Coverage of trespass controversy is biased

I was present at the Bonner County Commissioners meeting Feb. 6. In your article, Lauren Reichenbach writes "Bowman's presence made many at the meeting feel unsafe, a meeting attendee said". 

A. The attendee who said that can only speak for him or herself, not for "many." I was seated about a foot from Dave Bowman, throughout the Commissioner Chat, and was not threatened in any way. He didn't say anything to anyone, just sat quietly in the meeting for the entire hour. It was only when Luke Omodt arrived that the problem started, initiated by Omodt. 

B. It is a really cheap shot by the reporter when she wrote he "returned to the Administration Building armed with a handgun as well as a pocketknife." The way this is written is "yellow journalism" plain and simple, whereby a news organization, the Hagadone News Network, presents a story by using "exaggerating news events, scandal mongering or sensationalism."

C. I will state again, that Dave Bowman sat quietly within one foot of me. He was wearing a "hoodie" over his T-shirt like he always does. It's winter, he was cold. You couldn't tell he was armed; he wasn't brandishing, and the reporter would only know he was armed because she saw him being searched in the course of his unlawful arrest. 

D. And just to be plain, unlawful arrest as a citizen's arrest, demanded by Luke Omodt, is not anything unlawful on the part of our law enforcement agencies.

E. The Hagadone News Network is a woke left news organization, trying to influence our local politics prior to the next election. They run large puff pieces for Mark Sauter, a RINO who has been censured by the Bonner County Republican Central Committee because of his voting record in Boise last year. They love Jim Woodward, also because of his liberal voting record, which lost him his seat as Bonner County's representative.

If the Bonner County Daily Bee is going to report on issues in Bonner County, at least try to be impartial. Your favoritism is showing.

F. The article in the BCDB states, in the first paragraph, that Dave "arrived at the meeting despite the ban." Dave was there for more than an hour before the regularly scheduled Bonner County Commissioner's meeting. He came at 8 a.m. for the Commissioner Chat, and sat quietly in the meeting, not bothering anyone, and certainly no one alleged they felt unsafe. When he was arrested, the BCDB states Omodt left the room "amid insults being hurled at him."

This is not true. No one hurled insults. This is just more sensationalism. There were murmurs of disagreement regarding Omodt's actions, but no "hurling of insults."

CATHERINE FAHRIG

Sandpoint

Editor's note: The story indicated that Idaho is a concealed carry state and that Idaho law allows residents to do so, as clearly noted by the reporter. In addition, all District 1 representatives have been invited and are participating in the Notes From Boise column to help them stay in contact with the community's voters and residents. Jim Woodward was allowed to write a My Turn opinion to not show bias toward any candidate since Scott Herndon is running for re-election.