Remembering 9/11: 20 years later
Apocalyptic literature By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff My college roommates and I lived together — all 20 or, like me, nearing 21 years old — in a nice house a few blocks from then-Albertson...
Tagged: Ben Olson
Wentworth the cat burglar strikes again
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Wentworth the cat burglar is at it again. Two years ago, the Reader published a story about an unassuming cat named Wentworth who was notorious in south Sandpoint for...
Summer, I’m breaking up with you
By Ben Olson Reader Staff It’s official: My love affair with Summer has ended. We are no longer on speaking terms, and it’s anyone’s guess when relations will be repaired. Chances are it’ll never...
False flags of selective outrage
By Ben Olson Reader Staff One of my favorite lines in Bill Watterson’s iconic comic strip Calvin and Hobbes is when Calvin remarks to his imaginary pet tiger Hobbes: “Sometimes I think the surest...
Back roads point the way
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Like many of us who were born and raised in Sandpoint, I have played the “Sandpoint Shuffle” several times. This dance step involves feeling trapped and wanting to see...
The good kind of work
By Ben Olson Reader Staff When I sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 2018 with some good friends — a turn of luck I am eternally grateful for — I realized then and there...
The problem with ‘cancel culture’
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Conservative media outlets have been obsessed in recent months with talking about their latest buzzword for the ruin of America: cancel culture. The outrage machine revved up another few...
The first camp of the year
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Around this time of year, those who enjoy spending their weekends outdoors — like myself — begin feeling antsy for camping season to begin. The ice skates have all...
Singing praises to movie musicals that work
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Movie musicals are tricky. At their best, they weave a story around infectious melodies that leave viewers still humming long after the movie has ended. At their worst, they...
Every snow by its right name
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Imagine you overhear someone saying to their friend, “It was nice on the corduroy, but off piste was nothing but dust on crust until it turned to Pend Oreille...
