The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Fires are up this year
By Caneel Johnson Of The Miner
OLDTOWN – Six structures were destroyed or damaged by fire over the course of a week in Cusick, Newport, and Oldtown. The Excess Disposal Service building on Highway 2 in Oldtown burned to the ground Wednesday, Feb. 20. The structure fire was called in at 6:42 p.m. West Pend Oreille Fire District responded to the call and arrived on the
scene shortly after. More than 25 firefighters and nine vehicles were on scene. In addition, three vehicles from South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue and three service vehicles from Pend Oreille Fire District No. 4 assisted them. A space heater was the cause of the fire, said Les Kokanos, fire chief of West Pend Oreille Fire District. No one was in the structure when the fire started. It took more See Fires, 2A
Volume 117, Number 5 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages $1.00
Miner photo|Michelle Nedved
Firefighters work to get a fire at the Excess Disposal Service under control Wednesday, Feb. 20. The fire, started by an electrical heater, destroyed the building.
Is there need for an EMS district?
Board wants closer look at EDC finances
By Caneel Johnson Of The Miner
NEWPORT – To form a district or not to form a district? That is the question Pend Oreille County Commissioners were considering at their meeting, Monday, Feb. 18, to ensure emergency medical services continue. “If we don’t do something our local ambulance service will go bankrupt, according to reports
By Don Gronning Of The Miner
USK – Pend Oreille County Economic Development Council members wanted to hear more detailed financial reports at the monthly meetings and floated the idea of hiring another part time worker to help with those financial reports. “We’re dealing with enough funding that we may need a part time person or to contract it out so we can have financials every month,” Pend Oreille County Commissioner Mike Manus said at the monthly meeting at the Camas Center Wednesday, Feb. 20. “We’ve been pretty loosey goosey.” PUD Commissioner Rick Larson asked EDC treasurer Melannie Jones how much time she spent preparing the reports. Like all except EDC Director Jamie Wyrobek, Jones
I have gotten,” county commissioner Mike Manus said. “The payment model is horrid in Pend Oreille County and most rural counties. It is a national problem.” The insurance companies pay well, but most of the people living in the area using the service are on Medicaid or Medicare. According to Manus, Pend Oreille Paramedics is currently only getting an average of 21 cents on the dollar. Med-
icaid only pays 25 cents on the dollar and Medicare only pays 20 cents on the dollar. “We are for the EMS district,” said John Jackson, part owner of Pend Oreille Paramedics. “It is the only way an EMS service will survive around here.” Pend Oreille County is only one of three counties in the state that does not have an EMS district. County commissionSee EMS, 2A
Plans for RV park underway By Caneel Johnson
See EDC, 2A
Of The Miner
NEWPORT – There are some very ambitious plans to upgrade the rodeo grounds and softball field and build an RV park and BMX track in Newport. City administrator Russ Pelleberg presented those plans at the city council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 19. The city is hoping to partner with the county, PUD, school district, Rotary and other entities to accomplish these plans. “This is kind of a
Miner photo|Don Gronning
Pend Oreille Economic Development Council Treasurer Melannie Jones listens to questions at the Feb. 20 Pend Oreille County Economic Development Council meeting held at the Camas Center.
work in progress,” Pelleberg said. “Before we wanted to give a whole big thing to you guys, we wanted to put the feelers out there to see if there is any interest with our partners in moving forward. I am pleased to say every one of the people we have approached are 100 percent on board.” The plan is to bring the softball fields and BMX track up to tournament standards that will, in theory, bring more people to Newport and therefore more revenue.
An RV park and hotel go hand in hand with that theory; by giving people more events to attend and places to stay there is more opportunity for them to spend money at local businesses. “As we start building these facilities and having these things in town we will attract more people,” Pelleberg said. The rodeo grounds have already gone through some upgrades. The Newport Rodeo Association and the PUD have done
some upgrades to the wiring and lights. The city, rodeo association and possibly the PUD are partnering to reorganize the electrical pedestals for the vendors to make it more organized. Pelleberg plans to relocate the electric pedestals where the vendors usually are located around the edges of the rodeo grounds during rodeo events. Then spider boxes can be used to make the locations of the vendors more flexible. Spider See Council, 2A
B r i e f ly A Day at the Beach Feb. 27
Gunshot wound under investigation
Upcoming levy meetings
NEWPORT – The Grizzly Discovery Center is hosting A Day at the Beach Wednesday, Feb. 27, 5:30-7 p.m. at Stratton Elementary School. The evening will focus on de-stressing and self-regulation techniques to help students find calmness and be able to manage anxiety in class, life, and on upcoming standardized tests. Family members are invited as well. There will be a free soup and salad dinner, a family presentation in the school library, gift prizes and more.
NEWPORT – There was a report of an accidental gunshot wound on Roberts Road in Newport Jan. 8. The account given by the witnesses leaves some questions for the Pend Oreille Sheriff’s Office. “The story does not make a lot of sense so we are trying to clear things up,” Blakeslee said. “They are not being very cooperative.” The sheriff’s office is still investigating the incident. The wound was superficial, sheriff Glenn Blakeslee said.
PRIEST RIVER – Have questions about the West Bonner County School District’s upcoming levy? There are upcoming meetings that the public is encouraged to attend. A public town hall meeting is in the Priest River Junior High Auditorium Wednesday, March 6 at 5 p.m. WBCSD Superintendent Paul Anselmo will host a coffee chat Thursday, March 7 from 5-6 p.m. at Infinity Café, located at 5770 Highway 2.
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