Reader september10 2015

READER September 10, 2015 /

free / Vol. 12 issue 34

Sept. 11

Remembered

plus don otis bags all 14ers in nation , jelly bread returns to the hive, wwII storytelling at the little Panida, and much more!

s u o m a f d l r o w Try our tartar sauce!

476560 Highway 95 Ponderay, ID

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(wo)MAN

Susan Drinkard on the street compiled by

Where were you when you heard about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks?

“I was up at 3 or 4 a.m. making coffee when I heard about it because I was working for White Tail Transportation and had to get to the Spokane airport to pick someone up.”

Denny Haselip Shipping and Receiving Manager Sagle “I was eight and a half months pregnant with my last child. I got up to arrange my bedroom because I was in the nesting stage, and I got a call from my boyfriend to turn on the TV. And then I cried.”

Erika Day Cashier Kootenai “I was in my shop doing woodworking and heard about it on the radio. I ran in to tell my wife I thought our country had been attacked.”

John Carter Woodworker Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

This week, we asked a handful of people where they were when they heard about the September 11, 2001 attacks. It’s hard to believe that happened fourteen years ago.

When I first heard about the attacks, I was working as a golf professional at Hidden Lakes Golf Resort (now called the Idaho Club). The season was already winding down and the mornings had begun to cool off. After the constant news feed highlighting the attacks, there was no one who wanted to play golf. I and a handful of other employees spent the morning (and most of the day) drinking beer on the deck and lamenting the loss our country had experienced. I remember thinking then and there we would probably be at war for most of my adult life because of the actions that fateful morning. How true that thought ended up being.

The date September 11 will forever be remembered as the day we were attacked, but also, the day we came together and found a new strength in our shared tragedy.

There is a lot about our country I don’t like, but one thing I’ll always admire is our ability to weather the storm and come back stronger.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

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“I believe I was dropping my kids off at the middle and high school, and I heard it on the radio. I was shocked and sick to my stomach.”

Margy Eddy Nurse at The Bridge Sandpoint

it’s nice to meet you, neighbor “I was working at the call center in Valencia, Calif., for Princess Cruises and talked to one woman who knew someone on the 128th floor of one of the buildings and another passenger had a grandchild in the building and they were worried … we had to cancel every cruise for the following three weeks because no one could fly in or out of the airports.”

Justin Kettle Student/University of Phoenix Tempe, Arizona and Sandpoint

“I worked at the federal building doing psycho-social rehabilitation at that time. I was worried they would start bombing federal buildings.”

Natalie Miller Wait Person Sandpoint

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover), Susan Drinkard, Angela Euliarte, Daniel Cape, Don Otis, Bill Shropp Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Nick Gier, Scarlette Quille, Tim Henney, Don Otis, Scout Anatricia, Dion Nizzi, Ted Bowers, Dan Eskelson Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

Subscription Price: $75 per year Advertising: Jen Landis jen@sandpointreader.com Clint Nicholson clint@keokee.com Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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

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

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Requirements: –No more than 500 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

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About the Cover This week’s cover was painted by Ben Olson, who is by no means a painter.

124 South 2nd Ave. sandpoint, IDaho (208)597-7499

www.sandpointpub.com

Any budding artists out there that would like to give a cover a shot for the Reader? Give me a shout at ben@sandpointreader.com and I’ll throw an idea your way. Maybe we’ll use it in the future!

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COMMENTARY

The Follies of Document Fundamentalism

“For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”

—The Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 3:6)

By Nick Gier Reader Columnist

At Tea Party gatherings pocket Constitutions are handed out as eagerly as the Gideons distribute New Testaments on my campus every year. The message is clear: Read God’s word and you will be redeemed, or read the Constitution and the country will be saved. In each case there are those who will very confidently tell you what the text’s original intent and meaning is.

The Bible and the Constitution are similar in that they were written by multiple authors, but the two are different in that the Bible was written in three different languages over a period of a thousand years with little or no information about the intent of the authors or the original meaning of the words.

With regard to biblical interpretation, my all-time favorite example is the meaning of the “whore of Babylon” in the Book of Revelation (chaps. 17 and 18). Staying within the historical context of the author(s), serious scholars are divided on whether her identity is Rome or Jerusalem.

S R E T LET Avista rate increase unfounded...

Dear Idaho Public Utilities Commissioners: I have a problem with Avista’s requested increases in the monthly electric basic charge from $5.25 to $8.50 and the monthly natural gas basic charge from $4.25 to $8.00.

These increases are 62 percent and 88 percent, respectively.

First of all, I understand the need to increase rates. Avista’s operating costs and investments are going up. They are striving 4 /

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In his nasty polemics Martin Luther was certain that she was the Catholic Church. More recent candidates have been the Soviet Union and Hillary Clinton. A text that can give so many readings is obviously a document subject to historical context and the individual’s worldview.

The biblical passage that most pertains to constitutional rights is the one that states that human beings are created in the “image of God” (Gen.1:26).

Nowhere in the Bible is this concept explained; indeed, it is rarely mentioned.

Early church fathers fell back on Greek philosophy for the meaning that humans are created as moral and rational beings. With the rise of liberal democracy, Christian theologians argued that the biblical view of human nature supported the principle of equality and the intrinsic value of every single individual.

We now have archaeological evidence that shows this interpretation is not the original

meaning of the Hebrew phrase.

The inscription is in Aramaic, later to become Jesus’ own language. The exact linguistic equivalent “likeness and image of God” here means that Adam and Eve were God’s sole representatives on earth, standing as a king would to his subjects ruling them by divine right.

This explains the fact that Christ alone has the “image of God” in the New Testament (Col. 1:15) and in one passage only the man has it in relation to ruling his wife (1 Cor. 7:11).

This hierarchical view of human relations also squares with the ancient Hebrew belief that women, counted as men’s property, are worth only three-fifths the value of a man, with the elderly having less value and young children even less (Lev. 27:1-7).

Some might object saying that the laws of Leviticus no longer apply, but some Christians want to use the same laws to condemn gays and lesbians to death. Originalism in the Bible and the Constitution fails as a theory when people start ap-

plying it in some instances but not in others.

Conservative jurists insist on following the original meaning of the Constitution, but they do not always agree. Some originalists believe that the authors of the 14th Amendment would not have supported school desegregation, but Robert Bork strongly disagrees. Justice Antonin Scalia believes that the 14th Amendment does not support a woman’s right to vote because female suffrage was not in the minds of the amendment’s authors.

With regard to abortion, originalists demand to know where one can find the right to privacy in the Constitution, but then where does it say that corporations are legal persons?

This was the assumption used by conservatives to decide that corporations should not be limited in their support for political campaigns. At the time of the nation’s founding, personhood was limited to human beings (excluding non-viable fetuses) and God.

Returning to the parallel between legal and biblical originalism, I want to point out a troublesome irony. Judges who are nominated to serve on our courts are expected to have the best legal education and to have displayed excellence in the legal profession.

Many conservative Christians, however, have nothing but disdain for scholars who have spent their lives learning difficult languages and/or laboring in archaeological sites searching for the original places and meanings of biblical texts.

There is at least consistency—but certainly no virtue—in those who reject the expertise of both judges and biblical scholars. In these essential areas of our lives they arrogate all decision-making to their own ill-informed minds.

to provide good and efficient energy products and services.

However, these fixed monthly charge increases are not very smart, for both Avista and for us consumers, for the following reasons: 1. The basic monthly charge increases provide no incentive to reduce energy usage, peak demand, and the need for new energy investment. They do nothing to ensure a more sustainable energy future; 2. These basic monthly charge increases are onerous and regressive. Low and fixed income consumers with a small efficient residence take the same hit as the “one-percenters” living in mansions on the lake.

Avista is not being fair or wise. Avista can do much more to ensure a more sustainable

business and a more sustainable energy future.

PS. I have no problem with the increase in charges for energy usage, assuming it is justified by their costs and investments.

