The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 116, Number 5 | 2 Sections, 16 Pages $1.00
Planning Commission’s plans wait in the wings By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner
NEWPORT – There could be some changes to how Pend Oreille County handles conditional use permits, when the Pend Oreille Planning Commission can get together to discuss the subject. Those changes could include switching conditional use permitting from administrative approval to permits being approved by the planning commission, accompanied with a public hearing. According to District No. 1 planning commissioner Norris Boyd, that’s just a proposal at this point. “It’s just something that we’re looking at, we haven’t decided anything official yet,” Boyd said. “Besides, we have to get together first.” The commission, made up of nine appointed volunteers (three from each district), hasn’t met in two months. The January meeting was canceled due to a legal notice regarding the meeting not making it to the newspaper in time for deadline, and February’s meeting scheduled Feb. 13 in Cusick, was canceled because of lack of a quorum. According to the planning commission’s bylaws, a quorum consists of five members being present at a meeting in order to discuss official business. “Since the Planning Commission members are volunteers, I would prefer not to single them out for
Miner photo|Sophia Aldous
Smelter protest makes presence known About 100 protestors from Pend Oreille and West Bonner counties marched to oppose the proposed HiTest silicon smelter Saturday, Feb. 24. The procession walked up Union Street and down Washington Street, stopping outside of the PUD building. Citizens Against Newport Silicon Smelter (CANSS) organized the march.
Washington state moves closer to bump stock ban
See POC, 2A
By Taylor McAvoy
‘Turning over rocks’
WNPA Olympia News Bureau
OLYMPIA – A bill that would ban bump stocks, a device that increases a weapon’s rate of fire, is a step closer to becoming law in Washington state. SB 5992 passed the House of Representatives 56-41 on Friday, Feb. 23, largely along party lines. The bill passed in the Senate 29-20 on Jan. 25. All three 7th District legislators – Sen. Shelly Short, R-
Priest River looks at funding options By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner
PRIEST RIVER – Water, sidewalks and the downtown were some of the topics tackled at the Feb. 20 Priest River City Council meeting. In a possible cost saving effort, Mayor Jim Martin said he and department heads met with Welch Comer Engineers of Coeur d’Alene last Tuesday to look at replacing a backup 1 million gallon reservoir with a smaller one. It was determined at the meeting that a 400,000 reservoir could serve the requirements of updating Priest River’s water system, a project that began in 2009 to bring the city’s water system into compliance with Idaho State drinking water standards. “It obviously would be beneficial to the city if we could fulfill our requirements to the updated water system and potentially save money doing so,” Martin said. Welch Comer will work with Priest River Public Works to reevaluate the city’s needs and the potential cost savings of a smaller tank. Over $5.8 million has been invested in the city’s water system between 2009 and 2014 via a 2009 revenue bond. The 1 million water tank is a backup for the city’s water system. It was determined to be in need of major repairs, if not a full replacement in recent months.
Addy, Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, and Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic voted against the ban. The votes came in the wake of a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., last week in which 17 people were killed at a high school. Since then, Parkland students have traveled to their state capital to lobby for further gun regulations. The conversation about bump stocks ignited across the country after a shooting at a country music concert in Las Vegas that killed 58
people. While lawmakers addressed national news, state tragedies weighed heavy on their minds. Representative Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo, said she was a counselor responding to a shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High school on Oct. 24, 2014, when four students were killed before the gunman fatally shot himself. “I know this isn’t going to make everything right but it is a step in See Bump Stock, 7A
McLain balances family, job, school board By Don Gronning Of The Miner
PRIEST RIVER – Drew McLain is a busy man. He works full time as Priest River’s Police Chief, has a family with three children and serves as vice chairman of the West Bonner County School District Board of Trustees. But long before he had a family or served on the school board or even lived in Idaho, McLain knew he wanted to be a policeman. “I knew at age 5 what I wanted to do,” McLain, now 39, said. He watched the movie “Police Acad-
See Priest River, 2A
emy,” and was sold, he said. “I thought it was funny,” he said. Watching it years later, he said he thought it was even funnier, as now he understood some of the jokes aimed at adults. He spent his early years in Glendale, Ariz., before moving at age 16 to Ritzville to live with his grandmother. He spent his last two years of high school at Ritzville, where he played football and wrestled, as well as participating in theater. He graduated in 1997. He had a friend whose father was a Washington State Patrol trooper, so McLain asked to go on a
ride along, accompanying the trooper on a shift. The high-speed chase they got engaged in cemented McLain’s desire to work in law enforcement. A stolen car from Spokane was coming down 1-90 towards Ritzville. “(The trooper) asked me if I knew how to load a shotgun,” McLain remembers. McLain said yes. The trooper laid down spike strips for the car and the whole thing came to an end without McLain having to load the shotgun. But for the teenager, it was all pretty exciting. McLain attended Wash-
ington State University, graduating with a bachelors degree in criminal justice. He worked as a Whitman County reserve sheriff’s deputy while he was in school. When he graduated WSU, he went to work as a corrections officer at the Adams County Jail back in Ritzville. From there he went to Yakima, where he worked as a corrections officer for Yakima County. He made good money, more than he makes as Priest River Police Chief, but he hated the job and moved to See McLain, 2A
B r i e f ly Newport set to grow police department NEWPORT – The Newport City Council approved funding to hire two police officers, at a council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 20. The 2018 budget was amended to move $205,500 from reserves to current expense in order to hire the officers, and purchase training and supplies for them. Mayor Shirley Sands said the city isn’t far from where they want to be financially, but they need to put the brakes on spending after this allocation, “and see where we’re at.”
Follow classifieds usLife on Facebook Obituaries
5B-6B
The city plans to build up reserves to replace the $205,500.
Public invited to Lenten Soup Suppers NEWPORT – After nearly three decades, Newport’s Lenten Soup Suppers are going strong. Sponsored by the American Lutheran Church, Newport United Church of Christ and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, the Wednesday night gatherings are open to the public. This year’s theme is “Water in the Wilderness.” Dinner is at 5:30 p.m. followed by worship led by Opinion
4a
Record
4B
2B
Police Reports
4B
sports
1B
4B
Public Notices
6B-8B
booser
3B
the clergy of participating churches at 6:30 p.m. The following dates for Lenten Soup Suppers are as follows: March 1 at the American Lutheran Church, March 7 and 14 at St. Anthony’s Church, and March 21 and 28 at Newport United Church of Christ. Each worship message focuses on an aspect of water in the Bible and what can be learned for spiritual growth in the weeks leading up to Easter. A community choir, directed by Don DeChenne, rehearses after each service; they will present special music the last two weeks of the series. Interested singers are welcome to participate.
New Newport/Oldtown City MaP On streets this week