Through our lens: Kathy Plonka
Of my 19 years as a photojournalist working for The Spokesman-Review, 18 of those years were spent primarily in North Idaho. I have had the great privilege of being able to document the lives of amazing people. The strength and quiet reserve of Corie Laude, a senior fisheries technician for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, during a trip on the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry was inspiring. The determination revealed by Paul Dunham to fight the neuro-muscular disorder that reduced his body to 83 lbs. was nothing less than amazing. I was awestruck to meet legendary human rights activist, James Meredith. Documenting the methamphetamine epidemic was both dangerous and heartbreaking. I hope I never photograph a man like Joseph Duncan again. Above all it’s the love of telling your stories through photojournalism truly that drives me. Thanks for letting me in.
Section:Gallery
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"I walk 5 miles a day," said Rob MacKinnon as he braved the windy weather during his daily walk through his Post Falls neighborhood on Tuesday, November 19, 2013.
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Ike BlackWolf of Pendelton, Oregon participated in the horse parade at Julyamsh Powwow in Post Falls, Idaho on Saturday, July 27, 2013.
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"Whatever you're dealt in life, you just deal with it," said 83-year-old Paul Dunham as he finishes his morning routine at his home in Hayden on Friday, Aug. 27, 2010. Dunham suffers from a neuro-muscular disorder that has reduced his body to 83 lbs. He and his wife Nancy, who is also disabled, are determined hold on to their independence and live their lives together in their own home.
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"It is a true freshwater cod," said Corie Laude, a senior fisheries technician for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game on the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry on Thursday, January 20, 2011. She is involved in the effort to save the burbot, a freshwater cod. The burbot was overfished in the 1900's and was negatively affected by the Libby Dam.
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Legendary human rights activist, James Meredith, visited the Human Rights Educational Institute in Coeur d'Alene on Friday, October 16, 2015. It was Meredith's attempt at enrolling at the University of Mississippi in 1962 that set off the riots that resulted in two dead, hundreds wounded and many arrested - as well as 31K national guardsmen sent in to enforce order. He is speaking at North Idaho Community College Oct. 16, followed by visits to University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College.
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Cody Harris, 6, pretends to be Superman after using the new slide on his dock on the Spokane River in Post Falls on July 13, 2006. "He'll probably burn 1000 calories a day just using this slide, " said his father Wayne who is constantly coming up with ways to keep Cody busy.
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Twin Lakes logger Darrell Shove can fall a tree in a matter of seconds. Shove is third generation logger.
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Kokanee salmon make their way to spawning ground in Hayden Creek on Friday, September 12, 2014. The early runs of landlocked sockeye turn vibrant red during mating season.
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Border collies, Ida and Rufus, watch for their owner Aaron Keyser of Idaho County while parked near Centennial Trail in Coeur d'Alene on Monday, Sept.12, 2011. Aaron makes furniture from naturally shedded antlers.
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“ Don’t tread on me," said 19-year-old Chantal McKinney of Plummer, Idaho as she held the American flag that has been in her family for generations. She attended the tax protest rally in Coeur d'Alene on Wednesday, April 15, 2009.
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"That's called spook the horse," said Lonney Longwolf as he watched local teenagers screech tires in a parking lot at Priest River.Lonney came to Priest River because he was promised a job as ranch hand. Disagreements ensued and he lost his job. He and his horse Commanche are now homeless.
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Joseph Duncan, left, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping stemming from a brutal triple-murder in Wolf Lodge Bay in May 2005 during a hearing at the Kootenai County Sherriff's Department Justice building in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on Monday, October 16, 2006. Reflected in the glass is Public Defender investigator Mark Durant, middle, and Kootenai Country Sheriff's Detective Brad Maskell.
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A cross made of steel breaks loose as crews continued to battle the arson blaze at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Bonners Ferry on Thursday, April 21, 2016.
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Amber Phipps smokes methamphetamine in the morning hours at a friend's house in Coeur d'Alene. The high will last up to 12 hours. The drug can be made with common drug and hardware store ingredients. Phipps said, "People do drugs, drugs don't do people. If you can't control the drug, you shouldn't be doing it."
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Alexus cries at the screen door for her mother. "My mommy. My mommy. My mommy." Amber stopped by her mother's house for about a half an hour after social workers said she could have her daughters every other weekend. Amber left again to hang out with her friends in Osburn. "This will do something to her the rest of her life," said Alexus' grandmother, Cindy Roberts.
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