Passing the torch on Father's Day

SANDPOINT – The last time I saw my father alive was on Father’s Day in 2012. The date was June 17, and he was surrounded by children and grandchildren – lucid, entertaining as always and talking about who he would interview next for one of his columns in the Daily …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Painters inspire series of short plays

SANDPOINT — If life imitates art, to lift a snippet from an Oscar Wilde quote, then actors can, too. Or, at the very least, they can reflect its image.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Mystery safe locked tight for 40 years

SANDPOINT — Is there anything more mysterious, more alluring than a locked safe for which no one knows the combination?

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Yoga studio is 'point of change'

SANDPOINT — The body politic has devolved into an embarrassing spectacle where grown men and women now insult one another with schoolyard taunts and squabble like toddlers over pretty much everything.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

'We are all just walking each other home'

SANDPOINT – Life moves in a grand arc that begins with birth, proceeds through school and family and career and ends with the crossing of that final threshold, the end of life.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Hatch to lead MCS fiddle workshop

SANDPOINT –The very words, “music conservatory,” evoke a certain kind of image. For some, it might be the picture of a staid and purely classical environment.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Locals join crowd at D.C. rally

SANDPOINT – There are some in this nation who wish the “Parkland Kids” would just go away. When told, with a dismissive wave, that it was “too soon” to speak out after 17 of their classmates were killed by a semi-automatic-rifle-wielding gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, they ignored …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS AGO

Grende calls shots in painting career

SANDPOINT — It is hard to ignore the bear in the corner. He looks terribly hungry, for one thing, and that almost maniacal focus in his eyes is unsettling, to say the least.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Mattox Farm lights up live music scene

SANDPOINT — There’s a new concert promotion company in town and, based on a recent string of highly successful shows, it’s rockin’ it here.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Sandpoint authors find own way into print

SANDPOINT — Here in the midst of the perennial Christmas quandary — what to give and what to receive — three local authors have come up with an answer. They have given themselves books.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

'Salon' launches literary collective

SANDPOINT — With two writing events scheduled within the span of a single week, it appears a literary Renaissance has visited itself upon the region.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

No headline

SANDPOINT – The promotional material for David DaVinci’s magic show sets a high bar for his upcoming date at the Panida Theater. On Dec. 9, the illusionist and magician will take the stage with his wife and assistant, Sandpoint native Jamie (Morris) Womach, for two shows.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

CFHS grad stars as helicopter stunt pilot in action film

SANDPOINT — Talk about a hometown boy making good. Brian Reynolds, who grew up in east Bonner County and made a name for himself as a four-year starter in Wampus Cats football, has gone on to become one of the go-to guys in the movie world.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Men's coach celebrates gender differences

SANDPOINT — The topic of gender has always been explosive. Over the centuries, it has been a subject of supreme interest as the pendulum swings back and forth and the sexes strive to work out their roles at any given time.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Widows' groups reach out to women

SANDPOINT — Vivian Kirkwood knows what it means to be a widow. When her husband, Lee, passed away in 2015, she found herself at a personal crossroads. What she did at that critical juncture is nothing short of inspiring.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

MCS expands theater program

SANDPOINT — Energy? She’s got it, galore. Enthusiasm? It builds up in waves and nearly catapults her from the chair as she shares her love of teaching the acting craft to younger students.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Navy man reunites with pilot who saved him

SANDPOINT — When Lt. Ken Sanger came to, he was peering down on the jungle canopy of Laos, drawing ever closer to the foliage below as he dangled from his parachute.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Sandpoint record shop celebrates vinyl revival

SANDPOINT — There’s a lot of hype surrounding vinyl records these days. If you walk into any major bookstore retailer that also has a music department, you’re likely to find more LPs than CDs in stock.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Renaissance Faire set for Labor Day weekend

SANDPOINT — “Hear ye, hear ye!” the royal proclamation commanded. And the people heard. Small numbers of them at first, but news spread like quicksilver until there was a hue and cry across the realm: Prepare thyself for merriment – prepare thyself for the Sandpoint Renaissance Faire.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Gem Berry turns a sweet 25

SANDPOINT — Through recession, competition and rising process for raw materials, Gem Berry Products has proven to be the little entrepreneurial engine that could.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Teaching gallery creates 'art adventure' for all

SANDPOINT – It takes a creative person to convert two floors of former office space into an artistic endeavor. But to completely transform such a space – to fashion a rambling gallery, working studios and a series of teaching classrooms from a honeycomb of empty rooms – takes an artist.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

Fairgrounds mounts sound system drive

SANDPOINT — The steps up to the announcer’s booth at the Bonner County Fairgrounds arena were slick on this rainy morning. Fairgrounds foreman Bob Snider unlocked the space and stepped in from the downpour with fair director Rhonda Livingstone right behind.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS AGO

Principal: Accountability higher than ever in schools

SANDPOINT — If you want a good idea of how far local schools have come over the past several decades, ask someone who grew up attending them. Better yet, ask an individual who has worked in them, as well.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Charley Packard shared heart through music

SANDPOINT — To know the true heart of an artist, you have to first become acquainted with their art.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Restoration reveals a link to ice plant history

COCOLALLA — Contemporary history surrounding the Cocolalla Ice & Fuel Company has it that “nothing remains of this once large ice factory on the banks of Cocolalla Lake.”

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Idaho Mythweaver bridging cultures

SANDPOINT — Some 27 years into its history, The Idaho Mythweaver just completed what volunteer executive director Jane Fritz assessed to be “the best year we’ve ever had.”

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Idaho Mythweaver bridges cultures through stories

SANDPOINT — Some 27 years into its history, The Idaho Mythweaver just completed what volunteer executive director Jane Fritz assessed to be “the best year we’ve ever had.”

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Food bank finds that giving goes both ways

SANDPOINT — In a season known for giving, the volunteer team at the Bonner Community Food Bank might be at the front of the pack.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Poor farm filled void in county

SANDPOINT — Viewed today, the grounds of the former county poor farm are a forlorn sight.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Chimney sweep brushes up against 40 years in trade

SANDPOINT — For most folks, hitting the 40-year mark in a career puts them at the stage where things are starting to wind down. For chimney sweep Allan Bopp, who started working his trade in Bonner County way back in 1977, it’s just another chance to raise the bar.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Barn owl box builder at top of his game

SANDPOINT — There are times in life when being up a tree might be right where you belong. Tom Stephan found that to be true when, as a professional arborist, he showed up to bid on a tree-trimming job and found a whole, new career.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Young artists build bridge between U.S., Mexico

SANDPOINT — In a world that sometimes feels as if it’s coming apart at the seams, music has the power to pull people to- gether.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Virtuoso duo works hard to avoid attention

SANDPOINT — This is the story of two men who try to become invisible. They attempt this feat by doing something that, in most instances, would make them more conspicuous — playing music at an inordinately high level of artistry in front of a crowd of people.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Infini Gallery puts up downtown creative space

SANDPOINT — A wealth of local artists has been a boon for one downtown gallery, providing it with fresh talent and a seemingly unending flow of new work to display.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Bill Jones closes 65-year beer story

SANDPOINT — In the Jones family, the history of the last 65 years is chronicled in large part by the logos and advertising slogans of famous beer brands. This month, that history was punctuated by the sale of Bill Jones Distributing — a local legend for brew lovers, to be …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

