Lake life august

Page 1

Presorted Standard | US Postage Paid Newport, WA | Permit No. 18 | ECRWWS

Celebrating Life at Diamond Lake and Sacheen Lake Volume 5, Issue 5

August 2016

TAKING THE DIVE LITTLE LIBRARIES

|

BIRDS

|

LAKESCAPING


EDITOR’S NOTE

Lake Life is expanding its reach

T

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We have big changes in store for Lake Life in 2017.

his is the last issue of the 2016 run of this five-month publication. Next year, starting in April, Lake Life will encompass most all of the inhabited lakes and rivers in our coverage area. We give you a taste this issue with the cover photo of Lt. Daniel Weathers of the Pend Oreille County Search and Rescue Dive Team conducting search operations along the pilings in the Pend Oreille River on Aug. 13. Lake Life will be mailed, free of charge, to residents and property owners with waterfront and secondary property along the shores of Diamond and Sacheen lakes, as well as Bead Lake, Davis Lake, Priest Lake, Priest River and Pend Oreille River. If you have suggested locations, call us at 509-447-2433 or email minernews@povn.com. Many of the issues facing our readers on Diamond and Sacheen lakes are common with residents on other bodies of water. We believe we are serving our readers and our advertisers better by expanding our coverage. As summer draws to a close, we hope it’s been a good season for our readers on Diamond and Sacheen lakes. We look forward to next summer and our next chapter of Lake Life. -MCN Published: August 2016 Publisher: Michelle Nedved Writers & editors: Don Gronning and Sophia Aldous Design: Pandi Gruver and Brad Thew Advertising: Lindsay Guscott, Cindy Boober and Micki Brass LAKE LIFE is published monthly in April, May, June, July and August as a supplement to The Newport Miner and Gem State Miner, 421 S. Spokane, Newport WA 99156. TELEPHONE: 509-447-2433 E-MAIL: minernews@povn.com, mineradvertising@povn.com FAX: 509-447-9222

Reproduction of articles & photographs is prohibited without permission of the Publisher.

See all issues at:

The Miner Online: www.pendoreillerivervalley.com. If you want to receive Lake Life in your mail contact The Miner at 509-447-2433. 2 Lake Life | August 2016


Miner photo|Sophia Aldous

Ronnie Lawson stands next to a Little Free Library he is assembling that will go up at Southshore Diamond Lake Road, per a homeowner’s request. This will be his fifth. He doesn’t plan to make anymore after that.

Little Free Libraries pop up around lakes

By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner

DIAMOND LAKE – A few years ago Ronnie Lawson came across an article in the Spokesman-Review about Little Free Libraries. He was instantly taken with the idea, and explored the pick up

points in Spokane where little

he was helping to dismantle

it back to his sister’s house

libraries were listed.

the Cooney cabin, an old

and created the first little free

“I just thought it was a cool

lake cabin that had been

library at the North side of

concept,” says the 73-year-old

totaled when a tree landed

Woodland Drive.

Diamond Lake resident.

on it during last November’s

Admittedly, he then forgot

windstorm. The wood was

a roof constructed from dis-

about it.

destined for the scrap heap, so

carded license plates.

Then a couple months ago,

he salvaged some and brought

Then followed another, with

See LIBRARIES, Page 13 August 2016 | Lake Life 3


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Courtesy photo|Sharon Sorby

This is an example of a ‘lakescape.’ A lakescape features a transition zone between the water, aquatic plant beds and shore, where all sorts of beneficial life lives, including amphibians, insects, crustaceans and mollusks.