Consumers have control over their energy usage and they can deal with it in several ways.

PSS. Please consider this an open letter to the public. I plan to submit this to some local newspapers.

Thanks for reading and for considering this comment.

Sincerely,

Tea Party politicians shouldn’t butt in...

What I hear from the gun lobby is that we don’t need more gun laws, we only need to enforce the laws that we already have.

The Tea Party subscribes to that mantra, as does the gun lobby. So here we have a mental health official doing their job as the gun lobby says that we need to do. Then we have our elected officials butting in and not allowing the laws that they want us to follow. I don’t get it.

William E. Stuble Dover

Last week I heard on our local talk radio (KSPT 1400) an announcement or what sounded like an advertisement given by one of our local political leaders (Christian Fioravanti) that he and our other Tea Party official, Heather Scott, as well as our elected sheriff Daryl Wheeler, bragging about how they intervened and stopped a VA official from taking away a veterans guns.

While I don’t know the circumstances of these actions, I do believe a VA official that would take the action of removing a person’s guns is probably a mental health professional who deemed it necessary.

Nick Gier of Moscow taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years.

Marty Stitsel Sandpoint Want your voice to be heard?

Send us your letters to the editor at letters@sandpointreader. com. Please keep them under 400 words and free of obscenities and libelous material.

PERSPECTIVES Training a bicycle army to take over Sandpoint Have you seen the new “Mad Max?” Yes? No? If you have and you want to experience a little bit of what that world is like, get your bicycle tires and adrenaline pumped up and join the next Full Moon Bike Ride.

Yes. This monthly bike ride that starts at Eichardt’s on the night of the full moon is basically a spin-off of the movie “Mad Max.” Need some proof? Picture about 200 people on bicycles chasing after a designated leader in the dark of the night.

Where is this leader going?

Who knows? The point is that they are the leader and everyone must follow them into whatever war situation lies ahead. Stop lights? Who cares? Bike paths?

Not necessary. Residential areas? People shouldn’t sleep during a full moon. The mob of bicyclists wearing strange clothes with a myriad of lights on their bikes do not care about the traffic laws, residential peace or safety. They obey the laws of the full moon.

In the movie, the mob on wheels follows a skeleton-faced leader who feeds them breast milk and promises them a life in “chrome Valhalla.” On the Full Moon Bike Ride, the cyclists are fed a combination of dark beer, American spirits and a substance I can only identify by smell but I am pretty sure is patchouli oil. The lawlessness, dark beer and full moon make for a pretty exciting ride, even if it’s at times only around a mile long and has really no beginning or end.

This is eerily similar to the movie, as I have watched it twice, and I am not sure if there is a plot or a point to it. I suppose the purpose of the ride, and the movie, is that people are compelled by non-stop action that occurs on wheels. Pair that with a secondary message about unknowingly being trained by a leader for a war you didn’t see coming, and it becomes twice as entertaining.

Back to the bike ride, some cyclists are not as hardcore as others. These types don’t carry patch kits for their tires. Sadly, the unprepared apparently depend on the generosity of other hoard members to fix such situations. However, speaking from experience, it seems no one ever has a spare patch kit. And hell-bound riders rarely stop to help a fallen soldier.

Again, you must see “Mad Max” for reference. If you can’t ride, you are worthless as a soldier. They have other gangs to conquer and territory to claim; no one is going to stop and fix your war machine. That’s just the way lawless gangs work. So if you plan on riding, you are going to have to be prepared and possibly have a specialized war machine.

I have partaken in this ride a couple of times, and I am going to give you an exercise that will help you prepare for your first ride: First, build a small obstacle course. You will need to have a small parking lot’s worth of space. Make sure there are a few pot holes in it and then throw some gravel around. Park a few vehicles on the edge of

your course.

Next, have no less than 10 like-minded humans drink a few beers and ride their bikes around the course at the same time. Out of every five bicyclists, make sure one has a legitimate light on their bike; the others should just tape glow sticks to their handle bars.

Next, borrow a couple of kids, have them get on bicycles and infuriatingly ride back and forth in front of you. Make sure one of your friends knows to stop about every 30 feet or so for no apparent reason. Get yourself a very dark beer, drink it quickly, then have another. Then get on your bike and see how you do making it through the course.

Ladies, do not worry. You will not have to train as hard as your male counterparts. As a woman you are uniquely qualified for this type of experience, as you have been dealing with a monthly bout of post-apocalyptic rage since the onset of puberty.

If you have survived this exercise—perhaps only wrecking your bike once by hitting a mailbox to avoid steamrolling a small child—you are ready to ride.

I know what you are thinking. Kids? Really? Yes, people do bring their children to an event that starts at 8 or 9 p.m. at a bar and involves human-propelled machinery and poorly lit

situations.

I can only speculate these children are being trained to someday lead the army. Warlords, even those on bicycles, typically start training future warriors at a young age. The kids in the movie couldn’t have been older than 6 or 7.

Another important similarity is that in the movie, there is a guy strapped to the front of a giant war vehicle. He plays an electric guitar that doubles as a flame thrower. When the gang is in hot pursuit of whatever it is that they are going to destroy or pillage, he plays death metal to inspire the troops. The Full Moon Bike Ride has a similar set up. One of the cyclists puts huge speakers in a baby cart and pulls it behind their bike. This speaker system usually plays some strange brand of techno, and I can only imagine the subliminal message is something like, “Pedal, pedal, pedal, faster, pedal, now slower, stop, pedal.”

At least, that’s what seems to be going through my head when on this frenzied pursuit. Sadly, there are no flames or evil babies coming forth from the cart, even when it stops. But there is always next time, right?

Basically, going on the Full Moon Bike Ride is awesome.

Dabbling in a bit of chaos once a month is perfect, especially if you aren’t fully ready to com-

mit t o t h e outlaw lifestyle. Also, it seems like just the right amount of time for the proper healing of road rash. Coincidence?

Whatever the case may be, if you are interested, you should give it a chance. I would suspect that soon, it will become less attractive, as I have heard talk of things like guidelines and rules being “needed.”

In closing, I would like to address the anonymous leaders of the Full Moon Bike Ride: Hello, if you are reading this. Do you read the Reader, or have one of your small child minions read it to you?

Either way, could I bother you with a suggestion? It’s about the dress-up themes for each ride. Last moon was “back to school.” Can we just cut to the chase and have the theme for the next moon be “Mad Max?” Let’s just own it. The bike ride may have a secret ending, but you and I both know that the ultimate goal is training a bicyclist hoard to one day take over Sandpoint. I’m with you.

Continuing to train hard through all of the lunar phases, Scarlette Quille

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NEWS

Fire restrictions lifted

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Just about everyone greeted the turn from blazing heat to cool, rainy weather this week with a sigh of relief. But forest firefighters aren’t out of the woods just yet, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

First, the good news: Fire restrictions have been lifted across North Idaho. That means campfires and off-road vehicle use are permissible once again, and woodcutters can harvest firewood after 1 p.m. without any worries.

According to Jason Kirchner of the U.S. Forest Service, the shift to consistent rain over the weekend significantly relaxed worries about new fire starts.

On the other hand, firefighters will likely be working for the near future, or at least until

the weather shifts completely into new seasonal trends.

“We still have a lot of fire in the landscape,” Kirchner said.

“It’s just not spreading.”

Kirchner estimates the number of fire personnel in the field hasn’t changed much this week.

On the contrary, as some fires become more controlled, firefighters are likely just being shuffled to the next blaze.

“This goes to show that with a natural disaster, these things depend very heavily on the weather,” Kirchner said.

Indeed, the only thing that will stop fires is likely a complete shift in weather trend.

Once low temperatures and higher precipitation become the norm for the region, Kirchner said North Idaho will finally be able to kiss a devastating 2015 fire season goodbye.

2015 Fire Season At a Glance

•Idaho saw nearly half a million acres burned in 2015, with the largest fire being the Soda Fire burning 280,000 acres.