At 74, Wright completes Boston Marathon

SANDPOINT —Some people are just born to run. The more distance you put in front of them, the happier they are about it.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

Underground Kindness touches young lives

SANDPOINT — Never underestimate the power of the ripple effect. Whether for good or ill, this immutable force does its work, sending waves coursing outward to impact lives and, yes, even change the world.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS AGO

The Conversation spurs local arts movement

SANDPOINT — Mary Maio set out to start a conversation. What she ended up with was a movement.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Builder unveils violin's tonal mysteries

SANDPOINT — Somewhere in Mark Weber's mind, the violin has been playing its siren song for decades. After retiring as a medical professional, he finally succumbed and built one. Or two. Well, several, actually. And he's still at it.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Food For Our Children expands

SANDPOINT — When the cause is right, coalitions form and things get done. Just ask a group called Food For Our Children, a local non-profit that works to provide weekend food for local students who otherwise would go without.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Church's warmth burns bright 73 years later

SANDPOINT — Here’s a good deed that was so sweet, it actually was rediscovered twice.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Sandpoint Teen Center dreams of permanent home

SANDPOINT — There is a place, in our fair city, where teens go to hang out after school. They gather in safety to play games, cook meals, complete craft projects, create artwork, finish homework or just plain relax after a day of classes.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Locals ready second week of 'Cold Feet'

SANDPOINT – Never give a groom too much time to think. At least, that’s the case with the latest Unknown Local theatrical production, which opened this weekend at the Heartwood Center.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Library embraces role as 'community anchor'

SANDPOINT — If an absolutely overflowing events kiosk is any sign of a thriving organization, the East Bonner County Library District more than meets the criteria.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Local suspense writer builds online fan base

SANDPOINT — Kristin Bales has a knack for the grabber. Under her author’s name, K.J. Gillenwater, she has penned four novels. Every one of them comes out of the blocks at almost alarming speed, rushing headlong into the tale.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Bonner Homeless Transitions celebrates 25 years of helping

SANDPOINT — How can a group succeed this well for this long and still remain under the radar? To the community at large, Bonner Homeless Transitions tends to be one of those “Oh, yeah — they do a great job” organizations that pops into focus when its name comes up …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Scotchman Peaks draws closer to wilderness reality

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Old World craftsmanship creates new breed of guitars

SANDPOINT — When last we met guitar builder Joel Keefe Shoemaker, he was tucked away in the corner of a granary building across from Evans Brothers Coffee. The setting was Spartan, at best, and the builder’s career trajectory was in its early stages.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Poet finds audience for hard-hitting prose

SANDPOINT — One of Josephine Ranes’ first experiences as a writer of poetry could easily have been her last. Good thing she stuck it out, since she now has more than 10 published books of original prose and several thousand people who follow her online poetry blog.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Conservatory celebrates 'Songs of the Season'

SANDPOINT — In business, doubling the size of your operation in a couple of years is seen as a win. It’s much the same in the arts, at least where things such as choirs and orchestras are concerned.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Tea set lands spot on Antiques Roadshow

SANDPOINT — There’s something about the program Antiques Roadshow that sends us to our attics and closets — at least mentally — to rummage around for hidden treasure. Of course, the majority of our stuff is just that. On a few, rare occasions, someone really does come up with something …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Open mics groom newcomers for stage

SANDPOINT – When the acoustic duo Crooked Fingers set out to host an open mic night in downtown Sandpoint, there was no problem finding enough performers or music lovers to make it fly. For Mark Remmetter and Rick Price – the local pickers who make up the group – the …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

'I was the unlikely face of homelessness'

SANDPOINT — Out of work, broke and homeless. It could happen to anyone, we tend to say. But what if it did come home to roost?

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Documentary chronicles treks to honor fallen soldiers

SANDPOINT — In 2010, Mike Ehredt began building a wall. It now traverses the United States from west to east and from north to south, covering a total of more than 6,500 miles in both directions.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Strides made in mental illness response

SANDPOINT — Local advocates for people with mental illness have taken what they call a “second step” toward improving the lives of those individuals and their families.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

'Rocky Horror Show' musical comes to Panida

SANDPOINT —A dark and stormy night, a young couple with car trouble and a light in the window of a creepy mansion down the road. It’s the perfect set-up for a Halloween story, right?

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Woman's brush with death reinvigorates life

SANDPOINT — The eyes are bright robins egg blue, piercing and quietly kind at the same time.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Illinois murder mystery haunts local author

SANDPOINT — In classic, cliffhanger style, local author Bonnie Thompson spools out a serial tale of murder, cover-up, missing evidence and mysterious circumstance in a new e-book trilogy titled, “Buried Truth.”

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Food For Our Children Week looks to stamp out hunger

SANDPOINT — It’s Food For Our Children Week in Bonner County and the timing couldn’t be any better, what with three grocery stores jumping on board to help raise money and the news that the weekend food program is about to be extended to include students at the middle school.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Greentree Naturals teaches small-acreage farming

SANDPOINT — If two acres sounds like too little space to get much farming done, consider this: The farm at Greentree Naturals manages to turn out mountains of organic food while doubling as a hands-on classroom for others whose acreage is limited, but whose interest is not.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Former POW returning to Japan

SANDPOINT — Put yourself in his boots: A young Marine radio operator, still in his teens, stationed in Peking, China. He was part of a small, 130-man support unit stationed at the U.S. Embassy there. The young staff sergeant and his fellow soldiers “lived like kings” for more than a …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Deep-water searches return loved ones to their families

SANDPOINT — For 15 years, she was known as “the girl whose father is in the lake.” Residents of her small, Wyoming town would look out on their nearby lake and see beauty, while she saw only a watery expanse that — somewhere out there — held her loved one’s …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Local winery gains industry acclaim

SANDPOINT — At Small House Winery, the name says it all. Owner and winemaker Patrick Werry began bottling his creations about seven years ago, after finding the essentials in a Craigslist post.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Ancient pilgrimage teaches generosity

SANDPOINT — There are two things you never want to lose on this pilgrimage — the map that leads you to the next temple and the logbook that gets stamped to show you’ve been there.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Price takes journey with new work

SANDPOINT — Which came first, the dancer or the artist? Hard to say in the studio of artist Kelly Price, where the lines blur completely.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

All the fairground's a stage

SANDPOINT — Don’t put that festival chair, blanket and picnic basket away just yet. The Festival at Sandpoint may be a wrap for the season, but this Friday, Shakespeare comes to town — and he’s bringing his friends.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Author, illustrator finally meet face-to-face

SANDPOINT – Artistic collaboration can be a dicey business in the best of circumstances. For nearly five months, one local writer and his Japanese illustrator counterpart have been stretching the boundaries of creative teamwork as they traded snippets of text and sketches via Skype and e-mail between Sandpoint and Tokyo.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

CCS makes cancer journey easier

SANDPOINT — All around us, there are people who find the meaning of life by staring death full in the face.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Beat-boxer pushes limits of music

SANDPOINT — Call it what you want, but when Davey Mullen takes the stage, it's obvious that a full-blown musician is in the house.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Performing arts school moves ahead

SANDPOINT — It’s time for a cultural pop quiz: Name three international theater hot spots. Two obvious choices would be New York with its Broadway and London with its West End. You’re forgiven if you missed adding Sandpoint, Idaho, to that list.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

