The River Journal, November 10, 2004

Good Enough for State but are they Good Enough for Scouts?

The Wampus Cats’ undefeated season carries no scholarship guarantee. Can rural students compete for college dollars?

C

JESSICA LYMAN AND PETER FINSTUEN took a little time out from their wedding festivities to practice sharing just one River Journal.

Looking for Lee and Finding Hope A Journey of Discovery by Meridee Dunn and Steve Skinner

A

s a hobby, genealogy is our number one pastime and there’s almost as many resources for the genealogical researcher as there are people doing research. Meridee Dunn of Hope is one such resource. She’s a volunteer with a website promoting “Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness,” and she does local research in county, museum and cemetery records for people all over the world.

Ruth Skinner grew up in England, not knowing her American father, but the internet makes for a small world, in particular for genealogists. Ruth learned from the Social Security Death Index records online that her father had died in this area, and through RAOGK she asked Meridee to take a photograph of his tombstone. “Our meeting was as simple as that,” Meridee explained, and

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There are a few precious times in life when we are given blessings beyond measurement. Meeting Steve and Ruth Skinner will always be one of those rare blessings for us.

Ruth Skinner was born in 1945 in England. The child of an English mother and an American G.I. stationed during World War II at Ridgewell Airbase in England, she grew up knowing very little of her father or what had happened to him. But as with so many of these children in distant lands, she had a deep desire to locate this man she called “Dad.” It was a journey that would span 58 years and, ultimately, bring her to America with her husband Steve. Life’s blessing would not include knowing this dear man, but it would reward her with one gift she thought she would never see.... a photograph of the man her mother had loved and an answer to many questions about him and his family.

Her father had stayed in touch with (Continued on page 14)

lark Fork’s Wampus Cats are playing some awesome football this season, untouchable as of this writing and reveling in an undefeated season.

As host to the Mullan Tigers last week, in the first division play-off game, they left the field slightly after the half under the “mercy” rule, defeating Mullan 50-0. They hope to repeat the experience this week, again at home in Clark Fork, against the Horseshoe Bend Mustangs and, if they do, Clark Fork’s 8-man ball team will be heading to the Kibbie Dome to play for the state championship.

They’ve played ball like this all s e a s o n a n d , a s C o ac h F r a n k Hammersley puts it, “These kids have only played two full games this season.

All the rest have ended in the third or fourth quarter under the mercy rule.”

Quarterback Clayton Hewitt, a senior this year, has played for the varsity team all four of his high school years and has racked up some impressive stats along the way, even though he and the rest of the team haven’t played many “four-quarter” games this year. Hewitt has 714 yards rushing, with an average of 1.31 yards per carry and 574 yards passing, averaging 19.79 yards per pass. He’s matched teammate Brian Young with 15 touchdowns (as a quarterback) this year. He can pair that with a 3.8 GPA, leadership on the student council, a decade of 4-H and other activities outside of school, plus a strong desire to go straight from high school to university, and maybe play some ball when he gets there. It may sound like he’s the epitome of the desired student for a university program, but scholarships are not a guarantee— students from rural schools, if they

by Trish Gannon

want financial support to continue their schooling, have to work a little harder to get it.

With about 130 students in both junior high and high school, Clark Fork is as rural as they come. But even the bigger schools in this area are still rural when you start talking college—you won’t find college scouts sitting at many of the local games, picking and choosing which students they’re going to approach. It’s up to the student to get the attention of the scout. And competition is fierce.

“I’m down in the mail room every day and there’s probably 25 requests a day,” explained Dee Menzies, Director of Compliance and Eligibility at the University of Idaho at Moscow.

“During a given year, we’ll hear from hundreds of students who want to be considered for a scholarship here.” U of I Moscow offers scholarships in 16 sports, with 25 handed out each year for football. Those 25 are highly prized, as they’re a full ride offer to become a Vandal. In National Collegiate Athletic Association schools, there are 21,537 scholarships available just for football.

For a student wanting to apply for scholarships, the first thing they should understand is that the athletic programs of almost 1,000 colleges and universities are governed by the NCAA, which puts out a 480-page manual full of rules regarding recruiting and scholarship offers. There (Continued on page 20)

(Continued on page 20)

Page 2 | The River Journal | 10 November 2004

Boots Reynolds From the Mouth of the River

I

received a letter the other day that started me to thinking about Sand Creek. The letter was from Pat McManus, and if you don’t know who Pat McManus is, don’t even unload the van until you read his work. He is the Hemingway of Humor, and he is to Sand Creek what Mark Twain was to the Mississippi.

Some national magazines have all of a sudden recognized our little community as the next Vail, the next Aspen, the next Sun Valley, the next best-place-toinvestyour-money.

A n d apparently, all that publicity w o r k e d , because all you smell from the courthouse is burning rubber, from all the new transactions getting stamped and recorded.

The only thing that’s keeping this from being an Oklahoma land rush is that Sand Creek wasn’t mentioned in the articles. You see, Sand Creek is the most widely recognized creek in North America. It’s been every man’s dream to live on, or even near, Sand Creek, to have his children and grandchildren experience growing up on Sand Creek.

If you didn’t know that, then you really are new here. Because the stories Pat McManus writes are about growing up on that creek. His many books line the shelves of millions of homes and his feature article each month in Outdoor Life keep its sales so high it’s among the top outdoor magazines in the world.

Now, had local developers gotten a story published in Outdoor Life, and happened to mention Sand Creek runs right through Sandpoint, Idaho, the UHauls would be backed up to Thompson Falls, and as far south as Coeur d’Alene.

The only thing that’s saved Sandpoint from the entourage so far has been Pat’s family and friends. They threatened to put him in a gunnysack and throw him into Sand Creek if he mentioned their names, or even the town where they lived—thus, he writes using fictitious names for both.

However, he does use the names of certain landmarks, Sand Creek being the most prevalent.

Even without the public knowledge that this is the hometown of Pat McManus, construction along Sand Creek is going along at the speed of a nail gun. The old environmental hippies who got the clear-cutting stopped back in the 60s and 70s have been run over by the Granola crunches

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Boner County

by Mike Gearlds

wanting fabulous homes built “out of lumber.” If you are young enough not to know what a clear-cut is, it’s those large, open places vacant of timber up on the sides of the mountains, visible in almost every direction. Your Realtor may have hinted they were alien crop circles! (That’s all part of the new language used by the US Forest Service.)

Every man has childhood fantasies of spending the night camped out with a young Pat McManus and his frecklefaced sidekicks on the banks of Sand Creek, fending off marauding chipmunks passing themselves off as Grizzly bear in the black of night, living off the land like the mountain men who were their idols—fresh, plump trout, snowshoe rabbit, mushrooms, huckleberries, 48 cans of pork and beans, a 50 pound sack of potatoes, all cooked over an open fire in a 300pound iron skillet carried all the way from home.

But Sand Creek has changed, like everything else man has touched. Its rushing waters off the Selkirks’ eastern slope picked up sand from the glacier bed and carried it downstream to build Sandpoint, City Beach, Dog Beach and a huge delta beyond.

(Okay, maybe some folks helped out a bit with City Beach.) Ask any plumber and he’ll tell you water carries stuff downhill. But man, in his inherent wisdom, put a dam downriver. When the lake level is raised to the height of the dam, it slows the flow of water from Sand Creek into the lake, forcing the stream to drop its sand and silt back up the stream instead of carrying it out into the lake.

The sand and silt will continue to fill Sand Creek until lit reaches the height of the lake level—that’s the fact, Jack!

But wait! Man is going to intervene yet again with Sand Creek. Will this help? Given man’s track record—nah.

What brought all this to the surface was Pat’s letter. Seems he was cleaning out his sock drawer and found a large newspaper clipping dating back some time ago. The article related just how many famous and outstanding artists live in this area. Some of the most creative minds in the art world reside right under our noses! So if the Highway Department is going to create large, concrete canvases and pillars along the east side of Sand Creek (the bypass) we should take advantage of it.

From the bridge crossing at City Beach, north to the bridge at Hwy. 95 can be a park that could be a showpiece. A lifesized moose cut from one-inch steel plate with a goose nest in his antlers, placed in the middle of the creek just south of 95, and further down, a herd of elk crossing the stream... there is a lot that could be done if we just put our minds to it.

How many of you know that the monument at the Chamber of Commerce visitor center was an old,

ridge abutment? It was going to cost the city $3,000 to have it torn down and hauled off, so my lovely and I built a monument to David Thompson and to the loggers who built this community, and on the backside we sculpted the two, world-record fish that came out of this lake, plus a painting of all the other fish. In the middle hangs a cut-out of a large bear hide and written on it is the history of the lake and our community.

A gazillion photos have been taken of it

by tourists from all over the world. It’s now in dire need of repair as it’s over 30 years old, but it really is a monument to what you can do if you put your mind to it, as we had never painted nor sculpted anything before that time.

We can do it—but this time, let’s make sure there’s a monument to kids and campfires and grizzly lurking in the dark. Let’s do that one for Pat.

Gannon Calm Center of Tranquility Trish Gannon– Clark Fork and Sandpoint—208.255.6957 208.266.1154 trishgannon@imbris.net Entertainment Just Ernie Hawks 208.255.6954 michalhawks@imbris.net Plumber’s Apprentice Misty Grage– 208.255.6957 m15ty@sandpoint.net Her Royal Highness of Sales Gail Fendley– 208.266.0503

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Proudly printed at Griffin Publishing in Spokane, Wash. 509.534.3625 Contents of The River Journal are copyright 2004. Reproduction of any material, including original artwork and advertising, is prohibited. The River Journal is published the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month and approximately 6000 copies are distributed in Sanders County, Montana and Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai counties in Idaho.

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10 November 2004| The River Journal | Page 3

Mike Gearlds

How I Cost Kerry the Election

T

his isn’t the column I originally wrote for this issue, but on the morning after the presidential election, with Democratic candidate John Kerry’s concession speech on the tube, I feel the need to confess: Kerry lost because of me.

Earlier this year, I told River Journal publisher Trish Gannon that the Democratic Party, after decades of hard work on their part, had finally succeeded in making a one-issue voter out of me: The issue of Second Amendment rights. Gun ownership.

I’m hardly alone. Last summer, pundits said the 2004 election was Kerry’s to lose, and it turns out he was up to the task. He came up about 4 million short on the popular vote, a figure not coincidentally equal to current membership in the National Rifle Association.

I doubt many NRA members voted for Kerry, regardless of their feelings about the war in Iraq, stem cell research and other issues. It’s been crystal-clear for a long time how the Massachusetts senator would deal with gun owners if he had the power of the Oval Office.

To those NRA millions, add the rosters of groups like Gun Owners of America, the Second Amendment Foundation and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership— people who think the NRA is too soft on gun rights opponents, and you’ve got a voting bloc that can tip national elections.

And these are motivated voters, pushed to political action by the eight dark years of the Clinton regime. They know what another liberal Democrat presidency would mean for them.

Democrats everywhere need to do some serious rethinking of their continuing legal assault on lawabiding gun owners, or they’re going to face a lot more mornings like this one. In the Clinton/Reno era not so long ago, wherever shooters gathered—in person or in cyberspace—the talk usually wasn’t about ballistics or holsters, but how to

deal with the latest insane proposal from Democrat policy-makers to harass them.

The liberal left’s war on gun owners had many forms: Encouragement of lawsuits by cities against firearm manufacturers; bans on certain guns based on appearance alone; and numerous bills calling for stuff like making it a felony to sell your gun privately or requiring unique serial numbers on every bullet sold.

Of course, the Dems didn’t want to alienate hunters, who they somehow view as more mainstream and approachable than other gun owners.

At least not until the election was over and won, anyway. So they always were careful to tack on “sporting purpose” language to gun measures they were pushing, as if bagging ducks or popping clay pigeons were legit reasons to own a firearm, but not defending your family against an intruder.

For his part, Kerry tried to sit on both sides of the gun fence, but ended up disappointing his own left-wing base by pandering to hunters with clumsy photo ops involving orange vests, loaned shotguns, dead geese and shouting for his “huntin’ license” in an Iowa store for the TV audience.

I don’t agree with everything Bush, the Republican Party or the NRA stand for, but their record on protecting gun rights—and rigorously punishing criminals who abuse those rights—is pretty solid. They’ve frustrated most left-wing attempts to turn America into something it’s not: A place where citizens have to cower before armed criminals.

At stake this week was not only the presidency but the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court for a generation.

Several conservative justices are old, ailing and tired, and were probably just hanging in there until the next term, hoping to have kindred replacements appointed. That’s now likely to happen in the coming year.

Was Kerry really the person Democrats wanted to see take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.?

Of course not. That honor would go to someone like Howard Dean or— yeesh—Hillary Clinton. They picked Kerry to run because he was more “electable” than a frothing madman like Dean, but ended up with a growling, Herman Munster look-alike who depended for votes more on hatred for Bush than enthusiasm for

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Kerry can now kick back and take it easy, as he has in the Senate for years, and enjoy his billion-dollar bank account and six or seven stately homes while fighting for the little people.

In the rest of this country, crime will continue to decrease, in response to the overwhelming wave of states that have passed “shall-issue” concealed carry laws that have proven to be an effective deterrent against acts like rapes and home invasions.

At the same time, crime is skyrocketing in nations like Great Britain and Australia, where Eurostyle gun confiscations were imposed.

The right to use force to protect one’s home and family simply doesn’t exist in most countries, except in holdovers from The Age of Enlightenment like the United States, with its antiquated Bill of Rights and curious fixation on personal freedom and responsibility.

Will some Democrat adviser take up the problem of how to deal with the American gun culture at a postelection analysis of What Went Wrong? I doubt it. Losing by a margin identical to the size of a group they’ve been dissing for years isn’t something the liberal mindset can perceive, much less admit.

Anyway, no amount of effort on their part at this point would convince me they’ve somehow changed. Like Kerry in camouflage, with his trusty 12-gauge in hand, I’d know it was just a trick.

