Charting a bright path into the future
Caroline Lobsinger
It's hard to believe that the year is almost over.
While I've never been one for New Year's resolutions — I figure why wait for an arbitrary date on the calendar to start a good habit or break a bad one — I do admit to a fondness for history.
Knowing where we've been, what's happened in the past and who's played a part in our collective story has always fascinated me. While the larger-than-life names of history grab the headlines and the lion's share of the attention, it is the average people behind those individual who add to its fabric, adding rich detail and vibrant colors.
For every George Washington leading the battle were the average soldiers in the trenches fighting toward that common dream of freedom. For every Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, there are the computer programmers and software designers who transform numbers and letters and the intricacies of coding into everything from your favorite game to a budget spreadsheet to the ability to text a quick hello to family and friends.
Looking at our history, on what's happened before, helps us chart our way forward — celebrating our successes and casting a reflective eye on mistakes. We're able to build on what worked and tweak things that didn't.
We're able to come together to achieve amazing things.
Consider North Idaho College, with its commitment to the community and to creating job opportunities, developing sustainable and profitable local businesses, and building a skilled workforce.
“This is the real heart of what we do,” NIC President Nick Swayne told the legislators recently gathered in the Schuler Performing Arts Center. “We want to build and be part of a community where our kids can stay when they grow up. We need to have good roads, good healthcare, good schools and a place where they can get a good job that pays well.”
Or the economy, which while difficult in some regions was relatively solid in Idaho, according to Sam Wolkenhauer, economist with the Idaho Department of Labor.
“Idaho threaded that needle and made it through four years,” Wolkenhauer said. “Good is the word."
It was a brilliant year for the region — and the state at large — in terms of tourism with the Idaho Travel Council reporting in August that total lodging tax collections for fiscal year 2024 reached $21,778,515, a 2.4% increase over fiscal year 2023.
Entities in Region 1, which encompasses the five northern counties and cities such as Sandpoint, Coeur d'Alene and Wallace, received nearly $1.9 million of the funds.
By looking back at where we've been and all that has happened, we can charter a clearer path forward — together.
— Caroline Lobsinger, North Idaho Business Journal