•There is no year, in the past 10, in which year-to-date wildfire acres burned were as high as they were this year. In fact, based on records provided by the National Interagency Fire Center, only nine years since 1960 have seen more acres burned in total than 2015 has as of Aug. 18. The most acres burned in any year on record is 9,873,745, in 2006.

Dr. Bob Carlson passes away Anyone who has enjoyed Bonner County’s many excellent bike and pedestrian trials over the years owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Bob Carlson, who passed away last week after battling a sustained illness.

Instrumental in organizing and motivating North Idaho Bikeways, Carlson’s influence is felt on 11 completed bike trails totaling 10.3 miles. These Dr. Carlson speaks after being named May 2014 include well-trafficked trails Volunteer of the Month by the Sandpoint Chamber like the Dover-Sandpoint Trail, Popsicle Bridge, the bike/pe- intend to honor his memory at destrian bridge over Sand Creek a ceremony Sunday, Sept. 13. and many more. Other projects The plan is to meet at the City are on the books but still un- Beach parking lot, then leave funded or in planning stages. at 9:30 a.m. to walk along the Learn more about North Ida- Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail. Once ho Bikways and its projects at attendees reach the bench at the www.northidahobikeways.com. point, about a one-mile walk Carlson was also a key play- from the parking lot, they will er in turning the Pend d’Oreille honor Carlson with a brief cerBay Trail, a pristine stretch of emony and a collection of perwaterfront trial property along sonal messages. The messages Lake Pend Oreille, into a pub- will be placed at a memorial licly-owned treasure for the rock along the trail, which will community. be installed later this year.

Carlson’s friends and family

• According to the Forest Service, the U.S. spends $ 100 million per week when it is at wildfire preparedness level 5.

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By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff It only took a few weeks of

•Over 7 million acres have burned in closure before we missed the the United States in 2015 (over 5 million Panida Theater. Fortunately, of those acres burned in Alaska). that closure is coming to an end.

•At one point in August, there were more than 30,000 active firefighters mobilized by the U.S. Forest Service, the highest amount in over 15 years.

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Panida Theater reopens after ceiling restoration

•Also according to the Forest Service, wildfire has consumed more than 50 percent of its budget this year, and that number could jump to two-thirds of their budget by the year 2025 if trends continue in this direction.

On Thursday, Sept. 10, a freshly renovated Panida Theater re-opens its doors with screenings of “Mr. Holmes,” a film about an elderly Sherlock Holmes starring the great Ian McKellen. A full slate of events is prepared as the theater moves into its autumn season.

According to Panida director Patricia Walker, the renovations that kept the theater closed for much of the summer have received a warm response. A particular concern was the restored ceiling, with some wondering whether the new plaster work could match the historic original. The past few days have seen many doubts put to rest, Walker said.

“So far, people are commenting how impressed they are with the new plaster and how historic it looks,” she said.

Speaking of new functionality, a new lighting chase adds an increased professionalism to the Panida’s stage lights. Even so, the atmosphere locals know and love is still very much intact, Walker said.

“Those that have seen the lighting chase are excited,” Walker said. “They’re glad it didn’t change the look and feel of the theater.”

“[The changes] make the whole theater look brighter,” she added. “Opulent is the word that comes to mind.”

Theater renovations have taken place in stages over the last few years. Initial chores like removing asbestos and adding new insulation paved the way for improvements like the installation of a fire prevention sprinkler system and, of course, the new plaster ceiling. There are few tasks yet to be finished, particularly involving the lighting, electrical systems and general clean-up, but Walker and the rest of the Panida crew are excited to be open once again.

Lakes Commission examines Priest Lake Thorofare

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Fans of the Priest Lake Thorofare will want to put Thursday, Sept. 17 on their calendars.

The popular stretch of water for canoers and kayakers will be the centerpiece of a Lakes Commission meeting, which will detail the future of the Thorofare for the public.

Starting at 9 a.m., the meeting kicks off at the Beardmore Building, 119 Main Street, in Priest River. The Thorofare presentation is the first major item on the agenda and is presented

by Fred Cox and Ken Haagman of the Save the Priest Lake Thorofare organization.

According to the organization website, the Thorofare is in danger from breaches and deterioration of the breakwater, causing sediment to block the entrance

channel. Save the Priest Lake Thorofare seeks the realignment of the channel and the repairing or replacement of the Thorofare breakwater entrance.

Other items on the agenda include presentations on Priest Lake fishery research, aquatic invasive species, summer pool management at Outlet Dam and more. The meeting is expected to adjourn at 12 p.m.

FEATURE

For whom the Twin Towers tolled

By Tim Henney Reader Columnist Edmunds Triplett Jr. strode snappily down Hamilton Road from his rambling brick rancher in Ridgewood Heights. Sometimes, with a late start, Maggie drove him to the station to catch the 7:22. But today, Sept. 11, was his 40th birthday. The morning was bright and crisp. He’d do himself a favor: a brisk, halfmile hike to the train. Giant desiduous oaks and maples in this leafy, coveted community had decorated the narrow, winding neighborhood roads in rust red, yellow and orange. A collector of old pop recordings, Ed hummed contentedly as he hiked.”...it’s a long, long time, from May to December...but the days grow short, as you each September...”.

Henry Wilcox, a Cantor Fitzgerald investment banker colleague, bounded out the front door of his Georgian manse as Ed crossed Sunset Drive. “Saw you comiin’ through the kitchen window,” drawled Henry, a Texas transplant and financial wizard. Heading down the hill toward the station, they debated over the name and lyrics to that other great September song.”...the leaves of brown came tumbling down, remember, in September, in the rain...”. Followed by a few questionable bars from “Autumn In New York.” It was a singing sort of day. Even for non-singers.

A perfect fall morning in New Jersey. They agreed that few states received more kidding from the media than theirs. Yet they, seasoned corporate travelers, thought none to be so gorgeous. Ho-Ho-Kus, Short Hills, Summit, Saddle River, Franklin Lakes, Ridgewood. They felt fortunate. So did every NYC investment banker, lawyer, publisher, Wall Street Journal staffer and corporate exec who could afford Connecticut or Scarsdale. But chose New Jersey. To such achievers the high acceptance rate into Ivy colleges from Ridgewood High made the cost of living here worth it. The discussion segued, as always, into Ivy League football. Especially as played at Dartmouth, Ed’s alma mater. At Texas A & M Henry had once been among the

original, legendary “12th man” students. Ready to take the place of an injured aggie player, should the coach call. “We need to play each other,” Henry chided. “We’d use our cheerleaders against your varsity. And whup ya.”

The 7:22 express slipped into the station. Ed, Henry, their fellow fathers and a smattering of well-dressed women boarded.

Settled into seats, they opened leather briefcases. The WSJ, The Times, Forbes, piles of reports spilled out. “Aren’t you, Maggie and the girls about due to head west? Henry inquired. “Monday,” Ed replied, “two weeks in Montana. Many Glacier Lodge.

Where Maggie and I met. She was wait staff and sang for guests at night. I drove a red bus on Going-To-The-Sun Road.” “Grizzly bears,” grumbled Henry. “I’d love to see one, show the kids,” said Ed. “Nothing even slightly scary ever happens in our cloistered life. I guess I’m glad for that. But we could use some excitement. Grizzly bears would be great,” he said.

Henry folded his Times into a vertical half page, protocol for crowded commuter trains. “My old outfit’s on page one” said Henry. “Chickens coming home to roost at Enron. Ol’ Kenny Boy made zillions. Now he’s gonna go to jail. Fastow and Skilling too.

The SEC’s got ‘em.” “Did you call your boss ‘Kenny Boy’ when you worked for him?” Ed asked, with an elbow nudge. “No sir,” Henry answered, “but his good buddy George W. Bush does.” Ed said, “Presidents get called a lot of shit themselves. Molly Ivins calls Bush Twig in her columns.” “She calls him Shrub, not Twig,” Henry corrected. “Makes him mad as hell. Wants to be somebody.

