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VOL. LXXI NO. 16
SERVING THE GRAND COULEE DAM AREA, WASHINGTON STATE
JULY 20, 2011
New council takes control on reservation
newly-elected member from the Omak District, was named CBC vice-chairman. Darlene Zacherle, After a sometimes-heated elec- another new CBC member, from tion season fueled by popular Keller, will serve as council secdemands for change, the Colville retary and chair the Employment Business Council seated five new and Education Committee. Andy members Thursday, then elected Joseph, Jr., an incumbent counnew committee heads in an atmo- cil member who won re-election sphere mixed with respect, concil- from the Nespelem District, will liation and new momentum. serve again this year as chairman At the anof the Human nual swearServices Coming-in cer“The people have placed mittee and was emony for their trust in us, and have selected as the the governNespelem Dissent us a clear message that trict Represening body of they expect forward-looking, Confederattative on the ed Tribes of decisive and fair leadership. CBC’s Executhe Colville tive CommitWe will not let them down.” Reservation, tee. Michael O. “I didn’t re— Michael Finley Finley was ally want to CBC chair re-elected to run against the top leadanybody,” said ership position of the Tribes. Finley, Brooks, who had defeated vetfrom the Inchelium District, will eran councilmember Mike Marchserve his third consecutive term as and. Brooks on Thursday praised chairman of the CBC. Marchand and fellow outgoing “I am honored to again serve as Omak council member Shirley chairman of the Colville Business Charley, plus Keller’s John StensCouncil, and look forward to work- gar, who lost to Zacherle, for years ing with all of the newly-elected of dedicated service and vast and incumbent members over the knowledge of tribal and national coming year,” Finley said. “We have issues. He noted Marchand had a number of very important issues given him his phone number and to deal with, some big challenges had urged Brooks to call if he ahead, but I know we’re up to the needed any help. task.” “I appreciate your time served Ernest “Sneena” Brooks III, a on this table for us,” Brooks said.
by Scott Hunter
Short time wonder Visitors taking a tour of Grand Coulee Dam Monday peer over the edge of the spillway, taking advantage of their good timing that allowed them to see the Columbia River spilling over the top, a rare occurence in midsummer. The spill, at
about 150,000 gallons a second Tuesday morning, was expected last week to last another week or two. — Scott Hunter photo
Resident questions city’s nuisance authority
by Roger S. Lucas
An Electric City resident is questioning the city’s authority to limit how many vehicles he can store on his property. Ted Christianson, who lives on the corner of Gold Avenue and Sunset Drive appeared at last Tuesday’s city council meeting to spar with city officials on his car collection and city snowplowing practices. He had asked another resident, Steve Salstrom, to speak for him. The city had raised a question about the number of vehicles he had parked around his property. Salstrom said all Christianson’s vehicles were licensed and that state law allows him to have as many vehicles
See COUNCIL page 2
as he wants. Mayor Jerry Sands explained that the city has jurisdiction in such matters if the property is within the city. It was noted that most of the vehicles were “classics” or “collectibles” and that the vehicles were for restoration. Christianson, now speaking for himself, asked why he was expected to keep up city property. Some 20 feet of the corner of his property is city right-of-way, he said. “I landscape it and keep it up,” Christianson said. He then tore into the city for its snow plowing practices. He said that city snow plows threw snow onto his property and wrecked his
See NUISANCE page 2
Hound dog hobby keeps Nespelem man on the wildlife trail by Roger S. Lucas
Jordan Leskinen runs hound dogs. Or you could look at it the other way and say, “hound dogs run Leskinen.” Either way you would be correct. Leskinen, who lives on the outskirts of Nespelem, has about a dozen hound dogs, ranging in breed from “Red Bone,” “Blue Tick,” “Red Tick” and “Plott” to “Walkers,” Walkers being his favorites. He trains and uses the dogs to chase and tree bear, cougar and bobcat. Leskinen does it for the love of the sport, watching his dogs do what they are bred to do. “I take the number of dogs that I have radio collars for (six) and drop them off so they can pick up a scent,” Leskinen said. Then the hunt is on. The dogs actually talk to him and let him know what’s going on.
“Each dog has a distinctive bark, and this changes according to what is going on,” Leskinen explains. When the chase is underway, the dogs let him know. And when an animal is treed, their bark changes so he knows they have something up a tree. While Leskinen takes a gun along for protection, he doesn’t shoot the animals, he said. “When they are treed, that’s the end of the hunt,” he said. “I pet the dogs and let them know that they have been successful, and then try to find another scent to chase.” “I always take a few older and more experienced dogs along so they can teach the younger dogs,” Leskinen said. The husky-voiced dogs tip the scales at 30 to 40 pounds, lean and anxious to work. “They get pretty excited when they see that I am getting ready to go on a hunt,” Leskinen said. He got a taste of hound hunting from his father when he was very young, and about 10 years ago started acquiring his own hounds. They are papered and registered See HOUNDS page 2
Board hopes for more public input by Roger S. Lucas
The Grand Coulee Dam School District board of directors is holding off passing a new discipline policy until the public has additional opportunity to comment on it. At last Wednesday’s meeting, the board voted to move forward on the discipline policy at its July 25 meeting, allowing some extra time for public comment. The board has been skittish on passing the new policy, which tightens up current policy and comes as close as the board wants to go to “zero tolerance” for rules violations by students in extracurricular activities . It offers up a one-time opportunity for a student athlete to correct his or her behavior before being banned for participating in sports activities, a policy that the board feels will be unpopular. The discipline policy had been scheduled for a second reading Wednesday after which time it would have become current policy. However, the board still felt it hadn’t had enough public input on the idea and wanted to provide extra time for comment. You can get a copy of the current proposed policy at the school district office and make comment on it until the board meets next Monday. It is also availble online at: http://ow.ly/5Icwy.
The proposed policy’s provisions include:
Jordan Leskinen with two of his younger hounds, Jane and Ruffian. — Roger S. Lucas photo
• If a student-athlete has an unexcused absence for any portion of a game/practice day, they are ineligible for participation that day. Student-athletes who are serving an out-of-school suspension are not eligible for participation in practice or contests that day. • And student-athletes who have accumulated more than 14
absences in a semester are no longer eligible for any athletic programs that semester. • Student-athletes must be enrolled in a full schedule of six classes and maintain a 2.0 (C) grade point average with no failing (F) grades. • Student-athletes must be free from the presence of, or the association with, or the use of legend drugs (including anabolic steroids), alcohol, tobacco products, inhalants and drug paraphernalia during the athletic season, 24 hours a day, on or off campus. • Student-athletes must understand that their involvement in the use, possession, or association with any of those items may result in suspension from all athletics during the school year. • Student-athletes attending an event but not drinking or using any drugs will be suspended for being in attendance if they did not leave immediately. • Violations may be established by self-admission, reports from law enforcement, reports from a student-athlete’s parents or guardian, observation and verification by competent and reliable witnesses or through a school district investigation. • Students will get a second chance if found in violation if they enroll in an approved alcohol/drug/ tobacco intervention program. • A student-athlete will be allowed only one “first violation” and intervention program opportunity during his/her entire high school career. Appeals can be directed to an “eligibility council” made up of two teachers, a school counselor, a coach and the athletic director. If the student-athlete wants to appeal their decision, it goes to the principal, superintendent and then the school board, in that order. The decision of the school board is final.