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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
High-speed pursuit ends in crash, arrest
75¢
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Volume 110, Number1 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages
Newport. They clocked the speed with a radar reading of 85 mph in a 60 mph speed zone. Deputies acNEWPORT – A high-speed tivated their lights and sirens and chase that started in Spokane attempted to pull the vehicle over. ended with the driver crashing in The suspect vehicle slowed as if it Newport Sunday, Feb. 3. were going to pull over then took Washington State Patrol got a off at a high rate of speed, passcall from a citizen that a driver ing two cars and nearly causing a was leaving Spohead on collision, “No body was hurt, so kane eastbound according to a on State Route 2 at we were very fortunate.” news release from speeds in excess of the Pend Oreille 100 mph, making Alan Botzheim County Sheriff’s unsafe passes. Just Pend Oreille County Sheriff Office. before 11 a.m., For safety reaWSP alerted Pend sons, as the chase Oreille County Dispatch. The neared the Newport city limits, vehicle was described as a silver deputies turned off their lights convertible with a black top. and sirens and stopped pursuit, Pend Oreille County depusheriff Alan Botzheim told city ties responded and observed the council members during his vehicle near Highway 2 and Gray Road, about 3 miles southwest of SEE CHASE, 10A BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER
COURTESY PHOTO|JERRY MAHN
Audit reveals $700,000 in overpayments Newport School District, state will negotiate over repaying money BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – A state audit of the Newport School District found the district had received $712,524 in overpayments from the state for the district’s Alternative Learning Experience Program for the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years.
Whether and how much the district will have to repay will be the subject of negotiation between the district and the state Office of Public Instruction. “As far as the audit process goes, there are no time constraints,” said Nathan Olson, communication director for OSPI. “The Audit Department is essentially done; the work now is between OSPI and the district. I can’t say what the final disposition will be beSEE AUDIT, 9A
Arlie Bacon works on a job site in North Dakota. Bacon drives truck, hauling trash from construction sites. He says there is plenty of work in the Williston, N.D., area, especially for people with commercial drivers licenses.
Local workers find economic salvation in North Dakota BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – The wind is whistling as Tom Brimmer talks on his cell phone from somewhere in northwestern North Dakota. “I’m on a job site,” he says. “I can’t really talk right now.” Brimmer is doing what many have relocated to North Dakota to do: work. Brimmer drives truck, hauling water. The area near Williston, N.D., is in the midst of an economic boom driven by oil exploration. The boom is expected to last at least another 10 years. Back in Pend Oreille County, his longtime girlfriend, Karleen DeVries, says she misses him.
“We talk on the phone every day,” she about 100 feet.” He had to pull his truck over says. “I would gladly be there if I could.” and wait for the visibility to get better. Arlie Bacon, 57, is also a truck driver from Bacon says he went there to work because Pend Oreille County. He has been in North his wages in eastern Washington hadn’t Dakota since October 2011. He hauls trash increased in 10 years. now, after initially taking a “It ain’t nothing like home.” “In fact, they were going job hauling crude oil. down,” he said. “It was eiBacon works six days a ther do something different week, about 70 hours. He Arlie Bacon or I was going to lose the North Dakota Worker lives with a roommate in house.” a house provided by his Buddy Moody is anemployer. other Pend Oreille County “It ain’t nothing like home,” Bacon says. resident who works in North Dakota. He North Dakota is flat and mostly treeless. He works as a drywall contractor. He moved says it is pretty windy. “The other day it got there about three months ago. His reason down to 3 degrees,” he says, with a strong wind and blowing snow. “The visibility was SEE WORKERS, 2A
Newport teachers, coaches served Wiley well
SEE WILEY, 9A
SEE CARIBOU, 10A
OF THE MINER
|| Sheriff reports on Newport crime
NEWPORT – Two burglaries were reported in Newport during the month January. In one case, a padlock was removed from a shed and a turkey cooker was stolen. In another, someone pried open the front door of a residence and stole a shot gun. Both cases are active. Sheriff Alan Botzheim gave his monthly report to the Newport city council Monday, Feb. 4. He said calls are pretty consistent with numbers from a month and a year ago. People are targeting parked vehicles. Botzheim said thieves are looking for unlocked vehicles. In one case, speaker wires were undone in attempt to steal the sound system. In another the ignition was damaged when someone tried to start the vehicle. In other crime, the ticket booth at the rodeo grounds
OF THE MINER
CHENEY – Jake Wiley, the 6-foot-6-inch star athlete from Newport, is still a Grizzly. But now he is a University of Montana Grizzly. He was in Cheney Saturday night, where a contingent of his Newport fans watched Montana lay a 65-46 beating on Eastern Washington University in a Big Sky Conference game.
BY DON GRONNING
MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING
BY JANELLE ATYEO
SPOKANE – A handful of conservation groups – with Priest River-based Selkirk Conservation Alliance amongst them – issued a lawsuit Thursday, Jan. 31, that challenges the habitat designated for woodland caribou in the southern Selkirk Mountains. When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated land for the endangered caribou this past November, the acreage was greatly reduced – by about 90 percent – from what was originally proposed. The original plan was met with great opposition from Bonner County commissioners, the Idaho State Snowmobile Association and others in the Priest Lake area, where resort business
High school star on varsity at University of Montana
Jake Wiley had a number of Newport area fans at Saturday’s game in Cheney. After the game he spent time talking with them. Here he shakes hands with Joe Sutton.
Conservation groups sue over caribou habitat
B R I E F LY
was tagged with graffiti.
Ecology investigates burning at Diamond Lake DIAMOND LAKE – Complaints from area residents about the possible burning of hazardous material near Diamond Lake has prompted an investigation by the state Department of Ecology. Monday, Feb. 4, staff from Ecology’s air quality division visited the site at 6003 North Shore Road on the east side of the lake. Ecology’s Paul Rossow said they are investigating the situation, gathering evidence and looking into the history of the people involved. From the photos he has seen, he said it looks like there were some prohibited materials in the fire. The state doesn’t allow burning of building materials. Todd McLaughlin, Pend Oreille County’s natural
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resources planner, said the contractors were asked to extinguish the fire and haul the material out. He looked into complaints when neighbors said contractors were demolishing houses nearby the wetlands. McLaughlin said the houses were demolished within their original footprint and there was no damage to the critical areas.
County, Inn at the Lake owners negotiating NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County commissioners and their attorney, Stanley Schwartz, held an executive session Friday afternoon, Feb. 1, to discuss litigation over the Inn at the Lake vacation rental. Commission chairman Mike Manus said he couldn’t say much about the executive session, but did say the commissioners, attorneys and owners of the Inn held a
conference call Monday, Feb. 4. The Inn had been issued a notice of violation and order to correct by the county for not having a vacation rental permit and because of a lack of building permits for three bedrooms and two bathrooms that were constructed before the current owners bought the property in 2010. A hearings examiner upheld the county order earlier this year. The owners have until Feb. 7 to appeal to Superior Court. County community development director Mike Lithgow said the county and Joe and Gayle Cagianut, who own the Inn through the Cagianut family trust, are in discussions about how to implement the hearing examiner decision. “We should know more in a week or so,” Lithgow said.
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