Newport law enforcement by The Newport Miner

The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901

Wednesday, JUNE 7, 2017

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Volume 115, Number 19 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages $1.00

Roxy could open for summer Young family hopes to revive business By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner

NEWPORT – Can nostalgia and affection save a business? That’s what the potential new owners of the Roxy Theater in Newport are hoping for as they move forward with plans to reopen the movie theater by July. “We’ve talked about it for years,” says Newport resident Jason Totland. He and his wife Brittany plan to purchase the theater, located at 120 N. Washington Ave. “It’s something for kids to do and I figure this town (Newport) did a good job of raising me, so I’d like to return the favor in some way.” The Totlands made an offer on the building late last month and are planning on closing on the offer June 28. Though Jason Totland would not disclose the offer they made, he says the initial asking price for the building was around $240,000. If the Totlands’ offer is approved by the Roxy’s owner, Glacier Bank, they will reopen the theater in July and begin remodeling, transforming the three screen multiplex back to its original one screen format. The quote they received from a contractor to knock out the wall is $20,000. They are hoping to raise money through donations, purchasing Roxy tSee theater, 2A

Miner photo|Rosemary Daniel

Meghan Ryan suffered injuries when this tree fell on the truck she and Emerald Callihan were sitting in at Ione City Park Friday, June 2. The tree had been struck by lightening in 2004, a former city worker said.

Narrow escape By Don Gronning Of The Miner

NEWPORT – Two Ione women escaped serious injury Friday, when a tree struck by lightning more than 10 years ago fell and crushed a truck they were in. Emerald Callihan and Meghan Ryan had just returned from fishing and were getting in the truck

Silicone smelter may be near Newport after all Of The Miner

NEWPORT – HiTest Sand Inc., the Canadian company that wants to build a silicone smelter, is back to considering Pend Oreille County as a site for the plant. The smelter was originally announced for a location near Usk. Then owners decided Addy would be the best location and they announced they would build the site there. Now they’re considering a different Pend Oreille County location, south of Newport. According to Colin Willenbrock, PUD general manager, there has been a request for electricity service to the PUD from HiTest, with a $25,000 deposit paid.

Ryan suffered some injuries and was taken by ambulance to Mount Carmel Hospital in Colville, Weiss said. She received five staples in her head and lacerations to her face, Weiss said. “They pulled one piece of glass out of her nose,” he said. Weiss worked for the city in 2010-11. He said the tree had been struck by lightning in 2004.

Newport council wants answers from sheriff By Don Gronning Of The Miner

NEWPORT – Each month the Pend Oreille County Sherriff’s Office compiles a list of law enforcement calls that happened in Newport the previous month and the sheriff or a deputy appears at the council meeting and gives a report on the calls. That didn’t happen this month. City council member Mark Zorica noticed. “Why no law stats, let alone the sheriff?” Zorica asked at the end of the council’s regular meeting Monday night, June 5. That kicked off a round of discussion about Newport’s law enforcement services. The city contracts with the county for law enforcement. Zorica said he is hearing from constituents that the

HiTest rejects Addy site By Don Gronning

preparing to leave when Callihan heard the tree crack as she was getting into the driver’s side of the truck. She jumped out and yelled a warning to Ryan, who was on the passenger side. “Emerald escaped,” said Ken Weiss, Ryan’s father-in-law. “Meghan just tried to get out of the truck.”

Willenbrock says HiTest is looking at a site south of Newport on land owned by the PUD and Pend Oreille County. Pend Oreille County commissioner Mike Manus and county consultant Gregg Dohrn said HiTest is going through air quality standards modeling to make sure they can comply if the Kalispel Tribe goes ahead and asks that the reservation change to a Class I area under the federal Clean Air Act. HiTest president Jayson Tympko says the company has been considering several sites all along. “We’ve always been working with different tracks of land in northeastern Washington,” he said in a phone See Hitest, 10A

county isn’t adequately responding to calls within the city. He says downtown business owners can’t remember the last time a deputy knocked on a door to ask how it was going. He said levels of staffing for Newport didn’t appear to be adequate. He said on rodeo weekend a deputy had to be called back to work after 2 a.m. to handle calls. Zorica acknowledged that the Sherriff’s Office may be struggling to recruit and retain deputies, but said that really wasn’t the council’s concern. City attorney Tom Metzger helped moderate the discussion. He said the county was having trouble keeping deputies at least in part because of pay. Two deputies have left to work at the Liberty Lake Police Department. City councilman Keith

Campbell said that when it comes to pay, Pend Oreille County can’t compete with Spokane County. Stevens and Bonner counties were more comparable counties to compare pay with, he said. Law enforcement salaries were lower here than in Spokane because presumably the cost of living is lower in Pend Oreille County. But with Spokane – and Liberty Lake – so close, deputies can live in Pend Oreille County and commute. Metzger pointed out the city pays the Sherriff’s Office more than $400,000 annually for law enforcement, not an unsubstantial amount. The council is well within its rights as a major purchaser of law enforcement services See council, 2A

B r i e f ly Flag raising ceremony June 14

NEWPORT – Newport Hospital and Health Services is hosting a flag raising ceremony on Flag Day, Wednesday, June 14, at 3 p.m. in front of the hospital. The public is invited to observe as local Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, the VFW Commander and bugler Tom Garrett replace the District’s old flags with new ones. Roughly a week ago, hospital administration received notice from a local veteran who suggested the flags needed replacing.

Priest River auction raises $3,825

PRIEST RIVER – The Priest River Lamanna High School’s wood and metal shop auction brought in $3,852 for the programs. The woods program raised $2,529 and the metals program raised $1,323.