But daddy’s done everything for him. Yale. Harvard business. The baseball team. The presidency. So Molly calls him Shrub.”

The 7:22 express pulled into Hoboken, hard by the Hudson.

There they stepped aboard the “tube” train. Shuttled swiftly under the river, they got off in downtown NYC. The WTC basement, seven stories beneath the looming twin towers. Maggie and the girls -- Martha, 9, and Mandi, 6, would be in around noon for a celebratory lunch at Windows On

The World, 105 stories high in the sky. The girls loved coming to the office. Especially on the train. So did Maggie. Reared on an Idaho cattle ranch, she had gone east to college at Wellsley. Yet New York City never ceased to excite her.

The second she crossed the Hudson she reverted to a wide-eyed country bumpkin.

Ed rode the elevator up, up, up toward Cantor Fizgerald LLP offices on the 102nd floor, North Tower. He chuckled. The elevator ride brought to mind a local joke making the rounds. Two guys are at a window table enjoying dinner and the spectacular view of the city from Windows On The World. A waiter brings drinks. He says, “A long way down, isn’t it.” Diner A replies, “Not if you jump out right here. The updraft blows you right back in.” “Right,” guffawed the waiter. Whereupon diner A opens the window and leaps out. Within seconds he flies back in. The waiter says “Oh, my God! “ and eagerly jumps out the window. Diner B says to Diner A, “You are one mean son of a bitch, Superman.”

On the 10lst floor, the strategic planning committee Ed chaired was meeting. At 8:46 the room exploded. American Airlines flight 11, a Boeing 767 carrying 20,000 gallons of jet fuel, had hit the tower’s 80th floor. Aboard were 92 people, including crew and five hijackers. Eighteen minutes later United flight 175, also a Boeing 767 out of Boston and full of fuel, rammed the 60th floor of the South Tower. Sixty four were aboard, including crew and five hijackers. Half an hour later American flight 77, a Boeing 757 out of Washington, D.C. with 64 persons onboard including crew and five hijackers, crashed into the Pentagon. A hundred and twenty five military and civilians perished inside the building. Twenty six minutes later another 757, United flight 93 from Newark, plunged to the ground in rural Pennsylvania.

Seven crew, 33 passengers and four hijackers died.

Discounting the 19 terrorist hijackers, each of whom anticipated 72 virgins as a reward for martyrdom, 246 people died on the planes. From the attacks on the twin towers and surround-

The World Trade Center towers under construction. Tim Henney had to sit on the photographer’s feet while he hung out the window and snapped this shot. Photo by Bill Shropp.

ing buildings, 2,606 died. Death claimed 415 fire fighters and law enforcement officers. In the North Tower 1,355 people above the point of impact were trapped.

About 200 fell or jumped from the tower to escape smoke and flames. The attacks killed more than 3,000 in all. Some 10,000 more were injured or maimed.

Sept. 11, 2001 marked the worst terrorist attack in world history. The deadliest foreign act of destruction to life and property on American soil since the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. lost 658 employees.

Many lived in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Edmonds Triplett Jr. chose jumping to incineration. At home, Maggie Triplett and the girls prepared to drive to the train

station. Maggie reached to switch off the TV. It showed people falling from high in the exploding North Tower. She screamed.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s the author was editor of The Bell Telephone Magazine at AT & T headquarters. It was across the street from the future World Trade Center site. He wrote about 16 acres of “old New York” as they were razed and the twin towers rose. During the 1970s and early ‘80s he attended numerous corporate events at Windows On The World on the North Tower’s 105th floor. From 1976 to 1986, when he retired, the author was a member of AT & T’s Office Of The Chairman. During that period he and his family lived in Ridgewood, New Jersey September 10, 2015 /

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A new world How we have changed since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks Bouquets: •See the story on the next page for my big bouquet of the week, which goes to Don Otis for completing a 40-plus year goal of reaching the summit of every Fourteener peak in the contiguous United States (there are 66 in all). Nice work, Don! It is quite an accomplishment.

•Last week, U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Kentucky clerk Kim Davis to jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, whose rights are guaranteed to wed now under the Supreme Court. At first I thought it was probably a little harsh to send the woman to jail for five days (she’s been released, but has been ordered to comply with her job requirements, or she’ll be held in contempt again), but now that I have had time to think about it, I’m glad she served the time. Maybe it will help the rest of the country’s closeminded clerks who refuse to accept the law to think twice before allowing their bigoted religious views to preclude them from doing their jobs.

•Last week, I watched Chris Herron’s latest (and best) play “No Service” and I just had to give him and the cast a huge shout out for doing a great job yet again. The writing was spot on and hilarious, the acting was pitch perfect and unexpectedly the CD that accompanied the performance (recorded by actor Becky Campbell) was fantastic.

Well done to you all.

Barbs: •My only barb this week goes to myself, for writing so many bouquets, I don’t have enough room left over to bitch about anything. Oh well, there’s always next week!

Got a bouquet or barb you’d like to offer? Write me at ben@ sandpointreader.com with “BB” in the subject line.

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By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

For Sandpoint High School teacher Tom Albertson, it started with a simple question: “Did you hear what happened?”

He hadn’t. Without a cable TV subscription at his home, he was completely unaware how unusual Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 would be.

As the day progressed, crowds of nervous students, some aware of the attacks and others still in the dark, arrived at the school. Once the news was common knowledge, teachers struggled to keep order.

“We had whole classrooms of students to manage,” Albertson, now SHS principal, said. “When something like this is going on, you’re supposed to conduct the day as normally as possible.”

Not far away, patrolman Corey Coon was preparing to head into work for the morning shift when the TV news caught his eye. As he watched the attacks unfold, he told his wife to keep an eye on the news—something big was happening.

“It was a really sobering moment for me personally,” said Coon, now Sandpoint police chief. “It showed that this country really was vulnerable to attack.”

Nearly 15 years later, memories of the Sept. 11 attacks are as vivid as key life events like marriages and funerals. Even in rural North Idaho, tucked away from the bustle of New York City, the sense that the world—and all our lives—had changed was immediate.

“The way we approach law enforcement today is entirely different from 2001,” said Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler.

With the subtle creep of new technology—smartphones, social media and instant connectivity— into our lives, it’s easy to forget the slightly slower trickle of information at the turn of the Millennium. Instead of a classroom full of students glued to their iPhones, Albertson found himself trying to explain the inexplicable to teenagers just as eager for information as he was. With only a handful of TVs in the school hooked up to cable service, the library became the de facto information network, and

whenever anyone secured a spare moment, they hurried over to see the latest reports.

Parents were similarly troubled by uncertainty over what the rest of the day, or the coming days, would bring, Albertson said. Some turned up at the high school to bring their children home for the day. Many of the kids didn’t know quite what to make of the events.

“Being in North Idaho, they felt a little removed from the attacks,”

trol that.”

As morning turned to afternoon and the school day ended, an uneasy calm settled over the town.

Albertson remembers in particular the strange absence of any airplane or helicopter in the sky. There was no sound of aviation engines, no glimpse of jet trails in the sky. It was an eerie detail of the day, one difficult to notice at first.

For Albertson, Coon and Wheeler, the day felt like a peek

Albertson said. “For the most part, they just had a lot of questions.”

That unease was evident elsewhere in town, too. Coon found himself working for a far more suspicious and paranoid populace.

Anything slightly out of place—an abandoned backpack or an unusual vehicle—was reported as potential trouble. No one knew how widespread the attacks might be—the Pentagon had been hit and another plane had crashed in Pennsylvania—and no one was taking any chances.

“The fear of the unknown is a powerful thing,” Coon said.

“There’s nothing we can do to con-

into a different world. And in many ways, it was. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to see how Sept. 11 transformed the way they do their jobs. Perhaps it’s naive to say we lived in more innocent times before the Twin Towers fell.

On the other hand, the American psychology has certainly changed.

