Category: Opinion

Opinion

How real estate shapes a community

By Raphael Barta
Reader Contributor

In a prior existence, I lived in Vancouver,  British Columbia, where I was a vice president for the ski resort development company Intrawest. At the …

Our turn: Together we can do better

By Mark Sauter
Reader Contributor

Last month the Bonner County Fire Chiefs Association (BCFCA) held three public forums. The BCFCA pointed out, in multiple, evidence-based ways, how Emergency Medical Services …

Engage Sandpoint: A missed opportunity

By David Phillips
Reader Contributor

Projects fail for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes the expectations are set too high; sometimes the allocated time or resources are insufficient; sometimes the tools …

City waterfront giveaway

By Kody Van Dyk
Special to the Reader

The city of Sandpoint draft Parks Master Plan identifies disposing of city-owned green space located east of the Edgewater Best Western Hotel. …

The Baloney Detective

By Tim Bearly
Reader Contributor

Images of an Orwellian dystopia are often evoked when we hear the term “big government.” The mere uttering of the phrase can function as a …

Touched by the change

By Robin Lantrip
Reader Contributor

It started with a brisk chill in the morning air. The meadow began dressing in longer birch and fir shadows. The evening scent held a …

Working toward civil discourse

By Brenda Hammond
Reader Contributor

The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force recently sent a questionnaire to all the candidates for city office, asking their positions on a number of …

Letters

  • Hooray for a Vibrant Community… Dear Editor, Good god! Did you see all the fantastic events, charities, and educational opportunities going on in our community in last week’s Reader? The Bonner County History Museum’s latest exhibit, a CNC router course at MakerPoint, a walking fundraiser for the homeless, Poem in Your Pocket Day (April 26), an Origami ...
  • Vote for McDonald… Dear Editor, I have been an active attendee of the Bonner County Commissioners’ weekly meetings for six years. I have been very impressed with what Commissioner Dan McDonald has accomplished during his first term. In 2016 Dan campaigned on responsible, business-oriented management of the county’s budget and assets and bringing a ...
  • McDonald Deserves 2nd Term… Dear Editor, Rarely does an elected official step into office and keep their campaign promises. Dan McDonald is such an official. In 2016, Dan ran on efficiency and cost-cutting. And not only has he kept those promises, he’s gone above and beyond. Unlike his opponent, whose prior stint as Ponderay mayor admittedly increased ...
  • County’s ‘Amnesty’ Plan May Cause Unpleasant Surpr… Dear Editor, Unpleasant surprises may face many Bonner County landowners. The County is considering undermining 27 years of countywide zoning by allowing illegally created parcels created Nov. 18, 2008, to be lawful through “amnesty.” This waives 27 years of zoning standards, like lot size minimums, and 13 years of subdivision standards, like ...
  • Vote Them Out… Dear Editor, High school students leading marches in the streets demanding gun reform have captured our nation’s headlines recently. They remind us that while adults have failed to stop school shootings, perhaps this new generation can — and that the right to live is more important than the right to own ...
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