The Newport Miner Newspaper

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We salute our firefighters and EMTs. See pages 8A-9A

The Newport Miner

Affair on Mainstreet this weekend See pages 3C-6C

THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901

75¢

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 109, Number 30 | 3 Sections, 24 Pages

VA services may come to Newport

Hospital, VA discuss possibilities BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER

SPOKANE – The 2,200 veterans living in this area may someday be able to get VA covered medical care locally. Officials of the

Spokane VA (Veterans Affairs) Medical Center in Spokane recently met with the leadership of Newport Hospital and Health Services to explore the possibility of offering veterans in the Newport area a local option for access to the VA’s primary health care and behavioral health services, according to VA public affairs of-

ficers Bret Bowers. Hospital CEO Tom Wilbur is in support of the idea, but doesn’t see it happening in the near future. The VA currently owns community-based out-patient clinics in Coeur d’Alene and Wenatchee. It contracts with clinics in Colville, Sandpoint and Tonasket. Veterans can be seen at any of these fa-

cilities and if they need expanded those contracts in other cities. care, are referred to the VA hos“They basically said they were pital in Spokane, Bowers said. “When budget cuts are looming, we don’t Wilbur said VA have the money to do that extra thing.” officials did come talk with him, but it didn’t look Sheila Stalp promising right Northern District Deputy Director now because of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers

BY FRED WILLENBROCK OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille Public Utility District announced that it needs to hear from anyone by the end of September that wants to get hooked up to the fiber system for free. After that, because of the time it takes to design the drops to the homes and with potential winter construction delays ahead, the contractors might not be able to get to them before the end of the grant period, which is April 2013. Joe Onley, Community Network System manager for the PUD, said the PUD board agreed to make the announcement at its last meeting with the goal of having more homeowners contact the PUD this month as contractors enter the final phase of the project. The work is funded by a $27 mil-

SEE SERVICES, 2A

PUD comes up with alternative river crossing

PUD wants fiber hook-up requests by end of September Retail customers could be using fiber by fall

contracted out,” Wilbur said. Bowers said while there has been only informal discussion, the possibility remains open. Sheila Stalp, the northern district deputy director for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, RWash., said the congresswoman would be in full support of the

lion federal stimulus grant and PUD ratepayers. Recent PUD cost estimates show that they will have enough funds to hook up all south county customers in the grant area, but they must spend the money by the end of the grant period. The federal government has indicated that there will not be any extensions. The PUD has about 3,000 of the potential 5,500 homes and businesses signed up for drops now. The agreement does not commit the property owner to use the fiber or pay anything. It simply gets the fiber to the structure for future purchase of services from a retail service provider. So far, several retail service providers have signed agreements with the PUD to offer retail services such as Internet and television. But none of them have announced what the retail costs will be or when

District plans to appeal planning commission decision in the meantime BY JANELLE ATYEO

the state can expand that to things like bio fuels. Inslee, 61, proposes establishing a Center for Bio Fuels Excellence at Washington State University. “I have been a leader in trying to create the bio fuels industry in Eastern Washington,” he said. He said there is a future for bio fuel. In Pend Oreille County, that means using trees to make fuel. In other areas, it might mean growing camelina for fuel. Inslee says that biofuel has potential, especially as a source of jet fuel. “We have a coalition working on this with Alaska Airlines and Boeing and Washington State,” he said. The aerospace industry can’t use batteries to reduce their use of liquid fuel, Inslee said. Fuel made from prod-

Of The Miner NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille Public Utility District plans to appeal the decision of the county planning commission to keep its options open even though the utility district is working out a plan to use another river cross- “We think we ing further have a creative north to provide service solution.” to the 80 customers in Jay Pickett the RiverPUD General Manager bend area. Two weeks ago, the planning commission denied PUD plans for an overhead powerline across the Pend Oreille River at Riverbend. The window to appeal the decision to the county commissioners expires Wednesday, Aug. 29. PUD general manager Jay Pickett said they’d appeal the decision essentially as a way to “maintain all possible options until the very end.” “We want to keep all options open,” he said. “Who knows what’s going to happen in the future?” “We think we have a creative solution,” Pickett said referring to the alternate route that won’t need county approval. “I think we can mitigate almost everybody’s needs.” The PUD is looking into serving the Riverbend area from the Box Canyon Dam switchyard and substation as an alternative to the Cusick substation. Using power from the Box Canyon substation, the power lines could cross the river at an existing site north of the Riverbend area. That option will cost a little more than the originally planned overhead crossing at Riverbend, which was budgeted for around

SEE GOVERNOR, 2A

SEE RIVER, 2A

MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING

Erin Malcolm draws a name from Robert Eggleston’s hat Wednesday, Aug. 22. Two precinct committee officer races were tied after the recount and had to be decided by drawing names. Here Malcolm draws Miina Skoog’s name to be the Camden Republican PCO.

