Parker Subaru is committed to making a lasting, meaningful contribution to the local fight against food insecurity in the Coeur d’Alene community. Since its official unveiling in October of 2018, the Parker Subaru Food Pantry, an open-air donation collection box, has been consistently stocked and maintained by the dealership as a way to give freely to the community. With the message “Take what you need, give what you can!” printed brightly on its signage, the instant impact o

If you haven’t yet visited the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, you might not consider a visit to the library to be an occasion. You may associate library visits with the standard image of dusty textbooks, a quiet atmosphere—and perhaps not much more. On the other hand, if you have stepped through the doors of Coeur d’Alene’s impressive two-story downtown public library, odds are you’ve found yourself immediately immersed in much more than searching for books. With your first st

For one special night in February, people in cities across the world will simultaneously celebrate an opportunity for guests of all abilities to have a dazzling prom night experience. Night to Shine, an annual event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, is a chance to come together to support, recognize and honor the special needs community. The Foundation is committed to bringing faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day, inspired by Tebow’s experiences on intern

There will be no shortage of holiday cheer this season in the area encompassing Coeur d’Alene, Hayden and Post Falls. Events catered to all ages and interests are lined up during December through New Year’s Day, allowing the region to thrive in celebration of the most festive time of year. There is guaranteed to be something for everyone on the schedule for Coeur d’Alene’s holiday happenings! On Friday, December 6, take a break from the holiday shopping rush to enjoy a few la

October is a favorite of many Northwesterners. A sunny day with a bit of a bite in the air but no snow on the ground makes for a lot of smiles. It’s also the last chance to get out and enjoy dry ground before the November rains and December snows start to fall. All around the region there are fall activities, many culminating around Halloween. You can sample seasonal foods and drinks, select that perfect pumpkin, enjoy carnivals and entertainment or be scared completely out o

Let’s talk opera. When you think of opera, do you envision an elegant evening of spectacle and emotion presented by some of the most gifted artists on earth? Then you’re thinking of Inland Northwest Opera, and your season tickets are one of your most treasured possessions. Or do you think of opera as two portly people in slightly musty costumes and horned Viking helmets (which the Vikings never wore by the way) standing two feet apart and bellowing Wagner at each other for se

As she pointed out inventions, airplanes and photos spanning more than a century of United States history, Rachel Riddle Schwam found herself apologizing for mixing up the dates on a few displays at the new location of the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center. The double-checking was understandable. There are a lot of dates for her to keep track of. Some items go back at least 150 years. “You’ve got old airplanes, new airplanes, antique inventions to modern day invention

As a child growing up in small-town California, Gary Watson liked to bury treasure. The treasures he buried were rocks, ones he painted with paint from his parents’ auto body shop. But one thing about the paint—specifically the lid of the paint can—always bothered him: It just never looked shiny. “At a very young age I noticed that the silver and gold paint cans had a shiny top, but the paint that came out didn’t look like that. It’s still like that today,” Watson said from h

Mac Miltz really just needed to borrow a trailer, and he knew Ben Spinney had one. Simple enough. But once the two got to talking on their drive from Sandpoint to Spokane, ideas began to churn. “We started talking about this concept and idea, and between other jobs we kept working on it,” Miltz said. “Then Grey (Whittier) came on board, and within a year, a year and a half, we ended up finding the right piece of property, and that’s how it all jumped off.” And so born was Mou

Once a meat-and-potatoes town with only a handful of high-quality restaurants, Spokane is now a culinary delight filled with choices to satisfy and challenge any pallet. You can still find a great steak, but choices in seafood, wood-fired pizza, small plates, gourmet burgers, world cuisine and an emerging vegetarian option scene are bringing the Lilac City to the forefront of dining in the West. Even the most dedicated diners would have a tough time hitting all of Spokane’s b

The final straw was a very large branch. And when it fell on her son’s car, Sharalee Armitage Howard knew the centenarian tree in front of their Coeur d’Alene house had to go. “He had literally just won the Hayden’s Got Talent competition,” Howard said of her juggling, harmonica-playing son, “and within a half hour a branch fell on his car.” She and her husband had long figured they needed to remove the tree, but the most recent crash accelerated those plans. It was a dauntin

Food has always been the centerpiece of just about any society. When ancient cultures would meet and introduce themselves, an exchange of each culture’s delicacies and staple foods was typically at the forefront. Europe’s demand for spices from India and China during the spice trade opened up all kinds of new trade routes and continued the sharing of cultures and goods. As our world continues to become more and more connected, these ingredients that were once incredibly diffi

We all know that we are truly blessed to call Coeur d’Alene our home. Not just because of its natural beauty but because of the community in which we live. It is a community made up of the young, the young at heart and everyone in between. We are from all walks of life, financial status, retirees and those with aspirations yet to be fulfilled. The hospitality, kindness and generosity of those who live here can be seen not only this holiday season but throughout the year. We a

It’s the time of year when stores are filled with people shopping for the holiday season and children eagerly await their chance to tell Santa exactly what is on their wish list this year. But for many families, it is a stressful time as they lack the resources to provide much more than food and shelter for their families. Thanks to Toys for Tots, families in Kootenai County and around the country no longer have to deal with the stress of how to make their child’s Christmas m

One of the main reasons so many longtime residents of the Inland Northwest rave about their community is the generosity of their neighbors. People hold the door open for the next person and smile and say “hello” when walking down the street. We shovel our neighbors’ driveways and sidewalks come winter and support hundreds of nonprofits that help the most vulnerable in our communities. Across the region, thousands of people are employed by, volunteer or donate to organizations

Gather nature enthusiasts, outdoor adventurers, history buffs or anyone seeking a day of beauty and exploration for a ride on The Route of the Hiawatha. Running along the old Milwaukee Railroad bed, this 15-mile journey has been called “the most scenic stretch of railroad in the country.” It’s always a great time to ride the Hiawatha, but 2018 is a particularly special year as June marked the celebration of its 20th anniversary! Visitors are welcomed seven days a week from la

During the heyday of mining and timber production, North Idaho was at the forefront of emerging technologies in the industries that help power the world. Today the landscape is much different with many businesses becoming reliant on tourism in order to survive and expand. Walk into just about any hotel, café or restaurant and you’ll find a ‘Help Wanted’ sign for server, busser, front desk, housekeeping, bartender or barista. This is keeping unemployment in the area very low,

I’ve traveled a lot. If I wrote a list of the countries I have visited or lived in, it would seem I have seen much of the world. Similar to the irony of gaining knowledge only to realize how much knowledge you lack, however, the more I come to know the people and places of the world, the more I realize there is to know. Despite acknowledging the vastness of the world and its people, I have learned a few things through what I have seen and experienced. I have witnessed poor pe

The plight of medically needy orphans around the globe is a crisis few are aware of. In particular, Ukraine upholds antiquated and overburdened systems where developmentally delayed children are institutionalized in state orphanages where they are often neglected and abused. In 2017, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) reported that 2.7 million children are in residential care (group homes or institutions). Of those, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia had the hig

This definitely isn’t your average Sunday cookout in the back yard. Meat lovers, prepare yourselves for a barbecue like you’ve never experienced before. You won’t want to miss this American smoked and fired foods adventure coming to Settlers Creek this summer. From the Ashes was born from two tragic events, according to Wendi Haught, co-owner for the event planning and production company Framework Meetings and event planner for From the Ashes. “After the barn fire at Settlers