NASA technology lets brain watch itself work

SANDPOINT — The brain, as it turns out, is a self-absorbed little machine. Powerful beyond the ability of modern science to measure, it is also terribly predictable when it comes to this one factor: It loves to watch itself at work.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Arts show blooming this weekend

SANDPOINT — The gardens become the gallery this weekend at the Ponderay Garden Center, as 38 artists representing more than a half dozen mediums take part in the Garden of Artistry invitational fine art show.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

'Red Hot Patriot' explores world of Molly Ivins

SANDPOINT — Theater comes in a variety of flavors, from the big, grand musicals that demand a full stage and large auditorium, to more close-up and personal offerings that call for a smaller venue and fewer seats.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Daily Bee turns 50

SANDPOINT — The early years of what is now the Bonner County Daily Bee read like the script to a classic cowboy movie. Lanky stranger moves to town, gets in a brawl or two and finally succeeds by sheer determination, unshakable principles and hardscrabble attitude.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Family turns eyesores into public art

SANDPOINT — Peter Goetzinger travels the country working a kind of artistic magic — he can make giant water tanks disappear into the surrounding landscape. Then again, he can make them stand boldly out from it, depending on what the client wants.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Larson's at 75

SANDPOINT — Larson’s Good Clothes has chalked up a monumental achievement — 75 years in business in the same downtown location.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Take a Seat turns chairs into fine art

SANDPOINT — On June 12, about 40 different chairs will make the transition from furniture to fine art. It happens every other year, as NAMI Far North holds its dinner-auction fundraiser to help improve the lives of those affected by mental illness.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Keokee presses past quarter century mark

SANDPOINT — Twenty-five years in the publishing trade will take you through some big changes. Not Gutenberg Press kind of big, perhaps, but substantial enough to require a name change and a revised approach to corralling words and getting them in front of readers.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Bonner Partners in Care spreads safety net

SANDPOINT — Despite the advent of the Affordable Care for America Act, millions of Americans still go without health insurance or have been sold insurance with such onerous deductibles that the coverage is useless to them.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Ice cream truck delivers smiles

SANDPOINT — In honor of Lost in the ‘50s weekend, I checked something off my bucket list that I’ve wanted to do since the real 1950s. I hopped aboard the ice cream truck for a ride around a few neighborhoods.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

'50s fun Still rockin' 30 years on

SANDPOINT — The annual car show and oldies concert extravaganza we now know as Lost in the ’50s would never have happened, but for a near-miss to catch a legend on stage.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Trio in line for preservation awards

SANDPOINT — For the first time in its 38-year history, the group Preservation Idaho will hold its annual awards Orchids & Onions ceremony in North Idaho. In Sandpoint, to be exact, making this the only occasion to date when the event has traveled farther north than the Lewiston-Moscow region.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Eichardt's turns 21 in style

SANDPOINT — In just a few days, a local landmark will celebrate a milestone birthday. That’s when Eichardt’s Pub Grill & Coffee House turns the ripe, old age of 21.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Shakespeare comes to Sandpoint

SANDPOINT — A little-known historical side note has to do with Sandpoint’s annual invasion of Heron, Mont. Once each summer, local residents would pile into their vehicles and stake their claim to a piece of land, surrounding and outnumbering Heron’s own citizenry.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Workshop for wordsmiths

SANDPOINT — Much has been said, over the centuries, about the power of the pen. Strong writing can turn the tide of human events, carry world leaders into office and sway public sentiment.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Geophysicist shares finds from red planet

SANDPOINT — The colonization of Mars might still be a long way off, but, for one noted geophysicist with family ties to Sandpoint, trekking around the red planet is all in a day’s work.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Food For Our Children tackles childhood hunger

SANDPOINT — For families who are struggling to put food on the table, the talk of an economic turnaround is just that — talk. A new non-profit organization called Food For Our Children (FFOC) has been formed to tackle the issue and get at the root of childhood hunger in …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Swiss music therapist opens local practice

SANDPOINT — Sometimes, a name just doesn’t translate to a new country. The business moniker long used by Rainer Michaelis is, for most Americans, both hard to spell and hard to say: Klangsphäre.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

LPOSD talks dollars, taxes and schools

SANDPOINT— The numbers are out there and have been for some time. But when you start talking in terms of millions of dollars — especially when those millions come from taxpayer dollars — some of the finer points of the message can get lost.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Outdoor Gourmet rides growth trend

SANDPOINT — In business, less really can be more. One local company rides that adage like a rocket as it finds new ways to create more products out of the same basic resource.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Sandpoint musician finding groove in brass band

SANDPOINT — There’s a music-related quip that goes something like this: What’s the definition of a musician? It’s someone who puts a $5,000 instrument into a $500 car to go play a $50 gig.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Tierra Madre keeps things simple, healthy

SANDPOINT — Eating better and supporting the “localvore” movement have gotten a boost thanks to the culinary evolution at Tierra Madre Café & Juicery.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Mandolin orchestra revives earlier craze

SANDPOINT — Blame it on The Celebrated Spanish Students. From the time that traveling musical troupe came to the U.S. in 1880, packing their tiny instruments in tow, there has been a love affair between America and the mandolin.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

CHAFE 150 gears up for 2015 event

SANDPOINT — The CHAFE 150 race is set to attract a record number of riders this year and that means more money for the Lake Pend Oreille School District to meet the needs of students on the autism spectrum.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Keeping it local

SANDPOINT — The stars seemed to have aligned for one local business, which recently combined a sound idea with a strong reputation and placed them both in a great location.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Assistive technology gets red carpet welcome

SANDPOINT — Any disability, any age, any task with any technology.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Literacy finds ally in Book Trust

SANDPOINT — Never underestimate the power of a good book. Even in a world where technology crowds out simple joys such as opening a cover and turning real pages, the printed word is quietly turning the tide.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Mr. Sub first planned as donut shop

SANDPOINT — Trying to imagine Sandpoint without Mr. Sub is a little like watching Jimmy Stewart in a scene from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” as George Bailey gets a glimpse of what Bedford Falls would look like without him around.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Center recognized for positive community impact

SANDPOINT — Since 2005, the non-profit organization Idaho Smart Growth has presented its Grow Smart Award to municipalities and individual projects, recognizing them for the part they play in creating vibrant communities.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

New shop joins 'Music Row'

SANDPOINT — Nashville lays claim to the original name, but downtown Sandpoint now has a Music Row of its own.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Sandpoint's Flying Fish Co. ends an era

SANDPOINT — The area’s best-known outlet for fresh seafood is about to celebrate a milestone moment, as the Flying Fish Co. turns 35 years old. The local business has seen it all, selling its product at various times in everything from a small market space to ice-packed coolers in the …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Lippi's novel takes bell-bottom tour of Europe

SANDPOINT — Pam Lippi has done what most aspiring writers only dream about: When the idea for a great novel popped into her head, she didn’t just talk about it and let it go, she sat down and wrote a book.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Holly Eve to ring in holidays

SANDPOINT – In the spirit of an old show biz axiom that says, “Never follow an animal act onstage,” little “Evie” the Labrador puppy might try to steal the show at Saturday’s Holly Eve celebration.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Fiddlin' Red just fine with old-time

SANDPOINT — “Let's see,” said Fiddlin' Red Simpson from behind the counter of his hole-in-the-wall music shop in downtown Sandpoint. “I know I have a G string for a violin here somewhere.”

