Sandpoint Reader

Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication based in Sandpoint, Idaho, offering insights into local news as well as cultural and entertainment events. This newspaper is distributed for free throughout Bonner County and Boundary County in Idaho.

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Republican politicians talk tough — when it matters, they chicken out » Sandpoint Reader

2 weeks ago | sandpointreader.com | Lauren Necochea

By Lauren NecocheaReader StaffIt takes real strength to fight for the people you serve. But today’s Republican Party has abandoned that idea completely. From Washington to Boise, they’ve replaced courage with performance, loud declarations of “toughness” that vanish when real leadership is required. Too afraid to step out of line, they cast votes that leave Idaho worse off. Take Gov. Brad Little. He used to oppose school voucher schemes.
MCS Students to Perform in Prague » Sandpoint Reader

1 month ago | sandpointreader.com | Jillian Chandler

By Jillian ChandlerReader ContributorTwo talented Music Conservatory of Sandpoint students will be traveling to take part in the annual Šumavské letní hudební večery (“Summer Music Nights”) music festival in Czechia, Prague. Jubilant Duvall and Cody Ontiveros are the students on the trip. Ontiveros is a countertenor and “rare voice,” and has been a student at MCS from the age of 8 years old. Now 20, he is MCS’s apprentice.
GOP legislators mock the Idahoans who provide your health care » Sandpoint Reader

1 month ago | sandpointreader.com | Lauren Necochea

By Lauren NecocheaReader ContributorLawmakers are elected to serve the people of Idaho, by the people of Idaho. Any Idahoan who approaches our elected leaders with concerns should be treated with dignity and respect. Sadly, we saw an utter breakdown of this basic decency during a recent legislative panel at the College of Eastern Idaho.
Mickey 17 is another stellar satire from Bong Joon-ho, despite what some critics say » Sandpoint Reader

1 month ago | sandpointreader.com | Zach Hagadone

By Zach HagadoneReader StaffApparent simplicity belies deep meaning in the best stories, and the 2025 film Mickey 17, from writer-director Bong Joon-ho, is a puckish masterclass in the art of dramedy-sci fi-satire. Its premise is as seemingly basic as it is irresistible: What kind of life would a person live if they could die and be immediately 3-D printed back into existence, complete with all the memories of all those times they lived and died?
Sandpoint P&Z votes to approve Church St. multi-family development plan » Sandpoint Reader

1 month ago | sandpointreader.com | Zach Hagadone

By Zach HagadoneReader StaffAfter a three-hour meeting that included a public hearing May 20, members of the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-2 to approve the multi-family housing development proposed on Church Street, albeit with conditions.
May 2025 election results » Sandpoint Reader

1 month ago | sandpointreader.com | Zach Hagadone

By Zach HagadoneReader StaffBonner County voters went to the polls May 20 in an election that featured no candidates for local offices, but did include a number of taxing district levies — including in the West Bonner County School District and fire districts throughout the county.
The flag flap is stupid » Sandpoint Reader

1 month ago | sandpointreader.com | Zach Hagadone |Ben Olson

By Zach HagadoneReader StaffAccording to most sources, the first flag — as we would recognize it today — was hoisted somewhere in either what we call the Indian Subcontinent or China as early as the first millennium BCE. Historians debate, but it appears that the Zhou dynasty of present-day China sported a white flag carried before its founder, which was meant to identify his personal authority and carried with it the explicit demand to be treated with likewise respect.
Early voting in May 20 election ends Friday » Sandpoint Reader

1 month ago | sandpointreader.com | Zach Hagadone

By Zach HagadoneReader StaffThe window for early voting in the Tuesday, May 20 election closes Friday, May 16, with ballots accepted until 5 p.m. at the Bonner County Elections Office (1500 Hwy. 2, Suite 124, in Sandpoint). Voters will also have until 8 p.m. on May 20 to get their absentee ballots to the Elections Office, though the deadline has passed for requesting an absentee ballot. In-person voting will take place 8 a.m.-8 p.m. at designated polling places.
Sandpoint City Hall formally opens new downtown parking lot » Sandpoint Reader

1 month ago | sandpointreader.com | Zach Hagadone

By Zach HagadoneReader StaffOfficials from City Hall, the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency, construction representatives and members of the public gathered May 13 to officially cut the ribbon at Sandpoint’s newly rebuilt downtown parking lot. Located between Church and Oak streets, and now accessible through a single entrance/exit on Third Avenue, the parking lot project began in earnest in early April with the goal of completing the work before Lost in the ’50s, which begins Thursday, May 15.
Church Street multi-family development to go before P&Z » Sandpoint Reader

1 month ago | sandpointreader.com | Zach Hagadone

By Zach HagadoneReader StaffThe two-phase proposed apartment development at 413 and 417 Church St., in downtown Sandpoint, is taking an unorthodox path through the application process with a public review Tuesday, May 20 before the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission. Fronted by Lindon, Utah-based OZ Sandpoint QOZB, LLC., the first phase would include a 47-foot-tall, four-story building with 48 one-bedroom and studio units and 618 square feet of commercial space at the street level.