“We used to … feel protected,” said Sandpoint Fire Chief Ron Stocking. “Now whenever something happens, the first thing that comes to mind is, ‘Is this a terror attack?’”

Sandpoint High School is completely transformed from its 2001 incarnation, the consequence of

both the terror attacks and several school shootings. Around 50 security cameras are scattered throughout the halls and classrooms.

Guests must go through a rigorous check-in procedure before they’re admitted into the school. And a school resource officer from Sandpoint Police Department is always present to assist in the event of an emergency.

“Back [in 2001], we didn’t even know what ‘SRO’ stood for,” Albertson said.

According to Coon, he’s seen an increase in cooperation between local, state and national agencies. Where once different departments were territorial, using their own methods and communication means, they now shared much more information and support. Likewise, Wheeler said new training standards across all agencies increased the effectiveness and ease of organizing together on the fly.

Fire departments have also undergone drastic changes, according to Stocking. Sept. 11 revealed how ill-equipped firefighters were to handle terrorist attacks, and consequently, terror scenarios are a regular part of training. Likewise, fire and emergency medical service vehicles are now equipped with haz-mat suits or antidotes for poisons like sarin gas attacks.

“It was a very proactive approach in addressing that firefighters just weren’t prepared for terror attacks,” Stocking said.

Wheeler sees potential terror attacks as a persistent threat to modern well-being. He believes this may come from terrorist cells operating at the behest of groups like ISIS. The country’s borders are another major vulnerability, he said.

“We have been deficient in doing our best to enhance security with our open borders,” he said.

Perhaps the most insidious effect of the Sept. 11 attacks isn’t the destruction or death toll, but its erosion of American peace of mind. Ultimately, it’s hard to think of the future without wondering whether a similar disaster is just around the corner.

“Sept. 11 completely changed the way we live our lives,” Stocking said. “In that way, it’s a terrorist attack that is still ongoing.”

Such great heights

Local climber Don Otis bags the final peak, conquering all 66 fourteeners in the contiguous United States

By Don Otis Reader Columnist The streets were deserted and the sky filled with smoke as we pulled into Bishop, Calif., on a late August afternoon. We were hoping for late summer blue skies and perfect conditions. They weren’t.

The flight from Spokane into Burbank and the 250-mile drive into the Sierras was uneventful but we now faced conditions I had never seen before. The 84,000 acres burned in Sequoia sent ash and smoke billowing over the crest. My lungs began to feel like the third-stage smog alerts I remembered from my days growing up in Los Angeles. This was to be my attempt to climb the final summit over 14,000 feet in the lower 48 states—number 66. At that altitude the atmosphere can be 40 percent of what it is at sea level, which can cause physiological stress. Now, combined with the smoke, we were operating at far less.

Ken Emerson and I pitched our tents and went to sleep hoping for a miracle the next day. We awakened to see the eastern Sierra in all its glory rising 10,000 feet above the desert floor. The sky had cleared as if parted by Moses in some miraculous act.

At 14,058 feet, Split Mountain is a serrated multi-colored giant infamous for the worst trail of all the Sierra peaks. We wound our way through three climate zones—past snakes and prickly pear cactus, through ravines, and up dust chocked scree, past giant fir, and eventually into Red Lake at the base of the peak. The sky was already filling with smoke again. The winds picked up and by early evening the 30 mph gusts scattered ash and dust into our eyes and in our tents. We slept fitfully and waited for 5 a.m., hoping again the skies would be clear.

They were. We had our window.

We gobbled down our freeze-dried breakfast and headed out of the alpine zone, donning headlamps and picking

North Face of Split. We reached the high saddle, a sharp ridge separating the crest, and began ascending the northeast ridge.

This funneled into a ten foot wide opening that spilled out to the western slopes. We were now just 800 feet below the summit. Only then did it dawn on me how close I was to finishing a goal that had once seemed impossible and implausible.

Most people climb for the challenge, the risk, and the sheer pleasure—conquering oneself as much as an inanimate object.

Climber Ed Viesturs sums this up: “We climb these peaks because we love them, we love the places they take us, and we love the process of learning about ourselves along the way.”

As I made the last 100 feet toward the summit I felt an odd mixture of relief and emotion. Until then I had kept these carefully stuffed beneath the surface. Now, there was no more vertical to climb. No more steps. Ken and I gave a long hug, my eyes filled with tears—the journey was over.

The count: 53 Colorado peaks, 12 in California and Mt. Rainier in Washington; the final 59 coming since 2008.

In “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Viktor Frankl writes, “A person finds meaning by striv-

A photo at 13,500’ looking north from Split Mountain. Photo courtesy Don Otis. ing and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a chosen task . . . painful or dangerous experiences often transform the people who survive them.”

And this was a form of survival—more than 700 miles of trails and nearly 300,000 vertical feet. The journey included two falls in the Rockies, one trip to the ER for stitches, an unexpected bivouac at 13,000 feet,

and 16 different partners. And Ken had risen to the occasion as my partner in suffering and adventure—doing four 14,000foot peaks with me in the final month.

We find our greatest satisfaction from experiences, especially those that seem difficult or even impossible. Many of

see OTIS, page 13

As I made the last 100 feet toward the summit I felt an odd mixture of relief and emotion. Until then I had kept these carefully stuffed beneath the surface. Now, there was no more vertical to climb. No more steps. Ken and I gave a long hug, my eyes filled with tears—the journey was over. our way from one cairn to the next up and over loose talus.As the sun rose we could see the smoke-filled Owen’s Valley. We were now in the glacial moraine climbing directly below the

Thumbs up approaching the summit.

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To submit your own pet photos, please send a photograph and a little bit of information about your special friend to ben@sandpointreader.com.

Please put “PET PHOTOS” in the subject line.

“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria."

- Ben Franklin

-wylie coyoteWe got Wylie Coyote at the Bonners Ferry shelter 10 years ago. He is our constant and loyal companion, although he is slowing down now. But a jump in the lake or a river energizes him, and he prances like a pup afterwards.

Joanne and Jon Cottrell Sandpoint

Buy Local... it helps us all.

Broadcasting in Sandpoint on 106.7 FM and in Digital HD 12 /

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READER

OTIS, con’t from page 9 us surrender before we start because we cannot see the end— the elusiveness of a summit. I have stood at trailheads looking at a peak far in the distance. But we succeed one step at a time, one challenge at a time, and one peak at a time—methodically persevering, overcoming fear, the elements, finding our way in the dark to places we’ve never been, unsure about what’s to come. Or, as famed mountaineer Royal Robbins wrote, “The mountains we conquer are not

Don Otis signing the register at the summit of Split Mountain in California, his last 14er in the contiguous U.S.. Photo courtesy of the author. those on the horizon: supreme, cold, taunting, but rather those within us: of fear, weakness, and ignorance. We need adventure. It’s in our blood.”

Unlike Split Mountain, my final summit in the Rockies was on a cold but sunny September morning in 2012. I left the Rock of Ages trailhead outside of Telluride, Colorado—walking alone, groping in the darkness, quiet in my thoughts but keenly aware of any rustling in the forest. There is something

about being alone on a trail that heightens one’s senses and produces a greater awareness of the risks involved. This was one of those times.

Ranked one of the top six peaks in difficulty, Mt. Wilson stands out as a jagged sentinel in the San Juan Mountains. By noon I was just under the summit and the 200-foot cliff separating me from the top looked intimidating. But we learn to focus on what’s in front of us—methodically, carefully,

intentionally—blocking out the “what-ifs” and stuffing the fear somewhere in the recesses of our mind. After summiting Mt. Wilson I soon packed to leave Colorado and return to Sandpoint after a five-year hiatus, grateful to be back in that cleft between the Selkirk and Cabinet Mountains.

“At the end of our lives, it is not important if we are rich or wealthy,” says mountaineer Reinhold Messner. “At the end of our lives, its important how

many experiences we have lived through . . . mountains without danger are not mountains.”

