Split shutouts
Mixed media
Lady Lions win 6-0, lose 1-0 in soccer matches
Three artists’ works at D*SIGNS Gallery exhibit
Methow Valley News
SPORTS Page B1
ARTS Page A5
PUBLISHED WEEKLY SINCE 1903
TWISP, WASHINGTON
VOL. 113 NO. 20
WWW.METHOWVALLEYNEWS.COM
SEPTEMBER 23, 2015
$1
Judge: commissioners had authority to close Three Devils Road to the public Ruling still pending on whether related trial is warranted By Marcy Stamper
The Okanogan County commissioners had the prerogative to close Three Devils Road as part of their manage-
Photo by Marcy Stamper Judge John Hotchkiss
ment of the county’s road network, according to Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss. But Hotchkiss is still evaluating whether a jury trial is warranted to determine if the commissioners’ decision had been unlawfully influenced by their business and personal ties with members of the Gebbers family, who operate the company that requested the road be closed. At the hearing in Okanogan County Superior Court on Friday (Sept. 18), Hotchkiss heard testimony from attorneys for Okanogan County, Gamble Land and Timber, and Chiliwist Residents & Friends, a citizen group that is challenging Gamble Land’s efforts to have the county close 3 miles of the road to the public. Gamble Land petitioned the county in February to close the road to protect their adjoining property from trespassing and vandalism. The Chiliwist Residents say the road provides an important escape route in case of fire and is a way to access public lands. They filed the lawsuit in June after the county commissioners voted 2-to-1 to close the road. See ROAD, A3
Photo courtesy of Emily Buzzard Bayne Buzzard, age 5, coaches his Nigerian Dwarf goat, Noodle, on his debut at the fair. “He’s just the sweetest goat,” said Bayne’s mother, Emily Buzzard.
The county fair — from pearls to swine Annual event, delayed by fire, runs through weekend By Marcy Stamper
Methow Valley News file photo A small cabin on Flagg Mountain has been the focus of controversy and a lawsuit.
Controversial Flagg Mountain cabin will apparently be moved New location could resolve legal battle By Don Nelson
The owners of a small cabin on Flagg Mountain near Mazama apparently have begun the process of moving the structure to a nearby site from
which it won’t be visible from the valley floor, according to communications provided to the Methow Valley News this week. Moving the cabin would seem to resolve a lawsuit over its location, and perhaps assuage Mazama-area residents who have been unhappy that the
Senior pride Members of the Liberty Bell High School class of 2016 — Danny Rodriguez, Claire Waichler, Skyler Fitzmaurice and Ella Hall — add their class year to the stylized mountain lion face they painted on the school’s water tower. Photo by Laurelle Walsh
See HUT, A2
It’s easy to imagine why a pig — which can easily gain three or four pounds a day at 6 months of age — would not be thrilled about being on a diet. But some kids who’ve been raising pigs and other livestock all summer now have to monitor the animals’ weights because the Okanogan County Fair was postponed while the fairgrounds were still in use as a fire camp. Needless to say, the animals just keep growing. “They’re taking them on walks, running them around the pen. They’re a bit cranky,” said Suellen White, leader of the Methow Valley Cascaders 4-H Club. To compensate for the additional growth, fair livestock managers increased the upper weight limits and also reduced the low end, since animals that were evacuated may have lost weight from the stress, said White. The 68th-annual fair is Thursday (Sept. 24) through Sunday (Sept. 27). Most events are still happening at the same time as published in the fair book, but you can find the latest updates on the fair’s website at okanogancounty. org/fair. Call (509) 422-1621 for more information.
Pigs on rations
There are 17 kids from the Methow Valley taking pigs to the fair this year and, while some of the animals are well within the range, others are getting rationed feed. The pig being raised by White’s 8-year-old granddaughter Emma White already weighed 325 pounds two weeks ago, five pounds above the cut-off, said White. “I hope they’re on the Weight Watcher plan — to make it on the scale,” said Emily Buzzard, the 4-H project leader for rabbits. Buzzard’s family also raises purebred Berkshire pigs on Benson Creek. “There are so many factors that go into it — it’s more complicated than throwing food in to the bin and saying, ‘grow,’” she said. Having a pig, steer or sheep outside the weight range doesn’t mean kids can’t show their animal at the fair, since there are special under- and over-weight classes. Kids get to show their animals in the ring and can get premium money for them. The main difference is that they won’t be able to sell them through the fair’s market sale, said White. The weight range is selected primarily to produce desirable sizes of pork chops and other cuts. The flavor and texture will be just as good for a pig out of the weight class. This is finish fat that the butcher would trim anyway, said Buzzard. “They’re just losing that extra jiggle that isn’t necessarily needed,” she said. Other Methow Valley kids will be
showing rabbits, poultry and goats at the fair. Buzzard’s 5-year-old son, Bayne, is taking his Nigerian dwarf goat, Noodle.
Other talents
Methow Valley residents will also be displaying their talents in other arenas. Linette Grayum is entering a dress she knitted from unspun Icelandic wool. “Working with the unspun yarn was a new exercise for me — it was really fun,” said Grayum, who plans to make a jacket this winter from the leftover yarn. Unspun wool poses challenges since it splits and tears easily, but it is incredibly warm and more resistant to rain and wind than spun yarn, said Grayum. As soon as she finished the dress last winter, she put it on and went out for a ski as snow was falling. “I got pretty warm pretty fast,” she said. Grayum has been knitting since she was a child, but has taken on more ambitious projects in recent years, designing her own patterns and making lacy shawls, one of which she will show at the fair. “It’s really relaxing and therapeutic,” said Grayum. “I always take a small project when I’m backpacking — like a hat — to work on while sitting on a crag. It’s an addiction for me.”
Most events unchanged
The date change had little effect on fair vendors and entertainers, according See FAIR, A3
Jamie’s Place says farewell to one of its founders Brandenburg will be stepping down as administrator
By Laurelle Walsh
Sheila Brandenburg, founder and chief administrator at Jamie’s Place adult family homes in Winthrop, is stepping
Photo by Laurelle Walsh Sheila Brandenburg, standing left, here with Angie Ochoa, Mallory Brandenburg and Sue Peterson, is leaving her post as chief administrator and nurse at Jamie’s Place.
down from her leadership and nursing roles in the organization. Brandenburg cites personal and family responsibilities as reasons for her departure, but said she “may be involved with Jamie’s Place in some capacity” — such as a seat on the board of directors — in the future. “This has been a huge, personal, wonderful journey,” Brandenburg said. “I’m invested in seeing this place succeed and continue to grow.” Although her resignation is effective Sept. 30, Brandenburg figures she will have wrapped up her job by the end of the year, she told the News. “I’m dealing with a lot of issues that the families here have been dealing with,” said Brandenburg, whose father is a resident at Jamie’s Place. “I want to spend more quality time with him … but it’s hard to be the daughter, the boss and the RN and deal with all these roles at once,” she said. “I’m really good at this with other people, but not so much on my own.” Helping her brothers run their father’s See BRANDENBURG, A3