Letter to the Editor
An open letter to the people of Boundary and Bonner Counties, Idaho, and Lincoln County, Mont.
As the mother of Ezra L. Skinner, concerning the recent unbelievable, un-characteristic, shocking behavior for his part in the horrific murder of Mr. Travis J. Gillett in Lincoln Co., Mont., in January 2017.
I truly apologize to the family and friends of Travis and especially to his grieving mother. I can only imagine the intense pain and unrelenting suffering my son has caused them ... (and our family.)
My purpose is to let people know that alcohol and drugs and lies played a devastating effect in this case and is not an excuse.
My son, Ezra, had a lot of good qualities and potential to make and have a good life for himself but threw that all away when he made the choice to go contrary to what he was taught from his youth.
I am so sorry for him and for all the families and friends who knew Ezra and loved him so much.
Ezra will be greatly missed here in North Idaho, and so will Travis Gillett in Montana.
We can only hope for ‘that day’ ... and in the meantime we will be “waiting patiently at the end of the trail ...”
Thank you all for your prayers and support for both families.
Love, Momala
Bonners Ferry
P.S. — EZ, Thank you for coming forward, after the fact ... to try to make things right.
Road: Solutions besides widening
This letter involves the recent meeting on the widening and reconstruction of the Westside road, and two simple things to consider before widening the entire road.
The first being the curve at the road and the entrance to the deep creek launch — in the winter, the dark, or fog, this curve tends to appear from nowhere. I have been in contact with several agencies for over six months in regards to this ... simply placing an arrow here will indicate the bend. But nothing has been done other than a variety of homemade arrows miraculously appear. A five-minute fix and a $30 sign would solve this.
More pressing, and perhaps before the entire road is widened, the one lane bridge needs handling. This is a definite hazard and as one of the many daily drivers of the road it all seems we have come close here. An easy solution with help from the refuge would be to remove the brush, allowing for a better line of sight through the bridge area — as would simply slowing down.
The farmers, loggers, and long-term residents of the road have it fairly well worked out between us ... we know the joggers and the bicyclists and simply pay attention.
Taking care of these items would be far better than widening the whole stretch of road, and if you cannot replace an arrow, how are you going to service some type of bike warning system? Simply a thought.
Jim Nabors and “Buster Dawg”
Bonners Ferry