The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901
Wednesday, MAY 31, 2017
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 115, Number 18 | 2 Sections, 16 Pages
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Newport doctors allowed to assist in suicide By Michelle Nedved Of The Miner
NEWPORT – Doctors at Newport Hospital and Health Services are allowed to participate in physician assisted suicide, with a change in policy since Washington voters approved the “Death with Dignity Act,” in 2008. They are not, however, allowed to do so on hospital and clinic grounds, and the patient themselves must administer the life ending medications. Dr. Clay Kersting broached the subject earlier this year with the district’s board of commissioners, after he received a request from a patient seeking life ending medication. This was the first time the request had been made at NHHS since the passage of the act. As it stood, the district didn’t allow for staff, providers in particular, to participate under the Death with Dignity Act in the performance of their duties on hospital or clinic premises. If asked, according to district policy and state law, providers are to proceed with openness
Miner photo|Sophia Aldous
A wreath of remembrance Jill Zupich of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Unit 217 of Cusick, places a memorial wreath for members of the Armed Forces that lost their lives in service during a Memorial Day ceremony at Newport Cemetery Monday, May 29.
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Castle wraps up collegiate career Newport grad among best in nation at shot put By Don Gronning Of The Miner
TUCSON, Ariz. – Aaron Castle threw far enough on his first throw in the NCAA West Preliminaries at Austin, Texas, last week to qualify for the national outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Ore., this week. “Fortunately, my first throw was good enough to qualify,” Castle said, who was competing for the University of Arizona Wildcats. The first throw of about 61 feet qualified, with Castle finishing eighth. He fouled on his next two throws, stepping out of the ring. For Castle, a 2011 Newport graduate, it will be his fourth trip to the national outdoor championships. Last year he finished 15th. As impressive as his on field accomplishments are, Castle is also a three time Academic All American. Castle is both a three-time All-American and three-time Academic All-American. He earned an indoor
Law enforcement busy over holiday weekend By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner
from Newport. “It was a bigger city,” Castle says. The desert climate was a change, but he soon became accustomed. “I like it a lot here,” he says. “The desert is really beautiful.” He says there are mountains in the Tucson area, which he likes. Arizona is considerably hotter than Newport.
NEWPORT – Officially, Memorial Day is a holiday to honor those who have died serving in the country’s Armed Forces. Unofficially, Memorial Day weekend kicks of the summer season, with people flocking to lakes, rivers and campsites for what is for most people a three-day weekend. Not so for law enforcement, and the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office was no exception. Deputies were kept busy over the holiday weekend responding to a variety of calls, from a boating accident in Cusick to a report of girls riding on top of a vehicle near Big Meadow Lake. “It appears that we received many calls originating from campsites, or places near our lakes and rivers, but then it was Memorial Day weekend, so that’s not uncommon,” Pend Oreille County Undersheriff Grant Sirevog said. While the boating collision on Monday, May 29 didn’t result in any serious injuries (see separate story), a young man was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane after colliding his dirt bike with a tree on Scheller Lane off of Flowery Trail Road Saturday, May 27. According to police reports, Jonathon L. Bence, 25, was riding dirt bikes with a friend when he failed to negotiate a sharp left turn along the roadway, causing his bike to leave the road and slam into a tree about 30 feet down an embankment. The Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office and local fire districts responded to the incident, along with the Washington State Patrol. Life Flight airlifted Bence to the hospital. The police report said that alcohol was not a factor. According to Bence’s Gofundme page, he is paralyzed
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Courtesy photo|Stan Liu
Aaron Castle competing in the shot put for the University of Arizona. Castle will be competing for a national title at the NCAA Division 1 Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., Wednesday, May 31.
first-team All-America honor in the shot put earlier this year to go along with two secondteam honors outdoors in 2015 and ’16. Castle is also a three-time AllPac-12 performer, who has collected multiple conference academic recognitions. He is currently ranked 11th nationally in the shot put with a mark of 19.10m (62 feet 8 inches).
He graduated this spring with a bachelor of science degree in biology, with a chemistry minor. Castle plans to continue his education to become a physical therapist. That will take another three years, Castle says. Castle received a full ride scholarship to the University of Arizona. He says moving to Tucson was a big change
B r i e f ly Kalispel Tribe hosts Public Safety Awareness Day USK – The Kalispel Tribe is hosting a Public Safety Awareness Day Wednesday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Camas Center for Community Wellness and the Kalispel Tribe Powwow Grounds in Usk. This event will showcase Kalispel Tribe Public Safety and other local emergency response teams and allow them to provide guidance and recommendations to local youth on pursuing a career path in public safety. Events taking place will include Life Flight Network landing a helicopter, guest speakers, and a vehicle extraction demonstration. In addition, the Kalispel Department of Natural Resources (KNRD) and Washington Depart-
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ment of Fish and Wildlife will be on hand to discuss career options in their respective fields. Other attending agencies include the U.S. Border Patrol, BIA, DEA, FBI, Red Cross, and Homeland Security.
Boat dumps tubers, traveling too close to shore CUSICK – Some youth were in a close scrape after a boating incident on the Pend Oreille River, leaving them with scratches and bruises Memorial Day weekend. According to the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office, on Monday, May 29 at 1:04 p.m., deputies responded to a boating collision on the Pend Oreille River in the area of 5B-6B
Opinion
4a
Record sports
Life
3B
Police Reports
4B
Obituaries
4B
Public Notices
6B-7B
Graduation
Wagon Wheel Road. It was reported a towable tube being pulled by a boat had hit a dock on the river. The initial investigation revealed the operator of the boat, Robert Rockser, 69, was pulling Tatum Holestine, 18, Kayle Bowers, 18, and a male juvenile, 15, on a towable tube. Rockser turned the boat too close to shore causing the tubers to swing into a dock, which ejected the occupants off the tube. The juvenile was transported by ambulance to the Newport Hospital as a precautionary measure. The press release states it appears all three tubers only sustained minor injuries to include bruises and scratches. It does not appear that alcohol was a factor and the collision is still under investigation. 4B 1B 6A, 2B
Congratulations
Selkirk, Cusick, House of the Lord Graduates!