What would it take to get me to vote for a Democrat candidate who I know in my heart would confiscate my property, change the Bill of Rights, leave my family defenseless and make me a criminal for owning a pistol?

More than this world can offer.

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Page 4 | The River Journal | 10 November 2004

Idaho Representative George Eskridge (R)

A Seat in the House

T

he election is over and I hope I can be forgiven for a little personal reflection. I have talked to several people after the election and their general comment was: “It’s about time! This campaign has been so negative! I am just tired of hearing all the negative ads, especially those on the Presidential election!,” etc. etc. etc.

I think most of us share the same feeling. It seems like we have reached a new low in campaigning where the intent is to personally attack one’s opponent, instead of candidates discussing the issues and indicating where they stand on those issues.

Even in our district we saw efforts to discredit a candidate’s opponent as opposed to concentrating on the merits of the candidate. My own party’s actions generated criticism in at least one incident and even though the effort

originated out of Boise and was unknown to the local candidate, it doesn’t make the activity any more acceptable. I will be emphasizing a more positive approach in future elections and will request that any effort on behalf of one of our candidates by our party be approved by that candidate before any action is taken. I believe many of us may have gotten tired of the phrase: “I am (candidate) and I approve this message;” however it may be an effective way to ensure that a candidate is aware of advertising on his or her behalf.

In any event, I would hope that all who may be discouraged with the activities leading up to this last election will not let this keep them from being involved in the election process in future years. This election brought out deep differences among all of us, but unlike any other process, our system of democracy allowed us to air our differences (and our emotions) in a positive and decisive manner through the balloting process. There are many who are disappointed in the results and some who are elated, but we all had the opportunity to express our opinion in the voting booth. Now it is time for us to put the election behind us and to move forward and work together for the good of all.

Montana Senator Jim Elliott (D)

Montana Viewpoint

ACT IN HASTE, REPENT AT LEISURE If we are going to fix the school funding issue, let’s at least do it thoughtfully.

If you are confused about the school funding problem that the legislature is going to face next January, you are in good company, and a lot of it. This is one area of government that is nearly incomprehensible to most people, and “nearly” is probably not the right adjective to use.

The issue is being forced on the legislature because of a successful lawsuit brought against the state by school districts and individuals. They hold that the state does not meet its Constitutional obligation to adequately fund elementary and secondary education, and the Court has agreed The Court decision presents a concise explanation of the issue at hand: “…it [the state] should provide adequate funding to allow districts to meet the expectations established under state law, and the funding should be

allocated in an equitable manner in order to secure equality of opportunity for all students in the state.”

To understand why the court ruled in favor of the school districts takes a minimum understanding of how our schools are funded, what the state requires our schools to do, and how the money the state gives to the districts is not sufficient to carry out duties mandated by the Montana Constitution and state and federal governments.

Piece of cake, right?

There are three sources of funding for our local schools; state, federal, and local. The state share of school funding is set by a formula based on the type of school (elementary or secondary) and the number of students in it. The federal government pays part (and only a part) of the cost of federal programs like Special Education and school lunch. Finally, the local school district has to make up the rest of what it costs to provide an education to our kids.

There has been continual dispute over the fairness and adequacy of state funding. In 1989 the legislature passed a school funding bill in response to a lawsuit. In 1993 the legislature rewrote the funding laws in response to another lawsuit, and lo, here we are today just about to repeat history once again.

Requirements that schools must meet are set by state and federal law and the state Board of Public Education. Not surprisingly, these requirements have increased over the years and the money to implement

Moving to another area of interest: I participated in the Idaho Local Government Energy Committee’s annual energy conference held November 4 and 5.

Mr. Paul Kjellander, President of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission addressed the conference attendees and discussed several electric energy issues that I think need to be considered as the Idaho legislature moves forward on a state energy policy.

One issue of concern is the cost of electricity. Idaho Power earlier this year brought before the Utilities Commission a request for a rate increase of about 18 percent. The Commission reduced the requested increase down to about 5.2 percent, but it is expected that the company will submit another request within the next 16 months.

Avista, the utility that serves a portion of North Idaho, has requested an increase in their Idaho rates of about 2 percent and an increase in natural gas rates of about 6.4 percent.

Kjellander expressed a concern that we may be looking at more frequent rate increases by utilities as they become hesitant to rely on the market to provide their needs. Market conditions in the past have resulted in both price and supply uncertainty, and the utilities are looking toward additional generation resources to meet customer loads.

In addition, the re-licensing cost

associated with the existing Idaho Power hydropower resources is becoming a concern. Several of the dams have to be re-licensed and the projected costs for environmental mitigation and other factors considered in re-licensing are ranging from a low of 350 million dollars to a high of 2.5 billion dollars. As the dollars get higher, the economic feasibility of the hydro projects become an issue. This means that the company’s hydro resource may diminish, further complicating their ability to meet customer loads.

As a result, Idaho Power is looking at other resources to meet their load growth, including not only conservation and renewable electric energy resources, but also natural gas and coal. Other utilities are in the same position.

This means that it is even more important for the Idaho legislature to move toward adoption of a state energy policy. Our interim committee on energy will be meeting November 15 to discuss at least four pieces of draft legislation providing tax incentives for renewable energy development. I will report on the decisions of the committee in a later article.

As always, feel free to contact me anytime. My home phone is 208-2650123 and my home address is P.O. Box 112, Dover, Idaho, 83825.

Thanks for reading! George

them has not kept pace. The court has ruled that the state does not give local school districts enough money to do even what the state itself requires them to do, so that by definition the state is not funding schools adequately. The feds are guilty of this, too, but the Montana court can’t rule on that.

The state does give local schools the ability to impose mill levies to make up some of what’s needed to carry out state mandates. As requirements have increased, local taxes have gone up 120 percent while the state’s share of the cost has decreased 17 percent.

School budgets cannot exceed a maximum amount established by law, and many schools are at that maximum now, but still are forced to cut teachers and programs to stay within the maximum budget. The Court holds that this indicates the state is not giving schools enough money to comply with state law.

Other indicators the Court used in deciding the case are the increasing number of schools with an inability to hire or retain teachers and to construct or maintain safe buildings.

And how has this come about? The Montana Legislature, like most governments that want to look good and not spend money doing it, has passed the buck. You will hear the claim that Montana has increased the amount of funding it has spent on education, and that’s true, but most of the increase comes from the school districts themselves, not the state.

Having the state pay for the increased costs of education rather than the local school districts helps spread the cost more evenly because the state

collects taxes from every school district and distributes them based on need.

This may increase taxes in wealthy school districts, but it decreases them in poorer ones. A “wealthy” school district has a high taxable value, perhaps because it has a power plant or refinery within its boundaries.

Dollar figures on what this might cost have been bandied about by various individuals and organizations, but it is significant that the Court order does not mention a specific monetary amount at all. The order gives the legislature until October 1, 2005 to comply. That would allow time for a Special Session of the legislature devoted to the issue, which is definitely in order.

The state has taken the case to the Montana Supreme Court and it is expected to issue a ruling before the legislature meets this January, but to bring a school funding bill forward in January is not a good idea. The regular session is squirrelly enough without introducing a topic of such complexity and importance that only one or two legislators, if that, will actually understand it.

New and many returning legislators will be totally in the dark as to how it will affect their constituents, and that is fair to neither the constituents nor the legislators. If we are going to address the problem at all, it needs at the very least to be addressed in a manner that is understandable to the people who are voting on it.

Look for Pat Williams’ column in the next issue

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10 November 2004 | The River Journal | Page 5

Sandy Compton

The Scenic Route

Eye of The Needle It seems we aren't ready for new direction in these United States. What 51 percent of us seem to be telling another 48 percent is that gas prices aren't high enough. Not enough folks have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Corporate America doesn't have enough permission to do what they please. We haven't sacrificed enough rights to the specter of terrorism. We are not ready to give up living an excessive lifestyle for the good of our children.

To the 48 percent who voted for a different track than the one we have been on, thanks. To the one percent who voted for Ralph ... and to that other 51 percent ... what were you thinking?

I have to admit, there is a sense of safety in voting the status quo. At least, the demons envisioned for us as lying in wait along the path to the future are familiar. We don't have to imagine new ones. And, we don't have to waste precious energy, time, thought and courage changing direction. We can continue in the direction in which we are already rushing, hand basket and all.

No sweat. No problem. No doubt.

Wednesday morning last, as I drove to town, and there was still hope for Mr. Kerry, I prayed we would get a new president. I also prayed blessings on our country, the rest of the planet and all the people who live upon it. I know any number of people were praying about the same things; and if God answers prayers in the best manner possible, there must be some wisdom hidden in the outcome of the elections of 2004.

What it is, only time will tell, but if you believe in any Great Spirit, you may also believe that Wisdom takes the long view. God knows what other lesson might be here; but a good thought is that it will be better learned by the clear knowledge that our present and uncomfortable circumstance is our own doing. An analogous situation might be letting a cookie-stealing kid take as many as she wants or providing a cigar to the boy who wants to start smoking; knowing that becoming ill by one's own actions can lead to the lessons of temperance and moderation.

We only need 51 percent of the people to realize that ... a measly 3 percent more. If we continue in our

present direction, I would think that in four more years we will be uncomfortable enough to come to that realization.

As I approached town last Wednesday, I encountered two images that sum up America this month. The first was a 35-foot motor home pulling a brand-new, full-sized, four-door, four-wheel-drive pickup, a quartermillion dollar monument to consumerism which must burn a dollar per mile in fuel. On the tailgate of the pickup was a school of chrome fish leaping after another marked with Jesus' cross and named "Truth," which was devouring a "Darwin" fish. Cute, but also frightening in its logic and by its placement.

As I recall, Jesus was the guy who, after the young noble declined to give up his wealth and follow him, noted that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into heaven.

To the people in the motor home, I say, "Make up your minds."

In the past four years, the drive during which I pray, the one from which this column takes its name, has gotten more crowded and more expensive, but no less beautiful. My temptation this week has been to bury my sensibilities under the fallen yellow leaves of the cottonwoods along the lake, or lose them in the lavender and turquoise sunset of last night. But then, I remember the young couple in the well-preserved old pickup that passed me a moment after the motor home and reminded me that there is hope. In their back window was a small, red, white and blue sticker that read, "Think. It's patriotic."

If the kids in the pickup are going to have a future, we need to change direction as a nation, and the people in the motor home have to give up a lot. God knows if they will ever be uncomfortable enough to make that change. There are others who may have a better chance of getting into heaven.

But Jesus' puzzling and hopeful addendum to his statement about the eye of the needle comes to mind: With God, all things are possible.

We of the 48 percent mustn't give up. If just one-tenth of us can, in the next four years, by example, advice or attraction, each convince one member of the 51 percent to reconsider their politics, we can move the country, and our world, to a different tack.

More of The Scenic Route can be read online at www.sandycompton.com. Sandy Compton's book, Jason's Passage, can be purchased online or by sending $10 to Jason's Passage, c/o Blue Creek Press, Box 110, Heron, MT 59844.The Scenic Route is © M. R. Compton, Jr. Look for Love Notes in our next issue

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Page 6 | The River Journal | 10 November 2004 Substitute Shortage

A critical shortage of substitute teachers has the Lake Pend Oreille School District, located in Bonner County, scrambling to place teachers in classrooms. A person does not need to be a certified teacher to substitute in the classroom. According to District policy a substitute must be 21 years of age.

If you are interested in becoming a substitute teacher for LPOSD, please call the district office at 208-263-2184 or call a school principal to get details.

Time to Comment on Southside Sewer Flu Clinics Offered for High Risk Individuals

With the receipt of a limited supply of flu vaccine, Panhandle Health District will be holding a series of flu clinics for those in high-risk groups, including persons over age 65 and persons age 19 to 64 with chronic, underlying health conditions such as heart or lung disease, or diabetes.

The PHD office in Bonners Ferry will hold a flu vaccination clinic on Friday, November 12, for high-risk individuals only. Flu vaccine will be given at Bonners Ferry High School starting at 9 am and lasting until the supply runs out. Approximately 150 doses of flu vaccine will be available at the Bonners Ferry flu shot clinic.

The PHD office in Sandpoint will hold a flu vaccination clinic on Monday, November 22, for high-risk individuals only. Flu vaccine will be given at the Bonner Mall starting at 9 am and lasting until the supply runs out. Approximately 300 doses of flu vaccine will be available at the Sandpoint flu shot clinic.

Flu shots are $15 and are covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Cash or check will be accepted. PHD will not bill private insurance carriers.

Iraqi Death Toll

A scientific study published in The Lancet states that over 100,000 Iraqis have died in the conflict in their country. Most of those deaths were of women and children. To read the study, visit the web at www.thelancet.com.

Free registration is required.

The EPA is seeking comments on the the discharge permit requested by Southside Sewer District into the Pend Oreille River at Murphy Bay. Written comments must be submitted to the EPA by Friday, November 26. The public can also call for a hearing to discuss the discharge proposal. If approved by the EPA, the permit would authorize Southside to discharge up to 100 gallons per minute. Direct your comments and hearings requests to: U. S. EPA Region 10, 10 Park Place Building, 13th Floor 1200 Sixth Ave, OW-130, Seattle, WA 98101. For additional Information call 800-4244372.

Turkey Bingo Kicks off Toys for Tots

The Sandpoint Lions Club is gearing up for the 2004 “Toys For Tots” drive to make the holiday season brighter for those who need a little help. Last year over 480 food boxes were provided, along with great toys and gift certificates for nearly 1,200 kids.

This can only happen with the generous support of our community. It all starts with Turkey Bingo, which will be held at the Bonner Mall in Ponderay on November 18, 19 and 20. The traditional kickoff event happens because of the sponsorship of the Bonner Mall Merchants Association.

Member merchants provide the bingo prizes. Co-sponsors this year include the Daily Bee, Real Country Radio K102, and the River Journal.

