PRIEST LAKE WINTER FUN SEE PAGE 6A
The Newport Miner THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 111, Number 50 | 2 Sections, 16 Pages
75¢
Mill Pond removal delayed BY DESIREÉ HOOD OF THE MINER
METALINE FALLS – Seattle City Light, operators of Boundary Dam, and multiple stakeholders have delayed the removal of Mill Pond Dam for more than a year, citing design issues as the cause. SCL and the Pend Oreille Public Utility District (PUD) met a snag in the removal design because the original plan to use WHAT’S NEXT: the dirt to line the riverbanks isn’t PUBLIC MEETING ON suitable. RESTORATION WORK: SCL hosted a telephone conferSaturday, Jan. 17, Metaline Town Hall ence with multiple entities involved in the removal of Mill Pond Dam, Dec. 3, to discuss delaying the project in order to redesign the removal process. “Seattle City Light on behalf of the district will be filing for the extension on the removal schedule for Mill Pond SEE MILL, 2A MINER PHOTO|FRED WILLENBROCK
Metaline Park, Boundary Forebay to get face-lift BY DESIREÉ HOOD OF THE MINER
METALINE – Seattle City Light, operators of Boundary Dam, want comments on restoration work being done at Metaline Park and the Boundary Dam forebay during a public meeting, Saturday, Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. in the Metaline Town Hall.
Scott Thomsen, SCL Senior Strategic Advisor, Communications and Public Affairs, said part of their Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing for Boundary Dam involved mitigation work, and these projects are a part of the relicensing requireSEE METALINE, 7A
Soroptimists serve crab dinner
The Dungeness crab was once again the highlight of the Newport Soroptimists’ annual fundraising dinner at the Newport Eagles. A full house was served the first session starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, and a second at 6 p.m. This is the primary fundraiser for the club. All of the proceeds of the crab feed go to support the many service projects that Soroptimists do each year in the Newport/Priest River area.
K-12: Expensive focus of 2015 legislative debates BY DON GRONNING AND COOPER INVEEN
OLYMPIA – The 2015 Washington Legislative session got underway Monday, Jan. 12, amid predictions of a long and contentious debate fo-
cused on budget and tax votes for the K-12 education system. Rep. Joel Kretz, R Wauconda, represents the 7th District, along with fellow Republican Shelly Short, R-Addy. Krest says the state has enough money to satisfy the state Supreme
Court case about education funding. He says the state projects $3 billion more in revenue for the biennium. “I think that’s more than enough,” Kretz says. SEE DEBATES, 7A
Managing grocery store not like managing county County commissioner Mike Manus says the job has been more difficult, rewarding than anticipated
Karen Skoog were seated three months after Manus took office. Manus was appointed in 2012 by county commissioners John Hankey and Diane Wear to fill the seat vacated by Laura Merrill, who resigned mid term to take a job working for the Washington State Association of Counties. The county GOP submitted three names from which the commissioners chose Manus. He then stood election in
BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of an ongoing series of profiles of local leaders. Pend Oreille County Commissioners Steve Kiss and Karen Skoog were profiled earlier.
NEWPORT – County commissioner Mike Manus has been in office two years but has campaigned for the seat three times. “Two elections and one appointment,” he says, referring to the two times he won election and when he was initially appointed to office. Manus was recently sworn in to his first full four-year term as county commissioner. He has the most tenure of the three person county commission, barely. Fellow Republican commissioners Steve Kiss and
MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING
Left: Mike Manus serves as Pend Oreille County commissioner from district two, which represents the mid part of the county.
2013 for the remainder of Merrill’s term and again this fall for the full term. Manus has spent a career as a manager and business owner. He retired from Safeway after 35 years with the organization, where he rose from boxboy to managing several stores, including the one in Newport. Then he started MK Log Homes in Chewelah after retiring from Safeway. The Safeway experience gave him a background in running a large operation, managing dozens of employees, dealing with unions SEE MANUS, 2A
B R I E F LY PUD appoints members to local clubs
NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille Public Utility District board of commissioners approved the appointment of staff members to local organizations Friday, Jan. 2. The PUD representative at the Greater Newport Area Chamber of Commerce is Nancy Thompson, PUD Administrative Assistant, Regulatory Affairs. Pat Buckley, natural resources manager, was appointed to the Rotary. PUD Line Construction Superintendent Keith Cordes was appointed to the Historical Society. The PUD board appoints staff members to represent the PUD
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at the area clubs and will pay expenses for meals and travel.
Hardened snow keeps Newport from plowing new sidewalk NEWPORT – City maintenance workers started plowing the new sidewalk that runs along Highway 2. “I’d like to keep it open,” said Newport city administrator Ray King. He says he is talking with the Newport school district about sharing plowing duties. The city has used a small John Deere tractor but the hardened snow from the highway has made that unworkable, King said. He said workers had 6B-7B
problems with using the tractor to clear the sidewalk around city hall. King wasn’t in favor of hiring a contractor to keep the sidewalks clear, citing a lack of money.
Apply now for NLI scholarships SAGLE – The Northern Lights Board of Directors authorized ten $500 scholarships to be awarded this year. Applications for the educational/vocational/line worker scholarships are now being accepted and will be awarded at NLI’s 80th Annual Meeting Saturday, May 9, at the Sandpoint Business and Events Center.
OPINION
4A
RECORD
5B
SPORTS
1B-3B
LIFE
4B
POLICE REPORTS
5B
OBITUARIES
5B
PUBLIC NOTICES
7B-8B
PRIEST LAKE WINTER FEST 6A
WHO’S IN CHARGE COMING SOON