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Inventors pack power into miniature compressor

SANDPOINT — More than a century ago, Charles H. Taylor had a bright idea. He wanted to achieve what, until then, had been the purely theoretical notion of what the French called the “carnot cycle” — generating power by using ideal thermodynamics that generate no heat while creating enormous compression.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Spiritsong bridges cultures with music

BONNERS FERRY — Music, for Vicki Blake Thompson, is a bridge. Metaphorically, yes, but also one that has carried her to the far corners of the world. At this point, the only continent she has not crossed over to is Antarctica.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

IFG receives idaho pacesetter award

SANDPOINT — National business and political leaders acknowledged a top Idaho company yesterday when Idaho Forest Group was named as the inaugural recipient of the Zions Bank Idaho Pacesetter Award.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

'Frankenstein' comes to life for Halloween

SANDPOINT — The rehearsal space is cavernous and cold, leaving the actors bundled up as they work through their scenes. In the background, crews erect heating towers to beat back the chill.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Pilots share love of flying with local kids

SANDPOINT – The difference in their ages can span more than 50 years, but their shared love of flying easily overcomes the generation gap.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Seed library takes root in Sandpoint

SANDPOINT — Who would have thought it possible? Tucked away in a corner of a small town public library in Pennsylvania, a dangerous cadre of home gardeners was gearing up for what the U.S. Department of Agriculture saw as a potential network of “agri-terrorism.”

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Best-selling author takes on bullying

SANDPOINT — Bullying comes in many shapes and sizes. Best-selling children’s author Trudy Ludwig has written about all of them.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Friends of the Library turns 25 with $200K raised

SANDPOINT — Next month, the Friends of the East Bonner County Library celebrate a quarter century of going above and beyond to keep the library growing and in top shape.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Interest stacks up for alternative building

SANDPOINT — On what will soon become the second floor of a duplex condominium, Quentin Little Brave sits astride a stack of straw bales, cinching them together with a length of blue cord.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Slow jam dials down tempo for players

SANDPOINT — They call them fiddle tunes, but, in actuality, the songs can be played on just about any instrument. Many of them have Celtic roots, while others hail from the deep hills of the American South or the dance halls of New England. Still another genre claims French Canadian …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Farmers market creates 'Mayberry Experience'

SANDPOINT — There’s fresh produce and then there’s the kind of produce you buy directly from the person who grew it.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Brothers brew success by the keg

SANDPOINT — Quick, what local business has just doubled its downtown locations, tripled its square footage and plans to nearly quadruple production over the next year?

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

New 'hybrid classroom' rolls out pilot program

SANDPOINT — In rural America of the 19th through the mid-20th century, the one-room schoolhouse was the place where farm kids went to learn.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Activities connect care center, community

SANDPOINT – If points were handed out for being both active and visible at area events, then many of the residents at Valley Vista Care Center would be boasting high scores.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Spumoni Blues blends musical flavors

SANDPOINT — On the surface, Spumoni Blues is an unlikely musical match-up. A pretty and petite lead singer delivers smoky, blues-tinged vocals, while a veteran of the country music touring circuit weaves tastily crafted lead guitar lines around her melodies. Beneath it all, a bass player holds down the groove …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Drum path sparks fascinating journey

SANDPOINT — Construction work can be mighty tough on the body. Just ask Errol Clark, who can recite a litany of injuries he received before retiring from the trade.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Cemetery chronicles Sandpoint history

SANDPOINT — The moss-covered gravestone of John Thomas Early, who died in 1917 at the age of 29, lies tumbled on its back, pointing due south like some giant, marble compass needle.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Quilter takes time to create fabric florals

SANDPOINT — When it comes to creating colorful works of quilt art, Leslie Schubarth takes her own, sweet time.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Freedom Tree finds new voice as harp guitar

SANDPOINT — Images of freedom come in all shapes and sizes. There are the sweeping gestures, such as flag-lined boulevards and fireworks that bespeak it at the national scale. And there are the smaller, more intimate deeds that embrace it on a personal level.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

BID gains traction in business community

SANDPOINT — Nine months after joining forces, the Sandpoint Business Improvement District and the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce have found their groove. During those months, BID manager Kim Queen spent most of her time getting to know the more than 400 different businesses that fall within the business improvement …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Bird takes to skies in Air Race Classic

SANDPOINT — When Dr. Pamela Riddle Bird takes off from the runway tomorrow morning to compete in the Air Race Classic, her thoughts will turn to the pioneers of aviation who made the flight possible.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Healing Garden back in top form for summer

SANDPOINT — You’ll find them wandering quietly around just after sunrise, when the sun pours over the Cabinet Mountains and begins to bathe the pathways in light.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

CAP sees workplace as bridge out of poverty

SANDPOINT — Drop a stone on the smooth face of a pond and the first ring of water foretells what’s to follow.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Chautauqua returns to Sandpoint this summer

SANDPOINT — The June 17, 1914, edition of the Northern Idaho News ballyhooed the story — Chautauqua was coming to town.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Community connections

SANDPOINT — The 24/7 help line rang at Sandpoint Community Resource Center and, as always, was answered immediately.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO

SHS students bolster human rights infrastructure

SANDPOINT — The human rights movement has driven its taproot even deeper into Bonner County, thanks to a group of high school students who have stepped up to take a stand.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO

Ancient rite finds new groove in dance class

SANDPOINT — Drums and hand percussion lay down a groove as steady as the heartbeat of Mother Earth, while a didgeridoo sweeps around it all in a low-frequency ebb and flow as powerful as the breath of life.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO

Plan moves forward for charter elementary

SANDPOINT — If a small but impassioned group of board members gets its way, a charter elementary school could be joining the educational options currently offered to local charter school students in middle and high school grades.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO

School program inspires compassion

SANDPOINT – The road to finding a state of grace can be easy and direct or long and arduous. Lindy Lewis had to take the latter route to discover self-kindness.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Angels top million-dollar giving mark

SANDPOINT — Over the past 17 years, one local organization has raised money a little at a time and, just as quickly as it got its hands on the cash, spread it around the community to help people in need.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Cigar box guitars unlock musical aspirations

SANDPOINT — People come to music from a number of paths. Sometimes, they arrive after being told not to bother coming at all.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Director dreams of performing arts 'laboratory'

SANDPOINT — Acting has moved center stage in the local arts scene, as stage plays, independent film projects and a new wave of original scripts provide more chances for people to ply that craft.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Beatles' Sullivan show still inspires

SANDPOINT — Fifty years ago to the day, one television appearance changed the direction of popular music and set a new course for an entire generation of young musicians.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Meesh & Mia scores Super Bowl TD

SANDPOINT — No matter which way today’s Super Bowl game tilts, Elizabeth Turley is bound to come out on top. As president of a local company called Meesh & Mia, she comes out a winner either way.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Lana Kay celebrates 50 years in local real estate

SANDPOINT — The walls of Lana Kay Realty are covered with trophies — both the brass plaque variety and the hunting and fishing type. Lana Kay Hanson is responsible for many of them. Her twin sons, Mark and Matthew Linscott, claim credit for the rest.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Art school seeks to draw community support

SANDPOINT — Judged solely by the number of classes it offers and the high caliber of the instructors it presents, the Sandpoint Center for the Arts looks, on the surface, like a thriving and successful arts organization.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Mills follows muse to new sounds