Ten games will be played on both Thursday and Friday from 6 pm to 8 pm and 20 games will be played on

Saturday from 1 pm to 5 pm. There will also be a raffle for two special toy prizes. Hot dogs, popcorn, sodas and coffee will be available for purchase.

The Turkey Bingo fundraiser is an important first step toward the Lions’ $46,000 goal for the “Toys For Tots” campaign. That is an increase from the Lions’ past goals. Lion Vice President Art Long noted that anyone who has purchased a gallon of milk lately will understand why the additional funds are needed.

Lion President Gerald Martello and all the Sandpoint Lions invite everyone to come to Turkey Bingo, enjoy, and have a good chance at an early Christmas present. The event is a positive step to making good things happen for the less fortunate in our community.

European Summit Meeting

President Bush suggested throughout the recent campaign season that the United States is comfortable maintaining international positions without the support of international leaders, and heavily criticized his opponent for Kerry’s desire to work within the world community. Now, at the first summit meeting of the European Union since Bush’s reelection, those leaders are recognizing that a strong European Union has the ability to become a superpower in its own right. The New York Times reported French leader Jacques Chirac as stating, "I believe that European cohesion is naturally the right way to deal with what some people might consider the worries or concerns" stemming from the results of the American election.

Norway, which has resisted joining the European Union, stated that now might be the time to reconsider. Prime minister Kjell Bondevik said that Mr. Bush's unilateral style in international affairs was driving Europe and America apart, a tendency that would strengthen the argument to place Norway more firmly in the Europen camp.

"The distance between American and Europe continues to increase over a long period," he said, adding that this would lead "toward a growing consolidation in Europe,” reported the Times.

Spider Season

Each fall, wayward male hobo spiders wander through homes in search of females, who probably stayed outside. University of Idaho Extension integrated pest management specialist Ed Bechinski says it’s nothing to worry about. "We had an initial fear-factor response where everybody wanted to know what the danger was and how to kill them," he says. "But they haven't become an acute danger to human health and I think people have realized that they're not the threat we once thought they were."

Hobo spider bites can cause slowhealing wounds, headache, weakness and joint pains and—in extreme and extremely rare cases—internal organ damage and even death. Most bites occur when the spider gets into bedding or clothing and is trapped next to skin. But emergency and primary health-care physicians now know how to recognize and treat the bites to minimize damage and risk, Bechinski says.

For most homeowners, Bechinski recommends using commercially available sticky traps if they're seeing brown spiders with spiny legs and 1 1/2-inch leg spans. While the spiders may not be hobos, it's reasonable to assume that they could be. One clue: hobo spiders are fast—they've been clocked at 40 inches a second. Set the sticky traps under or behind furniture—on or near the floor— because hobos are poor climbers.

The best way to keep fall intruders out of the house is to spray the exterior perimeter and to seal any cracks and crevices through which spiders might slip. But Bechinski says the hobo spiders that are already inside will likely soon die on their own. They survive by trapping insects and other spiders in their webs, and "there's nothing for them to eat inside the house." In the meantime, "whack them with a newspaper."

Get Ready for the New Year

Fall in Sandpoint means the return of many things. The colorful trees dotting Lake Pend Oreille once again put on a spectacular show for locals and visitors alike. Children settle back into their familiar school routine. Moms and dads bundle up on chilly nights to catch local gridiron action, skiing

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10 November 2004 | The River Journal | Page 7 enthusiasts start tuning up their skis for another great season, and the Angels Over Sandpoint are hard at work, planning their biggest annual event of the year.

The Angels' 4th annual SemiNormal, Semi-Formal New Year’s Eve Bash is shaping up to be particularly exciting this year. This popular dance and fundraiser features the return of a local favorite band, Cat Daddy. The band has agreed to reunite specifically for this year's event. The Angels are getting the word out early this year as they anticipate a sell-out crowd. The evening features dancing, delectable hors d' oeuvres from the Angels recently published cookbook, "Food Fore-play,” a champagne toast, a full no-host bar, drawings and the "Fun, Funky and Fabulous Silent Auction.”

The auction features something for everyone, from goods and services to overnight excursions, gifts, jewelry and everything in between. All proceeds benefit Bonner County residents in need.

Advance tickets are available for $20 per person at Monarch Mountain Coffee, Eve's Leaves, Pend d'Oreille Winery or Eichardts in Sandpoint, at Pend Oreille Pasta in Ponderay, or charge online at sandpointonline.com.

Please call the Angels Over Sandpoint for more information at 208-255-5656.

Donations are also welcome and appreciated.

Surving Treatment Class

Community Cancer Services is hosting a prsentation by Bonnie Price, cancer survivor, retired RN and former Hospice director. The class, Surviving Treatment, is designed to provide practical tips for getting through cancer treatment, managing your case and providing personal resources for you and your support team. Family and friends of cancer patients are welcome to attend. The class will be held at the Community Cancer Services office, located at 718 Cedar St. in Sandpoint, Ida., on Monday, November 8 frm 6 to 8 pm. For more information, call 208-2552301.

Look Good… Feel Better

On Saturday, November 20 an American Cancer Society program for cancer patients called Look Good… Feel Better will be offered free of charge at the Community Cancer Services building at 718 Cedat St. in Sandpoint, Ida. The class offers makeup tips and a free box of makeup, plus demonstrations on wig fit, styling, hats and turban combinations. Wigs will be provided to participants upon request.

RSVP is requested to Helen Tapp at 208-263-9723 or to the American Cancer Society toll free at 800-537-7710 (choose

option 3).

A Bear of a Story

Nora Groves of Noxon, Mont. tells of visiting with a friend when, “I heard the vertical blinds rattling. I thought I had left the window open, so I went to look and discovered the house cat up behind the blinds, as far back as he could get. I heard knocking on the patio door at the end of the hall, so I slowly went down and found a full-grown bear sitting there, filling up out of the deep freeze and having a good lunch.

“I went around to the other window and turned the light on. I knocked on the inside window to try to scare him away. He ran about four feet, and turned around to look at me. I called a friend to come over and put the deep freeze door down and thought that would be the end of it. But by morning, the cover was up again. The cat walked the floor all night long.”

Christmas Giving in Hope

Hope’s Memorial Community Center is once again planning for its Christmas Giving Program. The center is looking for donations of nonperishable food items, plus items suitable for adult and children’s gifts, along with wrapping paper, curly ribbon, tissue paper, gift tags and boxes. Donations are needed prior to December 11, and the center asks that used, adult clothing be donated to one of the many area thrift stores instead of the Giving Program. For more information, or to volunteer, call the center at 208--264-5481

Business Heats Up

Glen Converse, an almost-native of Sandpoint, has opened All Star Heating, Inc. Glen has lived in Sandpoint since he was three months old. He is operating his business from the house he grew up in.

Glen began his heating career in 1990 and has been a journeyman for ten years. He has worked all over Bonner County and does reputable work. Being in the HVAC field for almost 15 years, he has a strong background in installing, servicing and repairing all makes and models of furnaces and stoves.

Accuracy and reliability are important to Glen, along with giving his unsurpassed attention to the community.

Food Bank Needs Support

The Clark Fork Food Bank is gearing up for the holiday season and is asking support from residents in the county.

Food donations (non-perishable items) may be dropped at Pat Derr’s house in Clark Fork—call 208-266-1213 for directions. Community members are also invited to become a supporter of

18th

Nov. 18 - 19 - 20 ● Bonner Mall Toys for Tots Drive 10 Games Thursday………………………….. 6-8 pm 10 Games Friday………………………………6-8 pm 20 Games Saturday……………………………1-5 pm

the food bank by pledging just $5 a month to help families in need.

Native Plant Society Meeting

The Kinnickinnick Chapter of the Idaho Native Plant Society will be meeting on November 27 at 9:45 am at the Bonner County Library in Sandpoint.

Phil Hough and Deb Hunsicker, Sandpoint area residents, will be presenting a program titled:”On the Pacific Crest Trail: Flora, Fungus and Fun.” These intrepid adventurers recently hiked the entire 2,658 mile length of the Pacific Crest Trail. Along the way they met many fine people and flowers, taking numerous photos of both. Together they have also hiked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, paddled the Yukon River, walked across England, and trekked in Central and South America. Come join them as

they relive their latest journey with slides and tales from the trail.

Non members are welcome and the program is free. For additional information, please call Linda Drayton at 208-267-4459.

Christmas Basketball Camp

The North Idaho College men’s basketball staff invite area youth to use their Christmas break to improve their basketball skills. They’re sponsoring a Christmas Basketball Camp from December 27 to 29 at NIC’s Christianson Gym for both boys and girls in grades three through eight.

Instruction includes fundamental basketball skills and individual drills.

Cost is $55, and includes a t-shirt and prizes. Those interested must preregister by December 23. Space is limited. For more information, call 208769-5975.

Page 8|The River Journal | 10 November 2004

Nancy Hadley

Strong fundamentals

T

he November election held my attention like no other; it was more like watching a football game than an election. However, when I awoke on Wednesday morning after staying up too late on Tuesday night, it was time to get up early and go to work, whether my candidate won or not.

When I got to the office I found that a lot of other people did the same thing; some were disappointed and others were excited, but they all were

ready for another day of work. There were a lot of emotions and uncertainty tied into the election cycle this year but now it is time to move forward and focus on the future. I am truly hopeful that we can get back to a more united state.

The election, energy costs, Iraq and weakened earnings from some companies have contributed to an uneasy financial market over the past months. I am hopeful that with the uncertainty spawned by the election behind us, the gridlock we have seen recently will begin to ease.

The stock market has been essentially unchanged so far this year, while earnings are estimated to have increased by 20 percent. It would seem that equities remain undervalued at this point in time. Manufacturing activity remains strong and should be long-lasting. The passage of recent legislation (the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004) could bring more than

$300 billion back into the U. S. economy from foreign profits which could be reinvested here to create more jobs. Remember that investments perform based upon fundamental valuation in the long run.

Emotions can sometimes cause people to overlook either strong or weak fundamentals. Real estate is a good example of an exciting potential investment these days. It is easy to get caught up in the hype, but go slowly, do your homework and make sure you know what you are buying. Stocks are another potential investment. It is important to weigh the underlying value in the holdings and profits of the companies that you own. I was reading an article this weekend that described how the intrinsic value of real estate holdings in companies such as Sears and Kmart had been overlooked because everyone was focusing on profits. Make sound decisions based upon your individual situation.

As the momentum of the election season wanes, it will take time to bridge the gaps and reunite our nation.

I am hopeful that the eventual results will be much like the baseball playoffs.

When the Red Sox defeated the Yankees in the seventh game of the series, riot police were ready for trouble as both sides gathered at Yankee Tavern after the game. As it turned out, the atmosphere was amiable as defeated Yankee fans bought Red Sox fans a drink. No gloating, no fighting, no riots—just a reflection of another great baseball season where both teams played great ball. Regardless of your political affiliation, as a nation we face many challenges and it will take all of us pulling in the same direction to meet them.

Nancy Hadley is an investment representative with D.A. Davidson in downtown Sandpoint. She is currently accepting new clients. You can reach her at 208-263-2010 or via email at nhadley@dadco.com

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10 November 2004 | The River Journal | Page 9

Ernie Hawks

The Hawk’s Nest

A

ctors have a saying that they are not acting, but reacting. If art imitates reality, and it does, then our reaction to any event is as important as the event itself.

Several months ago I said in this column that, “it is not the action but our reaction that is important.”

Since then I’ve had several discussions with people about that statement. Let me see if I can explain it in a simple, everyday situation.

Let’s say I am driving on Highway 95, following a car at a safe distance, both of us abiding by the laws of the road in this state. I see in my mirror a vehicle that is getting bigger by the nano-second, traveling slightly less than the speed of sound. I look ahead and see this is not a good place for him to pass two cars. Even though I am driving at a reasonable distance behind the car ahead, there still is not room to put another car between us safely.

That is the action. I have no control over any of the cars but mine. I didn’t set this situation up but I will need to react to it. It cannot be ignored if all three of us are to avoid an unpleasant incident. My reaction, the only one I can do anything about, is now very important.

What can I do? I can talk to the driver who is creating this problem for me with the only sign language I know, but I doubt if it will help anything. I can hold my position behind the car ahead of me and add to an already dangerous

situation. Or I can slow a little and, if there is room, move to the right a little and allow the speeder around while I make sure I’m prepared for any more of his shenanigans.

Those are the possible reactions to this and each has its own consequence.

In fact, at this point what the car behind me is doing isn’t as important as how I react to it. My reaction may save my life.

I have the law on my side, yet at this very moment, protecting my rights to not have to slow for him is not as important as letting him by. Along with my letting go of it all.

There is another reaction—the letting go part. It can be very difficult.

Do I chose anger, and try to get even? Do I let this incident ruin my day, and anybody else’s I may come in contact with? Or do I let it all pass with the speeding car and leave my life altogether?

There are still more reactions to consider. I can complain that cars like that should not be sold, or at least not allowed on the road. Or I can become part of some campaign for better education and safer roads and cars.

In this story I’ve mentioned a lot of choices and each of them are mine to make. As I react to this action I need to look for what is the highest and best good for everyone… and for me.

Anger accomplishes nothing and is wasted energy. (I wish I could live that one better.) Taking someone else’s rights (you can’t drive that car) is just plain wrong.

I’m exploring the concept in this very simple story this week after the elections of our nation. It doesn’t matter how pleased or displeased I am, they are over. I need to get on with my life.

The elections are history; to change the results now would create civil strife of the largest magnitude. What reaction to the election will serve the highest good is now the question. Better yet, what reaction of mine will serve my

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this election, we need to react to them not in a knee-jerk way, but in a thoughtful and very conscious way.

It is not the action, now, but our reaction that will matter in the future.

Look for Politically Incorrect in the next issue

It’s Coming February 26, 2005

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highest good?

Each of us now need to explore what went right and what went wrong.

