021517newportminer

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The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 115, Number 3 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages $1.00

Hospital district needs more patients Two revenue sources are dependent on Obamacare

By Michelle Nedved Of The Miner

NEWPORT – Newport Hospital and Health Services wants new patients. In fact, they need new patients if the Affordable

Care Act – or Obamacare – is indeed repealed. The expansion of Medicaid in Washington state, along with a federal drug discount program, is what keeps NHHS in the black; while the lack of Medic-

aid expansion in Idaho is becoming a problem. Budgeted revenues for the last quarter of 2016 were close to spot on the actual numbers. The hospital district recently reconciled budgeted to actual

revenue and expenses at the end of the year. Gross patient revenues were budgeted to be $43,959,000, and actually came in at $43,751,149 in 2016, a difference of $207,851.

However, revenue deductions were more than $1 million over what was budgeted, at $16,266,812. This includes bad debt and charity. Bad debt is where patients aren’t willing to pay; charity is

when patients aren’t able to pay. The state of Idaho didn’t elect to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, like Washington and See Hospital, 2A

Greg Snow is new Community Development Director By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner

Courtesy photos|Perry Pearman

Ice diving Some 35 members of Pend Oreille County Fire District 4, Fire District 6, Pend Oreille County Search and Rescue and South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue conducted ice rescue training at Wilderness Lake Sunday, Feb. 12. After two hours of classroom refresher training, the crews took to the ice to practice retrieving victims from the frigid waters. In the top picture firefighter Stephanie Thomson relaxes in the frigid waters, kept warm in the new Mustang Survival Suit. In the other photo, Fire District 4 Chief Nick Knaack instructs responders in use of the ice rescue sled. Although there are only a couple calls a year for ice rescue, it is critical to be efficient when minutes count to retrieve someone in the water. Ice rescue equipment is stored on response vehicles in stations at Diamond Lake, Sacheen Lake and Dalkena. With the warmer weather anticipated this week, the ice will be very dangerous to walk on. Courtesy photos|Perry Pearman

NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille County Board of Commissioners hired Greg Snow of Oldtown as the new Director of Community Development Monday, Feb. 13. Snow, who has been the City of Priest River Planner/Development Coordinator since May 12, 2015, replaces Mike Lithgow who accepted an intergovernmental relations position with the Kalispel Tribe last fall. As the County Director of Community Development, Snow will oversee current and long range planning activities, the issuance of building permits, and management of County Parks. His starting salary is $60,000 annually. He is expected to start his new duties on March 6. Prior to his job in Priest River, Snow worked as a planning and economic development consultant in northeast Washington

State, Idaho, Montana and South Dakota. The chair of the County Commission said in a written statement, “We are excited to be able to add someone with the breadth and depth of Greg’s Snow experience to our team. He understands the challenges we face and he sees the same opportunities that we do. He gets it. His experience in working with private developers and local economic development organizations will be extremely valuable to us.” Snow is also the chairman of the Bonner County Planning and Zoning Commission and has served as the chairman of the Priest River Urban Renewal Agency. He was responsible for building, planning, public works, parks, and See Snow, 10A

Selkirk contemplates four-day school week Public meeting Feb. 22

By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner

METALINE FALLS – The pubic will get the opportunity to chime in on the possibility of Selkirk School District switching to a four-day school week Wednesday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m.

at the Cutter Theatre. According to Selkirk School District Superintendent Nancy Lotze, no decision has been made. The final decision, she says, will rest on the feedback the district receives from parents. If approved, the days would need to be slightly longer

with 40 minutes added to each of the four school days. “The district’s focus on economy and efficiency may be slightly different from other districts who consider a fourday school week to save money,” says Lotze. “Selkirk’s motivation in considering this waiver

is on economy and efficiency of time and staff, not necessarily funding.” In 2009 the Washington State Legislature passed House Bill 1292, which allows school districts to seek waivers from the requirement of 180 school days in order to operate four-

day weeks. The Selkirk School District has 250 full-time equivalent students, making the district eligible to submit a waiver. If the State Board of Education granted Selkirk a waiver, the See Selkirk, 2A

B r i e f ly Indivisible meeting Feb. 21 NEWPORT – The first Indivisible Pend Oreille County meeting will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m., at 900 West Fourth Street in Newport. “We’re getting together to talk about the Affordable Care Act, the environment, Social Security, Medicare and more. Join us for coffee, cookies and conversation,” said Gail Cory-Betz, one of the group’s founders. “We look forward to meeting others in the area who would enjoy an open discussion.” The Indivisible movement is a movement of more

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than 5,000 individual groups across the country formed after the election of President Donald Trump. There is at least one Indivisible group in every Congressional district, says Carol Schaeffer, another group member. The Pend Oreille group is small, with four or five members, but plans to grow, Cory-Betz said. For more info email indivisiblependoreillecounty@ gmail.com

Selkirk Theatre Arts spring play March 17, 18 METALINE FALLS - The Selkirk Theatre Arts pro6B-10B

gram, comprised of junior high and high school students, will perform two one-act plays Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at The Cutter Theatre. The shows are Superheroes, a funny, fastpaced series of vignettes that show what life is like for superheroes while they are in street clothes, and Dystopia: The Hungry Maze Games of Divergent Death. The second play is a satirical take on both reality television and dystopian young adult novels. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students. The Cuter Theatre is located at 302 Park St, Metaline Falls.

Opinion

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Record

5B

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1B-2B

Legislature

7A-8A

Life

3B

Police Reports

5B

Obituaries

5B

Public Notices

6B-10B

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