdity and, well, love itself. Stream it on Amazon Prime.

The Monday Night Blues Crew play at the 2022 Sandpoint Summer Music Series finale.

Photo by Ben Olson.

From Pend Oreille Review, September 7, 1917

HUMBIRD MILL CLOSES

FOR SEASON BY ACT OF EMPLOYEES

The Humbird sawmill shut down abruptly Tuesday morning. It was the intention to keep running a few weeks longer but on Labor Day the employees, after working in the forenoon, decided to take the remainder of the legal holiday off and left their work at 1 o’clock. At the company office it was stated that the men had not asked for the holiday and that they arbitrarily left without notification of their intentions. Manager Humbird ordered the close-down when the situation was precipitated.

The sawmill would have closed down with the using up of the logs now in the pond – a matter of a month or so. Now the logs will be sawed at the Kootenai mill which will continue in operation until the close of the season, there being sufficient logs at Kootenai and here to keep going until the early winter freeze-up.

The negotiations for logs from the Hope Lumber Manufacturing company at Hope, which has more than enough logs to last the season through, were unsuccessful, the Hope company deciding to hold all its logs with the possible inability to get a supply another season if labor troubles continue.

The yard at the Humbird mill continues in operation and the shutting down of the mill affects but a few employees.

BACK OF THE BOOK ‘It’s that time of year again’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Many years ago, I worked with an otherwise excellent journalist whose main failing came in the form of the lede: “It’s that time of year again.” For real, this reporter would write, “It’s that time of year again,” at the top of every story related to anything that occurred on an annual basis — from Christmas to (appropriately) Groundhog Day. It got to be that every time of year was “that time of year again,” which, if you think about it, is always true until it isn’t, meaning you’re dead.

As that reporter’s former editor, this phrase haunts me for the number of times I’ve murdered it before it hit the page. Yet, I found myself tempted to clack out, “It’s that time of year again,” on the keyboard when I reckoned I’d write about my kids going back to school on a recent Tuesday morning.

Indeed, it is that time of year again.

While once I became annoyed when my erstwhile reporter would file another dispatch from that time of year (again), the notion has grown on me as a sort of weary comfort — especially with regards to the beginning of school.

There are so many regular occurrences that frankly suck. In my experience, from doctor visits to weekly deadlines, most of them do. Even thinking about the juggernaut of daily obligation is depressing. But that’s not how I feel about back-to-school time, which I guess is weird according to some people and kind of paradoxical, considering

Routine, ritual and the first day of school

how much I loathe repetition in so many other facets of daily life.

Maybe it’s a form of seasonal affective disorder. To me, when summer happens, “it’s that time of year again” means too many people with too much time on their hands doing too many things too often and being generally exhausting while getting in the way of all the other things I have to do. When school starts, “it’s that time of year again” means it’s time to get back to business.

Bed times are solidified, mornings are subject to a schedule and everyone is generally productive. Even better, the town ceases being an amusement park for a few months.

Then again, maybe it’s the difference between routine and ritual. Much has been written about the distinction between those phenomena. Maria Popova, who runs the stellar culture and philosophy website themarginalian.com, published an article in 2015 exploring the notion popularized in the early days of modern psychology that habits are critical to creating meaning in human life.

Describing routine and ritual as the “supreme deities of habit,” Popova wrote, “while routine aims to make the chaos of everyday life more containable and controllable, ritual aims to imbue the mundane with an element of the magical. The structure of routine comforts us, and the specialness of ritual vitalizes us.”

That’s about as good a perspective as I can find to illustrate how I feel when it’s “that time of year again.” The

Sudoku Solution STR8TS Solution

simple actions of getting everyone out of bed, clothed, brushed, combed, shod and out the door are things we do all the time, but when performed in service of getting to school on time (especially on the first day), they’re elevated to a higher purpose.

Then there’s my favorite ritual: the first-day-of-school photos on the front porch, with which parents fill everyone’s social media feeds and, at least for a few blissful hours, crowd out the mundane noise of the world with images of hopeful kids headed out to be their best.

I take one of those photos, too, then text it to my folks, share it on Facebook and set it as the wallpaper on my phone, where it will stay until the next first day of school.

Every couple of months during the following year, I’ll go back and look through all those previous first-day-ofschool pictures and feel the sad sweetness every parent knows: just how fast the time goes before it’s “that time of year again.”

Crossword Solution

With every sunrise, there is a new chance. But with every sunset, you blew it.

Laughing Matter

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

ACROSS

Word Week of the

1. a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.

“Other than the petrichor emanating from the rapidly drying grass, there was not a trace of evidence that it had rained at all”

Corrections: Nothing this week. Now leave us to this vacant box. — BO

petrichor /PETrī-kôr/ [noun]

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22