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The Newport Miner THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 112, Number 2 | 2 Sections, 16 Pages 75¢
Teck mine almost fully staffed Startup on schedule heading to full production in April those employees had worked the mine before in some
BY DESIREÉ HOOD OF THE MINER
METALINE FALLS – The Pend Oreille Mine, operated by Teck American Inc., is producing ahead of its target after about six weeks of production. “The startup is going quite well,” General Manager Mark Brown said. “The crews are settling in.” Brown said they have hired about 220 employees, on their way to a full staff of 236. Brown said about half of
‘The startup is going quite well.’ Mark Brown
Pend Oreille Mine General Manager
capacity. The hiring has slowed down, and they are filling in on the needs of specific crews.
MINER PHOTO|ROSEMARY DANIEL
Rockslide on Highway 31
SEE TECK, 2A
Forest Service designates snowmobile trails
NEWPORT – Area Forest Service managers will designate roads, trails and areas where snowmobile use can occur on national forest lands. Previously, managers had the discretion to choose to designate specific areas for snowmobile use. “The Forest Service always seeks to provide a wide range of motorized and non-motorized recreational opportunities,” U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said in a press release Jan. 27. “This policy maintains community input and local decisionmaking so that those with knowledge of local areas can decide how to best balance natural resource issues with legitimate SEE FOREST, 2A
Highway 31 and Boundary Road were closed Friday afternoon, Feb. 6, due to a rockslide. Heavy rains throughout the region and high winds Friday evening caused several hazardous conditions. Highway 31 was closed at milepost 11 later that evening because
of downed trees and mudslide closed the same area Saturday because of a mudslide. Spring thaw road restrictions are in place on many roads in the region.
Fish delayed passage at Box Canyon BY DESIREÉ HOOD OF THE MINER
IONE – Fish will wait another year before heading upstream of Box Canyon Dam as construction on the fish ladder has been delayed. The PUD filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) to delay the Box Canyon Dam Upstream fish passage completion date by one year because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) did not complete the biological opinion in time for construction to start this year. The upstream fish ladder construction was originally scheduled for a February 2015 start. Because of lim-
ited construction seasons for river flow conditions, the fish ladder has a twoyear construction schedule. If FERC approves of the delay, the upstream fish passage should be operational by 2017, PUD Director of Regulatory and Environmental Affairs Mark Cauchy SEE FISH, 7A
Jail conditions draw prisoner complaints
Most complaints unwarranted, jailers say BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – There is no fresh fruit for prisoners in the Pend Oreille County Jail. Neither is there television and radio. Prisoners don’t get non-crisis mental health counseling, nor Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. They are locked in cells most of the day. Meals are frozen meals prepared in Airway Heights. Recreation time has been severely limited. The result is inmates aren’t staying physically or mentally
healthy, writes Jacob Frueh in a letter to the editor in this week’s paper. Frueh is serving a sentence for driving with a suspended license. “The majority of the inmates here are angry and very depressed and some inmates have talked about committing suicide,” he wrote. Frueh has regularly written local newspapers with his complaints. Capt. Geoff Rusho of the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office runs the Pend Oreille County Jail. He reads all incoming and outgoing mail, so he’s aware of Frueh’s letters. Rusho says the letters have inaccuracies. Frueh has written several letters before this, but The
Miner didn’t publish them, waiting to check on the allegations. The Miner doesn’t knowingly publish false information. Frueh alleged that prisoners were denied access to reading materials, including a law library. He said a bookcase that held books for prisoners is gone. Rusho says Frueh is unhappy about not being allowed to be a trustee. He MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING
Left: In this 2013 photo, Jacob Frueh is shown getting a frozen meal ready at the Pend Oreille County Jail. Frueh was a trustee then, allowed out of his cell to help. There are not many trustees now, as there isn’t as much work for them to do, according to jail staff.
says while the bookcase is gone, it was replaced by a rolling book cart that comes to prisoners’ cells regularly. Rusho says an inmate was dismantling the other bookcase to make a weapon. Prisoners are allowed three books at a time in their cell, none of them hardback. As to the law library, Rusho says prisoners are entitled to access to the legal system, but for most prisoners, that is accomplished through contact with their attorney. Only prisoners who are officially representing themselves are entitled to access to law books, Rusho said. If a prisoner has the court’s SEE JAIL, 2A
B R I E F LY Newport concludes interviews for prosecutor
NEWPORT – The city of Newport wrapped interviews with five attorneys seeking the city prosecutor position vacated when Dana Kelly became a public defender for the county. City clerk Nickole Schutte said all five candidates who applied were interviewed. City officials hope to have a city prosecutor hired by the end of the month. The county contracted to prosecute for Newport for 60 days or until a new person was hired. The contract was for “reasonable compensation” for the county, which was agreed to be an hourly rate based on the salary of the
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deputy prosecutor who handles the city cases, she said.
No county commissioners meeting Monday, Tuesday NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County offices will be closed Monday, Feb. 16 for the Presidents Day holiday. County commissioners won’t meet Feb. 16 because of the holiday and will also not meet Feb. 17 because of lack of a quorum. County commissioners Steve Kiss, Mike Manus and Karen Skoog will all be out of the office on personal business. 5B-6B
Rain causes sink holes along railroad line
USK – The Port of Pend Oreille declared an emergency during the commissioner meeting Tuesday, so the district can purchase rock to fill a 3-foot sinkhole along railroad tracks near Albeni Falls Dam. The hole was apparently caused by the heavy rains.The emergency declaration allows the purchase without going out for bid, according to port manager Kelly Driver. Driver said the port ran a special work train on Sunday after a track inspection found the sinkhole. On Monday, the port only ran a work train so they can haul ballast and tamp up the low spots.
OPINION
4A
RECORD
4B
SPORTS
1B-2B
LIFE
3B
POLICE REPORTS
4B
OBITUARIES
4B
PUBLIC NOTICES
7B-8B
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