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The Newport Miner

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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 110, Number 3 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages

County has more money than anticipated

Receives more than $500,000 last day of year BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County ended up with $629,000 more than it budgeted for in 2012, mostly because of a $512,000 payment received Dec. 31, county treasurer Terri Miller said. “Basically, this is like a windfall,” she said. Most of the money – $385,000 – came from deferred sales and use tax from a large project and covered about an eight-year period, she said. On big projects, a business can defer paying a sales and use tax until the end of the project, which is what happened, she said. Instead of having $620,000 remaining in the current expense fund for 2012, the county had nearly

$1.25 million. ticipated sales and use tax money that was probably Other sources included a larger than anticipated coming and they voted in mid December to use the sales and use tax collection and unbudgeted revmoney for cash reserves. The board has also talked enue. about using the funds for building maintenance and The county used $200,000 to bring the cash repair. reserves fund back up to $1 The county also moved some money million. The county set a “Basically, this is like a around in the 2012 and 2013 budgets folgoal of keeping reserves at $1 lowing a public hearing Feb. 5. windfall.” million because that is what “Anytime there are revenues or expenses it costs to cover payroll and that aren’t budgeted, you need a suppleTerri Miller keep the county operating mental budget hearing to make them a part for two months. Because of of the budget,” auditor Marianne Nichols Pend Oreille County Treasurer budget problems, the cash said after the meeting. She said there were flow reserve had dropped to three such hearings for the 2012 budget, $800,000. Some years when including the Feb. 5 hearing. the fund dropped to zero, they would have to borrow Along with Nichols and Miller, Jill Shacklett, data to meet payroll and other expenses. processing coordinator for the auditor’s office, went Miller told the commissioners about some unanover the adjustments with county commission-

75¢

ers Mike Manus and Steve Kiss during the Feb. 5 hearing. County commissioner Karen Skoog was in Olympia testifying before the Legislature. Nobody from the public showed up at the meeting and testified. Following the hearing, commissioners passed resolutions to change both the 2012 and 2013 budgets. For 2012, the county used $99,500 from the current expense fund to pay loans made to other funds, including $25,000 to growth management and $50,000 to emergency management services. The county used a $4,000 water trails grant from the Economic Development Council to pay for office supplies and things such as signs for the Pend Oreille River water trail. An additional $400 was used to pay for personnel SEE COUNTY, 2A

Emergency helicopters now land at PNC PNC’s landing pad is lighted 24 hours a day and is kept plowed of snow in the winter. USK – Emergency medical Pearman compiled the GPS locahelicopters can now land at tion, photos and a list of hazPonderay Newsprint near Usk, ards, including some overhead which gives a centrally located wires, and submitted them to and safe access point for those Life Flight, a medical helicopter needing medical transport company. The goal is to tie assistance. Pearman’s son, Joe, Perry Pearman, emergency services worked at the mill the fire chief at over the summer and throughout the the paper mill painted a giant H in and a member of county with the mill. the landing area. South Pend Oreille This is a free serFire and Rescue, vice that both Life Perry Pearman said emergency Flight and MedStar PNC Fire chief command vehicles can use. The mill has carry a list of EMTs working at its about 10 locations gate 24 hours a day throughout the county where that have communication with emergency helicopters can land the 911 dispatch center, giving to transport patients to area even easier access to emergency hospitals. The list includes inservices. formation about any hazards at Pearman said the goal is to tie each location the pilots need to emergency services throughbe aware of when they land. SEE PNC, 2A BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER

COURTESY PHOTO|WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

This yearling female from the Diamond Pack in Pend Oreille County was photographed in June 2010.