At this point I see some things that are right that I would like to see continue. The biggest of these is the large number of people who voted. We need to keep working for this cause,. making sure every citizen who has the right to vote can, and encouraging them to exercise that right.

One thing that comes to mind already that went wrong is not having a paper trail for every vote cast.

Every accountant will say that when dealing with numbers, each one needs to be documented. Without a paper trail there can be a perception that every vote wasn’t counted correctly.

Sure, there is a greater cost, but if we feel we can afford to spread democracy around the world then don’t we need to make sure we are exercising the purest form of democracy here?

The important thing is that as we look at these and other issues regarding

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Page 10| The River Journal |10 November 2004

JJ Scott, ID Fish & Game Warden

The Warden’s Words

A

nother rifle elk season has come to a close in our valley and this one, just like all the others before it, has been unique. The lack of participation during this hunting season will stand out in my mind, along with the need for scuba gear during the cow season.

Just to put an emphasis on this season—my phone was so quiet that I routinely checked to make sure it was still plugged in. Even at the end of the season, when we had some decent snow, I still could not find very many hunters. On the last day of the elk season I was able to check only one hunter in my end of Unit 4 and five hunters in Unit 4A. Of course, it is rumored that the traditional “locals” elk season is set to start next week!

We still have lots of elk hunting opportunity left this year. “A” tag muzzleloaders will be loading their “possibles” bag for the November 10th start of the bulls-only season in Unit 4.

Muzzleloader “B” taggers will have their chance on December 2 to hunt spike elk. For those dedicated stick flingers you will have your chance from December 10th to the 23rd to

harvest any elk. Sometimes the seasons seem to never end.

The deer season began on November 1 and, as usual, it began with a whimper. Activity will remain low until we get some snow. This is the time when most hunters spend a lot of time driving and looking, but with the current price of gas and diesel the amount of road hunting may be severely curtailed.

Hunters need to keep their eyes open and be their most alert, not only to harvest deer but to help your wardens catch those who would steal from all of us. Those people who would poach an extra deer, kill a moose or an elk during closed season, violate road/gate closures, trespass to hunt or use a spotlight need to be reminded that they are in the minority and legal hunters will not tolerate that type of behavior. The old excuse that it was needed to feed the family is just not viable anymore. In this community we have a wildlife salvage group that puts in a tremendous effort to ensure that meat is available for those in need.

So what can you do to help protect what belongs to all of us? You must be observant. You can write down information and license plates. Be willing to call your local warden or dispatch. You can call the CAP hotline.

You can do all these things while remaining anonymous, if you prefer.

But you do need to do something when the incident happens. We few wardens can only be in so many spots at one time and we rely on hunters and citizens to be our eyes everywhere else. Remember, every warden would

prefer to answer 100 calls of suspected poaching that don’t pan out than get no calls at all.

One type of call I field a lot of this time of the year involves trespass and property. Questions like: How do I regulate hunters on my property?

What do I do when poachers trespass in spite of my signs? Who do I contact?

If I post my property can I hunt on it?

If I shoot a deer on public property and it runs onto posted land, can I retrieve the animal?

Answers: To control hunters on your property you must post your property lines with signs or 100 square inches of orange paint every 600 yards.

Allow trespassers to hunt with permission only. If you have poachers on your property, call your local warden or Bonner Dispatch immediately. Try to get people descriptions and/or vehicle license numbers, but remember it is always best to not confront scrotes with guns.

The property belongs to you and you can certainly hunt it even if you have posted it “No Hunting.” If you have legally shot a deer on public ground but it finally dies on posted property, it is best to try and contact the landowner for permission to remove it.

If you cannot locate the owner, try contacting your local warden. Give it your best effort, but do not let the deer go to waste. Be smart about your actions because you may have to explain them.

Next week a day has been set aside to honor those men and women who fought and suffered and continue to die for this country. Some of these veterans continue to suffer and find little peace. Join me in thanking them on their special day.

I need to close this and get my butt in gear. So, without further ado, I hope you will enjoy what we have, enjoy it with the family and leave it better than when you found it.

JJ

PS-if you have any questions or need telephone numbers, give me a call at 208-266-1501.

Mock Shots

Rewards Offered for Information on Dead Grizzlies

M

ontana Fish, Wildlife and Parks warden Captain Ed Kelly is looking for information on a grizzly bear poaching that occurred recently.

On or about October 24, a grizzly bear was killed near Johnson Creek near the Swan weigh station south of Bigfork, Mont. The case is under investigation by state and federal officials. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition to this award, FWP’s TIPMONT Program offers a reward to any person or persons who provide information that leads to a conviction for this offense.

T

he Idaho Department of Fish and Game is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of those involved in the shooting death of an adult grizzly bear in extreme northern Idaho in the spring of 2004. The initial reward opportunity was $2,500.

Defenders of Wildlife recently offered an additional $2,500 in reward money, increasing the reward to $5,000 for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible.

The fresh remains of the grizzly were found by a hunter near Hughes Meadows during the spring black bear season. Hughes Meadows is located in Boundary County in Idaho, three miles east of the Washington state line and nine miles south of the US/Canada border. The hunter reported the incident to local conservation officers, who have been investigating the case.

Additional information is needed to bring the case to completion.

Grizzlies are classified as an endangered species within the Selkirk Mountains of Idaho and Washington and are protected by both state and federal laws. According to Conservation Officer and Grizzly Bear Education Specialist Brian Johnson, “The illegal shooting of grizzlies is by far the leading cause of death for the big bears, and remains one of the greatest challenges to the recovery of a healthy grizzly population in the Selkirk Mountains.”

If you have any information concerning a grizzly bear poaching in Idaho, please call Conservation Officer Brian Johnson at 208-267-4085, Conservation Officer Rob Soumas at 208-448-2302, the IDFG Panhandle Region Office at 208-769-1414, or the Citizens Against Poaching Hot Line 1800-632-5999. Callers may remain anonymous.

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10 November 2004 | The River Journal | Page 11

Catch & Release

C

by Phil Cooper, Idaho Department of Fish & Game

ollisions among wild animals and motor vehicles are all too common. In most incidents, the animal dies or is seriously injured and the vehicle and/or passengers receive at least some degree of damage or injury.

Occasionally, one of these incidents has an inspiring conclusion.

On September 20, an immature female bald eagle flew across the roadway along the St. Joe River and was impacted by a logging truck. The driver, Creig Hixson, had no possible way of avoiding the accident.

Any attempt to swerve to avoid the bird would have placed the driver of the Scott Logging (St. Joe, Ida.) rig at risk of a tragic rollover.

The eagle landed at the edge of the road, very much alive. The concerned Hixson checked on the bird and held out hope that the eagle was only stunned. He hoped it would recover its bearings and fly off.

Hixson had occasion to pass the location three more times that day while hauling loads of logs. Each time, he stopped to check on the welfare of the eagle. When he concluded it was not going to fly on its own, he contacted the

Idaho Department of Fish and Game .

Conservation Officer Jerry Hugo responded and located the eagle; a bird he determined was less than a year old.

His initial thought was the bird might have internal injuries. Subsequent xrays revealed a slightly fractured wing bone.

In most instances, raptors with broken wings cannot return to the wild because they rely entirely on their ability to fly at high speeds to secure food.

Even when a wing is pinned or otherwise surgically repaired, it is too fragile to withstand the stress of high speed dives.

These birds must then be used for educational purposes or euthanized, as releasing them to a certain death in the wild is inhumane.

On September 23, Hugo took the eagle to Dr. Jerry Ponti at the Ponti Veterinary Hospital in Otis Orchards.

Dr. Ponti determined the bird needed only time for the slight fracture to heal.

Marilyn Omler, an employee of the Ponti Hospital and a raptor rehabilitator, assumed care of the bird at the facility. Ponti and Omler have special permits from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to handle and care for

Registration is now open for the annual Trapper Education Course, which will be held Saturday, December 4, 9 am to 4:30 pm at the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks headquarters on North Meridian Road in Kalispell. Lunch will be provided by the Trapper Education Program.

In the course, Montana Trapper Association instructors will emphasize trapper ethics, regulations, trapping heritage, fur handling, and trap sets. Instructors will show actual trap sets and techniques, and give several skinning demonstrations.

People of all ages are invited to attend. The course is not mandatory for trappers but it is strongly recommended. To register for the course, stop by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks on North Meridian Road. Registrants will receive pre-course materials and the course agenda. For more information, call FWP at 406-752-5501.

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Conservation officer Jerry Hugo, at left and above, releases a healed eagle back into the wild. Photo provided by IDFG protected species.

A few weeks of confinement while being nourished with a chicken and fish diet were provided. When x-rays indicated the wing was strong enough, the bird was allowed short flights in a small flight pen to regain its strength.

Final x-rays on October 26 enabled Dr. Ponti and Omler to determine the bird was ready to be released to the wild. Officer Hugo was called and he transported the bird to the location where it was initially found. En route, Hugo picked up a fresh, road-killed fawn, a less fortunate victim of another vehicle/wildlife collision. He dragged the dead deer into the woods near the release site and sliced it open to assure it attracted the attention of the eagle.

“The bird nearly carried me off,” said Hugo. “I opened the crate and took it out. One talon was hooked to my glove and for a moment I thought I was

headed to the top of the tree with the bird.”

The eagle flew to the top of a nearby tree and began looking over its once familiar home. Almost immediately, the eagle spotted the road-killed deer and eyed it carefully. Hugo left the scene, confident the eagle had plenty of food to eat as it readjusted to life in the wild.

Anyone finding an injured bird of prey is encouraged to contact IDFG to investigate. IDFG can make the initial assessment and can take the bird to a veterinarian or a rehabilitator for further evaluation and possible treatment. While many injured raptors cannot be saved, those that can be released are returned to the wild. Only a person with a special permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service can hold a raptor in captivity, as all are protected by federal law.

Page 12|The River Journal | 10 November 2004

Melody Martz

Computer Help

Gone Phishing No, that’s not a typo. Although it seems to be a rapidly growing pastime, it is not an activity you would want to teach your kids.

Phishing is a computer hacker term.

It is the act of “fishing” for confidential information in order to gain access to your financial accounts. Those who “phish” send out phony emails, feed you a line, hope you bite, then reel you in. It is not unlike regular fishing: the lures are attractive, they look like the real thing, but they are deadly, and you, the fish, have to go for the bait in order to get hooked.

The Internet is just like any other part of the real world, complete with a set of folks who will steal you blind if you give them half a chance. Financial institutions have done their best to protect your transactions online, but there isn’t a lot they can do if you willingly give out sensitive information. I know, you think that you are smarter than that. But the bad guys make it their business to outwit your normal defenses. It is called fraud, perpetrated by those who prey on the unsuspecting and uneducated. So let’s

educate.

A phishing scheme comes in the form of an email, disguised as having originated from an authentic, trusted source. The logo of the institution attached to the email may be a counterfeit look-a-like or merely a copy of an original, but it is designed to lure you into believing that the email is legitimate and trustworthy. The subject and content of the email is varied, but its purpose is to get you to click on a link within the email that takes you to a fraudulent website where you are asked to login with your id, password, credit card, banking information or the like. At this point, you have voluntarily supplied the scam artists with all they need to create unauthorized transactions against your accounts.

Some of the common phishing emails pretend to originate from eBay, PayPal, Citibank or USBank. They may ask you to verify your account, warn you of potential account misuse, or thank you for your recent purchase. A more recent scheme provided a link to a website to make a political contribution to your Presidential candidate, which, of course, had no real affiliation with the candidate whatsoever. Professional hackers are out for profit. The forms of scams they concoct will vary with the times. You just have to be vigilant.

So how do you protect yourself?

NEVER supply personal and/or financial information in response to an email request no matter how urgent it may seem.

NEVER trust that a link provided in

an email will take you to a legitimate site. You probably won’t be able to tell the difference between the imposter and the real deal.

DO visit your financial sites by typing their web address in the address bar, or bookmark the site on your computer NEVER use the same password for all your accounts.

DO install and update virus scan software, firewall software, operating system and browser patches.

If you are concerned that the email you receive may in fact be legitimate, contact the institution directly, either by phone or by visiting the site, typing the web address directly into the address bar yourself.

Report potential email scams back to the institution it claims to be originating from. Many have procedures in place for dealing with phishing or what they call “spoof emails.” Providing a forwarded copy of the email gives information to help shut down the offender. If you suspect you have received a fraudulent email, do not change or retype the subject line; forward it, unaltered, then delete it from your mailbox. You can also make a report to Federal Trade Commission, Internet Fraud Complaint Center, or the Anti-Phishing Work Group, comprised of a membership of Fortune 500 companies and major financial institutions.

Take the necessary precautions as suggested and you won’t be the victim of a “phishing” expedition.

Reach Melody at melody@netw.com, or by phone at 208-290-2924

Keep these email/website addresses handy: Federal Trade Commission: spam@uce.gov/www.ftc.gov/spam Internet Fraud Complaint Center: no email/www1.ifccfbi.gov Anti-Phishing Work Group: reportphishing@antiphishing.org/ www.antiphishing.org Citibank: emailspoof@citibank.com/www.citibank.com Ebay: spoof@ebay.com/www.ebay.com PayPal: spoof@paypal.com/www.paypal.com US Bank: fraud_help@usbank.com/www.usbank.com

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Fear of Shopping

O

nce it’s on the ‘net it lives forever so, even if the election is passed, don’t be surprised if you’re still getting emails about John Edwards being responsible for the shortage of flu vaccine, or John Kerry being honored by the Viet Cong for his ‘support’ in Vietnam.

Luckily, old news, however incorrect, is boring so you can be sure to receive a number of new emails from well-meaning friends, equally incorrect, warning you about… well, just about anything.

For example, if you were planning to start your Christmas shopping this year at a mall in Long Island, don’t.

Your email should soon feature a warning that terrorists will be launching an attack with chemical weapons on four stores in Long Island.