Pend Oreille County precinct committee officer positions contested BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Precinct Committee Officers are the Democrat and Republican parties’ most grass roots operatives.

SEE PUD, 2A

“The PCO is the fireplug in his neighborhood,” said Noris Boyd, a longtime PCO and Pend Oreille County Republican Party chairman. “They are the frontline, the most motivated. They should know their neighbors,

make sure they’re registered to vote, things like that.” The Republicans made a concentrated effort to fill all the PCO positions, he said. That SEE PRECINCT, 2A

Washington governor’s race comes to Newport

Democratic candidates make appearance BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee says that improving the economy and putting people back to work is the best way to increase tax revenue for the state, not a tax increase. “I’m focused like a laser beam on a job creation program that would put people back to work particularly in our innovative industries,” Inslee said in an interview with The Miner before heading to Newport City Park for a rally Saturday, Aug. 25. The state has been a leader in aerospace and software, he said. He says

MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING

Campaigning for Congress About 80 people turned out to hear Democratic candidates at Newport City Park Saturday, Aug. 25. Here Rich Cowan, who is challenging Cathy McMorris Rodgers to represent the 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, speaks with supporters. Cowan, gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee and Pend Oreille County Commissioner candidate Diane Wear spoke.

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B R I E F LY

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Meetings delayed due to Labor Day

Election results made official

NEWPORT – Due to the Labor Day holiday Monday, Sept. 3, government offices will be closed. The U.S. Postal Service and banks will not be open, and government meetings are delayed. The Newport City Council will meet Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m., as well as the Priest River City Council. The Pend Oreille County commissioners will not meet Monday.

NEWPORT – The primary election results for Pend Oreille County were made official when they were canvassed Aug. 21. With 3,716 ballots returned, the voter turnout was 45.77 percent. That’s down from a 54 percent turnout for the primary four years ago. Statewide, the voter turnout was 38.48 percent. The major local races were for two seats on the board of county commissioners. For the District 1 seat, incumbent Diane Wear took the most votes, 417 or just under 32 percent. She’ll face Karen Skoog in the November election. Skoog received 385 votes or 29.34 percent. Other votes in the District 1 race were 304 (23.17 percent) to Anthony Newcomb, and for Doug Quandt it was 206 votes (15.7 percent). The District 3 commissioner race went to Steve Kiss with 617 votes (45.91 percent) and Tim Ibbetson with 399 (29.69 percent). They’ll advance to the general election when the entire county will vote.

Miner closed for Labor Day NEWPORT – The Newport and Gem State Miner Newspaper office will be closed Monday, Sept. 3, for the Labor Day holiday. The office will reopen Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. The deadline for classified advertisements will be 3 p.m. Friday. Lifestyle news items are due by Thursday. The remaining deadlines are the same.

Also in District 3, Kathleen Mayall received 328 votes (24.4 percent).

Budget hearings set for Bonner County SANDPOINT – Bonner County commissioners are expected to adopt the 2013 fiscal budget at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 30. They held a final workshop Monday and public hearings are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29. At the workshop Monday, the commissioners cut $34,000 from the proposed budget. The county will not use any of the 3 percent property tax increase allowed by law. Taxes on new construction will add about $244,000 to the county’s general fund. Commissioner Mike Nielsen said the Emergency Management System will take a 3-percent increase because that department is still growing and providing more service to the rural areas of the county, as well as to the core area. EMS provides emergency ambulance and paramedic services throughout the county.

SPORTS 1B - RECORD 2C - POLICE 2C - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS 3B-6B - PUBLIC NOTICES 5B-6B - DOWN RIVER 11A - LIFE 10A - OBITUARIES 2C - FALL ACTIVITIES 6A-7A - FIREFIGHTER SALUTE 8A-9A - AFFAIR ON MAIN STREET 3C-6C


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