Beauty, wildlife and water quality Creating a friendly ‘lakescape’ By Sharon Sorby Pend Oreille County Weed Board

Dick Bockemuehl

Waterfront Specialist 509 951-4390 dickb@21waterfront.com www.parade-of-lakes.com www.21waterfront.com

Pend Oreille & Bonner County Waterfront Specialist 4 Lake Life | August 2016

NEWPORT – As summer winds down, it’s time to start putting our gardens to bed, drink-in the fall colors, bask in the fall sun and day dream plans for our next garden season. Shoreline “lakescapes” play a major role in protecting our favorite lake use passtimes. Run-off from roads and yards carry toxins, pesticides and fertilizers, diminishing water quality, triggering algal blooms, killing fish and causing excess weed growth. “Lake friendly” landscaping reduces pesticide and fertilizer need, helps filter harmful contaminants from run-off, helps control erosion, and provides important habitat for wildlife and your viewing enjoyment. The transition zone, between water, aquatic plant beds and shore, provides the most important lake habitat. Many

insects, amphibians, crustaceans and mollusks congregate in this zone, providing forage for both land and water animals and fowl. The aquatic plant beds can help purify the water by absorbing nutrients, provide shelter for young forage and game fish as well as nesting sites for water birds such as loons, along with oxygenating the water through photosynthesis. The transition zone also allows egress and ingress for water wildlife as well as providing shelter for nesting and rearing young in the native vegetation. Bulkheads, excessive bank armoring and wide expanses of lawn comprise the most common “lakescape” mistakes, as they interrupt the native vegetation and destroy the transition zone. Dangerous to children, the elderly and wildlife, bulkheads also fail to provide optimal erosion control. Planting and maintaining

native vegetation, especially brush species where branches touch the water, provides wave energy dissipation, more effective erosion control as well as the dual service of filtrating toxins and nutrients from run-off. Wide expanses of lawn require lots of time to mow, increasing pesticide and fertilizer use, causing clipping disposal dilemmas, as well as attracting Canada geese at nuisance levels, in turn creating sanitation and further nutrient loading problems. Mulching perennials on the upper bank with the grass clippings or composting them away from the shoreline helps to resolve clipping disposal problems. Reducing the lawn size by leaving aquatic plant beds and planting the transition zone to native vegetation, as well as providing other habitat See LAKESCAPE, Page 6


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Miner photo|Michelle Nedved

The waiting room in the new clinic.

Clinic opens on time, under budget

By Michelle Nedved Of The Miner

NEWPORT – It was a who’s who of Pend Oreille County Friday afternoon at the grand opening and ribbon cutting of Newport Health Center, the new clinic opened by Pend Oreille Hospital District No. 1. Members of the public were treated to tours of the facility throughout the day. The building was completed on time and under budget, paid for with reserves and a bank loan. The budget for the entire project was $5.7 million; $5.15 million was spent on the clinic

building, and an additional $638,000 was spent on the hospital loading dock, receiving area, flooring in the basement of the hospital, hospital elevator upgrade, and the purchase of three additional properties. The decision to build the new clinic was made in March 2014, according to Christina Wagar, Director of Ancillary and Outpatient Care, who was also the project manager for the clinic. “Twenty-nine months later and we’re about to start a new chapter in Newport Hospital and Health Services,” she told the crowd. See CLINIC, Page 7

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LAKESCAPE | ‘Lakescape’ for habitat From Page 4

features in the yard, will help resolve the other problems caused by too much lawn. Restoring or maintaining shoreline habitat does not mean building a barrier of native vegetation between your home and the lake. A balanced approach to “lakescaping” retains natural habitat, reduces pollution and erosion while meeting your aesthetic and access needs. Think of the transition zone as 50 feet into the water and 50 feet up onto the shore. Restoring or maintaining native vegetation for three-quarters of the length of shoreline owned can meet both wildlife and access needs such as a dock and swimming area. Trees and shrubs strategically placed on the upland area of a lakeshore lot can help provide habitat and a sense of privacy for the home without obscuring the view of the lake. Choosing trees and shrubs with berries or fruit, such as mountain ash, serviceberry and huckleberries, increase bird-watching opportunities. Restoring or maintaining the aquatic and emergent vegetation beds with bull rush, cattails and burreed, and anchoring a loon nesting platform offshore, gives the opportunity for experiencing a family of these elusive birds. Upland perennial flower beds of native, such as lupine, goldenrod and cardinal flower, along with noninvasive exotics, such as roses, Monarda (beebalm), and lavender, provide eye-pleasing color and forage for hummingbirds and butterflies. Nest boxes and shelters, strategically placed in the upland garden, provide for insect predators such as bluebirds,