Will they? Well, maybe not. Barbara “reality bites” Mikkelson, of snopes.com, doesn’t dismiss the warning out of hand—these days, who would? But as she points out, shopping malls are heavily populated most days of the year, and therefore a target on any given day.

It’s a scary world we live in, but not really much scarier than it’s always been. In fact, if you want to be afraid, then perhaps it’s not the mall you should avoid—but the car drive to get there. According to the National Safety Council, we have a 1 in 78 chance of dying from a “transportation accident.”

So go ahead and shop—but buckle up.

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10 November 2004 | The River Journal | Page 13

Susan Daffron

Pet Tails

Dog Aggression Many dog owners don’t think much about aggression in dogs.

Healthy, well-adjusted dogs don’t bite, growl, or snap at people or other animals. But not all dogs are healthy and well adjusted, and 4.3 million people are bitten by dogs in the United States every year.

The old saying that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners is not entirely true. Dogs are aggressive for a number of different reasons. And there are different types of canine aggression. Not all of them can or should be dealt with by pet owners.

Brain chemistry is a complex thing, and just as some people (like axe murderers) should not be wandering around free in society, so it is with dogs. Some dogs should never, ever be

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bred, sold, given away, or adopted out of shelters or rescues. If you go to a shelter or humane society and see a dog lunging, growling and snarling at the gate, do not adopt it. And tell the shelter staff about it. Some dogs can’t deal with being in a cage for long periods of time and go “cage crazy” as it’s called in the humane community.

These dogs should not be adopted and actually can pose a liability risk to the shelter itself.

Extended confinement is just one reason a formerly normal dog may start to exhibit aggressive tendencies.

Others are abuse, pain and extreme fear. However, some aggressive dogs behave that way not because of bad experiences or lack of socialization, but because of genetics.

For example, most terriers exhibit a very strong prey drive because they were bred to chase things. It’s what they do. However, an overdeveloped prey drive can become dangerous if the dog starts stalking the kids and biting them or killing the neighborhood cats.

If you are worried about your dog’s behavior, your first stop should be the veterinarian’s office. If the dog is biting because he is in pain, the vet can help.

Thyroid conditions also can cause odd behavior, including aggression. At a minimum, the vet can spay or neuter the dog, which is a good idea since hormones trigger some types of aggression. If there’s no medical reason for the dog’s behavior, the vet also can refer you to a canine behaviorist.

You can help the behaviorist evaluate your dog by paying attention to details about the aggressive behavior. When does it happen and what does the dog do in response?

Videotaping the dog also can be helpful. Behaviorists generally recommend behavior modification techniques to help mitigate or avoid problematic situations, but in most cases you have to remain vigilant. For example, if your dog has ever been aggressive around kids, you want to be very sure that the dog is never left alone with them.

If your dog is unpredictable, you need to get help immediately. Do not dump the problem on someone else by giving the dog away or taking it to a shelter. Safety for your fellow humans should always be your most important consideration.

Susan Daffron owns Logical Expressions Inc., an editorial and publishing company. She is a former veterinary assistant and owns four dogs and two cats. Articles are archived at www.pet-tails.com

Hey, Buddy, Can you Spare a Mepps?

Steve Huffaker, Director, Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

W

e need about as much as a Mepps fishing lure costs, but not as much as a Rapala, to keep giving you some of the best hunting and fishing in the country.

By now, you may have heard Idaho Fish and Game wants to adjust fees.

Here’s why: Just as businesses are paying more than they did five years ago for gasoline, electricity, salaries and insurance, so are we. Unlike most businesses, though, we haven’t changed our prices since May of 2000.

Now we’re asking to charge a little more for licenses and tags to cover increased costs and to continue providing the services hunters and anglers want. How much more? $1.50 for a hunting license and $3 for a fishing license—about the cost of a Mepps. Not much considering how much more it costs to do business now than it did in 2000. Remember when we thought gas was expensive at $1.60 a gallon?

Since the last time we adjusted prices, we’ve built new places to fish.

We’ve started getting better information about fish and wildlife populations, helping us improve hunting and fishing. We’ve increased the amount of time conservation officers spend patrolling the backcountry.

To continue, we need a modest fee increase. Without it, we’ll be back to the cycle of cutting services you’ve told us are important. In the tight budget years before the last fee increase, we cut what some called “fat.” Turns out, it wasn’t “fat.” Recently, we asked hunters, anglers, legislators and others to help set priorities and to tell us what we need to do better. More than 3,000 of you told us, “Get tough on poachers.

Tell us more about fish and wildlife.

Get us involved and give us more places to hunt and fish.”

We heard you and we acted. We changed where we put our efforts. We shifted money into the priorities you identified. We freed up funds to start programs like Access Yes, opening private land to hunters and anglers.

We gave conservation officers new tools to catch criminals. We improved the Fish and Game website and we’re finding new ways to make more information available to you.

You told us you liked what we’ve done, but that we need to do more. A

couple dollars more per license will help do what you said is important. It will put volunteers on the ground improving mule deer winter range. It will help conservation officers catch hard-core poachers who steal your fish and wildlife. It will keep hatcheries running to stock lakes, streams and ponds so you can share your love of fishing with your kids. It will give you more places to hunt and fish by opening another 120,000 acres of private land to hunters and anglers.

We’re trying to give hunters and anglers what they want and keep hunting and fishing affordable. Giving Fish and Game commissioners the authority to change prices means you won’t see prices jump every six or seven years. Instead, you’ll see smaller adjustments – just enough to keep up with rising costs. Each year, commissioners will look at the budget and meet with you—fellow hunters and anglers—before deciding what to charge. Sometimes, there may be no change. Other years, licenses and tags may go up 25 or 50 cents.

We hear a lot about running government like a business. That’s what this would do. Prices will be in line with costs. If prices get too high, people will stop buying. It’s like any business, with one big difference; the Idaho legislature has the final word and can turn down a change in prices.

This approach makes sense. It keeps some of the best hunting and fishing in the country affordable. It gives Fish and Game the money needed to provide the services hunters and anglers want—increased enforcement of hunting and fishing rules, more information and involvement with fish and wildlife, and more access to private land for hunting and fishing.

Isn’t that worth the price of a fishing lure?

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Page 14 The River Journal | 10 November 2004

Searching- (Continued from page 1) her mother after the war. He knew of his daughter and was concerned for her future. But in 1947, word ceased to cross the broad expanse between Idaho and England. They heard no more from this man called Dad. A lifetime of anger and resentment could have followed but for the love Ruth held for him and her deep desire to know more.

About 20 some-odd years ago, some young lads exploring the old site of the Ridgewell Airbase in England happened on an amazing discovery.

Lying in the mud at the bottom of a drain, they spotted a glint of metal in the filtered sunlight. Being curious, they went after this possible treasure as only young boys would do. When brought to daylight, they had in their hand a dirty, worn dog tag caked with the accumulated debris of the ages. It was pocketed by one of the young boys as a keepsake, and sparked curiosity about who the person was.

Many years later, after the dawning of the computer age, this same lad, now grown older, would dig out the dog tag from his boyhood treasures and his curiosity would be renewed. There are numerous websites concerning the happenings of World War II in England.

He decided to post a message, giving the name on the dog tag and inquiring if anyone had knowledge of who this man may have been. That message languished for many years before the woman we know as Ruth and her husband, Steve, purchased a computer.

It was still longer before her own quest in search of her father brought her to that precious message waiting all those years. It was her father’s name on those dog tags! And it opened avenues of investigation that would not have been possible without it.

She was able to contact the man who posted the long ago message and in a short time, she had the precious gift of those dog tags in her hand... the only piece of her dad she had ever known.

The search began to pick up speed.

The dog tags gave her a location for her search. The worn letters spelling out Kootenai, Idaho were there, along with a service number. United States military records could now be obtained for him and other records could be found.

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We can only imagine the heartbreak and grief Ruth felt in finding out her father had been killed in a terrible accident in 1947. He died very early one summer morning in a collision between a log truck and a train. This could have been the end of the story but for Ruth’s desire to know more about him and a family she had never known.

A lone inquiry was made, again via the computer and a genealogy website, asking for the simple gift of a photo of a headstone in a distant county of America. And that’s where I came into the story.

The rest is history, as they say. Steve and Ruth made the decision to come to America as they had always hoped to do in searching for her father. The time was right, invitations were extended to stay in Hope and the dates were set.

The rest was up to British Airways!

Steve

First Day—Heathrow The longest journey begins with the first step. That began at 8 am at Gosfield, (England) where we had stayed the night.

The warm sun boded well for the trip to catch the coach at Stanstead for Heathrow. A small doubt crept in when Richard pulled into the coach park and started a security scare. (Can always rely on Sylvia & Richard to liven things up.) The police were very nice about it when they realised we were up from the country.

A trouble-free ride brought us safely to the hell hole called “London Heathrow.” It seemed all the mad people who had escaped from the lunatic asylums from all over the world had gathered here for their annual get together. But without doubt the maddest and most disorganised were British Airway staff.

Despite all their efforts we got on the right plane and actually lifted off.

Seattle… here we come! (I think.)

Blue Yonder Don’t ever mention Frenchmen to me again. Why is it Ruth and I always get sat next to an imbecile? This young French person spent most of the journey bemoaning the fact no one on the aircraft spoke French. As it was an English plane going to an Englishspeaking country it was hardly surprising. (As it was, a stewardess was French and spoke it quite well.)

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flight was passing over icebergs and glaciers over Greenland and Canadian waters. A never-to-be-forgotten sight.

I allowed myself the luxury of wondering what a Frenchman would look like with his legs sticking out of the snow after falling 38,000 feet.

I must mention, in the name of fairness, the cabin crew were very good as was the food, but I don’t think I will ever get used to trying to watch a film at 600 miles per hour.

Soon we saw Seattle waiting in eager anticipation of our arrival.

Sailed through customs.

We’re here!

Ellensburg or Bust After being talked into a larger car, we were duly handed over the keys and left to it. A diploma in starting and understanding the modern motor vehicle would have been desirable. But after ten minutes or so we were on the move. As we left the car park, Ruth, with uncanny timing, chirped, “Drive on the right,” so I did and promptly drove through a red light.

We eased onto the freeway and I must confess I was pleased to see all the traffic on our side was going the same way as us!

With me going through all the buttons and Ruth reading road signs with the intensity of someone desperately looking for the public toilets, we turned east on Highway 90, determined to make Ellensburg before dark.

We did, and booked into the motel with the smug satisfaction Hannibal must have felt when he crossed the Alps on an elephant. We didn’t see any Indians, but at times felt we were being watched. We hit the hay and slept.

Tomorrow we travel to Hope in hope.

Ellensburg to Hope Refreshed and ready for anything, we left Ellensburg in our wake and headed out across the Columbia Basin.

If you’ve never seen nothing, this is the place to come. It’s full of it, but fascinating all the same. Highway 90 stretched to the horizon and when we reached it, there was another.

One by one, we put the horizons behind us and came to Spokane. We gave it a cursory glance and sneaked by.

We had somewhere else on our minds.

We cruised to Sandpoint. When we hit town I swear I felt the world slowing down. The town exuded the comforting warmth of a log fire on a cold night.

Traffic stopped to let individuals cross the street and not a skyscraper in sight.

The road to Hope snaked ‘round the beautiful lake, the sun reflecting countless jewels dancing endlessly toward the pine-clad hills. After 20 miles of so we turned right, straight into a Disney film scene of deer and rabbits grazing and frolicking without a care.

As we pulled into Number 73 we saw Meridee and Gene on the porch,

waiting. I thought, “Do they really know what they are letting themselves in for?” Gene then disappeared. Had he gone to get his gun? NAW. Our first evening was to experience an Idaho potluck across the way at their Canadian friend’s place, who were due to tow their travel home back to Canada the next morning. For potluck, read barb-Que and beer. We sat around the campfire demonstrating our cute English accents and telling jokes no one understood. Everyone resisted the urge to poke us with a stick out of curiosity, but when I turned to glance back on leaving, I swear some were sadly shaking their heads. Nice people.

Picture of Home Unless you are a gatepost, every day is different. This one was no exception.

"That’s where he was killed," said Meridee after we had just bumped over a gateless level (Railroad) crossing.

Suddenly we were face-to-face with reality. As we progressed along the country road, we passed through beautiful pasture land with mountains standing either side in protecting splendor.

They greeted us in typical gentle, western style to their detached bungalow set in paradise. He handed Ruth the photograph of her father with an easy nonchalance few men could muster on such an occasion.

No words could describe the moment, so I won’t try. After a pleasant lunch, he took us on a short drive to the old homestead where Lee lived. We saw an old log cabin, partially collapsed and overgrown, with fruit trees close by and a large pine tree at the front overlooking sloping pasture land.

We took photos, film and hung around drinking in the whole scene enhanced by warm sunshine. We took our leave, satisfied another miracle had completed its majestic task.

A life-changing day.

Meridee

There are no words to describe what Ruth must have felt visiting her father’s grave for the first time or wandering about the old homestead he called home as a boy. She was not to meet him in life but, hopefully, she went home with a deep sense of the kind of person he was.

The stories she heard of him will long dwell in her memory and the times shared with these two delightful people from England will fill our hearts with joy forever. Her father would be so very proud of this dear daughter named Ruth and equally proud of the man she married.

Steve

Lunch Date We came to next day so early that time did not even register on my watch but Meridee was already about in the company of half a dozen rabbits, four (Continued on next page)

10 November 2004 | The River Journal | Page 15 (Continued from previous page)

deer and a pine squirrel. The deer wandered around like spoiled rotten pets as do all the other birds and animals. They just know there’s no hunting here.

Meridee duly chauffeured us to pick up her friend Becky to go to lunch. We were soon joined by Gene and some of his female admirers from his company called "Litehouse" that hauls salad cream in vast quantities to Oregon and Montana, in Gene’s case.

