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The Newport Miner

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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 109, Number 52 | 2 Sections, 24 Pages

County lays out options for Inn at the Lake Owners offer lawsuit threat following denied appeal to hearing examiner BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

DIAMOND LAKE – Pend Oreille County Community Development Director Mike Lithgow has laid out several options for the Inn at the Lake Bed and Breakfast to come into compliance with county law following a hearing examiner’s Jan. 14 ruling upholding the county’s notice of violation and order to correct violations. The violations were of the build-

MINER PHOTO|JANELLE ATYEO

Christina Tefft of Newport dismantles the controls for her underwater robot to test a fuse. Patrick Molvik, right, is the instructor for the SeaPerch program. In his day job, he’s an engineer with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Acoustic Research Detachment on Lake Pend Oreille.

Sparking an interest

Underwater robotics program aims to get kids thinking about careers in science BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – By the year 2018, there will be more than 282,000 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers in Washington mostly in computer occupations. That’s 8 percent of all jobs statewide and a growth of more than 55,000 jobs in 10 years. In an effort to encourage a robust STEM workforce, the Office of Naval Research is sponsoring a program that SEE STEM, 12A

COURTESY GRAPHIC|GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

According to a recent study on the need for STEM careers, those with majors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics earn $500,000 more than non-STEM majors over a lifetime.

Portion of Kings Lake snowmobile route temporarily closed NEWPORT – The Colville National Forest and Stimson Lumber Company have temporarily closed the popular Kings Lake groomed snowmobile route in Pend Oreille County for the remainder of the 2013 season. Browns Lake Road and the Upper Browns Lake Road are part of the Kings Lake groomed snowmobile route system that allows access to the north shore of Browns Lake. The road will be closed this winter due to private commercial timber

harvesting and the resulting log truck and equipment traffic on the road. “It is unfortunate this temporary closure is necessary, but we feel the logging activities we were recently made aware of are a risk to public, contractor and employee safety,” said Gayne Sears, district ranger for the Newport and Sullivan Lake districts. There are currently two other closures in the valley this SEE SNOW, 2A

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ing code and vacation rental ordinance. The options ranged from making the Inn a single-family residence, operating the Inn as a bed and breakfast, with the proper permits, or operating the Inn as a vacation rental, with a vacation rental permit. All the options would require a county inspection and most would require that one of the rooms not be used as a bedroom because it did not have proper ingress and egress. “Voluntary compliance is always preferred,” Lithgow told The Miner. “That’s what SEE INN, 2A

Legislators plan telephone town hall OLYMPIA – Recently“These telephone town halls appointed state Senator John are a great way to touch base Smith, R-Colville, will join his with a lot of people in a way 7th Legislative District seatthat’s convenient for them,” mates, Reps. Joel said Kretz, RKretz and Shelly Wauconda. “Our Short, in hosting W H AT ’S N E X T: district covers a lot a telephone town THURSDAY, JAN. 31 at 6:30 of ground and is hall Thursday, p.m. call 1-877-229-8493, about as far away then enter pin 15429. Jan. 31 at 6:30 from Olympia as p.m. Residents you can get and wishing to participate in the still be in Washington – so hour-long “community conwe know it’s tough for folks to versation” should call toll-free make the trip over to the state 1-877-229-8493, then enter pin 15429. SEE CALL, 2A

Hospitality House needs fresh faces Aging board is ready to pass the reins or close the doors BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – The Hospitality House in Newport needs community help. The senior center, which hosts a number of events and groups each month, is operating by an aging board of directors who are ready to pass the reins to new faces or possibly close. Karen Rothstrom, secretary/ treasurer for the Hospitality House, said she’s the youngest

on the board at age 76. The rest are in their 80s and 90s and are getting too old to carry on decision making and operations. “They don’t want the responsibility,” Rothstrom said. “We’re just keeping it open for people who already use the building,” which is many. Senior citizens meet there for coffee and cards, and various other events and activities are held there throughout the year. Rothstrom estimates nearly 100 people in total use the building on a monthly basis – 50

Tillie Kiehl, left, and Karine Brooks, right, follow Fit and Fall Proof Instructor Joanne Richter Monday morning at the Hospitality House. The classes, which help seniors stay in shape, are held every Monday and Thursday from 8-9 a.m.

SEE HOUSE, 2A MINER PHOTO|MICHELLE NEDVED

|| GOP coalition, Democrats tussle over committee leadership in Senate OLYMPIA – Tensions between the new Republicancontrolled coalition and their Democratic counterparts in the Senate boiled over last week after Democrats proposed restructuring the chamber’s Facilities and Operations Committee, reported The Capitol Record’s Chris West. The proposal would have put three members of each party on the committee, with Lt. Gov. Brad Owen serving as the non-voting chairman. The committee is charged with administrative tasks, and is currently handling an investigation on how documents detailing complaints of verbal abuse brought against Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, were leaked to the Associated Press.

B R I E F LY

Members of the majority coalition blocked the measure on a 25-24 vote. Democratic Minority Leader Ed Murray, D-Seattle, said the committee should be focused on the safety of employees, not the leak. He said the investigation has had a “chilling effect on employees who want to bring complaints.” Sanctions against Roach stemming from allegations she had mistreated staff in 2010 were lifted last week and she is seen as a key vote in the new majority coalition. Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom, D-Medina, has said he will lead the leak investigation himself. The report from the Associated Press concluded Roach violated Senate policy last March by verbally attacking a staffer.

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Commissioners have office hours

tact the clerk of the board Liz Braun at 509-447-4119.

IONE – Pend Oreille County Commissioner Steve Kiss set regular office hours to meet with citizens and work on county business. The first and third Wednesdays of the month from 3-7 p.m. he’ll be at the Ione Libray at the community center. Commissioners Mike Manus and Karen Skoog said they plan to also set office hours at the old county courthouse building. For now, to reach them they said that people should call the county commissioners’ office and they will return the call and arrange for a meeting. Appointments can also be made to meet with Kiss in Ione by calling the office. To arrange to be on the agenda of their regular public meetings Mondays and Tuesdays, people should con-

PRIEST RIVER – The preliminary hearing of the Priest River man accused of murdering his pregnant wife is postponed until March so he can undergo a psychological evaluation. Jeremy Swanson, 27, is accused of stabbing his wife, Jennifer Swanson, repeatedly with an ice pick and kitchen knife in the head, chest and back while she lay in bed. She was 15 to 18 weeks pregnant at the time. Idaho allows murder charges in the case of an unborn fetus, and Swanson faces two counts of first-degree murder. The murder occurred Dec. 18 at their home in Priest River.

Hearing in murder case moved to March

SPORTS 1B-3B - RECORD 10A - POLICE 10A - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS 9B-12B - PUBLIC NOTICES 11B-12B - DOWN RIVER 11A - LIFE 9A - OBITUARIES 10A


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