The Newport Miner THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNTY SINCE 1901
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 116, Number 18 | 2 Sections, 16 Pages $1.00
Crypto mining coming Electricity heavy use requires financial commitment BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – It’s a rainy Saturday morning about a month ago. Joshua Alwine, President of Computer Services, Inc., is out with a small crew at his property at the corner of Highway 2 and Telephone Road. They are taking some measurements to install power boxes. There are a couple storage containers onsite, with concrete partial foundations poured for more containers. Fast forward a month. Alwine now has five containers on the partially fenced site. He is filling them each with a couple hundred small computers. Alwine wants to mine for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. But he won’t be doing the mining with picks and shovels, he will use computers and software to find his reward. He is in a fairly new and speculative business. The data miner will need one megawatt of power, enough for several hundred homes. By contrast, Ponderay Newsprint uses about 90 MW. The PUD is selling him the power at the industrial rate of 3.5 cents per kilowatt and requires a two-month deposit, a figure that comes to tens of thousands of dollars, Alwine says. Each container houses 200 computers as small as big toasters. Alwine says some of them started running about a week ago. The computers will constantly search online for blockchains, the mathematical algorithms that is the essence of cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies are digital money and payment systems. The most well known is bitcoin, which currently sells for more than $7,460 a
COURTESY PHOTO|LONNIE VARNO
Drone footage taken last Friday of Junior Miltner property in Oldtown off of LeClerc Road.
Pend Oreille River closed throughout entire county
BY SOPHIA ALDOUS OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – Due to ongoing flooding issues and the Pend Oreille River’s high flow, the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning Friday, May 25 that the river is currently closed to all recreational activities. Pursuant
SEE CRYPTO, 7A
to Resolution 2018-20, there is no boating, swimming or any other activity allowed on the river until further notice. County commissioners voted to pass the resolution closing the river, just as they voted to have no wakes on the lakes. A press release from the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office warns citizens of the extreme dan-
ger the Pend Oreille River poses to possible recreationists. “The river poses extreme danger due to high flows, cold temperatures, and debris such as logs and brush being carried downstream,” Emergency Management Director Joann Boggs wrote in the press SEE RIVER, 2A
Local businesses put pride into renovations BY SOPHIA ALDOUS OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – Just about anyone and everyone in small town America will lament the empty storefronts that seem to stare like tired eyes back on to main street, where perhaps a once bustling community supported three mom-and-pop grocery stores within a two block radius of each other. While no one likes to see small business fail, sometimes nostalgia can prevent us from seeing those local
ventures that we might take for granted, those stores that have tried, succeeded, and stayed. A handful of construction workers scaled scaffolding set up in front of Perfection Tire last winter, scraping, measuring and preparing the Newportbased automobile repair shop for a new look. “It’s a complete facelift and remodel, inside and out,” said Perfection Tire manager Tim Stoddard. “We want the building to look more modern, functional and customer friendly.”
Perfection Tire is one of several local businesses perched on the border between Washington and Idaho that have made major changes to their buildings and storefronts. It’s an attention to detail and presentation that projects a sense of pride in what they do and where they live. The renovations on Perfection Tire took more than two months to finish and $75,000, according to Stoddard, and it is MINER PHOTO|SOPHIA ALDOUS
SEE RENOVATIONS, 2A
Contractors work on the outside of Perfection Tire in Newport last February.
B R I E F LY Priest River golfer goes to state
Train rides start this Saturday
Graduations begin this week
TWIN LAKES – Spartan golfer Kody Salesky reached the top 20 at the IHSAA 3A State Championship at Twin Lakes Village Golf Course, cutting 16 strokes off his first day score, carding a 13-over-85 par on the second day. The Priest River Lamanna High School senior was the only golfer from his school to qualify for this season’s state tournament. He finished 18th overall. Salesky
NEWPORT – The Scenic Pend Oreille River Train returns for another season of rides, starting Saturday June 2 and Sunday, June 3. Hosted by the Newport, Priest River Rotary Club, the trains serve as a fundraiser and serves the club’s efforts to do good in its community. Rides depart at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Riders should come early, as the train leaves promptly at its departure time and will not wait for late-comers. For more information, including tickets and how to become a train volunteer, if interested, go to www. sporttrainrides.com.
NEWPORT – Three schools are graduating their senior class this week. Newport High School’s graduation is Saturday, June 2 at noon in the high school gymnasium. House of the Lord Christian Academy graduates Friday, June 1 at 7 p.m. at the school in Oldtown. Fifteen students will be graduating from Pend Oreille River School Friday, June 1, at 6 p.m. Pend Oreille River School is the alternative high school in Newport School District. Priest River, Cusick and Selkirk graduations are next weekend, Saturday, June 9.
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OPINION
4A
RECORD
3B
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POLICE REPORTS
3B
SPORTS
1B
3B
PUBLIC NOTICES
5B-7B
SALUTE TO GRADUATES
NEWPORT, PEND OREILLE RIVER, HOUSE OF THE LORD SEE PAGES 6B-8B