Lunch turned out to be a laugh-aminute, get-to-know-you occasion, served up by a most friendly and homely waitress who dished up the food with the enthusiasm of someone who’s just been told they won the lottery.

We parked Becky back in her home and returned to Hope. Survived the first day. Catch our breath tomorrow.

Paradise Found It’s always good to live in hope but to live in this Hope is even better.

However, nowhere is perfect. "Did you hear the coyotes early this morning?" asked Meridee. No, we didn’t, but we did hear a grunting, sniffling sound outside our van during the night. When I told Gene, he confirmed my worst fears. "That’s a bear alright!,” unable to suppress his mirth. I wish he had told us of this possibility before our evening walk in the woods the night before.

We passed the day photographing the lake, forest and mountains and, also of course, the deer and their Bambi-like fawns.

In the evening, Gene and Meridee drove us up into the back county along a dirt track for 19 miles looking for elk, moose, cougar and anything else careless enough to show itself.

However, carelessness is not a trait of wild animals. Thanks to Gene’s eagle eyesight, we did see a bull moose across a deep valley which was covered in huckleberry bushes and pine and cedar trees. We soon spotted another one on the trail ahead of us.

As darkness draped its veil over the tree-covered mountains, we drove all the way back more informed about the wilderness than yesterday.

Goodnight deer and bunnies.

Then and Now In most people’s lives most days begin the same—a cup of tea and a look out of the window to check the weather.

On this particular morning it was raining hard, after having glorious weather all week. After a swift look around Wal-Mart and then collecting flowers, we headed to Pinecrest Cemetery to Lee’s grave. As we approached, the dismal weather summed up the mood.

We placed the flowers into containers onto the stone of the grave and put two flags of the Stars and Stripes either side. He would have liked that.

The cemetery was neatly mown, set on a sloping hillside with pine trees behind and breathtaking views over the lake and mountains beyond.

Past and present evaporated as the spirits of father and daughter locked in

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invisible embrace. As we stood in silent homage, the clouds parted, bathing the scene in warm sunshine. Divine intervention? Surely!

As we left, promising to return the clouds rolled in, the rain fell and time began its march once more. Amen Relax We spent the next few days contemplating all that had passed before and pinching ourselves to make sure it was all true.

The weather had turned on the "iffy" side to say the least, but it did not deter the stubborn Brits. We walked around Sandpoint on one day and on another we took ourselves into the forest to find ourselves a bear. A little cavalier, one might think, as we were armed only with a stick to poke it in the eye. A bigger challenge reared up in the shape of a log bridge lying across the fastflowing Trestle Creek. It was wet and slippery, promising a cold bath. All the Indian blood in Ruth came gushing to the surface and she crossed it with all the aplomb of a forest dweller, resisting the desire to perform a double forward loop with a back flip.

On a hellish wet day, Meridee took us on a long, 200-mile trip into Montana, surely a strong contestant for the most beautiful place in the United States. On the way we stopped in a small town called Noxon; a couple dozen abodes, a school and a bar called Toby’s.

There are temptations in life that need delicate handling and this was one of them.

Toby’s When we entered we were confronted with a largish bar, every inch decorated with dollar pieces embedded in every place and dollar bills pinned to the ceiling. With various other oddities all over the place, it was quite a sight.

Three or four of the oddities were sitting at the bar drinking straight from beer cans—no sissies here! I raised myself up to my full, five-foot-eightand-three-quarters, narrowed my eyes, and ambled up to the bar relieved to see no one was packing iron.

The nearest man eyed me up as if it were the first day of hunting and he was wondering what I would look like on his trophy wall. I held his gaze, fingers twitching for the six gun I didn’t have. "Howdy," he said. "Hello," I said and the ice was broken. The locals were friendly and I sensed myself about to be swept along on a tidal wave of alcohol.

A lifetime’s experience pulled me from the brink and we got out sober.

(Ruth and Meridee dragged him kicking and screaming from Toby’s in the nick of time) The most friendly, dangerous place I have been in for a long time.

Cheers, buddies.

Grampa Thanks to Meridee’s intuitive detective work, the exact location of Lee’s father’s grave was finally pinpointed in Westmond Cemetery.

Over the years Grampa’s name plate had sunk into the soft, lush turf. It was now time for it to see the light of day

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once more.

We had come armed only with a bunch of flowers and shovels.

Highway 95 runs alongside the cemetery and I wondered what effect the sight of three people in broad daylight digging in the middle of a cemetery had on the car drivers going past. Only the hand of fate prevented a wreck.

We repaired to the funeral director’s called Coffelt’s. We were greeted by a man whose manner and gentlemanly conduct left nothing wanting. We ordered a concrete base. We then called on Pinecrest Cemetery to clean Lee’s gravestone. With father and son seen to, we returned to Hope, satisfied with our day’s work.

Rest in Peace, both of you.

Seeking Bigfoot As the queen is at home in Buckingham Palace, so Gene is at home in the forest. “Put these on,” he said as he threw me a bundle of clothing.

“We’re huntin’ bear.”

With the rain pounding down, I waddled out to get into his four-wheeldrive wearing more layers than an onion.

We drove up into the mountains, parked, and hiked through rain-sodden foliage for one-and-a-half miles to a lookout position looking across a wide valley where we could observe a large area.

It seemed we chose the day that all the bears had taken the day off to go to a picnic. We stuck it out in constant rain until we began to resemble a couple of moss-covered pine trees. Despite signs of wild animals passing across the trail, they had all decided only an idiot would venture out in this weather.

Later, Gene managed to dispatch a grouse to the happy hunting ground, so at least we would not be returning to camp empty-handed.

A memorable experience. Thanks, Gene.

The Last Round-Up An interesting day dawned firstly by dropping Meridee’s dog Molly off at the vet, then took the winding journey to Schweitzer Ski Resort above Sandpoint. Despite the sunshine, a stiff breeze kept the wind chill to about minus 6.

Winding our way down, we repaired to Mitzi’s for lunch, meeting up with a gaggle of girls, one of whom was celebrating a birthday with gusto that belied her advancing years.

Soon we rescued Molly from under the vet’s knife and headed home.

The next evening, Gene and Meridee treated us to an excellent meal in town with Ruth and myself tackling the steak with unashamed enthusiasm.

Next day, the temperature soared in celebration of our impending departure.

Much of the packing was done in the morning with all the keenness of someone preparing their own funeral.

In the afternoon sunshine, we attended the Draft Horse Show. Gene was hungry enough to eat a horse but at the last count none were missing.

Tomorrow we head west to go east.

Wagons Roll The day of departure had arrived.

We were up early to say "hasta la vista" to Gene before he left for work.

Reluctantly we bade farewell to Meridee, Jason, the trailer home and all the two- and four-legged critters that had been our buddies over the last three weeks.

We headed west to Seattle from whence we came and under blue skies and sunshine, we wound our way through Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene, then picked up Interstate 90, planning to stop in Ellensburg as before. Once again we grabbed the last room and bedded down.

After a hearty breakfast of pancakes and coffee we continued our journey, stopping off at rest places to keep the blood circulating and to photograph the magnificent views.

We approached Seattle on the fourlane highway with the Sunday traffic building up. With Ruth navigating and one particular dollop of good luck, we homed in on the airport without a wrong turn. We handed back the car and had our luggage checked in before you could say: Farewell America Up and Away As our jumbo jet lifted off, the fiery sunset made its final salute and as the sun sank beneath the last horizon, we swung northwest, turning our backs on friendship, civility and good neighbourliness as we headed into the advancing darkness.

British Airways brought us down to earth, metaphorically speaking, by serving up the sort of food even a hungry dog would cock his leg at.

Unfortunately for me we hit turbulence as I was about to attempt to eat it, resulting in the majority of it sailing down the front of my shirt. This caused me some consternation as the thought of the plane crashing and my remains being identified by the food down my shirt did not appeal to me in the least.

Coming into Heathrow, we knew we were back in England by the number of turbans about, one of them throwing our bus around like a demented fool.

Richard and Sylvia picked us up at Stanstead without incident and delivered us home, tired but contented.

My body is back at work but my brain is still on holiday.

Thanks for everything U.S.A. Especially Meridee, Gene and Jason.

Note: I tried to keep Steve’s English spelling and phrasing from his journal notes, but I just couldn’t manage to include punctuation outside of quote marks as the English do. Sorry, Steve. TG

Page 16 |The River Journal |10 November 2004 Reception for Marita McDonough and Bob Gregson at Art Works Gallery Art Works Gallery is featuring the calligraphy and porcelain sculpture of Marita McDonough the month of November. A reception at the Gallery on Friday, November 19, from 5 pm to 7 pm, will be held to allow people to view Marita's works and to meet the artist.

The reception will also welcome local photographer Bob Gregson to the West Gallery. His works will be available to view and purchase.

Marita McDonough is a Northwest native whose studio is located at beautiful Priest Lake, Ida. She specializes in calligraphic art pieces and sculpture. She welcomes special orders and commission work.

Marita began working in calligraphy in 1965 in her hometown of Portland, Ore., when Lloyd Reynolds was actively acquiring aficionados of the craft. She has taught calligraphy from beginning through advanced levels since 1975 in Washington, Oregon, Montana, California, Wisconsin and Idaho. She continues to study the calligraphic arts by frequent attendance at workshops.

McDonough has been very active in calligraphic societies in the areas in which she has resided. After leaving Spokane, where she was a co-founder of the Scripts and Scribes, she lived in Madison, Wis., and became President of the Wisconsin Calligraphers Guild.

Membership grew during her tenure, and fostered the development of talent in several local calligraphic artists.

Upon moving to Ventura County, Calif., she joined the Society for Calligraphy Los Angeles, Santa Barbara Chapter. She was also a member of the Malibu Art Association, during which time her full watercolor sheet

Ballet

presentation of Chief Seattle's speech won Honorable Mention in the Mixed Media category of the Annual Malibu Art Association Juried Art Show.

Most of her commercial work consists of reproductions of her original calligraphy, presented in an original format utilizing collage techniques with handmade and hand-colored papers and found objects, making each piece one-of-a-kind.

She has a series of greeting cards produced from a selection of these pieces, which are scanned and printed on her computer. Original works are usually rendered in gouache (opaque watercolor) rather than ink on fine art papers.

Marita began sculpting in 1986 under the tutelage of Kay Henkel in Palm Springs, and works primarily in porcelain. Faces and horses usually decorate delicate but strong functional bowls and vases. Her sculptures include a series of Pioneer Women and Mother Earth figures.

Art Works Gallery shows works of over 60 local and regional artists. The gallery is located at 309 North First Avenue in downtown Sandpoint. It is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. For more information about the gallery, please view their website at www.sandpointartworks.com.

Pssssst. Want to know a secret?

“Can you keep a secret?” was the question asked of the 20 people who were chosen to wear the “It’s Coming…

Fe bruary 26th, 20 05” t-sh irts.

Apparently they can. They have been bombarded with questions of just what

“it” is and have not said a word. Ads have appeared in the local papers with the same slogan, and Daily Bee publisher David Keyes has mentioned some of the many rumors associated with the t-shirts. Curiosity surrounding the date has had several area residents trying to figure out the puzzle of what the 20 people wearing the shirts have in common.

Guesses have ranged from the opening of Home Depot to Jesus, Sandpoint’s new downtown bathrooms, the Big Boy Ballet and the completion of First Christian Church’s new addition. One of the people wearing the shirt was Sandpoint’s Tamara Scrimsher. Someone asked if it meant the arrival of her 40th birthday, not the right guess since her 40th is still several years away! Sorry, Tamara.

Others, like Tina Sleyster, inquired if they knew what the date represents.

The question drove Tina crazy with curiosity and anticipation. And Tina, like many others in the community, became convinced she knew the answer to the puzzle—a Denny’s restaurant or a Target store. Sorry, Tina, those also were not the right guess.

What is coming is the third annual Cancer Care Challenge at Schweitzer Mountain. The Challenge is a snowsport event for anyone who likes to downhill ski, cross country ski, snowshoe or snowboard. It is an opportunity for the community to come together and support Community Cancer Services, a local cancer information and resource center which is the recipient of the funds raised.

“Last year’s event raised $58,000,” said Patty Hutchens, co-chairperson for the 2005 Cancer Care Challenge. “All of the money stays local and helps with cancer patients’ many needs, including gas money for transportation to and from treatments, assistance with medical bills and pharmaceutical needs, payment for home health care needs, and educational resources.” The Center opened in October of last year and has already had a tremendous impact in the community.

“Every day someone in our community finds out they are in the fight of their lives,” said Jennifer Merwin who, along with Hutchens, is

co-chairing the event. “We are fortunate to live in a community that rallies together during tough times.”

The sponsorship drive for the 2005 Challenge has begun! Individuals or businesses interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2005 Cancer Care Challenge can call Community Cancer Services at 208-255-2301 to request a sponsorship packet, or they may download information from www.communitycancerservices.org and follow the links to the Cancer Care Challenge sponsorship.

So now that the secret has been revealed, it is time to mark your calendars and get your teams together.

The 2005 Cancer Care Challenge will give you an opportunity to enjoy a day on the mountain and help those in your community who are fighting the battle against cancer.

Matchstick Productions and Schweitzer present Yearbook Schweitzer Mountain Resort invites both old- and new-schoolers alike to attend a special showing of Matchstick Productions ski film, Yearbook. The Mountain Learning Center crew will be on hand to talk about this year's MLC programs and help create some "yearbook" memories of your own.

MSP is in its tenth year of amazing ski films. They've put out such hits as Ski Movies 1-3 and the classic Sick Sense.

Featuring athletes like Seth Morrison, Shane McKonkey and Tony Hawk, this movie is bound to be non-stop amazement.

Yearbook will be showing at the Panida Theatre at 7:30 pm in downtown Sandpoint, Ida. on Friday, November 12. Tickets are $8 and will be available at the door.