Courtesy photo|Sharon Sorby

This hummingbird gets something to eat from some of the beneficial plants in a lakescape. The hummingbird is between two bee balm plants. The plants provide eye-pleasing color and forage for hummingbirds and butterflies.

swallows and bats. Bat houses are particularly useful for luring bats out of the home structure. The nutrient rich guano can be collected below and redistributed throughout the upland planting beds as fertilizer. Although historically maligned, a bat consumes seven times its body weight in insects every evening. They provide a significant natural control for biting insects, such as mosquitoes as well as forest insect pests. For a given lake, studying undisturbed shoreline can teach what natural conditions and vegetation to copy

for your property What emergent plants are present? Which wildflowers and shrubs do best? The answer to these questions will give you the best choices for your property. Also, talking to other shoreline owners who have maintained or restored the transition zone will help yield the best strategies for your property - which have succeeded, which have failed? Sharing information on habitat restoration and management will help contribute to healthier, cleaner water to play in and more diverse lakeshores, yielding more fish and wildlife to enjoy watching.


CLINIC | 31 exam rooms in new clinic From Page 5

The new clinic is named Newport Health Center. Employees of the district held a contest to name the facility, and the winner was Jill Monroe. “I hope all of you and all our employees are just as excited and proud of what we’ve done,” Wagar said. District CEO Tom Wilbur also spoke, saying thank you to all those who helped with the clinic. Newport Health Center will consolidate Family Medicine Newport and Family Health Center, as well as provide increased capacity for the addition of more family practice providers, said Jenny Smith, marketing and foundation director for the hospital. Newport Health Center currently has eight providers and room for 12. All family practice providers and the general surgeon will move to the new clinic. “Not only does the new clinic provide a modern, esthetically pleasing space for patient care, it allows NHHS to increase operational efficiencies and steam-line the patient care experience,” Smith said. The facility is approximately 18,000 square feet. In addition to 31 exam rooms and two procedure rooms, there’s a community health education classroom and a dedicated space for Pend Oreille County Counseling Services to serve patients while in-clinic. The waiting room features a children’s corner, stocked with books, couches and small chairs. The books were donated by the Newport Hospital Foundation, and references the Reach and Read program administered by the foundation, where physicians provide free books to patients ages 0-5 during well

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Miner photo|Michelle Nedved

Becky Delucco, a nurse at Newport Hospital and Health Services, is painting murals in four of the exam rooms for children. This one is woodland characters. The remaining rooms include themes of fantasy and the ocean.

child checkups. Newport Health Center opened Wednesday, Aug. 17 for patients of Dr. Shannon Radke, Dr. Geoffry Jones, Dr. Tim Chavis, and Chris Buscher, PA-C. Aug. 29 will be the first day in

the new clinic for patients of Dr. Jeremy Lewis, Dr. Angelika Kraus, Dr. Clay Kersting, and Keith Bell, PA-C. The phone number for Newport Health Center is 509-4473139. August 2016 | Lake Life 7


American Redstart

Red-naped Sapsucker

Bird watchin By John Stuart

top, in a conifer forest or on

a place with water. Lakes

conifer-forest birds, decidu-

cheen and Dia

Giving one’s attention to

a lakeshore or a farm field,

like Sacheen and Diamond

ous-forest birds, or swamp

accounting for

birds’ lives is an art form

almost exactly what species

provide an excellent mix of

birds or birds of any other

Quite a few oth

like any other. After get-

will be found in that par-

habitats to find all kinds of

vegetation-type that Mom

species will ap

ting to know the local birds

ticular spot.

water-dependent or simply

Nature has stacked up on

on their way s

for several years, an atten-

Birders who want to see

near-water species. Walk-

the shoreline.

in autumn and

tive birder will know, upon

or hear a lot of species in a

ing only a short way off

It is possible to find at least

times.

setting foot on a mountain-

short time will always pick

the lake one can fine many

150 bird species around Sa-

Since the big, o

8 Lake Life | August 2016


Pileated Woodpecker

Swainson’s Thrush

ng at the lake

amond lakes,

get plenty of attention, I

distinguish it from a hairy

sap oozes from the wounds.

