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The Newport Miner

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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 109, Number 51 | 3 Sections, 28 Pages

Local sheriffs push back against any new gun laws public statements declaring they would not enforce “unconstitutional laws.” Obama, a Democrat, took 23 executive actions last week, including requiring background checks for all gun buyers, improved incentives for states to share information

BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Republican sheriffs in Pend Oreille and Bonner counties joined their counterparts across the country in issuing

BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille County Economic Development Council’s budget that was adopted last December anticipates $366,000 in revenue for 2013. Most of that money – $163,044 – comes from a state Department of Ecology grant. That grant is to plan what to do with the Teck mine site in the north county after it is permanently closed sometime in the future. Part of the Teck mine site

BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Promoting tourism requires a paid staff member, Rob Willford said at the Jan. 16 board meeting of the Pend Oreille County Economic Development Council. Willford, executive director of the Tri-County Eco-

SEE MEETING, 2A

SEE BOTZHEIM, 8A

Bonner county sheriff’s statement

on background checks and directing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to research gun violence. Obama also urged Congress to reinstate a ban on assault weapons and limit ammuni-

SEE SHERIFFS, 8A

Wheeler

SANDPOINT – Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler posted a 483 word statement on the Bonner County Sheriff Office’s website at www.bonnerso.org. It reads in part: “ ... I urge you to push back by contacting your Idaho

SEE WHEELER, 8A

BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER

SEE BUDGET, 2A

nomic Development District, proposed the EDC provide $5,000 to hire a part time staffer for the Northeast Washington Recreational Tourism Team (NEWSTART). The $5,000 represents a third of the $15,000 he proposes to spend to hire a staffer to work

Botzheim

NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County Sheriff Alan Botzheim, who released an open letter to the public about gun control, Tuesday, Jan. 22, posted this statement to his “Alan Botzheim for Sheriff” Facebook page last week. “As Sheriff of Pend Oreille County, I was elected by our

Building gets an upgrade, addition on the wish list

is a Brownfield, meaning it is contaminated, in this case with mine tailings and other hazardous materials. The EDC gets 9 percent of the grant to administer it, $17,595 of the $195,500 grant. They plan on receiving $163,044 of the grant in 2013, in addition to $32,456 the EDC received last year, according to figures distributed at their monthly EDC board meeting, which took place Jan. 16 in Newport. Most of the money will be paid to consultants as the work is done.

Money sought for part time tourism development staff

Pend Oreille sheriff’s statement

Create Arts Center caters to the kids

Economic Development Council budgets $366,000 for 2013 Teck future plan is biggest project funded by grant

75¢

NEWPORT – Things are looking a little brighter for the Create Arts Center – both literally and figuratively. The building – a former church – on the corner of Fourth and Fea in Newport, recently got some electrical upgrades, including new lighting. And after a period where funding for the arts dried up in the recession, Create is sustaining. Giving a tour of the recent improvements, Create president Randy Haa showed where new lights were installed. The children’s art room in the basement got daylight fluorescents, which the painting class likes because they give truer colors. The narrow basement hallway got bright fluorescents too. And upstairs, more track lights were added to better light up the main room. Create received a little more than $6,500 in funding from the Pend Oreille County Economic Development Council. Haa said they hired local contractors to do the work. “We want to keep the money here,” she said. In other work done this month, the basement kitchen had a plug-in installed that can accommodate an oven. There were also three more plug-ins installed on the floor of the stage, making power more accessible for musicians’ speakers and amps. The fire alarm system was upgraded, and a security system will be installed. Haa said they haven’t had a problem with break-ins in the past, aside from their porch furniture going missing, but they do house some expensive artwork from time to time and they want it protected. SEE CREATE, 2A

MINER PHOTO|JANELLE ATYEO

Young dancers in Patty Braunstein’s morning class at Create Arts Center dress as kittens to do a dance that teaches them basic ballet skills Monday, Jan. 21. With their teacher, the ballerinas are Ellianna Seaver, 4 ½, left, Jillian Ramey, 4, and Hayden Ward, 3. Dance classes have been booming at Create.

County focuses on facilities

While viewing the Hall of Justice’s problem boiler, public works director Sam Castro gives commissioner Karen Skoog a form he would like departments to use to request repairs.

BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – After years of temporary fixes and patches, Pend Oreille County officials are making an investment in their buildings. “We see the need to do some maintenance on some of our existing buildings because if we don’t we’re going to keep having more damage and more damage,” county commisSEE FACILITIES, 8A

Commissioners sign wolf delisting petition Kretz makes bid to move wolves to West Side BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille County commissioners agreed to sign a petition to remove the gray wolf from the state of Washington’s Endangered Species list last week. The petition is organized by the Eastern Washington Council of Govern-

ments. While wolves are no longer listed on the federal list of endangered species and are actively managed in other Northwestern states such as Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, they are still protected in Washington. Idaho has a wolf hunting program in place to help manage populations. SEE WOLVES, 2A

MINER PHOTO|JANELLE ATYEO

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Newport to Sandpoint bus run in works

Tax filing help available

Boundary license delay concerns Seattle

NEWPORT – People may be able to take a bus between Newport and Sandpoint starting later this spring or early this summer. Beth Mulcahy, contract manager for Special Mobility Services, the Portland-based firm that transports people back and forth from Spokane to Newport and Priest River, says the company is the process of finalizing funding for such a run. “We’re moving along,” she says. “The funding is being finalized.” The run would operate Tuesday to Thursday, which is the same days the Spokane to Newport and Priest River run currently operates. “It would probably be a couple times a day,” she said.

NEWPORT – The IRS tax season will open Jan. 30, and help is available locally to assist you with filing your federal income tax forms. The AARP Tax Aide program will open at the Hospitality House in Newport Friday, Feb. 1. It will be open every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until the end of tax season. The free tax filing help is available to elderly and low-income people, including free e-filing. If you worked in the last year, you may be able to receive the earned income credit. No matter how much you made, even if no federal taxes were withheld, you may be eligible. For more information on the Tax Aide program, call Karen at 509-292-8628 and leave a message if there is no answer.

SEATTLE – Seattle City Light managers are concerned about the delays in issuing Boundary Dam’s new license. Superintendent Jorge Carrasco sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Jan. 14. He pointed out that the utility has been working with FERC on relicensing since 2004. “SCL has complied with all FERC regulatory filings in a timely manner,” he wrote. The final license application was filed Sept. 30, 2009, two years before the old license was set to expire. SCL used the new “integrated licensing process” that set concrete deadlines. “We appreciated the value of ensuring the volume of information was delivered in a timely manner,”

Carrasco wrote, adding that the process also assured some level of certainty as to when the license would be issued and the overall costs. Carrasco noted that the city has based its budget, rates and staffing with the anticipation that the license would be issued in 2012. One settlement agreement tied to the Boundary License is the Pend Oreille PUD’s Sullivan Creek Hydroelectric Project. As mitigation for Boundary, SCL will be assisting the PUD with removing Mill Pond Dam and other work tied to surrendering the license for the small hydro project that no longer produces power. The PUD sent its own letter to FERC earlier this month, asking for a decision on the Sullivan Creek license by March 31.

SPORTS 1B-3B - RECORD 5B - POLICE 5B - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS 6B-7B - PUBLIC NOTICES 8B - DOWN RIVER 7B - LIFE 4B - OBITUARIES 5B


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