Legislative update: Bill-drafting season
By Rep. Mark Sauter, R-SandpointReader Contributor The 2026 Legislative session starts on Jan. 12, so it’s time for drafting bills and preparing for advocacy work in the Capitol. Last month I wrote about a...
Author: Ben Olson
Sandpoint Elks donate to local organizations helping with food insecurity
By Ben OlsonReader Staff Everyone needs a little help from time to time. The Sandpoint Elks Lodge No. 1376 presented three Bonner County nonprofit organizations with grant dollars on Dec. 4 to help with...
The search for immortality
By Soncirey MitchellReader Staff Facebook is a monument to the dead and dying. There are an estimated 30 million accounts for deceased users, and an analysis by University of Oxford researchers suggests that the...
Debut kids’ book from locally-raised author is a heartfelt exploration of family separation
By Zach HagadoneReader Staff Kids’ books can be for entertaining, learning and explaining hard topics — and often all three. My House in the Sky, published in 2025 by Jeff Tedd Bock, is entertaining...
Mad about Science: Beyond lethal chemicals
By Brenden BobbyReader Columnist There is a lot of dangerous stuff in this world. Many of us heat our homes with a gas that, if uncontrolled, can potentially leak and cause our homes to...
In praise of ‘performative reading’
By Zach HagadoneReader Staff The New Yorker carried an interesting piece on its website Dec. 2 titled “Now Watch Me Read,” in which Brady Brickner-Wood explores the idea of “performative reading.” That is, the...
Holiday Gift Guide: Weird gifts for your weird friends and family
By Ben OlsonReader Staff For many, the holiday season can be a time of anxiety due to a lack of creativity when it comes to giving gifts. That’s why the Reader offers a guide...
A bevy of winter fairs
By Soncirey MitchellReader Staff Thanksgiving is barely in the rearview mirror, and the first week of December is already jam-packed with winter fairs to help everyone check off their holiday gift lists. A bevy...
Celebrate the season with The Gothard Sisters
By Reader Staff There are many sounds that define the Christmas season: sleigh bells, the crunch of boots on freshly fallen snow, the quiet tinkle of an old vinyl record in another room. In...
Idaho sheriffs worry Medicaid mental health cuts pose ‘significant public-safety concern’
By Kyle PfannenstielIdaho Capital Sun Idaho sheriffs are warning elected officials that new state Medicaid cuts to critical mental health services for people with severe mental illness could pose a public safety risk. A...
