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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Freeman principal new Newport schools superintendent
Dave Smith’s father was superintendent here in 1980s BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
NEWORT – Dave Smith Jr., a 1989 graduate of Newport High School, was formally selected as the new superintendent of the Newport School District Monday, July Smith 1, during a special school board meeting. Smith, 42, will start work Monday, July 8. The board appointed business manager Tom Crouch to serve as interim superintendent for a week. Smith said he was happy to return to Newport. “I‘m happy to come here. I know a lot of people here,” he said after Monday’s board meeting. “I wasn’t planning to apply for any jobs until I heard this one opened up.” The board voted unanimously to hire Smith. School board president April Owen said Smith stood out among the 14 candidates who applied for the job. “We thought he would be a good fit,” she said. “He has a good personality and lots of positive ideas.” Smith has been high school principal and Career and Technical Education director for the Freeman School District for the last six years. Prior to that he spent four years as elementary school principal and director of special education for Freeman. He has also worked as a
classroom teacher, teaching special education for four years at Horizon Middle School in the Central Valley School District. Smith got his undergraduate degree from Whitworth University in Spokane. He received a master’s degree from Washington State University and is working on his doctorate at WSU. Smith, who played football, basketball and baseball in high school, joined the U.S. Navy right after graduation. He served four years, stationed in California, where he met his wife, Melissa. Initially, the Smiths will live at Diamond Lake. They have four sons, ages 9, 12, 15 and 18. Melissa Smith has her teaching credentials. When the Smiths moved back to Washington after he got out of the Navy, she taught Spanish for the Riverside School District. She also teaches religious education at St. Anthony Parish in Spokane. School board members conducted a three-week search to find a person to replace Jason Thompson, the former superintendent who left to take a job as executive director of human resources for the Marysville School District. Owen said it was a challenge to hire somebody that fast. In the end, though, they ended up with a strong group of prospects, she said. “We had a good pool of candidates,” she said. The board narrowed the 14 candidates to three – Smith, Chris Rust, principal of
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Volume 110, Number 22 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages
75¢
MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING
Ray and Dilys Raley are regulars at the Camas Center for Community Wellness swimming pool in Usk. Here they get their weekly swim. The Raleys live in Newport and ride the Rural Resources van to the center each week. Ray is 92 and Dilys is 89.
Swimming keeps these seniors active BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
USK – It’s a Wednesday morning and Ray and Dilys Raley are doing what several others are doing – swimming at the Camas Center for Community Wellness. But there is something unique about the couple that most wouldn’t notice: Dilys is 89 and Ray is 92. “They’re here every week,” says Sheri Webb, who works as a lifeguard at the center. They swim for about a half hour. The Raleys have been swimmers most of their lives. “I’ve always felt swimming is the best exercise,” says Dilys. They were raised in California and moved to Newport nine years ago. “We had some friends who were moving up here
SEE SUPER, 2A
The Raleys grab a bite to eat in the Camas Wellness Center cafeteria before heading back to Newport after their swim.
SEE SWIMMERS, 2A
MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING
Pend Oreille County plans for timber harvests BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER
MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING
Kayaking at the cove These three were out kayaking into the Albeni Cove campground area, taking advantage of the summer weather Friday, June 28. In addition to a popular swimming area, Albeni Cove has a boat launch and campsites.
NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County is planning about $140,000 worth of timber harvesting from county land this year. The commissioners approved a tentative harvest plan at their regular meeting June 24 and also hired a new consulting company to manage the county’s timber. The timber market is looking better than it has in the past few years, Pend Oreille County Commissioner Steve Kiss said. Kiss has been a self-employed logging contractor for 40 years. “Right now they’re feeling out the demand. At least it’s an upward motion,” he said.
|| Offices closed for holiday NEWPORT – Government offices and libraries will be closed Thursday, July 4 in celebration of Independence Day, and the U.S. Postal Service will not deliver mail that day. Pend Oreille County commissioners did not meet this week. The Priest River Driver’s License Office will be closed July 4 and 5 and will re-open for business July 8. The Sandpoint Driver’s License Office, located on North Boyer next to the sheriff’s office, will be open for business July 5. The Sandpoint office can be reached at 208-265-1431. The Newport and Gem State Miner Newspaper office will be closed Thursday for the Fourth of July,
On the list of potential harvest sites is: • About 15 acres on a 40-acre parcel at Anderson Lake totaling about 260,000 board feet of harvestable timber worth about $41,000, • Three harvests at Baker Lake of about 20 acres each with 411,000 feet of harvestable timber worth about $64,000, • A 35 and 79 acre harvest at the Basnaw parcel for about 190,000 feet each, worth a little more than $30,000 each, • About 77 acres in the Deer Valley to bring in 182,000 board feet worth about $39,000, • Harvesting on a 35-acres parcel at the Fertile Valley Section 16 park area where trees are diseased,
B R I E F LY
reopening Friday, July 5 at 8:30 a.m. Deadlines remain the same.
• The eight-acre Schneider 4 harvest at the Ione sand pit site, where the trees are already decaying with bark beetles and fungus, consists of 43,000 feet of timber that could be harvested by county crews, worth about $8,000, and • About 25 acres at Tiger Hill with about 121,000 board feet of timber worth about $21,000. All of those combined contain an estimated 1.4 million board feet of timber, worth about $238,000. But not all timber will be harvested this year. Some parcels, such as Anderson Lake, have access issues and easements that will need to be negotiated. Public works director Sam Castro will work with the county’s new timber consulting firm to select the
best harvest options for this year. As they do most years, commissioners have already budgeted for $140,000 of harvest revenue this year, so some cuts will have to be done before year’s end. “We have to harvest some this year because it was in the budget,” Kiss said. “Beyond that, we want to come up with a long-term plan to harvest X amount each year forever.” He said that the harvest volume would vary with market, but he thinks it would get the county on a more sustainable flow of revenue. In the past, county timber harvest was more dollar driven, and Kiss feels that maybe the county SEE TIMBER, 2A
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Smith, R-Colville, voted no. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the budget Sunday, July 30.
State budget passes just before shutdown
New voters can register for primary election
OLYMPIA – Washington state passed a $33.6 billion operating budget Friday, June 28, just before many state services were scheduled to shut down because of lack of a legal authority to pay salaries. The new fiscal year started July 1. The state House of Representatives voted 81-11 to pass the budget, with 7th Legislative District Reps. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, voting in favor and Shelly Short, R-Addy, voting no. The state Senate passed the budget 44-4. Sen. John
NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County’s primary election is coming up Aug. 6. Any new voters can register online through Monday, July 8. After that, they’ll need to visit the audtior’s office in the old county courthouse in Newport to register in person, through July 29. Voters will receive their ballots in the mail on or after July 17. The following offices will have candidates appear on the ballot:
• State Senator, Legislative District 7: Mike Brunson, John Smith and Briand Dansel, • Pend Oreille County Commissioner for District 2: Mark Zorica and Mike Manus • Fire District 2 Commissioner Position 1: Rick Stone, Jon Carman and Sue Cona. The entire county will vote on the senate seat, but only District 2 voters will have their say on the county commissioner seat this time around. The entire county will vote for commissioner in this fall’s general election. The fire district election pertains only to voters in the district, in North Pend Oreille County. Those with questions can contact the auditor’s office at 509-447-6472.
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