SANDPOINT — James Brown famously holds the title of being “the hardest-working man in show business.” B.B. King has to be a candidate for similar recognition, since he stills plays an average of 300 shows a year, even at age 88.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Payne finds global history from one inch above water

SANDPOINT — Every far-off horizon, every bend in the river, has a tale to tell. For those courageous enough to seek them out, the reward is to become part of the story.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

The Recordist injects vitality into blockbuster films, games

SANDPOINT – Frank Bry hears things. It’s his job, actually. Where most of us might detect a twig breaking underfoot — if we notice it at all – Bry’s ears snap to attention, fully alert to the myriad ways a twig can be broken and how it might sound from …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Kalispel elder shares tales of respect

SANDPOINT — It was the first thing you noticed, even before getting all the way into the room — the smell of wood smoke and tanned hides permeating the air. The earthy scents came from the ornate ceremonial regalia lining tables and walls on one side of the building.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Conlan remembered with laughs, love

SANDPOINT — One measure of a man is the way in which people say his name. If they feel that the last name alone carries enough weight, all the better as a benchmark of his impact on those around him.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Connectivity is focus of 'Explore Sandpoint'

SANDPOINT — Surrounded, as it is, by a burgeoning network of bike and walking paths, the City of Sandpoint has stepped forward with its contribution to the regional trail system.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Panida shines bright on anniversary

SANDPOINT — She doesn’t just look good for 86, she looks fabulous. Sure, the lady has had a bit of work done, but the Panida Theater’s elegance shows through with the same, vibrant beauty she displayed at her coming out party on Nov. 22, 1927.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Ponderay trails could define future

(Editors note: This is the third in a series of articles about how local communities have embraced the concept of a connected system of bike and walking paths for both alternative transportation and recreation.)

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Trail aims to connect two sides of county

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Bay Trail is hinge point for bike path network

A conceptual map of the Pend d'Oreille Bay Trail shows how a linked network of trailheads, parks and a proposed underpass would link public access to the waterfront into a wider system of biking and walking trails that have the potential to connect municipalities from Sagle all the way to …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Spud Cup caps sailing season

SANDPOINT — Now that Lake Pend Oreille has settled into a slate gray hue for winter, it feels like ages ago when it was a deep, jade green and sailboats speckled the waters with crescent billows of white.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Film fest funds outdoor classroom

SANDPOINT — Attend a movie festival; throw down a couple bucks for raffle tickets; jot your name on the list for some very cool silent auction items; change the lives of local kids forever.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Food bank starts Thanksgiving turkey drive

SANDPOINT — Bad news arrived at the Bonner Community Food Bank this week, just as the center is ramping up efforts to feed households in need this holiday season.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Mother and daughter pursue a new life after breast cancer

SANDPOINT — Mary Faux is wearing pink today. Yes, it looks absolutely lovely on her, but that’s not the reason she leans toward this side of the color palette.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Honor flight opens floodgate of memories

SANDPOINT — For veterans of World War II, taking the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., can set loose a flood of memories.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Songwriter heads home to Sandpoint

SANDPOINT — The first time Niccole Blaze played the Panida Theater, she booked the venue on her own dime for a CD release concert for her first collection of songs titled, “Despite the Dents.”

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Vast collection creates Gunter-Daarstad archive

SANDPOINT — There will be no ribbon cutting, no velvet rope to hold back all but the most notable of dignitaries and no expansion necessary to house the latest archive to be added to the collections at the Bonner County Historical Society Museum.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Consumer awareness fuels store's expansion

SANDPOINT — Next door in Washington state, the battle over a November ballot measure to require labeling of genetically engineered foods is building to a fever pitch.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Bike shop gives classics new life

SANDPOINT – There are people of a certain age who grew up with bicycles as a means of transportation and as the vehicle that could transport them to other realms.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Panida changes guard at top post

SANDPOINT — The baton has been passed at the Panida Theater, marking a new chapter in the downtown landmark’s illustrious, 86-year history.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Music conservatory earns national accreditation

SANDPOINT — The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint started four years ago in the corner of a local dance studio with little more than a handful of miniature keyboards and a heart full of dreams.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Home Depot's youth workshops draw big crowds

PONDERAY — He comes to work on weekdays in his regular guise — Ty Henson, lumber department associate for Home Depot Store 1810 in Ponderay.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Fair will host 900-piece art fundraiser

SANDPOINT — Take 30 local artists, give them the challenge of creating 30 works each and set the price at $30 per piece and you not only have instantly created one of the largest art galleries in the region, you’ve got one heck of a powerful fundraising vehicle on your …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

CASA volunteers speak up for kids in crisis

SANDPOINT — For a child in crisis, the world must seem a hard, random, heartbreaking place.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Blueberry farm grows family legacy

KOOTENAI – It has taken the Omodt family seven years to get to this point, but judging by both the size of the berry crop and the number of visitors showing up to pluck it away, the harvest at Shingle Mill Blueberry Farm was worth the wait.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Gypsy Divas break artistic barriers

SANDPOINT — The Gypsy Divas might be the best little dance troupe you never heard of. Then again, you’d be forgiven if you were under the impression these local women were actually several dance troupes, based on their chameleon-like ability to shape-shift into whatever they want to be at the …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Distance ride named among best in nation

SANDPOINT – When a good idea turns into a grand ride, there’s a great chance that the event is going to raise money.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

YMCA ramps up Sandpoint programs

SANDPOINT — Since early 2010, a small but energetic cadre of community leaders has been hard at work to set the stage for a full-scale YMCA recreation center to serve local residents.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Honor Flight showers local couple with gratitude

SANDPOINT — The 747 sat thrumming on the runway. Buckled up and waiting inside were 95 members of what Tom Brokaw has called The Greatest Generation.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

'Wizard of Oz' fills Panida's main stage with magic

SANDPOINT — When it comes to realizing all the pageantry of Oz, even Dorothy herself would be impressed by the production Sandpoint Onstage will bring to the Panida stage over the next three weekends.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Coast Guard Auxiliary maintains safe waterways

SANDPOINT — For some people, joining an organization is a matter of choice. For others, it is a mandate.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Young author writes success story

SANDPOINT — Pauline Harris well remembers when she decided to become an author. The biblio-epiphany struck early, starting a writing career that, for this teen-aged writer, already has resulted in a stream of short stories, novels and trilogies.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Filmmaker brings 'G-Dog' to Panida

SANDPOINT — For more than 25 years, Father Greg Boyle has served some of the toughest parts of L.A., where 1,100 gangs claim some 86,000 gang members and violent death is a daily ritual.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Garbage turns to gold in compost pile

SANDPOINT — Start with a few tons of castoff paper plates and food scraps, mix it with several yards of manure and rotten hay, let it cook for two years and the result is what gardeners like to call “black gold.”

