The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 113, Number 49 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages 75¢
School board looks at levy options By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner
NEWPORT – The Newport School District is looking at levy options to put on the ballot in 2017, but a specific amount has not yet been decided, according to Superintendent Dave Smith. “Currently, our levy is at 2.15 per thousand and historically the district has always done three year levies,” says Smith. The district passed its levy in 2013 at a 60.01 percent majority, and is hoping to repeat that success. A levy would go toward adequately funding transportation, which Smith says lost around $250,000 in 2014 when the state changed its Student Transportation Allocation Reporting System (STARS) funding, and to also allow the district to hire full-time nurses and counselors for school sites. “Currently, we’re only funded for .16 of a nurse, which is pretty silly when you think about it,” Smith says. “We have a lot of frustrations with the state.” See Levy, 2A
Miner photo|Sophia Aldous
Retiring Old Glory Jack Carter of Newport Boy Scout Pack 696 throws an old, torn American Flag on a fire at the Newport Cemetery on Veterans Day last Friday. Fellow scouts from Priest River Pack 605 participated in a ceremonial flag burning, hosted by the Cusick American Legion. The United States Flag Code suggests that when a flag has served its useful purpose, “it should be destroyed, preferably by burning.”
Highway 41 bridge to be replaced By Michelle Nedved Of The Miner
OLDTOWN – The Idaho Department of Transportation is planning to replace the small bridge that crosses the BNSF railroad tracks on Highway 41. The project is currently in its planning stages, and construction isn’t slated to begin until March 2019. According to ITD, the project to replace the bridge will meet current design standards, improve functionality and increase vehicular and pe-
destrian safety. The current bridge is structurally deficient and does not meet current design standards. The bridge structure and centerline is located on the Idaho/Washington state line, with portions of the existing roadway and bridge located in both states. The proposed project will include replacement of the existing bridge with a wider bridge that extends the three-lane section across the bridge to match the existing roadway section to the north and south. The project will also include roadway and sidewalk
improvements between Fourth Street and First Street. Minor rightof-way acquisitions are anticipated. The project is currently in the preliminary design phase. Final designs will be complete March through June 2017. Construction will be March through November of 2019 and 2020. There are no resource or environmental concerns with the project, however the bridge may be historic. A public meeting was held in October to show the plans to the public.
Priest River moves ahead with downtown revitalization By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner Miner photo|Michelle Nedved
‘Proud of our Veterans’ Students at Priest River Elementary honored veterans Thursday, Nov. 10, during a Veterans Day assembly. The younger students sang the National Anthem, “This Land is Your Land,” “Grand Ole Flag,” “Proud of Our Veterans,” and “Thankful for the USA.” See more photos on page 3B.
PRIEST RIVER – The Priest River City Council is moving ahead with efforts to secure a grant for the purpose of the Downtown Revitalization Project. At a recent meeting, council members agreed to submit a
proposal to the Idaho Department of Commerce for an Idaho Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) in the amount of $500,000. The city will find out whether or not they qualified in January or February 2017. If approved, work on the project could start
as soon as summer 2017. “It’s just a matter of making sure you have all the necessary paperwork, which thus far, the city has,” said Nancy Mabile from Panhandle Area Council, that presented the draft grant application. The Panhandle Area
Council (PAC) is a non-profit Economic Development District comprised of members that are elected officials from north Idaho cities and counties, as well as the Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai Indian Tribes. The council serves the five See Downtown, 2A
B r i e f ly YES needs your help for the holidays NEWPORT – Youth Emergency Services (YES) is asking community members to “adopt” a homeless teen (or one of their siblings) for the holidays. Individuals can contact the YES office and get a “tag” with a number that identifies their teen. The tag includes the youth’s age, gender, and some gift ideas – some things they need and some things they would like. The tag holder chooses what to offer and how much they want to give. They purchase gifts, wrap them, clearly label them with teen’s number, and bring them to the
Follow us on Facebook
YES office or to Pine Ridge Community Church, 1428 W. 1st Ave., Newport. YES assists homeless, challenged, and at risk teens in Pend Oreille County year-round, providing basic necessities, tutoring, and support to keep these youth in school and give them hope for their future. For more information, call 509-447-1125.
Sign up now for Tree of Angels NEWPORT – Families with children who would otherwise not receive Christmas gifts are encouraged to sign up for the Tree of Angels in Pend Oreille County. Sign ups are
for children ages 12 and younger. Sign up at the Department of Social and Health Services, on First Avenue in Newport. The program is available for Pend Oreille County families only. The deadline to sign up is Nov. 22. Gift pickup is Saturday, Dec. 17, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mountain West Bank, 330 N. Washington, Newport. Trees will be set up in coming weeks throughout Newport, filled with tags for those wanting to give. Take a tag, purchase the gifts and return them unwrapped to Mountain West Bank. Any tags not filled will be done by staff with monetary donations.
classifieds
7B
Opinion
4a
Record
6B
Life
2B
Police Reports
6B
sports
1B
Obituaries
6B
Public Notices
7B
Holiday Party Planner 4B
Planning a party? Check Out Our Planner Pages 4B & 5B