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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901

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State New

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 109, Number 34 | 3 Sections, 24 Pages

County hit with $10 million claim for taser death BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

MINER PHOTO|FRED WILLENBROCK

A salute to veterans at park dedication Veterans from the Cusick American Legion give a 21-gun salute at the dedication of the Fred G. Anderson Veterans Memorial Park in Newport Tuesday, Sept. 25. The new park on Union Avenue features flags for each branch of the military and a stone with a message to soldiers: “Until you’re home again, dedicated to all the men and women who have honorably served their country in the armed forces of the United States of America. May those who made the ultimate sacrifice never be forgotten.” The park was designed and built with the help of Boy Scout Isaiah Campbell and Newport city staff. Mayor Shirley Sands was the master of ceremony. She recognized former Mayor Anderson’s clear vision of the future of Newport, which included parks in the city. Anderson, a Vietnam veteran, died of cancer in 2010 after he was out of office for a year.

County bringing in more, still $300,000 short BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County officials are controlling spending and bringing in more revenue than in years past, but the county is still looking at a $308,000 budget shortfall for 2013. That’s with a $400,000 road levy shift. The county has had some good news recently. They will receive $25,000 in real estate excise tax after an audit revealed the

Property values down countywide New construction adds $20M

tax should have been paid on a single past transaction, county treasurer Terri Miller said. That money is earmarked for the capital improvements fund. County departments in general have been bringing in more revenue. Through the end of August, the county has collected $6.129 million compared to $5.593 million the year before. The county has trimmed the number of

BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Appraisers are wrapping up revaluations for properties in south Pend Oreille County. Property values countywide are down by about $15 million over the year before, but homes built within the last year SEE ASSESSS, 2A

SEE BUDGET 2A

NEWPORT – A Spokane attorney has filed a $10 million claim for damages on behalf of the estate of a 67-year-old man who died after being tased by a Pend Oreille County Sheriff deputy March 24, 2011. Breean Beggs, an attorney with Paukert and Troppmann,

claims that the sheriff’s office violated Estyl “Lee” Hall’s rights by illegally entering his property, breaking down the door to his trailer and shooting him in the face with a taser. Hall fell face forward “from a substantial height and broke his neck, causing catastrophic paralysis,” Beggs writes in the claim to the county. Hall died a

SEE DEATH, 2A

Man arrested after armed stand off NEWPORT – A 60-year-old Metaline man was arrested Saturday, Sept. 22 after he brandished a handgun and a rifle in front of law enforcement. Pend Oreille County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a domestic disturbance on North Spokane Avenue in Metaline at about 11:50 a.m. While responding to the incident, deputies were advised the suspect was holding a female at gunpoint. Additional agencies, including the Metaline Marshal and U.S. Border Patrol, responded to the area. The female victim was able to get away from the suspect and met with law enforcement officers at a neighbor’s residence. The victim identified her assailant as her boyfriend, Bruce A. Stirpe. While officers were speaking

with the victim, Stirpe arrived at their location and began brandishing a handgun, and later a rifle. He told officers multiple times that he would not put down his guns nor go to jail and law enforcement officers would have to kill him, according to the sheriff’s office. He then made his way back to his residence and barricaded himself inside. Officers surrounded Stirpe’s residence and evacuated nearby homes. After about one and a half hours of negotiations, Stirpe came outside unarmed and was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to the Pend Oreille County Jail and initially booked for first-degree assault domestic violence. Stirpe is currently being held on $500,000 bail.

County expresses concern with BPA land purchase BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – County officials had been looking forward to a windfall of property tax revenue once the Saddle Mountain RV Park was developed along the Pend Oreille River north of Newport. It was to include space to park 275 RVs, plus three permanent cabins, a swimming pool, shower house, four ponds and an expansive system of equestrian trails. Plans fell through when the

economy tanked. But the site plan for developing the RV park remains valid, and commissioners had hoped something might materialize on one of the county’s last remaining parcels that’s prime for private development. Then they learned just recently that the federal government was preparing to close on a sale of the property. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is preparing to buy the 556 acres around Indian Creek as mitigation for wildlife habitat lost due to

the construction of Albeni Falls Dam at Oldtown. The land will be managed by the Kalispel Tribe of Indians. County commissioners invited BPA officials to meet with them and hear their concerns. BPA representatives Rob Swedo and Bill Maslen, who is the BPA’s director of fish and wildlife programs, met with the board at the courthouse Tuesday afternoon. MINER PHOTO|JANELLE ATYEO “We were looking forward to County officials look over maps of the land the BPA is preparing to purchase for wildlife habitat. Commissioners expressed sales increasing. Now this gem concerns about the loss of developable property and tax revenue. Pictured are commissioners Diane Wear, left, Laura Merrill and SEE LAND, 2A

|| Free fiber installation through PUD guaranteed until Sept. 28

B R I E F LY

Meeting set to discuss future of mine land

NEWPORT – Pend Oreille PUD officials are urging people to sign the consent forms for fiber installation before Friday, Sept. 28 to guarantee free installation. If you sign your consent form after that date, the PUD says it cannot guarantee installation within the federally funded portion of the project. People can sign up online at www.cnsfiber.net/ ConsentForm, visit the CNS Showroom at 110 W. Pine St. in Newport, visit the PUD office at 130 N. Washington Ave. in Newport, or call 509-4473137.

John Hankey, Sheila Stalp from the office of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Rob Swedo and Bill Maslen of the BPA, assessor Jim McCroskey and planning director Mike Lithgow.

METALINE FALLS – The Pend Oreille Economic Development Council is holding a meeting to discuss the future of the Pend Oreille Mine site Thursday, Oct. 4, at 9 a.m. at the Cutter Theatre. The morning session will consist of a review of the work plan, Teck assets, guiding principals and objectives, and the initial list of uses and how it developed. A group exercise will help select preferred uses from a community perspective, followed by an overview of key findings. After a break, the afternoon session will include a discussion on what experts think about market uses for the property, comparing and combining the two lists, and a second group exercise, followed by a summary. The group is discussing what will become of the

||

Pend Oreille Mine property, operated by Teck, once the mine is shut down permanently. The mine is currently in a temporary shutdown mode until the zinc market turns around.

Fish finds finger PRIEST LAKE – When Nolan Calvin began to clean the trout he caught on the west side of Priest Lake Sept. 11, he made a grisly discovery. He found a severed human finger in the fish. He put the finger on ice and reported the incident to the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives determined it was a human finger and there was enough left of it to take a fingerprint. They started looking for the person whose finger it was.

They discovered that the finger belonged to Hans A. Galassi, 31. Galassi cut off four fingers of his left hand during a July wakeboarding accident on Priest Lake, off Kalispell Island. Detectives were able to find a fingerprint card for Galassi and a tentative identification was made and confirmed by the Idaho State Police Forensic Services Laboratory in Meridian, Idaho. Based on the coordinates provided at the time of the accident, and the coordinates provided by Calvin as to where he caught the fish, it was determined the fish had travelled approximately eight miles to the north. It is unknown, of course, how long the fish actually retained the finger in its digestive track, however, it was noted that the finger was in remarkably good condition at the time of recovery.

SPORTS 2B-4B - RECORD 5B - POLICE 5B - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS C5-C6 - PUBLIC NOTICES C7 - DOWN RIVER 9A - LIFE 7A - OBITUARIES 5B


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