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Kootenai crosswalk connects community

KOOTENAI — OK, so maybe it’s not an “official” crosswalk, since it doesn’t have road striping. But the flashing strobes and the iconic crossing signs have managed to do what generations of children here were never able to accomplish on their own — cross Hwy. 200 safely from Ponder Point …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Lifeline Resources leads dramatic turnarounds

By DAVID GUNTER

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Museum's 're-opening' unveils new era of access

SANDPOINT — One Friday, May 10, the Bonner County Historical Society & Museum swings wide its doors for a “grand re-opening” after a winter of major changes and notable improvements to the museum experience. Prepare to be wowed.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Kootenai Community Church to shear youth leader on May 11

KOOTENAI — The congregation at Kootenai Community Church has become accustomed to outgrowing the physical spaces that house its worship services.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Road warrior

SANDPOINT — Maybe you’ve seen him. In his bright riding gear, he’s hard to miss. But what really makes Woody Aunan stand out on the road is that he rides his bike to work throughout the school year. Eight miles, each way, in all kinds of weather.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Waldorf brings 'Fiddler' to big stage

SANDPOINT — To take on a large-scale Broadway musical and perform it in its entirety with a main cast of just 10 eighth graders, you’d have to be either very brave or completely bonkers. Sandpoint Waldorf School instructor Michael Seifert admits he might be a little bit of both.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Young musicians make international connection

SANDPOINT — The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint took another step toward establishing itself as a national-caliber arts school last month when four of its students traveled to Mexicali, Mexico, from March 16-25 to take part in a cultural exchange program. Young musicians from Mexico will return the favor this summer, …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

NFI rolls into funding phase

SANDPOINT — The founders of the nascent Northwest Film Institute think they have found a way to let the community know about their vision of creating a world-class film school in this community — make a movie that stars the community itself.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Recycling gaining favor in Sandpoint

SANDPOINT — Six months into things, how well is the new Waste Management recycling program working for local residents? According to the people on the ground, it has been a resounding success.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Founder buys back company, comes full circle

SANDPOINT — The evidence is purely anecdotal and there certainly are no business metrics to back it up, but the return of one Realtor to the local property scene just might be a harbinger of a stronger market to come.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Emergent church movement comes to Sandpoint

SANDPOINT - The Reformation of the 16th Century did not go over well with church leaders at the time. Jump forward several hundred years and a similar, albeit much smaller, movement is causing some consternation of its own in contemporary religious circles.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Superintendent tackles replacement levy questions

SANDPOINT — You could get whiplash talking to Pend Oreille School District Superintendent Shawn Woodward about the just how much rides on the March 12 school district replacement levy vote, aimed at providing approximately $7.8 million per year to the district budget n 2014 and 2015.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

7B Skis stack up against major competition

SANDPOINT — Say that you’ve amassed enough years on the hill to know exactly what you want from your skis. Some brands capture aspects of what you’re looking for, but no one pair quite makes the grade. The answer? Build your own.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

'Healthiest small town'

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Local discussions tackle 'the talk'

SANDPOINT – Nolan Redman needed to talk. As a Stage 4 cancer patient, he had plenty of questions and a lot on his mind. The close-at-hand prospect of dying, for instance.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Master builder finds music in wood

SANDPOINT — On this side of the shop, the high-end turntable “plinths” that are responsible for this man’s national reputation as a master craftsman of exotic woods. On that side, the little instruments that have snagged his imagination and won his heart.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Lewis to speak on how Ice Age floods shaped region

SANDPOINT — Before Google Earth, before satellite images provided almost perpetual coverage of the planet, geographers had little in the way of overhead views of the work with. The pictures that did exist were the exclusive purview of the military, jealousy protected and seen as a distinct tactical advantage.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Lewis to speak on how Ice Age floods shaped region

SANDPOINT — Before Google Earth, before satellite images provided almost perpetual coverage of the planet, geographers had little in the way of overhead views of the work with. The pictures that did exist were the exclusive purview of the military, jealousy protected and seen as a distinct tactical advantage.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Ancient art finds modern platform

SANDPOINT — If there is a subtext that weaves its way through the more than three decades that Lawrence E. Keith has been writing poetry, it might be the thread of longing for real and lasting communication.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Mico brings yoga to tough guys

SANDPOINT — Rugby took out the knees, years of working on concrete floors finished off the hips and back. By the time he was in his 40s, Peter Mico had what he calls “a whole litany of things” wrong with his body.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Director rolls out acting classes

SANDPOINT – The man’s theatrical background reads like an actor/director’s dream resume. He’s written and directed for productions Off-Broadway in New York. The JQ Studio in Miami bears his initials and the same metropolitan locale has been the home of his sold-out musical theatre camps for the past year. Earlier …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Author finds answers in questions

SANDPOINT — Everyone takes part in some kind of internal dialog on occasion. Author Allan Bopp turned his into a self-published book that covers topics both sacred and silly.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Big ideas for new year

SANDPOINT – Two years ago, a community meeting brought a crowd of people to the Panida Theater. After a short preamble by the board of directors, those same people took the stage, supplied with pencils and clipboards, to help plot out the theater’s future.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

TransluSense gears up for production

SANDPOINT — The cool factor is undeniable — a sleekly contoured glass keyboard that “traps” colored light inside, making the input device appear to have materialized out of thin air.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

BCHRTF receives $370K donation

SANDPOINT — Hate slithers around in the shadows. Hate slinks up from behind and hides. And when a community has the guts to turn around and stare it down, hate blinks first.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Womencare Midwives works with 2nd generation

BONNERS FERRY – When midwife Barbara Rawlings moved from Boise to North Idaho in 1978, she knew some changes would come along with the relocation.

BONNERS FERRY HERALD | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Midwives see growth curve for birthing options

SANDPOINT — The sacred rite of giving birth has seen its share of changes over the centuries, most of them packed into the last half-century or so.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Conservatory growth fills former City Hall

SANDPOINT — In a move that has become almost as dependable as the change of seasons, the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint is on the grow again.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Songwriter showcase moves to Little Theater

SANDPOINT — Like families adapting to a tight economy by revisiting their household budgets, the folks behind the 4th Annual Songwriters’ Circle have “miniaturized” their format by moving the concert to the Panida Little Theater this Sat., Nov. 10.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

South to Alaska

SANDPOINT — This journey starts in Arkansas, heads south for thousands of miles, slips through the Panama Canal and then makes a hard right turn toward the frozen wilderness of the 49th state.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Play to support crisis, domestic violence hotline

BONNERS FERRY – Victims of domestic violence live in a world where threats abound and the chance of escape is overshadowed by the very real prospect of further injury or death.

BONNERS FERRY HERALD | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Haunted House a creepy way to help pets

BONNERS FERRY – The gate opens with a mournful groan as Second Chance Thrift Store manager Ruth Dana guides her visitor onto the grounds of the adjoining animal shelter.

BONNERS FERRY HERALD | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Photo sparks friendship frenzy on Facebook

SANDPOINT — If you're not already Shane Parson's buddy, hang in there - as soon as he meets you, your name will be added to the list.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Ehredt passes halfway mark in PAR Part II

SANDPOINT — We catch up with Mike Ehredt just past the halfway point in his trek to honor fallen U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Museum reaches out to raise awareness

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Horse, rider sweep championship awards

SANDPOINT — Every once in a very great while, an individual comes along who changes your whole life. In this story, that individual just happens to be a horse.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Museum shows timber, tenacity

(Editor’s note: This is the third installment in a series of Sunday feature articles on the museums of Bonner and Boundary counties.)

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Little dresses make big difference

SANDPOINT — Neighbors didn’t see a lot of Barbara Tritch this summer. While they were out and about enjoying the sunshine, she was busy inside at her sewing machine, turning mountains of fabric into a heartfelt gift for little girls in Africa.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

History makes a home on Main Street

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Priest Lake Museum opens door to history

(Editor's note: This is the first installment in a series of Sunday feature articles on the museums of Bonner and Boundary counties.)

