Category: Opinion

Opinion

A North Idaho pandemic: Then & Now

By Lyndsie Kiebert
Reader Staff

For everyone alive in North Idaho today, the novel coronavirus outbreak is uncharted territory.

Across the world, leadership is suspending gatherings, closing schools and encouraging …

A few thoughts…

By Sandy Compton
Reader Columnist

Darn! It’s already March. November is coming up fast, and I declared my 2020 candidacy for president back when the Trump got elected, but then …

Taking a shot — Part 1

By Marjolein Groot Nibbelink
Reader Contributor

More than 97 guns are owned per 100 people in the United States. Serbia is second, with 58 per 100, and Yemen third with …

Happy [bleep] year

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

I received a breaking news alert on my phone on Feb. 2, 2020, announcing the fact that the day’s palindromic date (02/02/2020) is the only …

I want my America back

By James Richard Johnson
Special to the Reader

I want my America back! I grew up in the Midwest in the 1950s and want back the America that stood for …

Love is a Dog From Hell

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

The headline of this article comes from a book by poet and author Charles Bukowski, who lived a bitter, drunken existence periodically punctuated by moments …

Letters

  • Wanting clarity from Avista… Dear Editor, Avista is increasing electric rates for North Idaho, saying it’s to “cover costs accumulated in 2016.” However, another testimony claims it’s planning to spend $24.2 million between 2017 and 2019 on additions to Colstrip, a coal-fired power plant in Montana. So, which is it? And what is being “added” ...
  • Deepest Gratitude… Dear Editor, Ninety years of entertaining Sandpoint was highlighted last Saturday by a very talented crew, a handful of staff and volunteers and enjoyed by a special audience of those reminiscing and celebrating the evening. The celebration started with a special art show reception in the Panida Little Theatre with art ...
  • Gun Laws Do Save Lives… Dear Editor, The gun lobby and its followers claim that laws designed to stop gun violence fail -- even in the recent wake of two white Americans using automatic rifles slaughtering 84 citizens and injuring hundreds more. Turn to Australia (a country with a similar gun culture)  which in 1996, after a ...
  • The Tip of the Iceberg… Dear Editor, With Republicans in control of the House and Senate and Trump in the White House, you would think Congress could manage to pass some of their wish-list legislation. Yet, it’s difficult to see any constructive success, aside from: failed attempts at dismantling health care and threats to abolish Social ...
  • NFL Players… Dear Editor, As a veteran who risked his life for our country, I don’t believe that those NFL players taking a knee or banding together during the playing of our national anthem are being disrespectful of our flag. They are exercising their First Amendment rights to peacefully protest issues — a right ...
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