The Newport Miner Newspaper

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The Newport Miner

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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901

75¢

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 109, Number 32 | 3 Sections, 28 Pages

State has new formula to measure student progress Adequate Yearly Progress redefined BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Newport School District, like more than 100 across the state, did not achieve Adequate Yearly Progress last year. While the majority of Newport students did meet standard – as passing the tests is called – there were enough deficiencies to keep Newport from making AYP. The deficiencies were in the areas of reading, where 74 percent of the district’s students met standard, but to make AYP, 74.5 percent is needed to meet the standard. The district did meet standard in math, with 69 percent of the students proficient. The target was 67.2 percent.

Newport broke out the test scores by schools. At Stratton Elementary School, 72.2 percent of the students were proficient in reading. The target was 76.8 percent. In math, 71.5 percent of the students were proficient. The target was 69 percent. At Sadie Halstead Middle School, students surpassed the reading target of 71.9 percent proficiency, with 74.5 percent meeting standard for reading. Math was another matter. There, the target was 69 percent, with 67.1 percent of Sadie Halstead students meeting standard. At the high school, both the reading and math targets were met, with 84 percent proficient in reading and 87.6 proficient in math. The target was 82.5 percent for reading and 71 percent for math.

SEE POROGRESS, 2A

MINER PHOTO|JANELLE ATYEO

Gracie Mae Harvey and Mykah Grajeda watch the crew work on the spray park at the Newport City Park Thursday afternoon. Harvey came to the park with her grandma, Pam Harvey, to celebrate her 6th birthday. Grajeda is 4.

New parks for Newport Spray park and veteran’s park under construction BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER

Wildfire smoke affecting Pend Oreille County ELLENSBURG – More than 100 lightning-sparked wildfires are producing potentially harmful smoke in areas of Central and Eastern Washington, including Pend Oreille County. Over the weekend, lightning strikes ignited fires along the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains and into the interior of Eastern

Washington. Crews from the U.S. Forest Service and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are battling the blazes. State fire assistance has been mobilized under the Washington State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan to support local firefighters

NEWPORT – Newport residents and visitors alike will soon be able to enjoy two new park areas that are currently under construction. The new spray park, being constructed behind the jungle gym equipment at Newport City Park, is sure to be a popular spot when warm weather rolls around next year. The other new park on Union Avenue behind city hall is a tribute to veterans, and it was designed and built with help of a local Boy Scout. During summer vacation, Isaiah Campbell, member of Troop 630, put in 95 of the 100 required hours drawing up plans for the park and making it a reality as his Eagle Scout project. His dad, city councilman Keith Campbell, recommended the project. It was already in the city’s plans, and the volun-

SEE WILDFIRE, 8A

SEE PARKS, 2A

MINER PHOTO|JANELLE ATYEO

Isaiah Campbell looks over plans for the park he helped design on Union Avenue. Here, he shows a picture of what the area looked like before improvements.

Man tasered, arrested after fight with deputies

Grizzlies growling for homecoming BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER

Homecoming festivities Friday

NEWPORT – He can’t tell you his name, but he loves the attention. A new student is behind the Grizzlies mascot head this year. While he must keep his identity a secret, the Newport sophomore is excited for a season of cheering on Grizzlies athletes and being part of this week’s homecoming events. The cheerleaders say it’s always difficult to find someone who wants to be a mascot from year to year. This year’s mascot said he volunteered because no one else did. “I just wanted to be a big bear,” he said.

NEWPORT – Newport High School is celebrating homecoming this week, with a football game against Medical Lake Friday, Sept. 14 to cap the week. This year the school will mark the debut of the free admission homecoming carnival at the school’s main courtyard and gym on Friday from 3:30–6:30 p.m. In addition to free carnival games there will be other Grizzlies merchandise and food for sale.

SEE MASCOT, 2A

SEE GRIZZLIES, 2A

NEWPORT – A 34-year-old Newport man was tasered after allegedly resisting arrest and fighting with the deputies, according to Pend Oreille County Sheriff Alan Botzheim. William M. Sorenson was arrested and charged with five crimes – fourth degree assault domestic violence, third degree theft, resisting arrest and third degree assault. He is being held on $100,000 bail. According to a press release, two deputies responded to a domestic violence call at Newport Community Hospital Saturday, Sept. 8., where they interviewed a 48-year-old female who was being treated for lacerations to her hand. She said she received the cuts when she was thrown

MINER PHOTO|JANELLE ATYEO

The Grizzlies mascot poses in the high school lobby before Friday’s football game with Priest River Sept. 7.

SEE TASER, 2A

|| Teck planners meet Oct. 4 METALINE FALLS – The next Teck Community Planners meeting is set for Thursday, Oct. 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the green room at the Cutter Theatre in Metaline Falls. The group is discussing plans for the Pend Oreille Mine property once the mine permanently shuts down. The mine is currently in a temporary state of shut down, waiting for the zinc market to turn around. This will be an all-day “mine shop” planning session to really dig into the research and come up with some valid ideas based on data, said Jamie Wyrobek, director of the Pend Oreille County Economic Development Council. Multiple experts will be in attendance, focused on areas of destination development, geology, planning, economists and more.

B R I E F LY

More details will be released as the meeting date nears.

Five arrested after search NEWPORT – Five law enforcement agencies descended on a home to execute a search warrant Friday, Aug. 31. By the time they left, five Newport men were arrested. “It’s something we had been working on for a while,” Pend Oreille County Sheriff Alan Botzheim said. He said it goes back to a May case involving stolen property. Numerous items were seized including drugs, power tools and a motorcycle. Richard “Ricky” D. Smith, 26, was arrested for unlawful possession of firearms, using a building for drug purposes, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of stolen property. Mitchel F. Mayfield, 55, was arrested for possession of

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under 40 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Steven L. Caudell, 60, Thomas D. Gillock, 19, and Brandon S. Fisher, 21, were arrested on warrants. Agencies involved with the search warrants and arrests include the Washington State Patrol, Kalispel Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. There were so many agencies because of the possibility of firearms being used by the suspects, Botzheim said.

Oldtown awarded loan for water system BOISE – The West Bonner Water and Sewer District was officially awarded its $3.3 million low-interest drinking water construction loan for Oldtown, as announced by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) last Friday. The $3,302,464 loan will fund extension of the

district’s water system into the Albeni area. It includes a crossing of the Pend Oreille River, and to add two new wells, a pump house, a reservoir and distribution lines. DEQ is authorized by state law to make loans to assist in the construction of public drinking water systems. Since the annual cost of drinking water service for residential customers exceeds one and one-half percent of the median household income, West Bonner Water and Sewer District is able to qualify for a disadvantaged loan which carries very favorable repayment terms. The loan from DEQ’s State Revolving Loan Fund carries a simple 1.75 percent interest rate, is payable over 30 years, and has a $997,551 principal forgiveness. The favorable loan terms represent about a $2.9 million savings to the community when compared to average costs for municipal general obligation debt issuances. The loan will be repaid through bonds voters approved in 2010.

SPORTS 1-2C - RECORD 4B - POLICE 4B - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS 5-6C - PUBLIC NOTICES 7C - DOWN RIVER 7A - LIFE 6A - OBITUARIES 4B


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