wood/aspen neighborhood,

r all seasons.

will focus on the lesser

or downy woodpecker. If

A very subtle bird of the

we should also include the

her migrant

known. In cottonwood/

you find horizontal rows of

same stands is the Ameri-

two operatically-voiced

ppear as well

aspen stands, a common

tiny holes drilled in local

can redstart. It is a tiny

vireos; the red-eyed and the

south or north

bird is the red-naped sap-

deciduous trees, these are

bird in beautiful scarlet and

warbling. Very somber in

d spring

sucker. Though a bird with

the sapsucker “wells” from

salmon hues with a very

white and grey, these two

a unique voice, a novice

which the bird will feed in

highly-pitched song.

birds make up for their

will need binoculars to

later days and weeks as the

While we are in the cotton-

obvious birds

See BIRDS, PAGE 10

August 2016 | Lake Life 9


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off-whiteness with loud and persistent happy-swamp music. I like to throw out a modest challenge for people who are learning their birds. Both lakes, in summer, can be home to five different species of swallows. See if you can learn to identify violet-green, tree, bank, rough-winged and barn swallows. Most people on the lake will have heard the pileated woodpecker, a large forest bird. Though this bird is somewhat shy around people, it is usually easy to follow its voice and get within binocular range. At times, I have been within 10 yards of a bird, which was so intent on tearing a tree apart that it didn’t mind being gawked at by the monster with the big round, black eyes. You can tell the pileated’s gender by the amount of red color on the head. An absolutely necessary part of all woodpecker habitat is both standing and downed dead trees. If a tree dies on your property and it is not in a dangerous spot when it will fall, the woodpeckers (and many other birds) will make very good use of it as food and nest cavities. A dead tree, cut off at 15 feet tall, rendering it harmless,

Red-winged Blackbird will still be a good wildlife tree. Now that we are into mid-summer with lots of fruit-bearing plants, it is very likely to see a pileated hanging from a mountainash or elderberry, adding fruit to its mostly insectbased diet. Another group of birds that will inhabit the nearwater edge is the wood warblers. The common warblers found in the brush and close to the ground are the McGillivray’s, the Nashville and the orange-crowned. Higher in the trees you will find the Townsend’s and the yellow-rumped. And for a great climax of ear-rattling music, everyone should learn to identify

Online sources

Computer access makes identifying birds quite easy. Here are a couple sources for listening to bird songs and of course, any bird’s pictures can be found via Google, etc. Birdweb.org is the Seattle Audubon Society’s site. Type in a bird in the search box and when it comes up hit the song button to hear it. Allaboutbirds.org is Cornell University’s comprehensive bird website.

the unmistakable song of the Swainson’s thrush. The thrushes have two voice boxes and when you think you are hearing an echo of its song that is exactly what is happening. Only the two songs are coming from a single bird, simultaneously. Because this bird likes to stay hidden in dense cover, it is almost never seen by the casual observer, but I am sure it is one of the most abundant birds in summer. With a little patience you will be able to watch this bird close-up. Learn its song and you will realize how common the thrush is and you will recognize it in woods wherever you go simply by listening for it. For a final challenge, try to learn the differences between the red-winged blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, and the Starling. If you would like to be on our local e-mail listserve, “pobirds,” send me an e-mail and we will put you on. I am at ninebark@ povn.com.


WHO TO CONTACT Diamond Lake Water & Sewer Dist. 509-447-4660 Fax: 509-447-0180 172 South Shore Diamond Lake Road, Newport, WA 99156-9300 Operates water and sewer systems around Diamond Lake. Commissioners (six-year term): chairman Bob Graham (2017), Secretary Richard Swan (2021), Ray King (2019) Commissioner stipend: $70 per meeting Board meets on the first and third Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the district office. Office open 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Maintenance hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Sunday. In addition, they can be reached by telephone after hours for emergencies.