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Teen center ramps up for school year

SANDPOINT — By tomorrow afternoon, the upstairs space on the corner of Pine & Division will become one of the busiest after-school destinations in town. That’s when the Sandpoint Teen Center opens its doors for the fall season, serving meals, solving problems and seeking to instill a sense of respect …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Actor returns to share love of theater

SANDPOINT — If time spent on stage, backstage and in front of the stage count for anything in the job skills department, Sarah Caruso is eminently qualified to teach her craft.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Teachers gut it out in 50-mile trail run

SANDPOINT — Let’s say — just for the sake of argument — that you’ve managed to run 30 miles of mind-bendingly difficult trail. Your bones have been jarred into submission, your legs have turned to rubber and your muscles are on fire. The voice in your head has become a …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Old challenges, new location

SANDPOINT — It’s a far cry from picking up a pre-assembled box of foodstuffs to picking out your own groceries, which is why the Bonner Community Food Center made the shift this year to a format that looks and operates like a real market.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Healing Garden blossoms for 10th anniversary

SANDPOINT — There was a sign of good luck hidden away in the first load of soil dropped off at what is now the Healing Garden at Bonner General Hospital. When the volunteer gardeners began to shovel from the pile, they found a horseshoe waiting inside.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Siembieda puts a new spin on the art of quilting

SANDPOINT – A watercolorist or sketch artist can tuck their finished work neatly into a desk drawer. Life is different when you’re a quilter.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Teens discover family connection

SANDPOINT — All the clues were there, but it took a trip to Sandpoint to put the pieces together.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Motorcycle trek puts new spin on Boge family's summer fun

SANDPOINT — Let’s get one thing straight here — Michael Boge has an iron butt. So does his wife, Anavel, and his daughter, Laura. They proved it beyond the shadow of a doubt by riding a total of 11,814 miles over 23 straight days on a motorcycle trek that took …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Future teachers train for classroom

-Photo by DAVID GUNTER

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

BAYFEST brings world of theatre to area

SANDPOINT — With Independence Day just around the corner, some might find it unnerving to learn that the British are coming — again. They come in peace — to act, not to attack — as the British-American Youth Festival Theatre (BAYFEST) returns to Sandpoint after a 12-year hiatus.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Brilliant, hilarious dad was a complicated character

SANDPOINT – How do you capture a life in words? When that life belonged to one Bob Gunter, how do you hope to even scratch the surface?

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Music Man ready to rock Panida stage

SANDPOINT — It’s a Tuesday evening and the large and entirely local cast of “The Music Man” is running through its first combined rehearsal with the pit orchestra. The group number “Shipoopi” comes to a rousing end as Steve Neuder, playing Marcellus Washburn, and Audra Mearns, as Ethel Toffelmaier, thrust …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

CASA celebrates family reunification

SANDPOINT — Jan remembers vividly the lowest ebb of her fortunes and the moment that turned out to be a high water mark of her fate. She remembers, because they share a precise moment in time.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Themed events redefine meaning of 'downtown'

SANDPOINT – In May, the first Thursday of the summer long series of First Thursday celebrations had a run-in with the rain. Undaunted, the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association (DSBA) has put together what promises to be a sizzling calendar of monthly events designed to drive after-hours traffic to local stores …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Hope Elementary secretary looks back on 40 years

HOPE — One thing can be said for this lakeside community — they sure know how to pick locations for their elementary school.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Blind entrepreneur rolls out radio business

SAGLE — On the phone, Dwain Miller’s voice has all the resonance and distinctive character of a radio announcer. Not surprising, really, since he spent some time in the broadcast booth and on the air.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Pioneer parachutist honored for lifetime of 'firsts'

CLARK FORK — One sure way to stay in love is to keep falling. It’s a technique that worked for Muriel Simbro, whose love affair was re-energized time and again at 13,000 feet.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

Ancient church finds modern appeal

BONNERS FERRY — Take the northern entrance to Pleasant Valley Loop Road and, in less than half a mile, you come upon what appears to be a little country church. Only the sign outside — announcing the presence of the Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Christian Church — hints that there is …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS AGO

Panida prepares for digital movie conversion

SANDPOINT — The Panida Theater’s love affair with film goes back 85 years, to a time when the first audiences sat hushed as the lights dimmed and stories appeared as if by magic on the movie screen.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS AGO

Social media is sparking business buzz

SANDPOINT — So you’ve got a business website and you’re waiting for the money to start rolling in, eh? Without the help of social media, it could be a long wait.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS AGO

Ponderay Garden Center doubles retail space

PONDERAY — Spring has sprung and gardeners are out in force, surveying their property and planning for the upcoming growing season. The same drill is happening at Ponderay Garden Center, on a much larger scale.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS AGO

Backstage brainstorm spurs creative group

SANDPOINT – Behind the curtains, where conversations come in whispers and the stage lights provide only an oblique glow, five creative locals came up with a bright idea.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Recycler bottles recipe for success

SANDPOINT — Take a big idea, add a healthy pinch of passion, stir in community awareness and you have the recipe for Terra Cressey’s overnight success story at GlassRoots Recycling.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

New transportation head takes wheel

SANDPOINT — When Bill Wright retires at the end of this month as transportation manager for the Lake Pend Oreille School District, he will leave a big pair of shoes to fill. On days when the wind howls and the snow blows sideways in blinding sheets of white, they will …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Coffelt passes torch to grandson

SANDPOINT — Over the course of 45 years in business, Dale Coffelt has grown close to the community he serves. He has seen children grow into grandparents and watched as one generation gave way to the next.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

New retail ideas pop up downtown

SANDPOINT – They call it “pop-up” retailing and in cities across the U.S., it’s becoming a hot national trend. The concept makes especially good sense from an economic development standpoint, since it allows entrepreneurs and start-up businesses to test new product ideas without the initial burden of carrying a building …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Racing to find a cure for cystinosis

SANDPOINT — Like most kids these days, Henry Sturgis keeps a very busy schedule. And like most moms, Tricia Sturgis stays busy shuttling him from one place to another.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Community Meal celebrates 20 years

Sandpoint's Barbara Blood stirs a pot of her homemade chicken soup in preparation for the weekly Community Meal at the United Methodist Church. This week marks the 20th anniversary of the free meal and her soup has been one of the favorite menu items for that entire time. (Photo by …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Spotlight shines on Sandpoint Onstage

SANDPOINT — The fate of local theatre has ebbed and flowed over the past 40 years, as giddy periods of activity were interspersed with gloomy times when the stage went dark.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Angels Over Sandpoint offers a fresh start

SANDPOINT – Whether they’re starting up a new program or building on the popularity of an existing one, the Angels Over Sandpoint have a knack for plowing money back into the community they love.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Jamming key to students' learning

SANDPOINT — Cole McAvoy taught for more than nine years from a studio in his home before the light finally came on. It took an encounter with a student to spark the revelation that he was not a drum teacher, he was a band teacher.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Guitar builder hears echoes of area's past

SANDPOINT — Tucked away in one corner of an historic Sandpoint granary building is an old, wooden door. Step through it, and you are vaulted back into, not one, but two important chapters of the city’s history.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Meesh & Mia making national waves

SANDPOINT — For one local start-up business, 2011 turned out to be the launch pad for what has become a hot, national clothing concept.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Building anchors 'artsy' west side