NIC plans Utah Hike North Idaho College’s Outdoor Pursuits program is offering a desert backpacking trip to Southern Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument from November 23 to November 28.

Participants will travel 800 miles by van to Escalante, Utah, spending the first night in The Petrified Forest State Park. The group will visit the “redwell” trailhead through the historic Hole in the Rock Road, travel through Coyote

RECEPTION

s IdahoÊ

Friday, Nov. 19 5 pm to 8 pm

The Nutcracker

Tuesday, November 23 + 7:30 pm Sandpoint’s Panida Theater

Featuring

BOB GREGSON

Fine Art and Gifts from Regional Artists

Sandpoint photographer and

309 North First Avenue Sandpoint Idaho 83864 (208) 263-2642

MARITA MCDONOUGH

Calligraphy, Porcelain Sculpture

Tickets: $20 general admission, $16 POAC members, $8 students (18 and under) +tax Get yours at: POAC office (208-263-6139), Eve’s Leaves and Eichardt’s Pub in Sandpoint, Hi Hopes Café in Hope, Bonners Books in Bonners Ferry, and at Mercer’s Memories in Priest River.

Purchase online at www.sandpointonline.com (click on the link to “general store”) Sponsored by:

and Sandpoint Kiwanis

This year, why not give them the gift of music?

Keys to Music

Comprehensive Music Course for children beginning age 4 to 8 Where: at Sandpoint Music, 225 Cedar St. Sandpoint When: Limited space available now

New Classes Begin January

Taught by Anita Price, SHS music teacher and Certified Music School Instructor

Call 208.263.5244 or208.290.7183

10 November 2004| The River Journal | Page 17

Gulch and through red-walled canyons on the way to the Escalante River.

Participants will enjoy natural arches and bridges, breathtaking waterfalls, rock canyons and a Thanksgiving dinner like none other in t h e ba c k c o u n t ry . B a c k p a c k i n g experience is not required and the trip is open to adults with a moderate fitness level.

Cost is $125, which covers transportation and campsite fees.

Personal equipment is the responsibility of participants.

Equipment lists and itineraries will be distributed at the pre-trip meeting at 5:30 pm Wednesday, November 17 in the Outdoor Pursuits Office, located in the lower level of NIC’s Edminster Student Union Building in Coeur d’Alene, Ida. To sign up, call Outdoor Pursuits at 208-769-7809.

Little Presses & Small Magazines of the Pacific Northwest at the Panida Lost Horse Press is presenting Little Presses & Small Magazines of the Pacific Northwest, a program highlighting independent book publishers and literary magazine editors of the Northwest, and the writers and poets who are published by them.

Little Presses & Small Magazines of the Pacific Northwest takes place at Panida’s Little Theater, 302 North 1st Avenue, Sandpoint on Saturday, November 20 from 10 am until 4 pm. It features Cranky, Seattle; Idaho Magazine, Boise; LitRag, Seattle; Lost Horse Press, Sandpoint; Lynx House Press, Spokane; Sanders Press, Lewiston; and Talking River Review, Lewiston, among others.

Representatives from Northwest small presses and literary journals, along with an assortment of writers and poets, will be on hand to display and discuss their publications, to read, to lecture, to sign books, and to discuss the nature of independent publishing in the 21st century.

Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend! For additional information or to request a schedule of events, please call Lost Horse Press at 208-255-4410 or email losthorsepress @mindspring.com. You may also visit their website at www. losthorsepress.org.

A Few Bricks Short of a Load The last batch of Panida engraved bricks have been laid into the sidewalk in front of Main Stage Café. The Panida has continued to add bricks to its sidewalk over the past 19 years and, with this last batch of 75, it appears that there is a bit more room to lay around 22 more before the space out front of the historical building is completely filled up. This could be just

Coming December 2nd

“Winds of Peace” The story of the My Lai Peace Park Project

a FREE program sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans, Sandpoint Friends and Vietnam Veterans of America. For information, call 208-265-9881

the unique Christmas, birthday or anniversary gift you’ve been looking for.

The pavers may be personalized and customized with an individual’s name, a couple, a family, a friend, a business, or even a pet’s name. Some people have chosen to purchase a brick in memory of a loved one. The cost is $50, and it’s first come, first served.

This opportunity to become immortal in your own time also links your name forever with the Panida. All efforts contribute to making Sandpoint a great place for the performing arts as well as a great place to live.

To purchase a personalized brick, call Karen or Jacquie at 208-255-7801, write to P.O. Box 1981, Sandpoint, or email your request to: panida@nidaho.net.

Alumni Basketball at NIC The North Idaho College Booster Club will celebrate 65 years of the NIC basketball program by honoring basketball players of the past and present during the Men’s Basketball All-Class Reunion on Friday and Saturday, November 12 and 13.

Current and former NIC men’s basketball players and coaches will gather for a reception at 6 pm Friday, November 12 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. NIC Booster Club members are welcome to attend.

The highlight of the event will be an alumni basketball game at 1 pm Saturday, November 13 in NIC’s Christianson Gym. Participants in the alumni game and reunion activities span several decades of NIC men’s basketball, including former coaches Bob Linck, Warren “Squirt” Keating and Jack Bloxom as well as former players Freddie Butler, Tracy Evans, Casey Fisher, Pat Seale, Ray Liberg, Ryan Alston, Zeke Bambola, Bob Brainerd, Ryan Brosseau, Donald Perritt and Jackson Wilkey. The alumni game is free and open to the public.

This year’s NIC men’s basketball team will face the Northwest All-Stars at 7:30 pm in NIC’s Christianson Gym. Admission is $5 for adults or $3 for students.

At halftime, all returning men’s basketball alumni will be honored and officials will announce the Rolly Williams Scholarship, established in recognition of NIC’s long-time, Hall of Fame coach.

All former NIC men’s basketball players and coaches are encouraged to participate. For Information call 208769-3348.

Call for Actors and Musicians for Play The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force celebrates Martin Luther King Day 2005 with a play performed

by Bonner County students and

musicians entitled Letter from a Birmingham Jail. The play will be presented on Sunday January 16 at 2 pm at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint, Ida. Bonner County student actors and musicians wishing to take part in the play should call 208-255-4410 by November 15. Weekly rehearsals begin the week of November 15 and continue through mid-January.

A Children's Adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” The Monarch School will present The Tamarack Horizon Players in a children’s adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” Two shows are planned, one in Sandpoint at the Sandpoint Community Center on December 17 at 7 pm and a second show in Heron Mont. at the Heron Community Center, also at 7 pm. Both shows are free to the public.

Holidays Start with Holly Eve and Tree lighting ceremony On November 20 the red carpet is rolled out in front of the Panida Theater for Holly Eve, a gala annual event to open the holiday season in Sandpoint. Entertainment, a fast-paced fashion show, silent and loud auctions, champagne and hors d'oeuvres highlight this evening. Holly Eve is sponsored by the Holly Eve Foundation and benefits the Panida Theater and local charities. Tickets are $20. Call 208-263-9191 for information.

On the same day the festivities for the holiday season kick off with a treelighting ceremony with music and entertainment at 5 pm when Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at Jeff Jones Town Square in downtown Sandpoint.

Carolers will then lead everyone on to The Delirious Duck, an amphibious tour vehicle, and carol all the way to Coldwater Creek to light that Christmas tree and enjoy cookies and cider. Festivities for Holidays in Sandpoint continue with entertainment and store events downtown through January 1. This kick-off event is sponsored by the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association. Call. 208-255-1876 for information.

The Nutcracker Ballet On November 23 the Pend Oreille Arts Council and The Holly Eve Foundation present Ballet Idaho's Nutcracker, a holiday tradition, featuring talented young dancers from the Sandpoint region. Everyone loves this imaginative story line, colorful sets, dazzling costumes and spectacular dancing. Part of the POAC Performance Series, the program begins at 7:30 pm at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint. Tickets are $16 for POAC members, $20 for non-members and $8 for students 18 and under. Call 208263-6139 for information.

Dinner Concert at Di Luna’s On Sunday, November 14, Heidi Muller will be featured at a dinner concert at Di Luna’s Café in Sandpoint.

Heidi is an award-winning songwriter, guitarist and mountain dulcimer player. In 25 years of performing she has played venues from concert halls and festivals to living rooms throughout America. She has

taught dulcimer to hundreds of aspiring players and produced five recordings which have given her a firm and respected place in the national folk community.

For two decades Heidi was a leading folk performer in the Seattle music scene before moving back to her family home in New Jersey.

Her song "Good Road" remains the theme song for Northwest Public Radio's Inland Folk show, heard there since 1989. That same year she was a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk song contest.

This will be a special Sunday dinner concert for Di Luna’s. Tickets are $10 and doors open at 5 pm. The concert will start at 7 pm.

On Nov 20, Keeler, Melvin & Morse will be Di Luna’s featured dinner concert. If you enjoy American roots music, blues, or Appalachian folk tunes this trio is for you. These multi-talented musicians will liven up your evening.

Doors open at 5 pm, and dinner will be served beginning at 5:30, the concert begins at 7:30. Tickets for music only are $8.

Di Luna's Cafe is located at 207 Cedar St., Sandpoint. Call 208-263-0846 for reservations.

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Page 18| The River Journal | 10 November 2004

10-13 Neighbor John Kelly at Arlo’s Ristorante, 330 N. First, Sandpoint.

208-255-4186.

12 Annual Harvest Dinner Memorial Community Center in Hope, Ida. Call 208-264-5481 12 Santa’s Workshop & Craft Fair, Bonner General Hospital, 8 am to 5 pm, Sandpoint. Call 208-2631441 12 Ski & Board Film, 7:30 pm, Sandpoint’s Panida Theater, $8. 208-263-9191 12 & 13 NIC Men’s Basketball All Class Reunion. Celebrate 65 years of men’s basketball at NIC and the Coeur d’Alene Resort. Call 208-769-3348 13 Hope Elementary School Rootin’ Tootin’ Silent Auction. 2 pm, Hope Peninsula.

13 Dave Womack’s Illusions. 7 pm. Sandpoint’s Panida Theater. $10 advance, $15 at door. 208263-9191 13 SARS Ski Swap. 9 am to 2 pm, Bonner County fairgrounds. 208-263-1081 14 Veterans Day Feed, Sandpoint VFW, Pine and Division, free to veterans, 1 pm.

14 Heidi Muller Concert, Di Luna’s at 207 Cedar St. in Sandpoint. Doors open 5 pm, concert 7 pm, tickets $10. Call 208-263-0846.

15 Square & Round dance at Edgemere Grange 208-263-4222.

16 “Workers Compensation” with Harris Dean Insurance hosting Dr. Allen Miller. A BCEDC Business Roundtable program. Free for members, $8 nonmembers. 7:30 am at Di Luna’s in Sandpoint. 208265-6402 16—Dec. 16 Sip & Shop at Pend d’Oreille Winery on Cedar in Sandpoint.

Every Tues., Wed., & Thur. night, 4 pm to 7 pm, wine purchases support local charities.

17-19 Charley Packard at Arlo’s Ristorante, 330 N. First, Sandpoint. 208-2554186.

18 Plains Aglow, 7 pm, Plains/Paradise Senior Center. Guest speaker Naomi Cummings. Call 406-826-0039 18 Holly Eve Silent Art Auction Preview. 5 pm to 7 pm, Panida Theater, Sandpoint. 208-263-9191 19 Holidays in Sandpoint. Tree lighting ceremony, special entertainment and store events.

208-255-1876 19 Schweitzer Alpine Racing School Dinner and Auction. 6 pm, Spokane Club. Call 509-928-2965 for reservations.

19 GED Testing Sandpoint Learning Center,

208-263-4594 for information and pricing.

19 Art Works Gallery reception featuring photographer Bob Gregson and calligraphy artist/porcelain sculptor Marita McDonough. 5 pm to 8 pm, 309 N. First Ave., Sandpoint.

19, 20 Small Press/Little Magazine Fair. Festival in Hope, Ida. Booths, readings, book signings, lectures, workshops, sale.

208-255-4410 20 Keeler, Melvin & Morse concert at Di Luna’s, 207 Cedar St. Sandpoint. Doors open 5 pm, dinner from 5:30, concert at 7:30. Tickets $8.

Call 208-263-0846 20 Two Groups, One Night. NIC Jazz Ensemble. North Idaho College, Boswell Hall Schuler Auditorium, 7:30 pm, FREE. Call 208-269-7764 20 Kick-Off for Holidays in Sandpoint 5pm, Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at Jeff Jones Town Square.

20 Holly Eve annual gala at Sandpoint’s Panida Theater. Entertainment, fashion show, silent and loud auctions, champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Benefits the Panida and local charities. 208-263-9191 20 Chris Lynch at Arlo’s Ristorante, 330 N. First, Sandpoint. 208-255-4186.

20 to 28 Thanksgiving Fishing Derby. Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club’s annual fishing contest on the lake.

208-263-0424

21 Christmas Lighting Ceremony, Sanders Co. Fairgrounds, Plains. 6pm (MST). Fireworks at dusk, free chili dogs & hot chocolate. String Octet.

21 Girls Scouts Community Spaghetti Feed and Dessert Auction, 3 to 6 pm, Sandpoint Community Hall, $5 or $15 per family.

22—Dec. 4 Fourth Annual Silent Auction, Friends of the Thompson Falls Library, during library hours.

23 Combating the Epidemic of Aids in Africa.

Guest presentation by Greg Carr of Carr Center for Human Rights policy, John Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Univ. FREE. 10:30 am at Edminster Student Union Building, North Idaho College. Call 208-769-7764 23 Ballet Idaho’s Nutcracker. POAC and the Holly Eve3 Foundation.

7:30 pm at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint. 208263-6139.

24 Snowboard Films.

Two films, including Perception, presented by Ground Zero. 7 pm, Sandpoint’s Panida Theater.

208-263-9191 25 Opening Day (depending on conditions) for Schweitzer Ski Resort.