Wolves not a problem in Pend Oreille

Salecky takes pride in health job

Legislation focuses on controlling wolves that attack livestock BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER

Plans to come home to northeast Washington

NEWPORT – While wolves in Washington are on the forefront of legislative and county debate, conflicts with the recovered animals in Pend Oreille County are non-existent. Pend Oreille County is home to three confirmed wolf packs – Smackout, Salmo and Diamond, and there’s a possible unconfirmed pack, Ruby Creek, also in the area. But there have been no cases of livestock depredation in the county, and most reported sightings of the animals are unconfirmed. Wildlife agent Severin Erickson, of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said there is plenty of wildlife in Pend Oreille County for the wolves to feed on. This keeps them from attacking livestock. He’s seen video and photographs from wildlife cameras of wolves mingling with free range cattle, both living together without any attacks. Erickson explained that wolves don’t naturally have a taste for cattle. They prefer deer and elk. If a dead cattle carcass is left out,

COURTESY MAP|WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

Three confirmed wolf packs are located in Pend Oreille County, and a fourth is suspected. There have been no reported cattle predations, however, and wolves have SEE WOLVES, 2A been seen mingling peacefully with cattle.

|| Meeting addresses fate of Hospitality House NEWPORT – An open meeting is set for Tuesday, Feb. 26, to discuss the future of the Hospitality House senior center in Newport. The meeting is from 5:30-7 p.m. at 216 S. Washington Ave. The Hospitality House is in need of volunteers to take over for an aging board of directors. Anyone interested in helping out or with ideas should attend. The board has decided to close the doors in October if the community shows no new interest.

Rural Resources receives grant for job training COLVILLE – Rural Resources Community Action, which serves Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry and Lincoln counties, recently received a $74,375 grant from Inland Northwest Community Foundation to provide job train-

B R I E F LY

ing and work experience opportunities to teens and adults. Rural Resources hopes to increase participation in its on-the-job training and workforce experience programs. The training program targets unemployed or under-employed adults while the workforce experience program pays youth for up to 200 hours of work at a nonprofit or public sector worksite and assists them in earning a diploma or GED, gaining basic work skills, or to access post-secondary training. “Funding for these programs is at its lowest in 10 years, but demand for assistance has stayed steady,” said Greg Knight, executive director of Rural Resources. “Youth and young adults aged 16-24 have reached record highs for unemployment rates. Washington State has been ranked in the bottom 10 for youth employment

point to our behaviors,” Salecky said, especially smoking. Salecky, 65, announced her BY DON GRONNING retirement after nearly 15 OF THE MINER years as head of the state’s Department of Health. OLYMPIA – Prevention is an During her time as head important concept in public of DOH, Washington’s health, according to outgoing adult smoking rate has Washington State Secretary dropped 30 percent, and of Health Mary Salecky. Salecky youth smoking rates are Salecky says whether it down by half; childhood is through vaccination, eating vaccination rates are the highest and exercising better or stopping in years. smoking, people can take steps Smoking has been one of the to improve their health and help more persistent problems she has prevent disease. “Almost all our chronic diseases SEE SALECKY, 2A

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rates.” The grant is a result of the Building Community Philanthropy Initiative launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2012. Inland Northwest Community Foundation received $350,000 through the program for use in eastern Washington counties.

ORVs may get the run of more roads OLYMPIA – Hoping to clear up rules for just where people can ride their off road vehicles, the Washington Legislature is considering a bill to open more roads to ORVs. House Bill 1632 had a hearing before the transportation committee Feb. 11. It would open any public road with a speed limit of 35 mph or less to ORVs. Currently, cities with a population of less than 3,000

can designate roads where ORVs can run, as many north Pend Oreille County towns have done. Counties can do the same. Norris Boyd, chairman of the Pend Oreille County Republican Party, noted that ORV recreation brings in tourism dollars. “We’re tired of watching people drive through Newport to go to Idaho to play on their ATVs and snowmobiles,” he said. The bill would also increase the age of those allowed to operate an ORV from 13 to 16 years, and operators must have a valid drivers license. New under the law, ORV owners would be required to purchase a metal license plate for the back of the vehicle, similar to those used in Idaho. Revenue would be used to engineer for mixed use roads, erect signage, and law enforcement.

SPORTS 1B-2B - RECORD 5B - POLICE 5B - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS 6B-10B - PUBLIC NOTICES 8B-10B - DOWN RIVER 9A - LIFE 3B - OBITUARIES 4B-5B


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