041019NewportMiner

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The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 117, Number 11 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages $1.00

Tribe has come a long way Casino opening latest development

By Don Gronning Of The Miner

CUSICK – The Kalispel Casino, located just north of Cusick, opens this week, the latest in a $10.5 million Kalispel Park project the tribe has been building for more than a year. A grand opening for tribal members was held Monday, April 8, with several tribal members recalling a time when the Kalispels didn’t have much beyond each other. “It’s a special day for the Kalispel people, who began with little to nothing,” tribal elder Francis Cullooyah said, remembering the days before the tribe’s Northern Quest Resort and Casino were built in Airway Heights about 20 years ago. Tribal chairman Glen Nenema, the longest serving tribal leader in the nation, said he remembers when he first got into tribal government, there was a telephone with a party line and not much else at tribal headquarters. The tribe has come a long way since then, he said. He echoed other speakers when he said,

Miner photo|Don Gronning

“I’m proud to be a Kalispel.” The casino project is built on 240 acres that have always been part of the reservation, he said. Curt Holmes, tribal council member and Executive Director of Public and Governmental Affairs for the tribe, said the Kalispel Casino is the latest of the tribe’s endeavors. “It’s a big day for the Kalispels but we have had a lot of big days,” he said. The opening of the

TOP: The Kalispel Casino is opening Friday. The 20,000 square foot casino has 120 slot machines and will employ 40-50 workers. It is part of the $10.5 million Kalispel Park that includes a grocery store, gas station and car lot, with a RV park and a storage facility set to open this summer. It is located just north of Cusick. RIGHT: Khara and Kaylani Treetop spin the wheel for some extra play credit during the grand opening for tribal members Monday, April 8.

See Casino, 2A

Miner photo|Don Gronning

Pend Oreille Mine closing By Don Gronning Of The Miner

METALINE FALLS – The handwriting has been on the wall for months and last week Pend Oreille Mine formally announced that it will exhaust its remaining reserves and go into a care and maintenance status in the third quarter of 2019, which starts in July. That will mean the loss of more than 200 mining jobs that pay $30-$40 an hour. “Following the transition to Care and Maintenance, it is anticipated that there will be a reduction of approximately 210 full time positions with approximately 35 employees remaining at the operation for Care and Maintenance activities,” mine

general manger Mark Brown wrote in an email. “This is a sad announcement for Pend Oreille, however it is necessary as the mine has exhausted its reserves.” Brown said depressed world zinc prices made continued exploration infeasible. The mine stopped exploring for new zinc in October 2018, he said, and has been mining reserves since. The world price of zinc has declined more than 30 percent in 2018 from a 10-year high of $3,375 a tonne to $2,285 in midSeptember, before finishing the year down 23 percent. The price has since rebounded somewhat, to $2,890. Brown said the area has potential for further zinc mining if the prices rise. “The mine will be in care and

Cougar kills goat in Newport, euthanized

maintenance, which is expressly to maintain the asset, when not in production,” Brown said. “Care and maintenance will preserve the asset for optionality in the future, including potential future operation, based on market conditions and other factors.” He said the mine has reached the end of reserves that are currently viable to extract. The area around the mine and region is geologically favorable and highly prospective for zinc, he said. Brown said the company will support employees as the mine transitions, including providing help finding work within Teck Resources, the mine’s owners. Employment and financial coun-

By Caneel Johnson Of The Miner

NEWPORT – A cougar killed a goat sometime during the night of Friday, March 22 near Walnut and Larch streets in Newport. “It is the first confirmed cougar incident within the city limits of Newport in the last 11 years,” said officer Severin Erickson, of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “It is the first time we have had to remove a cougar form the city limits in my career.” The owner of the goat reported the death to the Pend Oreille County dispatch and told the dispatcher he believed it was a cougar. WDFW officer Douglas King found the deceased goat in a well-fenced enclosure. He discovered cougar tracks in the snow around the enclosure and called in local houndsman, Chris Jones.

See Mine, 2A

See Cougar, 2A

B r i e f ly Oldtown council approves tractor purchase OLDTOWN – When the bridge reconstruction on Highway 41 in Oldtown is complete, the city of Oldtown is responsible for maintaining at least a portion of the sidewalks. With that in mind, the city council approved the purchase of a $27,877.35 tractor at Monday night’s meeting. Because Oldtown is a government entity, it received a 20 percent discount on the machine. It will come with a sweeper, bucket, blade and snow blower and will be suited for any skid steer attachment.

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The council agreed that it could be used in many cases aside from the sidewalks on the bridge, and could replace other city equipment. Mostly, it will be used to provide safe passage for pedestrians. “We’ve got to take care of our people. We’ve got to take care of our pedestrians,” mayor Lonnie Orr said. Also Monday night, the council approved a bid of $5,800 to replace the electric furnace in the Oldtown Rotary Park visitor center with a propane furnace. The current system does not warm the newest portion of the visitor center during winter months.

NEWPORT – Learn how the Pend Oreille County Historical Society is run and how it benefits the community Wednesday, April 17 at 10 a.m. during a behind the scenes tour. The historical society and the Calispel Library are hosting the tour. Refreshments will be served and merchandise will be available at a 20 percent discount. The Pend Oreille County Historical Society is located at 402 S. Washington Ave., Newport. For more information call 800-366-3654 ext. 2 or email pamt@pocld.org.

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Opinion

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Record

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Police Reports

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sports

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Public Notices

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Booster

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