South Pend Oreille Fire & Rescue Serving south Pend Oreille County including Diamond Lake, Sacheen Lake, Deer Valley, Camden and Fertile Valley areas Chief: Mike Nokes 509-4475305 Annual salary: $62,930 Commissioners: Gary Wilkey 509-447-0744, Randy Miller 509-292-8065, Galen Hansen 509-292-9458, Karen Johnston 509-939-7714, Harry England 509-936-0524 Commissioner stipend: $100 per meeting. Commissioners meet the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at Diamond Lake Station. Diamond Lake Station is staffed 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Mail: 325272 Hwy. 2, Newport WA Website: www.spofr.org August 2016 | Lake Life 11


Lake Police Reports

Want Waterfront?

Shannon M. Sheckler, ABR, GRI, SRES

Waterfront & Horse Property Specialist

Is Now

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ICE!

R

ER V O LD

P LIST

SO

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ED T S I TL

JUS

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12 Lake Life | August 2016

Editor’s note: The Lake Life police reports, taken from dispatch logs provided to The Miner by law enforcement agencies, are not intended to be an exact report, but rather a list of police calls around Sacheen and Diamond lakes. Certain police calls are generally omitted because of space constraints. These include but aren’t limited to ambulance calls for illness, unfounded alarms, traffic stops, dogs at large, abandoned vehicles, 911 hang–ups and civil standbys. All dispositions for the police reports are assumed to be active, assist or transfer at press time. Saturday, July 30 ANIMAL PROBLEM: W. Sacheen St., report of black and white pit-bull running loose again, owner has been contacted many times by law has photos. Monday, Aug. 1 SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES: Northshore Diamond Lake Monday, Aug. 8 ACCIDENT: Hwy. 2, report that vehicle collided with large deer on the east side of the road. ACCIDENT: Hwy. 2, report of three-vehicle accident reported, unknown injuries. Tuesday, Aug. 9 AGENCY ASSIST: Northshore Diamond Lake, request a deputy go with complainant to speak to a homeowner who is posting their own 25 mph sign by their house. VEHICLE THEFT: Northshore Diamond Lake, report that son’s ex-girlfriend just stole complainant’s green ‘96 Chevy super cab pickup with 300 galSee LAKE POLICE REPORTS, PAGE 14


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Miner photo|Sophia Aldous

One of Lawson’s little libraries that stands at the end of Woodland Drive at Diamond Lake.

ock Your “R W l il

ld”

Concrete Aggregate Excavation

low Diamond Lake resident Ron Ulrich, who has provided Lawson with some supplies for the libraries. Lawson agrees, recalling a little girl who had gone to one of the libraries around the lake and was so excited to see that someone had left some children’s books. “It is what it is,” he says. “And it’s fun.”

or

The premise of the tiny libraries is simple: take a book, leave a book. No charges, no overdue fees. Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization based in Hudson, Wis. that supports the worldwide movement to offer free books housed in small containers to members of the local community. According to the website littlefreelibrary.org, there are nearly 40,000 Little Free Library book exchanges around the world, that share millions of books annually. For someone who is so invested in the little libraries, Lawson admits he isn’t much of a reader. “Honestly, it takes me about a month to get through a book, if I really like it,”

Lawson says, smiling. “I have a stack of novels in my shop right now that I have to occasionally wipe a dust cloth over.” So why do it? He enjoys the creative outlet and the chance to see his friends and neighbors take advantage of the free literature. “It reminds you of a sense of community,” says Lawson’s friend and fel-

We W

From Page 3

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August 2016 | Lake Life 13


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STYLE 14 Lake Life | August 2016

ELEGANCE

Lake Police Reports

FUNCTION

lon water barrel in the back. Thursday, Aug. 11 ERRATIC DRIVER: Hwy. 2, report of green Ford that pulled out and cut off complainant and driving erratic. Saturday, Aug. 13 STRUCTURE FIRE: W. Sacheen St. Sunday, Aug. 14 TRESPASSING: Sacheen Terrace Drive, report of two males trespassing.