To live life without risk, without danger, challenge, or adventure is not to live as our Creator designed us—boldly, daringly, and passionately. For life is short and the adventures endless. And new ones are always beckoning us to embrace the existential distress that makes living far more rewarding.

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School year begins anew

By Scout Anatricia Reader Intern The tears in our eyes aren’t just from the smoke (thankfully gone from our skies). They are the bittersweet tears caused by the sound of books opening and school bells reminding us that we’re late to class.

It’s that time of year again, and back-to-school affects the whole community; teachers are putting away their margarita mix and stocking up on coffee beans, hairdressers are working extra hard to perfect this season’s hairstyles for anxious teens, hard-working citizens are wearing out their breaks with all the children scattering across the road to and from school and everyone is trying to remember how to form a sentence without using profanity.

Back-to-school season takes a community effort. Everyone has their opinions on education, whether they be political, financial or emotional. But no one anticipates the new school year more than returning students and teachers.

Sawyer Seley, an upcoming sophomore at Sandpoint High School, is excited for the upcoming sports season, including his favorite, football. Seley is the kicker for the JV football team. In fact, their first game

took place Thursday, Aug. 27 at the high school field.

“I really want people to come watch us play, because I think we have improved a lot from last year,” he said. “I’m pretty jacked for the season.”

The beginning of the school year is always a little nerve-wracking for students.

You have to figure out where all the cool kids are sitting, for one thing. Then you have to wonder if you are one of the cool kids, and if you’re not, then what the heck are you?

This mixture of excitement and stress doesn’t just take hold of the students, though; it grasps the teachers as well.

Forrest Bird Charter School teacher Wendy Thompson is just one instructor whose memories are mixed with the bittersweet excitement for the upcoming school year. Thompson may take a break from teaching during the summer, but she never stops preparing for classes. During her free time between painting her kitchen and mothering her two children, she read seven books about the Oregon Trail to prepare for just one of her classes.

“I am so excited to see my students,” she said. “I love them and miss them over the summer. I’m excited to get back in the classroom, but I’m definite-

ly going to miss being able to sit out in the sun, preparing for classes and sipping a beer.”

The students are really what keep Thompson interested in teaching. She admires the deep camaraderie between students at the charter school as well as their willingness to learn.

Students and teachers aren’t the only ones who have a stake in the coming year. Don’t forget about the supporting group: administrators and school boards.

Zone 4 school trustee Geraldine Lewis joined the board in May, and she is so excited about her new position and the decisions she helps to make from

staffing to budgeting.

“I am so excited about the newer, more rigorous [Common Core standards] that are being implemented in the school system,” Lewis said. “Since the newer teaching standards, we have tested higher in English and language arts and math district-wide, for the most part.”

Lewis also shares exciting news that there will be a curriculum change district-wide, with the implementation of the Stepup-to-Writing program that is intended to revamp writing and provide seamless transitions between grade levels. This program is being funded by PAFE (Pan-

Calling all flappers

handle Alliance For Education) which Lewis was also a part of.

Those with any questions about schools this year are encouraged to contact Superintendent Shawn Woodward at the district office if they have further questions. He can be reached at (208) 263-2184 as well as shawn.woodward@ lposd.org This article concludes Scout’s summer internship with the Reader. We’ve enjoyed having her on board and readers can look forward to seeing her writing again in the future issues of the Reader. Thanks Scout! Best of luck to you!

The roaring ‘20s themed ‘friendraiser’ for Bonner County History Museum kicks off tonight

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Better get working on those Charleston moves, because the Roaring Twenties are coming back to Sandpoint in a big way.

The golden age of fashion, jazz music and national optimism returns 5-8 p.m. today— Thursday, Sept. 10—at Tango Cafe courtesy of the Bonner County History Museum. The museum’s “friendraiser” promises to combine fascinating local history with first-class food and drink. Better yet, it should be a feast for the eyes, as attendees are encouraged to dress in 14 /

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period-appropriate clothing.

“Like any woman I’m excited to dress up,” said museum curator Heather Upton. “But I’m also excited to share this time period with the rest of the community.”

Clothing isn’t just an opportunity to turn modern residents into flappers, gangsters, gamblers, guys and dolls. It also tells a story of the times and is a major part of the museum’s new exhibit set to open Sept. 26. In “Tales from the Wardrobe: A Look At Fashion From Bonner County History, 1920-1939,” a tour through the clothing of the time reveals how Bonner Coun-

ty lifestyles developed over two decades of booms and busts.

It’s a continuation of a series that began with the 1880-90 time period, and museum personnel are excited to show off this spectacular era of fashion history.

“We all had in the back of our minds how extraordinary it would be to continue with the flapper dresses and [other clothing] of the time,” Upton said.

Rest assured, at least one element of the 1920s, Prohibition, won’t be a part of the fundraiser.

Attendees will be free to sample a variety of drinks without worry over police raids. In keep-

ing with the historic feel of the day, the event will replicate the speakeasy culture that arrived along with the 18th Amendment. Planners even have some special cocktails planned for the no-host bar, including Endless Summer, a mix of lemonade, blood orange and gin.

Even the Reader is getting into the spirit of the event. Fans of our regular Then & Now feature, which sets historic photos provided by the museum against modern shots by Reader publisher Ben Olson, will enjoy a full collection of shots.

The demonstration should give locals a deeper appreciation of

just how much their town has evolved over the years.

The event anticipates the opening of the Bonner County Museum’s latest exhibit, which opens Saturday, Sept. 26 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thanks to the Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day, you can check out this new exhibit free of charge. Simply print out your free ticket by visiting www.smithsonianmag. com/museumday/tickets/

STAGE & SCREEN Adventure, romance and stories at Little Panida event

By Dion Nizzi Reader Contributor Pure storytelling, outside the realm of politics and other such folly, is a rare commodity these days. Yet I’m sure there were times when all of us cherished being caught up in the spinning of a good yarn. Every now and then, the stories change us, and there are some we pass from generation to generation lest they be forgotten. I think that a good story, told sincerely, can give you a sense of warmth. Nostalgia. A lesson learned, or hope given.

This weekend at the Panida, we’ll all have an opportunity to recapture some of that storytelling magic when “Nostalgic WWII Adventure with a Little Romance” plays Saturday and Sunday at the Little Panida Theater/Panida Playhouse, featuring local theater legend Ron Ragone.

“I think storytelling is a lost art,” said Patricia Walker, Panida executive director. “I was delighted to have it booked into the Panida.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to have a fundraising event, and the Ragones were kind enough to make it happen for us,” she added. “They paid for the posters, Patti is running the projector, doing the music, videos, everything. It’s truly a family benefit for the Panida … and Ron and Patti are a large part of our Panida family.”

“I do know that the Little Panida/Panida Playhouse can use some help, and this theater, this little black box theater, can provide some truly high quality entertainment for this community,” said Ragone.

Ragone, who also contributes as a substitute teacher in our local schools, had the opportunity to hone his storytelling skills while on the job.

“He told his students, ‘Give me 45 minutes of good hard work, and I’ll give you 15 minutes of a story,’” said Patricia Ragone, local artist and Ron’s wife. His students just ate it up.

A longtime theater stalwart, Ragone is a master storyteller, with a soothing, engaging voice and talent. He appreciates and understands the relaying of stories.

“I have several stories tucked into my brain that I’ve accumulated over the years,” Ragone said. “I have three of them that I think would be particularly good that revolve around World War II. We’re supplementing the stories with some great visuals, music and audio.”

That, indeed, makes it more than just an old-fashioned fire side chat.

“Two of the stories are mine,” Ragone said, “and one … well … let’s just say I borrowed it.”

“They’re not about World War II per se,” he continued. “They just talk about how people were affected by the war and how it changed peoples lives. One of the stories comes from Patti’s uncle, an actual war-time experience that he had. It’s his story. I don’t deviate from it.