Call 208-263-9555 26 & 27 “A Letter to True” a Bruce Weber film.

7:30 pm at Sandpoint’s Panida. $5 adults, $5 students & seniors. 208-2639191.

26 & 27 “Avoid the Malls” Library Wine Tasting, Pend d’Oreille Winery.

Syrah futures, hors d’oeuvres, live music, 220 Cedar, Sandpoint. 208-2658545

December 1 Sip & Shop, Selkirk School Charity Night, 4 to 7 pm, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Cedar St. in Sandpoint. 208-265-8545.

2-5 Festival of the Spirit.

Spiritual film festival, eight films, concerts and discussions. Panida Theater, 208-263-9191.

Wampus Sports Clark Fork High School Varsity Boys Basketball 12/10 Timberlake Away 6 pm 12/18 Lakeside Home 1 pm 12/21 Selkirk, WA Home 1 pm 12/28-29 Rosala Tourney TBA 1/7 CDA Charter Away 6 pm 1/13 Noxon Home 5 pm 1/15 PF Christian Home 1 pm 1/18 Mullan Home 4 pm 1/19 Noxon JV Away 4:30 pm 1/21 Wallace Away 6 pm 1/25 CDA Charter Home 6 pm 1/29 Kootenai Home 1 pm 2/3 Wallace Home 6 pm 2/5 Lakeside Away 1 pm 2/12 Mullan Away 1 pm 2/15 PF Christian Away 6 pm 2/18 Kootenai Away 6 pm

Clark Fork High School Girls Basketball 11/19 Timberlake Away 12/7 Timberlake Home 12/14 Wallace Home 12/21 Selkirk, WA Home 12/28-29 Rosala Tourney Away 1/4 Lakeside Home 1/6 Kootenai Away 1/11 Mullan Away 1/13 Noxon Home 1/15 PF Christian Away 1/18 Mullan Home 1/27 PF Christian Away 1/29 Kootenai Home 2/1 Wallace Away 2/5 Lakeside Away 2/7-12 District Tournament

Sponsored by Clark Fork Booster Club

Varsity 6 pm 6 pm 6 pm 1 pm TBA 6 pm 6 pm 6 pm 5 pm 6 pm 4 pm 6 pm 1 pm 6 pm 1 pm TBA

*All Times Pacific Time

3 Christmas Bazaar Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains, Mont. 9:30 to 4 pm (MST).

4 Festival of Trees. Annual fundraiser for Kinderhaven. Sandpoint City Forum.

4 Beth Pederson & Friends Christmas Concert Reunion at Di Luna’s, 207 Cedar, Sandpoint. Call 208-263-0846 4 Holiday Ball, Sandpoint Community Hall, 7 to 10 pm, US Amateur Ballroom Dancers’ Asso. 208-4370274 4 The Life & Work of Mother Teresa, Hope’s Memorial Community Center. Free admission and refreshments. Call 208264-5481.

4 Handmade Arts & Crafts, Thompson Falls High School, benefits Sanders County Sheriff’s Fund.

4 Christmas on Main Street, Thompson Falls, Mont. 406-827-4930 4 Annual Christmas Faire and Children’s Festival, Sandpoint Waldorf School.

207 West Dr. (Next to athletic club). 208-265-2683.

4 Annual Clark Fork Christmas Bazaar, sponsored by women of Methodist, Lutheran and LDS churches, lunch served 11 am on, lots of lovely homemade and handmade goodies, 9 am to 2 pm, Methodist Church, Second Ave., Clark Fork.

4 Art & Light Night, Misty Mountain Furniture, 502 Cedar, Sandpoint, 5 to 9 pm, 6 regional artists, live music, refreshments. 208265-4190 8 Five Minutes of Fame, Sandpoint Eagles, 206 N. First, 208-263-3514 10 GED Testing Sandpoint Learning Center, 208-263-4594 for information and pricing.

10 “Pot Luck” a one-man sho w featuring T im Behrens. Panida Theater, Sandpoint. 208-263-9191.

11 Sounds of Christmas.

North Idaho College, Bos-

well Hall Schuler Auditorium, annual holiday concert, FREE, 7:30 pm. Call 208-769-7764.

11 Brian Crain String Ensemble, Panida Theater, Sandpoint, 7 pm. 208263-9191 11 Holiday Rail Tours, train ride from Sandpoint to Thompson Falls. 1-800— 519-7245.

12 Sounds of Christmas.

North Idaho College, Boswell Hall Schuler Auditorium, annual holiday concert, FREE, 2 pm. Call 208-769-7764.

12 Jazzy Nutcracker, Panida Theater in Sandpoint, 4 pm. 208-263-9191 16 A Danceworks Christmas at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint.

17 A Christmas Carol, presented by the Heron School, Sandpoint Community Center, 7 pm, FREE

Each Tuesday Metaphysical discussion at the Dolphin House in the Bonner Mall in Ponderay, Ida. 7 pm The Priest River Chess Club meets 6:30 pm. West Bonner Library 219 Main Street, Priest River, Ida. Chess enthusiasts of all ages and levels of ability are welcome. Please call l Rebekah Leaf, 208-4482344.

Always on Tuesdays, exploration of herbs, Peaceable Kingdom, call 208-263-8038

Each Wednesday Bruce Bishop, Tom Newbill & Friends at 7 pm for Music Night at Hi Hopes Café in Hope Ida.

Each Friday Jam Session at the Boars Breath With the Steve and Mary Band 9 miles from the state line on Highway 200 in Montana

1st & 3rd Tuesday Greater Sandpoint Toastmasters meet at Slates.

For info, call 208-290-1939

10 November 2004| The River Journal | Page 19

Coffelt Funeral Service Sandpoint, Idaho Walter W. Jacholkowski, 97, passed away Friday, November 5 in Sandpoint, Ida. Graveside services were held at Westmond Cemetery with Father Timothy J. O’Donovan officiating.

Born in Poland, Walter worked as a forest ranger there prior to World War II. He was a highly decorated veteran of World War II and spent three years as a prisoner of war in a Siberian gulag. He immigrated to the United States in 1949 and worked in lumber mils. He and his family moved to Sagle, Ida. in 2003.

Karl William Fuge, 91, passed away in Sandpoint, Ida. on Saturday, October 30. Memorial services were held at Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church with Pastor Steve Nickodemus officiating.

Born in West Bend, Wis., Karl grew up there, graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in structural engineering. He applied his knowledge of his profession in many areas, and owned and operated a design and building firm in Fort Atkinson, Wis., for 20 years. In 1971 he joined international firms in Chicago, Kansas City, and Frankfurt, Germany. He married his wife, Frankie, in Edinburgh, Scotland and they lived in Frankfurt. They moved to Sandpoint in 1990 in order to enjoy the four seasons, and particularly enjoyed the lake and mountains. He retired due to health reasons in 1996 and moved to Life Care Center of Sandpoint in 1998. He was a member of the Lion’s Club and Prime Timers. HE also served in various leadership positions, including the choir at the Lutheran Church. His family acknowledges the staff at Life Care Center and special friend Charles Glock for their loving care of Karl. Memorials may be made to the Christ our Redeemer Lutheran Church building fund or music fund.

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Mon-Wed 9 to 6 Thu-Sat 9-7

Hunt and Haul Bison only 19 3-yearold bulls left. Mobile butcher available as well as cutting and wrapping, hair-on tanning. Call: 406-864-2321 Firewood—available on the Hope Peninsula. Split: $80/cord, Rounds: $60/cord. White Fir at $50 cord, U-pick up. (Will deliver for $20-$25/cord).

Call Chris at 208-264-8013 Herbalife Independent Distributor.

For opportunity or products, call: 208-263-6998 or 800-370-5702 1972 Johnson Outboard ESL 50hp with controls. $795 1962 5 1/2 HP Johnson Outboard Long shaft, $225.

Reconditioned, deep cycle, etc batteries, 1 year warranty—$25. I buy batteries Call: 208-264-5529 GUN SAFES In stock. Delivery Available. Mountain Stove & Spa, 1225 Michigan, Sandpoint.

Call: 208-263-0582.

Herbalist, 22 yrs. exp., shares favorite formulas w/ instructions & use. Send $5.00 to Elena Narkiya, P.O. Box 27, Bonners Ferry, Id. 83805.

208-263-6998 or 800-370-5702 Natural, grass fed beef and lamb, grass hay in round or square bales, and retail greenhouse selling bedding and nursery plants. Call Pat or Joan Kelly Phone: 406-847-2743

MISCELLANEOUS Bison Payroll Processing, LLC. Overnight payroll processing, all taxes, W-2s, garnishments, certified for one low, flat rate. We process out of western Montana for all states.

Call toll free: 877-861-4656 Now’s the time for small engine tuneups. Lawn tractors, mowers, tillers, generators and older outboards.

Tecumseh and Briggs Stratton parts.

Ron’s Repair. Call: 208-264-5529 DOG OUT OF CONTROL? New Puppy? You need obedience training.

Small classes with expert advice. OR is your dog a budding athlete? Have too much energy? Try agility classes, they're a blast! GREEN MEADOW KENNELS Call: 208-263-2544

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends

Thursday, November 11 is Veterans’ Day

R&L Property Management Your place for rental homes in Sandpoint

208.263.4033

Page 20|The River Journal | 10 November 2004

Sports—(Continued from page 1) are people like Menzies in every Division I school whose job is to make sure those rules are followed.

“When students send in their information, they need to direct it to the right person,” Menzies explained. “For example, the athletic director is not allowed to recruit students and can’t be involved in that process.” At U of I, each sport has a person assigned to recruitment, and applications should be directed to that person, or to the coach of the sport the student wants to play.

“If they’re from a small school and have played several sports, and are good in more than one, they should apply for athletic scholarships to each different sport instead of just sending in one piece of information,” Menzies added. At the college level, one size does not fit all.

Over 300 smaller colleges fall under the guidelines of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Their rules are slightly more lenient than NCAA rules, so a student following NCAA guidelines should pass muster wherever they apply.

Rule number one? Start early. The recruiting deadline at U of I, for example, ends February 2, with all college visits taking place in January.

That means coaches are making final decisions on who they want to meet in December—which would not be a good month to begin your process.

Your total package of information will take time to put together and some parts of it—like making sure you’ve met eligibility requirements for NCAA schools in terms of core credits—begin your freshman year of high school.

NCAA schools require 14 credits in core subjects (English, math, science), which is a higher requirement than many states have for graduation.

To begin, meet with your school counselor, your school’s athletic director, and the coach of the sport for which you’re applying for scholarships.

Although it’s not part of the coach’s job description to guide you through the scholarship process, many local coaches have made contacts with athletic departments in colleges and universities through the U.S. and generally put in a lot of time supporting their athletes in obtaining scholarships.

Visit the NCAA website (www.ncaa.org) and the NAIA website (www.naia.org) and read through the eligibility requirements. Register online with the NCAA initial eligibility clearinghouse. “Students must indicate they’ve registered if they want us to consider their information,” Menzies said. “We are not allowed to determine a student’s eligibility to play—only NCAA can do that. An application from someone who hasn’t registered is going to go to the bottom of the pile, because until they do, we don’t know if they’ll even be able to play for our school.”

Next, prep like hell and sign up for your SATs. SATs can be taken for the first time in your junior year and should be—if your scores in your junior year are less than exciting, you’ll know where you need more attention and will potentially do better on the test in your senior year. “We’re not allowed to invite a student on campus who hasn’t yet taken their SATs,” Menzies explained. “If an athlete sends information that doesn’t include test scores, they should indicate that they’ve registered for the test and give a date when they’ll be taking it.”

Once your academic eligibility is taken care of, it’s time to put together information on your athletic prowess, and explain why an offer to you will be of benefit to the team of the school you’re applying to. “Each submission needs to include a video,” said Menzies. “Stats are important, but stats indicate how you’ve played against other athletes in your division. If you’re a rural student, the coach wants to know how you’re going to play in a bigger setting. A video allows the coach to watch how you move and how you play.” Menzies recommends a short video—”highlights only”—and advises students to pay attention to quality. “If they put the tape in and it doesn’t work, or they can’t really see the picture, they won’t look at it,” she said.

A cover letter should indicate what your strengths are in the sport you’re applying for. Your high school coach can identify for you which abilities will be most appreciated by the college coach—listen to what he or she has to say, and make sure to include that information. Be aware that coaches are looking for versatile players—include any information on your ability to play a position other than that you played in

high school. Ask your coach to write a letter of recommendation for you to include with your information. If you have any contact with coaches from other teams, see if they would be willing to write on your behalf as well.

Get a letter from your school’s athletic director as well. A good AD has spent a lot of time cultivating relationships with coaches at colleges and universities, and is one of your strongest supporters when it comes to obtaining scholarships. His opinion as to whether you have the athletic skill to play at the level of the school where you’re applying for a scholarship will carry a lot of weight.

Speaking of weight, eat up and thank your parents if you have “big” genes—colleges are looking for players over six feet.

Other supporting information can include press cuttings from your high school career, and any extra honors you might have received in your sport, like participation in All-Star games. In sports like football, take advantage of opportunities like the Combines at Boise State University, where you have the opportunity to show scouts your ability against players outside your division.

Make sure your information is directed to the person in charge of recruiting. If you don’t know who that is, call the college’s athletic department and ask—they’ll be happy to give you the name.

Personalize the information you send for each school you apply to.

Research the school, via the Internet or through telephone calls, and find out the type of student athlete they’re looking for. Make sure you emphasize the strengths you possess that match what they want in a student.

Although large schools may attract scouts to watch their actual games, attendance at a rural high school doesn’t put you out of the market for college scholarships. All it takes is a little extra effort on your part, along with some actual athletic skill, to put yourself in a position where the offers are rolling in.

Clark Fork’s Wampus Cats will play their second divisional game with a home field advantage on Saturday, November 13.

Visitors are invited to come watch Clayton, plus a team-full of players sure to impress any number of college scouts, play at 2 pm.

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