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

  • No to Refugees… Dear Editor, I am not writing because I am a mean person, but anyone who watches what these people are doing to other countries have a very good right to be very concerned. I have grandchildren in day care in Sandpoint, we are Christians and do not believe in their religion ...
  • The Descent of the Republican Party… Dear Editor, As we head into the presidential elections, a useful and insightful book to read about presidential character is a “Team of Rivals” by well-respected historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin.  This acclaimed book is a detailed study about Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet.  In her introduction, Lincoln had the admirable qualities ...
  • Reader Milestone… Dear editor Congratulations  on your 1st year anniversary publishing  the Reader! Keep up the good work! “I can see a lot of light in you.” I’m glad I can help  deliver  to Bonners Ferry. Happy new year to you both  and to all the other writers at the Reader! A big shout to Candy, Julie, ...
  • Thanks to Nick Gier… Dear Editor, Thank you for the conscientious research of Nick Gier. He inspires compassion for the world. Jodi Rawson Sandpoint
  • Say No to Oil Trains… Dear Editor, Living in Sandpoint, I am no stranger to freight trains.  Like many of you, I can hear the rumble of an approaching train at any hour of the day or night, and my windowpanes rattle as one passes.  Trains in Sandpoint seem to be a fact of life – ...
Close [x]

Want to support independent local journalism?

The Sandpoint Reader is our town's local, independent weekly newspaper. "Independent" means that the Reader is locally owned, in a partnership between Publisher Ben Olson and Keokee Co. Publishing, the media company owned by Chris Bessler that also publishes Sandpoint Magazine and Sandpoint Online. Sandpoint Reader LLC is a completely independent business unit; no big newspaper group or corporate conglomerate or billionaire owner dictates our editorial policy. And we want the news, opinion and lifestyle stories we report to be freely available to all interested readers - so unlike many other newspapers and media websites, we have NO PAYWALL on our website. The Reader relies wholly on the support of our valued advertisers, as well as readers who voluntarily contribute. Want to ensure that local, independent journalism survives in our town? You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.