They’re heart-warming stories. They are life-changing stories that occurred to the protagonists in all three stories. They’re stories I’ve honed over the last 40 years.”

Another aspect of this event is the matinee Sunday show. What used to be a staple of theater has pretty much gone by the wayside. Ragone is making an effort to aid in the comeback. The Sunday matinee was scheduled to allow more people the opportunity to see the show.

“The matinee was set, in a large part, so the assisted living folks and the senior community could have a real opportunity to come see this,” said Walker.

Ragone is gambling it will pay off for the Panida and hold something special for those who attend.

“With this particular story, dealing with a peoples that are now ‘up in age,’ there might have been some sentimental value with the time of these stories happening,” he said. “We thought a Sunday matinee might have some special place in the heart for those people.”

“I hope you come to see this,” said Ragone, “and again, remember, the chief benefactor is going to be the Panida Theater. I’m just offering what little talent I may have … oh, nonsense. I’m a good storyteller. I really am.”

Folks, he really is. I’ll be there, and I’m also considering bringing along some comfortable slippers and maybe an Irish Coffee to get the full effect. No doubt I’ll remember it years from now.

Catch “A Nostaligic WW II Adventure with a Little Romance” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept.

13 at the Little Theater. Tickets are $6 and available at www.panida.org, Pend

Oreille Arts Council and at the door. All proceeds go to the Panida Theater.

Ron Ragone can tell a great story, trust us.

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Choosing your contractor

By Ted Bowers Reader Columnist

For the first 10 years of my career as a builder in Sandpoint, my contract with customers consisted of a verbal agreement and a handshake. We relied on each other’s honesty and trustworthiness.

The goal was to get a job done right for a fair amount of money and to get paid for it in a reasonable amount of time. I can’t remember this ever failing.

Somewhere along the line, I was convinced that a contract was needed. It would spell out details of the project and “guarantee” the project was to be completed as agreed upon for the estimated amount of dollars and that I would get paid for my work. Maybe this happened because the jobs got larger and more complex and because I started getting out-of-town customers who didn’t know me (and vice versa).

To tell the truth, I‘m really not sure how and why it happened. I do know that as the years have gone by, regulation and litigation have combined to create a climate of fear and distrust, and insurance companies have reaped the benefits. Hmmm.

Now that Idaho is following in the footsteps of its neighbors and requiring contractor registration, we now have to show our REC (Registered Entity Contractor) number to get building permits. This is why it’s best to have your contractor

apply for the permit.

Registration also includes the requirement to have liability insurance and workers compensation insurance for our employees. Don’t mistake me— I’ve come to accept all this as necessary. There have been enough so-called builders come through town leaving behind botched jobs and unhappy customers to justify some policing.

We have had to come behind these charlatans and repair their screw ups, sometimes doubling the homeowner’s expense. This saddens us—it’s unfair to the customer and gives our business a bad name.

The public deserves protection from these types and regulations do provide this to some extent. However, honesty and trustworthiness are not guaranteed by these new laws. What is guaranteed are higher prices for building projects, higher insurance premiums and less ability

for common working class people to hire me. If I want to build something for one of my old handshake customers, I have to revert to under the table cash jobs (which, by the way, for the record, I don’t do, because it’s illegal).

So, my advice to you folks who have a building project to do and are about to find a contractor, is; do your due diligence.

First make sure they have all the proper registrations and insurances, but don’t stop there.

Go to their websites, check references, and read testimonials.

Go look at examples of their work, and if allowed, talk to former customers. And, look them in the eye, shake their hand, engage them in a little conversation about their personal life. These are people you will be entrusting with your money and your time.

Although it’s not required, it helps to like your contractor and crew, at least a little. What I’m

saying is, that all the legal requirements, insurances and regulations are fine and necessary, but don’t forget that a handshake and a little conversation also go a long way in getting to know your builder and deciding if he is the one you want to hire.

From my point of view, what we would like from you is a clear idea of what you want, drawings, good communications, and at least a ballpark budget. A sense of humor and a friendly attitude wouldn’t hurt either—we try to bring these qualities to the table along with our professional requirements.

After all, life is too short do otherwise.

For more information about Idaho contractor requirements see: http://dbs.idaho.gov/contractors/.

For questions and comments write me at: bowersconstruction1980@gmail.com.

Garden Corner: Fall garden chores Reader Columnist

The recent cool temperatures and welcome rains suggest the end of summer; I know many are saddened by the change, but I will not miss the record heat – and the smoke – of this year’s season.

Though yard work is usually not at the top of the priority list this time of year, autumn and fall are important seasons for our gardens. Late season chores may not yield immediate, obvious results, but they are very important for our gardens’ winter hardiness and long term health.

One of the most neglected fall garden chores is watering.

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watering is especially critical because roots will be unable to take in moisture when the soil is frozen. Be sure your gardens are well irrigated shortly before freeze up, whether by deep, soaking rains or by your irrigation system.

Another important fall garden chore is caring for your lawn. Both natural and high maintenance lawns can benefit from fall aeration. When soil is moist but not saturated, aerate with a hollow tine coring machine, leaving the cores lying on the surface - subsequent rains/irrigation will “dissolve” them. Fall timing for this operation is ideal, since aesthetics are not as important now as in the spring. Fall and winter moisture will soak deep into the aeration holes, encouraging deep roots.

In my opinion, the most beneficial lawn fertilization is applied in the fall. When the mean temperature is 50 degrees – e.g. daytime high = 60, nighttime low = 40 – leaf blades stop growing, but roots are still active. Fertiliz-

er applied during this average temperature range will feed the roots only and insure hardiness over winter with plenty of reserve for spring. Fall fertilization of turf often eliminates the need for spring fertilizer and resulting surge growth. Turf grows fast enough in the spring without additional food!

Add more spring color to your yard by planting bulbs.

Tulips, daffodils, alliums, crocus and others are planted in mid-late fall. Improve the soil with compost and bone meal, or other phosphorus source, to encourage flowering.

In the perennial bed, cut back plants to a one-inch stub after a hard freeze. This will eliminate many insect and disease habitats while still marking the plant location for your spring work. Remove all weeds before seeds mature. If frost heaving is a problem in your yard, mulch perennials with four to six inches of coarse organic material–wait until just after a hard freeze to mulch. It’s not the cold that causes the problem, it’s the alternate freeze and thaw that

pushes the roots out of the soil.

Similarly, in the vegetable garden, remove spent crops and weeds. Because our spring weather is often cold and wet, build new planting beds in the fall so early spring seeding can be accomplished without the need for much soil work. This can lengthen your season by several weeks.

Like ornamental bulbs, garlic is best planted in the fall.

Special winter protection may be required for some plants.

The trunks of fruit trees, maples, and others with thin bark can be protected from rodent damage with trunk collars. I like the

white, spiral-type collars, since these also reflect the sun’s heat, which can cause bark splitting in late winter and early spring.

Fall is a great time to reflect on the season’s successes and failures. Nature has given us some time to appreciate and study our gardens without the hectic schedules of spring and summer. Enjoy your fall garden work!

As the gardening season wraps up, Dan will be taking a break from his bi-weekly column. Look for Garden Corner again in the spring.

MUSIC Jelly Bread returns for a Hive encore

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

The five-piece funk hybrid band Jelly Bread played the Hive this winter and made such a great impression, they are returning for an encore show Friday, Sept. 11. Led by dual front men Cliff Porter on drums and vocals and Dave Berry on guitar and vocals, the Reno-based band is backed by Jeremy Hunt on bass, Sean Lehe on lead guitar and Eric Matlock on keyboard/talkbox. Recently, I spent a few moments talking with Cliff Porter about the upcoming show: [BO]You guys played here this winter. What were your impressions of the Hive?

[CP]Actually, the Hive has been my favorite place I’ve played since I played the Hive. When you first park, the way that they help you and are there, it’s absolutely incredible. From when you first walk into the room, it’s immaculate. They really did a great job on that place. There was nothing to complain about. If you’re the type of person that has to find something wrong and something to complain about, you don’t find it when you go to the Hive.