SANDPOINT — The 80-some year saga of the Foster’s Crossing building continues to unfold, as antiques and the arts create what owners David and Kate Luers call the “community” that gives the heartbeat to this historic space.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Magic man works to teach, entertain

SANDPOINT — At the tender age of 8, Star Alexander made a solemn announcement in the presence of his family.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Sandpoint artist captures heart of New Orleans

SANDPOINT - If walls could talk, New Orleans would give you an earful. Tales of late night jazz and midnight voodoo, intense celebration and abject misery would twist and intertwine until a picture began to form of a city that has always seemed to teeter precariously, but happily, on the …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Young keeps track of railroad history

COCOLALLA — A steam locomotive noses slowly out onto the partially built trestle, chugging forward a foot or so at a time. The incomplete steel structure juts out over a narrow mountain canyon, pointing directly at the tunnel opening being blasted out of the rock on the other side.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Book fair breathes magic into school library

SANDPOINT — When kids enter the library at Farmin Stidwell Elementary School, it’s usually with eyes wide and the sounds of “oooh” and aaah” on their lips. To be sure, part of that reaction might be due to their love of reading and the fact that the library is well …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Refillable bottles ramp sales, reduce waste

SANDPOINT — Steve and Julie Meyer came up with a business plan that was so good they simply had to bottle it. About two years ago, the owners of Pend d’Oreille Winery in downtown Sandpoint devised a refill program for 1.5 liter bottles of their already popular Bistro Rouge red …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Group rallies to replace grandstands

SANDPOINT — As the calendar flipped over into the 1960s, songs like “Travelin’ Man” by Ricky Nelson were playing on the radio, a Volkswagen Beetle would have set you back about $1,100, the Peace Corps was brand new and so were the grandstands at War Memorial Field’s Barlow Stadium.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Small town music store has big plans

SANDPOINT — There is a race, of sorts, going on behind the locked door at 203 Cedar St.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Airport entryway project aims to lift image

SANDPOINT — For all of its glorious entry points and natural attributes, Sandpoint is lacking when it comes to providing an attractive gateway for those who arrive by air.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Luna education plan stirs controversy

SANDPOINT – When Idaho Gov. Butch Otter traveled across state lines last year to headline a Tea Party rally in Spokane, he told the crowd all about how things get done in his home state.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Aerial photography business takes off

SANDPOINT — Jerry Luther doesn’t mean to look down on the rest of the world, it’s just the nature of his work. And as an aerial photographer, Luther has found a way to mix business with pleasure every time he sends up one of his radio-controlled aircraft.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Market, café thrive off beaten path

PONDERAY — It’s lunchtime and the parking lot outside this little café has been pretty much packed from late morning through early afternoon. Inside, a fire crackles agreeably in the corner woodstove while friends chat over soups and wraps and sandwiches in the natural light of floor-to-ceiling windows near the …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

ICF fills funding gap for communities

SANDPOINT — Federal grants — once a financial mainstay for schools, community improvement projects and arts organizations — have become as rare as non-partisan debate on Capitol Hill.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Taylor & Sons Chevrolet set for May opening

SANDPOINT — When Jack Parker and Greg Taylor formed Taylor-Parker Motor Co. in 1988, they were continuing a downtown business tradition that had been around since the Model A Ford and the Chevrolet Six. That same year, Greg and Laurel Taylor licensed the name Taylor & Sons with an eye …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

New law leaves IRS, tax pros scrambling

SANDPOINT — When Republicans in Congress flexed their muscle for new tax changes and President Obama signed the bill into law in mid-December, the deal appeared to be a classic political fait accompli.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Winter Carnival offers frozen fun

SANDPOINT — This year’s Sandpoint Winter Carnival will look altogether different from cold-season celebrations of the past. The small but stalwart committee behind the event has added yet another major crowd-pleaser to the six-day carnival, scheduled for Jan. 12-17, while at the same time considering an eventual return to some …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Keepsake for community's sake

SANDPOINT — Five years and a couple thousand books into the process, photographer Tina Friedman now finds herself just a small stack shy of breaking even on a photo-filled coffee table book project she began in January 2006.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Experts see bright spots in job scene

SANDPOINT — “Now is the winter of our discontent.” Make that, continued discontent.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Window artist paints holiday fun

SANDPOINT — She paints like she sings, in flowing lines that turn Sandpoint into her canvas and her song each holiday season.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

CFHS senior gathers gifts for troops

CLARK FORK — It’s tough enough to be stationed overseas during the holidays, but infinitely harder when Christmas rolls around and there’s no package with your name on it.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Shelter closure leaves victims in danger

SANDPOINT — A homeless puppy is cute and thoroughly adoptable. A child in need is heart-rending and easy to help. But a woman who has been beaten black-and-blue is just plain terrifying.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Getting Ahead class fights poverty cycle

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Tax credit benefits PAFE donations

SANDPOINT — As a political lobbyist, local attorney and Panhandle Alliance for Education board member Bill Berg is batting a thousand. True, he admits, he has only lobbied for a total of one bill, but that legislation passed overwhelmingly, helped along by the fact that it was hand-carried to Idaho …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Couple hike 3,500 miles on local trails

SANDPOINT — Together, they have hiked nearly 3,500 miles over the course of about 360 trips to the trailhead. For Betsy and Jim Fulling, these hikes are more than a passion for the outdoors. They are the weekly remembrance of a love story that plays itself out on the trail.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Ghostly tale lives on downtown

SANDPOINT — Some ghost stories are shared in jest, others are told in somber tones. This one falls into the second category — an otherworldly tale of a lonely spirit who, according to some accounts, wandered the empty halls of an historic downtown hotel on the upper floor of the …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Teachers get creative in grad school

SANDPOINT — Lesley University sits on Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass., shoulder-to-shoulder with its larger and more famous academic neighbor.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Bright cards offset bleak economy

SANDPOINT — One of the first questions people ask about a work of art is, “What does it mean?” In general, the artist who created the piece is the last person you’d want to go to for an answer.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Daybreak Center: Service gives caretakers a place to turn

SANDPOINT - Jerry Thurlow was a strong man - he had to be, working in the woods for a timber industry paycheck. But by the time he entered his early 50s, Jerry began to disappear. Early onset Alzheimer’s stole him away, one memory, one character trait, one word at a …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Folkschool honors elders' knowledge

SANDPOINT — And so it was that there came a time when the people lost power. Some hugged their dead televisions and wept, pleading to the heavens for divine intervention. Others, walking in dazed circles around their homes, pressed and prodded the buttons of unresponsive appliances, praying for a different …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Gleaners pull together for community

SANDPOINT — There is an orchard in Sandpoint that is so immense, you can stand at its center and never see the outward borders.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Local author makes reading personal

SANDPOINT — New careers can leave the launch pad in the most unexpected ways. For one Sandpoint author, that literary liftoff took place in a classroom, where her passion for teaching kids to read sparked a journey into the writer’s life.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Celtic Kids: School program to teach pipes, drums

SANDPOINT — It all sounds a wee bit like a Scottish folk tale: A small town by a big lake — where morning mist hangs like a grey shroud over the water and furtive whispers tell of an unearthly monster that glides in silence through the inky depths — awakes …

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Workforce housing efforts get boost

SANDPOINT — The same economic forces that knocked the stilts out from under the housing market might prove to be just the thing Bonner County needs to build up its inventory of workforce housing.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO