NewportMiner051519

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The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

PacWest Smelter stalemate? PacWest pauses in bid to build smelter By Don Gronning Of The Miner

NEWPORT – Whether it is because of sustained opposition of organized antismelter groups or just the vagaries of the situation, it appears PacWest Silicon, the Canadian firm seeking to build a silicon smelter near Newport, is taking a wait and see attitude. Brooke Beehler of

Volume 116, Number 1 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages $1.00

the Washington state Department of Ecology says she hasn’t heard anything from PacWest officials since February, but that wouldn’t necessarily mean things have changed. “It’s not uncommon to pause on a project like this,” she said. Ecology and PacWest rejected the sole bid of about $2 million to conduct the Environmental Impact Statement. PacWest is paying the full cost of the EIS, Beehler said. “Getting just one bid was surprising,” she said. The bids went through the See Smelter, 2A

Newport Laundromat will reopen NEWPORT – Newport Laundromat will reopen Saturday, June 1. Recognizing the community need for the laundromat, owner NEW Health has leased the building to Skyliners MHP LLC to provide this service in Newport. NEW Health purchased the land, located at 420 W. Spruce St., in Newport, with the expectation that NEW Health would add services in Newport to expand access to health care. “NEW Health hopes to come alongside the existing services in Pend Oreille County to be a part of the solution to ensure that all residents have the health care access they need,” NEW Health CEO Desiree Sweeney said. For more information on NEW Health and the services it provides and plans to bring to Newport, visit the website at www.newhp.org. Incorporated in 1978 and governed by a Board of Directors, NEW Health Programs Association is a private 501(c) non-profit FQHC (Federally Qualified Heath Center) health care organization. Today, NEW Health Programs Association operates eight Community Health Centers, three Community Dental Clinics, and Quail Hollow, a 16-bed assisted living facility in Chewelah. Locations include Ione, Colville, Kettle Falls, Northport and Loon Lake, among others. “NEW Health is committed to ensuring that a comprehensive range of high-quality care is available to best meet the health care needs of the people residing in our service area,” Sweeney says.

Miner photo|Michelle Nedved

Tree planting Izzie Keck digs a hole to plant a tree in the Scotia Valley Monday morning. The kindergarten classes from Stratton Elementary took a school bus ride out to Department of Natural Resources land to plant trees. About 60 kids planted about five trees each.

Water, sewer bills still not right, public tells Cusick council By Don Gronning Of The Miner

CUSICK – Several members of the public spoke at the Cusick Town Council meeting Monday night, May 13, telling the council they

were unhappy with water and sewer bills. Water and sewer bills haven’t been right in months, since the council raised the sewer rates about 30 percent Dec. 27, 2018. At the time Mayor Chris Evers said

rates hadn’t been increased in five years. But monthly rates have been increased by at least $1 a month every years since 2011, according to former clerk Charlotte Yergens. See Cusick, 2A

B r i e f ly Priest River VFW auction Saturday

Community Mental Health Forum Thursday

Spring Fling at Idaho Hill this Friday

PRIEST RIVER – Military Appreciation Month is celebrated every May and Priest River’s Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2909 will host an auction and meal to support local military veterans Saturday, May 18, at 5 p.m. at the VFW post. Admission tickets are $25 and include a meal, entertainment and the suspense of an auction. To attend or support this event, email VFWPost2909@gmail.com or call 509-995-3920. Items donated for the auction will be listed on the Post’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VFWPost2909.

NEWPORT – With May being Mental Health Awareness month, Pend Oreille County Counseling Services is hosting its 13th annual community forum Thursday, May 16, 5-7 p.m. at the Pend Oreille County Counseling Services building. Anyone is welcomed to attend. There will be a light dinner served and a presentation about agency services and mental health awareness. Peer Certified Support Partner RustyMae Squires will serve as a meeting facilitator. For more information and to RSVP, call 509-447-5651.

OLDTOWN – Idaho Hill Elementary will celebrate its annual Spring Fling Friday, May 17, from 5-7 p.m. The community is invited to enjoy a free meal with science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEaM) activities for all ages. There will be a drone course for sixth graders to navigate their drones through, a scholastic book fair in the library and a candy bouquet raffle at 25 cents per ticket, among other activities. Popcorn and snacks will be available for purchase. The event is funded and planned by Idaho Hill PTO.

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