How long have you guys been playing together?

Me and Dave started playing music together about eight years ago. Dave is the lead guitar player when we started Jelly Bread. We really got serious and started touring really heavy about three years ago. In that time, we started making transitions on players. We’ve had a new keyboard player, Eric for three years, we’ve had our bass player for a year, and we just added a new guitar player who we cannot wait to have you guys listen to when we get up there. So there are five of us now.

Do you tour most of the year?

Right now we’re kind of on a little break, we’re gearing up for our CD release show, we’ve having a big hometown CD release show in October. It’s called “Here, There and Everywhere.” We’ll be debuting some of that stuff at the Hive show.

I see that you sometimes play with a horn section. What’s up with that?

Yeah, when we have big head-

Photo courtesy of Jelly Bread. lining shows, or festivals, we try to bring horns out with us. Actually, whenever we can afford them we bring them. We also travel with our sound man, so it’s pretty expensive once we start paying off the booking fees, our manager and all that.

When we can afford horns, we love having them with us.

That’s an interesting point.

Once you pass a certain level as a band, playing a lot more gigs in bigger venues, you’re also paying out a lot more. Has that been a difficult transition for Jelly Bread as you grow?

It’s not difficult because it’s what we want. we want to get bigger. We want to get all the way out there, as high as we can go. It’s our lifestyle, it’s what we do for a living. We just suck it up and keep pushing. It doesn’t hurt us, we’re just trying to get better, keep evolving, we don’t want to be stagnant.

I’ve noticed, you have a lot of elements of soul, funk, R&B, some blues. Do you try to adhere to any genre?

We write it as it goes. We never say, ‘Let’s do a song and make it sound like this.’ Most of the songs we write come off of sound check.

A groove will come off of a sound check ... we’ll sometimes record it and come back later and say, ‘We should really write something to this.’ That’s how our songs are born most of the time.

Do you all write together?

We all write. We take turns. We write what we feel, what attracts us.

What inspires you more than anything else?

Me personally, it’s just life. I pay attention to what’s going on around me. I love capturing feelings and writing about things I’ve experienced in life. On our last album, I

wrote a personal song. It was called ‘Bad Man” which was a story of what I went through as a kid.

You play a lot of upbeat, fastpaced music that people love to dance to. Does it still thrill you when people are dancing?

We love to have a party and have a great time, but at the end of the day, Dave is a very serious songwriter. I love that about him.

He really loves to write songs you don’t get a lot these days. Telling stories and digging deep into your vocabulary. A lot of stuff he’ll write I’ll say, ‘I don’t know what that means, but I’ll sing it,’ then he’ll explain it to me and I’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s beautiful!’ It’s really cool to have a singer songwriter on board like Dave because it opens us up. Even with us being funky, if you just listen to what we’re talking about, you’re going to get something that is a lot deeper than just a funk song.

I’m always impressed when I see a drummer who can sing lead like you do. How the hell do you do it?

It’s really a separation of brain mentality. I used to play in cabaret in Las Vegas and Reno, but when I went to play in Vegas, I had a band that had four guys up front dancing with suits on, Motown type stuff. A lot of times there was one or two of the guys that would be hoarse or couldn’t sing that night, so when I learn music, I always learn the lyrics first because that’s what I get my cues from.

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

READ

I was cleaning up my apartment the other day and came across a big box full of Calvin and Hobbes comic strip books. It was as if I was transported back to the time of innocense and fun.

The creation of Bill Watterson, who evaded all the capitalist traps by refusing to copyright Calvin for marketing use (which is why you see him pissing all over everything in those stupid stickers), Calvin and Hobbes is a comic book for people who think.

If you find one around, hold onto it for your own children. It’s loads better than the tripe we give our kids to read nowadays.

So I knew the words, so I’d start singing them, and I didn’t have a microphone, but they heard me covering the notes, so one night, they said, ‘You’re singing tonight.’

That was 15 years ago now. Ever since then, that’s when I started Boy, I sure love listening to Gilsinging and playing, and it devellian Welch. Partnered with guitar oped. I’m still working it out, but player David Rawlings, Welch’s it’s now happening. I’m a lead 2001 album “Time (the Revelasinger (laughs).

LISTEN

Are you from Reno?

Born and raised.

You probably hung out at Lake Tahoe a lot, too, right?

Yeah, I’ve spent a lot of time at the lake.

Do you see any similarities between Tahoe and Sandpoint?

Oh man, Sandpoint is beautiful.

I loved it up there. Can’t wait to come back.

We’re looking forward to having you.

tor)” is probably one of the best albums I’ve ever heard. It’s in the top twenty, at least.

Welch’s sorrowful, country-girl voice blends just the right amount of folk with a perfect touch of Americana and county to absolutely set the album on fire.

Lately, Rawlins and Welch have collaborated on a new project, which is decent, but lacking the sparse beauty of “Time.”

WATCH

Catch Jelly Bread at 9 p.m., Do I really need to tell anyone to Friday September 11 at the Hive in Sandpoint. Tickets are $15 for 21 watch “Seinfeld?” Nope. But I’m going to anyway. years or older.

Crossword Solution

When the weight of the world seems a bit off, when one of those funny life situations demands attention, when you’re in the mood for some of the best television writing ever, watch “Seinfeld.” All will be well, m’boy.

I always believed that “Seinfeld” had an episode that covered just about everything in life; from birth control to “switching teams.”

You can always find old episodes on Crackle.com, and the Library has all the seasons on DVD.

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w o N & Then compiled by

Ben Olson

Each week, we feature a new photograph taken from the same vantage point as one taken long ago. See how we’ve changed, and how we’ve stayed the same.

Historical information provided and verified by Bonner County Museum staff and volunteers. The Museum is located at 611 S. Ella — (208) 263-2344.

First Avenue, looking south from the intersection with Cedar Street. The building to the right was the first Sandpoint school building. It was located at First and Church Street.

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

c. 1910

ACROSS

The same view today, looking south on First Avenue from Snow River.

2015

Corrections: You’re gonna love this one. The only correction this week is actually from the corrections box from last week, where I wrote “Administer” instead of “Administrator.” Sheesh. For that dunderheaded mistake, I punch myself in the fase... err, I mean face!

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1. Impetuous 5. Iron 10. With competence 14. Murres 15. Auspices 16. Not false 17. Annoying 19. Ripped 20. East southeast 21. Light refractor 22. Small freshwater fishes 23. Conference 25. Historical period 27. Play a role 28. Pamphlet 31. Originates in 34. Aches 35. Record (abbrev.)

36. Sea eagle 37. Not cloudy 38. Netting 39. What we breathe 40. Cake frosting 41. Zest 42. A smart alec 44. Drunkard 45. Treaties 46. Farther 50. Bring in 52. A kind of macaw 54. Center of a storm 55. Decorative case 56. Graniteware 58. Hearing organs 59. Group of 8

Solution on page 17 60. Wicked 61. Flower stalk 62. Poverty-stricken 63. Colors

DOWN 1. Yokels 2. Got up 3. Locations 4. Derisive laugh 5. Mimic 6. Varnish ingredient 7. Prima donna problems 8. Boiling 9. South southeast

10. Stick on 11. Pamphlets 12. Attraction 13. Cravings 18. Long stories 22. Physicians 24. Identical 26. Small horse 28. Marriage announcement 29. A musical pause 30. Reflected sound 31. Oceans 32. Snip 33. Hold spellbound 34. Power

37. Leave in a hurry 38. Mongrel 40. Skin irritation 41. Small goat antelope 43. Bigotry 44. Pledge 46. Widely known 47. Bearing great weight 48. Lofty nest 49. Bobbins 50. Charges 51. French for “State” 53. Be worthy of 56. Many millennia 57. Married

I wish somebody would invent a fruit that had no seeds, tasted delicious, and would scream when you ate it.

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