Newport Miner December 31, 2014

Page 1

FROM THE MINER STAFF

The Newport Miner THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 111, Number 48 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages 75¢

Who tried to steal Christmas? Burglaries, thefts rise during holiday BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Wayne Antcliff, owner of Concept Cable, was awakened at 3 a.m. Christmas Eve, when the company that monitors his cable and Internet traffic sent him a text saying there were several customers without service. “I had 40 customers without Internet and 60 without cable,” Antcliff says. So he jumped in his vehicle and headed to Cemetery Road, near Newport High School where his tower and equipment are located in a fenced area. He had seen people there two weeks earlier that he considered suspicious. “I knew immediately somebody was trying to steal something,” he said.

MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING

Newly elected county officials

SEE THEFTS, 10A

‘Slow rollout’ started for fiber TV BY DESIREÉ HOOD OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille Public Utility District fiber lines are Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) ready and television is now being offered over the high-speed

lines by one company. “We are hooking folks up as we speak,” said Kelly Ryan, CEO of retail service provider iFiber, adding that only current iFiber customers who have fiber Internet SEE FIBER, 10A

After being sworn in Tuesday, Dec. 23, Pend Oreille County elected officials posed for a photo. Prosecutor Dolly Hunt was sworn in a separate ceremony at the Hall of Justice the next day. Pictured are district court judge Philip Van de Veer, left, county commissioner

Ashton reappointed to planning commission NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County Commissioners reappointed Judy Ashton to the planning commission following an interview with her Monday, Dec. 29. Ashton is the current chairwoman of the planning commission. Last week commissioners extended the terms for Guy Thomas and Doug

Smith through February so they can continue work on the comprehensive plan amendments. Both had indicated they wanted to step down when their terms expired at the end of the year. County commissioners appointed three new planning commissioners last year. Paul Edgren, Terry Hollo-

way and Norris Boyd replaced Susan Hobbs, Steve Wilson and Steve Bennett. Hobbs, Bennett and Wilson all applied for reappointment but were rejected on a 2-1 vote, with county commissioner Steve Kiss voting no. Kiss, who served on the planning SEE PLANNING, 9A

2014: A look back

EDITOR’S NOTE: With the New Year here, The Miner staff spent some time this week reviewing events in our area this past year. Following is a sampling of stories from our newspapers over the past 12 months, to recount those people and events that shaped the year.

revenue annually. Bradbury is paid by the district for teaching but receives an additional $1,000 per month from the station sponsorships for his radio station work, District Business Manager Tom Crouch said.

January

A story about a change in the county planning commission was one of the first ones in 2014. On a 2-1 vote, with county commissioner Steve Kiss voting no, county commissioners appointed three new people to the Pend Oreille County Planning Commission Monday, Dec. 30. Norris Boyd was appointed to the District 1 position, replacing Steve Wilson. Terry Holloway was appointed to the District 2 position, replacing Steve Bennett. Paul Edgren was appointed to the District 3 position, replacing Susan Hobbs. Hobbs, Wilson and Bennett all applied for reappointment. Kiss served on the planning commission for 19 years. He said this is the first time in the last 20 years that a planning commission member who wanted to serve another term was not reappointed. Karen Skoog, who was recently elected chairwoman of the board of county commissioners, said appointing new people

Newport High School’s radio station got some attention in the first issue. More than 20 club students and one faculty member operate the Newport School District radio station KUBS 91.5 FM, to provide a variety of music and live sports events. The non-profit, educational station is celebrating its 40th anniversary and trying to rebuild. The radio station is owned and operated by the Newport School District. David Bradbury, KUBS General Manager and history and English teacher, said that it costs about $25,000 yearly for basic operations. The district sets aside about $5,000 in vocational funds, Bradbury said, and the rest of the cost is covered currently by 18 sponsorships from around the community ranging from $25-$300 monthly, bringing in about $20,000 in

Mike Manus, Hunt, auditor Marianne Nichols, treasurer Terri Miller, clerk/superior court clerk Tammie Ownbey, sheriff Alan Botzheim, and assessor Jim McCroskey.

was good. “There is nothing that says the planning commission has to stay the same,” she said. “We wanted to have people who would look at things with fresh eyes.” The effect of Washington’s marijuana law was felt locally the second week of January when a man who applied for a retail marijuana license in the city of Newport used the address of existing businesses that he had no permission to use. The man, Joe Rammell, said he got the wrong address. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) released the four-year enrollment numbers making changes to the current athletic Northeast A League and Northeast 1B North leagues, of which Pend Oreille County schools belong. The changes added Colville and Deer Park to battle against Newport in the NEA league. Kettle Falls, a member of the current NEA league, is dropping to Northeast 2B North League for athletics, SEE REVIEW, 2A

MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING

Three firefighters work to clear the fire in the sawdust storage area Friday, Feb. 26, after the fire was spotted by a shop teacher and reported to the fire department. Students were immediately evacuated to Stratton Elementary before being sent home for the remainder of the day. The high school canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday in order to clean the smoke out of the school.

B R I E F LY Priest River woman dies in car accident

Jan. 20 set for Old Boys Ranch hearing

SAGLE – A 64-year-old Priest River woman died in a car accident near Sagle Friday, Dec. 26, at about 2:30 p.m. Patricia McCoy failed to yield to traffic when entering Highway 95 from Dufort Road, according to the Idaho State Police. Her 1991 Nissan Sentra collided with the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado driven by William R. Pattin, 70, of Bayview. Both vehicles went off the road. Pattin and his two passengers, Jacqueline Patin, 59, and Jennifer Kirby, 36, were taken to Bonner General Hospital for their injuries.

CUSICK – The Pend Oreille County Planning Commission will hold an open record public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. at the Cusick Community Center to take comment on the proposal to rezone the Old Boys Ranch property near Ione. Wasatch and Associates want to rezone 430 acres of land, taking it out of a natural resource designation and reclassifying it as rural. Wasatch and Associates would like to develop the land into a housing development. The applicant will make a presentation during the Jan. 20 meeting.

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CLASSIFIEDS

7B-9B

Pend Oreille County, the lead agency, found that rezoning the land “would not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment.”

Offices, banks closed for New Year’s NEWPORT – Most businesses, post offices and government offices are closed Thursday, Jan. 1, for New Year’s. Pend Oreille County offices will be closed Thursday, Jan. 1, but will be open Friday, Jan. 2. Bonner County offices close at 3 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, and will reopen Friday morning.

OPINION

4A

RECORD

5B

SPORTS

1B-3B

LIFE

4B

POLICE REPORTS

5B

OBITUARIES

5B

PUBLIC NOTICES

8B-9B

FIRST BABY CONTEST PAGE 3B


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