See LAKE POLICE REPORTS, PAGE 16


WEATHER BABBLE

Caution Winter ahead! by Climatologist Bob Lutz

SACHEEN LAKE – It won’t be long before we see those “Construction Ahead” signs being put away for the season as many Lutz road crews begin gearing up for what could be a long, busy winter. The signs are already in the air. I have already seen some of the queen yellow jackets looking for shelter, and the “stink” bugs are out and about around a month earlier than usual as well. Now of course all these nasty pests have to survive my two cans of Raid (one in each hand) before they can safely make it to shelter, and I’m happy to report that a few of them will not have to worry about surviving the winter, if you know what I mean. The robins and the hummingbirds also seem to be exiting early, and my favorite – our local red squirrels – have come out of their slothlike summer behavior earlier than usual as well. They have already started cutting the particularly heavy abundance of pinecones off our area, from evergreens and onto our noggins. Somehow, some way, Mother Nature knows what’s ahead, and I for one have learned to pay attention to the signs, especially when some of them are hitting me on the head. Of course, there are plenty of weather pattern

signals out there as well, a few of which have my complete attention this year. For those that have been following my “weather guessing adventures” throughout the year, it should have come as no surprise that we have experienced a summer with much less heat than what we suffered through the past couple of seasons. More importantly, I also shared that I thought that this would be a calmer fire season this year, which has indeed been the case, at least so far. The significance of all this actually coming to fruition is important, as all the pieces of the puzzle seem to be aligning for what could be a very active winter ahead. The first piece of the puzzle involves the rapid demise of the warm El Nino event from last winter. That is now being replaced by his nagging sister, La Nina, with an expected weak cooling of the equatorial Pacific through the upcoming fall and winter. In many cases, any degree of La Nina results in a colder, snowier winter for the Inland Northwest; however, there have been a few La Nina winters this past decade which seemed to have little significance on our local weather. In fact, we actually saw milder than normal winters during the past two episodes of La Nina. The reason for the mild conditions was that we had an enormous pool of unusually warm water lurking off the West Coast. That

pool extended from the Baja of California all the way up into the southern Gulf of Alaska. Stagnant high pressure over the eastern Pacific aggravated the situation by not allowing much mixing of that water and as such, the pool continued to warm and intensify. But, as of this summer, that piece of the puzzle is history as the waters have cooled, and that pool of warm water has dissipated. Finally, the last piece of the puzzle revolves around lower than normal sunspot activity the past few months, which is expected to continue for the remainder of the year. Not for nothing, but the signs don’t seem to get much clearer than this. Having said that though, I have to ask is there anything that is totally clear concerning Mother Nature? The correct answer is no, and the wildcard in this case will hinge on whether or not the La Nina develops as forecast. Even so, it’s hard to ignore the screaming message of winter ahead, and I for one am preparing for a real oldfashioned Northwest winter this season just in case. As I advised one of my local farmer friends, if they make snowshoes for cattle, you better stock up. (A reminder, you can follow all of my updated forecasts throughout the year online at www.climatehawk.org under “Forecasts & More”)

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August 2016 | Lake Life 15


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Lake Police Reports Monday, Aug. 15 ACCIDENT: Southshore Diamond Lake, report of a vehicle injury accident. Thursday, Aug. 18 FIRE-VEHICLE: Northshore Diamond Lake, report of golf cart on fire. SUSPICIOUS PERSON: Hwy. 2, report that male showed up on motorcycle, stood next to bedroom window and knocked on it then stood at slider staring at it just then left headed towards Spokane. Sunday, Aug. 21 ILLEGAL BURNING: Northshore Diamond Lake BOAT INSPECTION: Sacheen Lake Monday, Aug. 22 VEHICLE FIRE: Hwy. 2, Newport, report of vehicle on fire, flames coming out of hood. POSSIBLE DUI: Hwy. 2, report of red 1990’s dodge truck swerving. Tuesday, Aug. 23 PROWLER: Hwy. 2, caller reports dog is going crazy and believes someone is on her property. Wednesday, Aug. 24 ERRATIC DRIVER: Hwy. 2, report of motorcycle driving erratically speeding up then slowing down drastically. BRUSH FIRE: Northshore Diamond Lake, report of transformer that blew, fire spreading fast, houses in area. ILLEGAL BURNING: Northshore Diamond Lake, report of fire in front yard. Thursday, Aug. 25 BRUSH FIRE: Hwy. 2, report of smoke seen in the area.

16 Lake Life | August 2016


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