Priest River, Newport graduate Saturday NEWPORT – Seniors from Newport and Priest River will take part in graduation ceremonies Saturday, June 10. The Priest River graduation starts at

10 a.m. and the Newport ceremonies begin at noon. Both are at their respective high schools.

Driver’s license office closed these days

PRIEST RIVER - The Priest River Driver’s License Office will be closed Monday, June 19 and Tuesday, June 20, and will re-open for business on Thursday, June 22. The Sandpoint Driver’s License Office will be open during this time and can be reached at 208-265 -1431. The Priest River Motor Vehicle Office can be reached at 208-448-0746.

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Brittany Totland who has made an offer for the Roxy Theater in Newport with her husband, Jason, stands in front of the cinema with her two children. Jason Totland was on a business trip and could not be in the photo. From Page 1

shirts, and subscription packages to the theater. Jason worked at the Roxy as a teenager, running concessions, taking tickets and cleaning. He recalls the Roxy’s former owners, Gladys and Richard “RC” Bishop as being strict bosses, but fair. “They believed in customer service and the experience of going to the movies,” says Jason. “You’d scrub the popcorn machine at the end of the night, and if there was the slightest smear of grease she (Gladys) would make you do it again. She was a stickler for doing it right. She taught a lot of us kids what a good work ethic looks like and she really cared about the community.” Jason is a network engineer for F5 Networks and Brittany is a substitute nurse for the Newport School District. The couple has two children, a two-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl. The Roxy Theater was built in 1951. Kevin Wright, an insurance agent in Newport, purchased the theater in 2007, and then closed the business in 2015. The Roxy Theater building was sold Jan. 20 in a trustee sale earlier this year for $132,000. The only bidder was Glacier Bank. The building includes not only the theater, but also Wright’s insurance office and an upstairs apartment. The Roxy’s current design consists of three

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theaters totaling 330 seats. The two smaller theaters have poor sound control, small screens, and cramped seating, according to the website www. thenewportroxy.com. The plan is to only show movies on the front main screen until the remodel to restore the grand theater design can be afforded. “We want to make it about two-thirds less than Spokane movie theater prices, so we’re looking at $6.50 for kids tickets and $8.50 for adults, plus some kind of discount for seniors and military,” says Brittany of proposed ticket prices. However, only running the front screen limits the theater to approximately 200 seats, which will not sustain the business long term. The Totlands aspire to raise this money quickly to restore the theater to over 400 seats. Though they are hopeful, the Totlands aren’t naïve---with even big chain multiplexes having to compete with streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, small town movie theaters are struggling to survive. “It’s a bit of a Catch-22,” says Jason. “We’ve crunched the numbers and our business plan is to just break even so we can afford expenses and keep the doors open. Running a hometown theater that is mostly showing second screenings with the occasional first showing isn’t much of a money maker.” Delays in showing new movies are a growing source of frustration for small-town cinema owners. Movie studios’ dis-

tribution models usually favor big-city multiplexes. For example, Jason points to the live action remake of Beauty and The Beast as a first run showing that would require them to sign a contract with the film distributor that would require the Roxy to play only that movie for a total of three to four weeks, no double billings. “If you want to be part of a first run, you have to pay a lot of money and that’s the only movie you can play on your screen for almost a month,” Totland says. “That’s why a lot of movies don’t come to your local theater opening day. We’re hoping that customers will be understanding of this.” That doesn’t mean a new movie will never premiere opening day at the Roxy, the first run movies will just be few and far between so the theater can offer some variety, adds Totland. It looks like people are already enthusiastic about the prospect of the Roxy reopening; since the Totlands put up the theater’s Facebook page last weekend, it has received over 14,000 views since Monday afternoon. Only time will tell if that will result in direct financial support for the venue. “We appreciate people’s interest and curiosity, and we hope we can make this work for the community,” says Brittany. For more information, check out the Roxy’s Facebook page at www. facebook.com/thenewportroxy, or go to www. thenewportroxy.com.

to get some answers to questions, he said. He recommended the council submit questions ahead of time so Pend Oreille County Sherriff Alan Botzheim would have time to prepare and respond at a later meeting. Council member Brad Hein said he had questions about response times within the city and the recruiting process. The council agreed to submit questions to city clerk Nickole North by Friday. She would send them on the Botzheim so he could address the council. Earlier in the meeting Mike and Barbara Munke asked about renting Newport City Park for a free concert Sunday, July 9, from 2-5 p.m. They are bringing Grant Form, a nationally known flatpicking guitar champion, to play. “We wanted to get music out of the bars so people with kids and seniors could experience it,” Barbara said. The band agreed to play for donations, since they were appearing nearby anyway. Still, with insurance and port-apotty rentals, the event was expensive, especially since it was a free concert. The council gave approval for the concert, which will take place the same weekend as the Rough Stock Invitational and Bull-a-Rama, which will be held Friday and Saturday. The council also agreed to provide $1,000 in hotel-motel tax money to the Greater Newport Area Chamber of Commerce for the Poker Paddle, set for Aug. 5 but not before asking questions of chamber president Randy Pymm. The council pointed out that the event starts and ends outside Newport. Pymm said the event would start at Pioneer Park, north of town. He said that it costs too much to take off from Rotary Park in Idaho because of the boat inspections. Pymm said the event does draw people to the area. Zorica asked how much the county had given for the event. Pymm said the county awarded $300, part of a larger $3,000 grant to the chamber for all its events. Pymm said the county works the same as the city, the money is paid only after presentation of receipts. North said that in the past the Poker Paddle

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hadn’t been able to use the full amount they were granted because of lack of receipts. The hotel motel tax money is to be used for advertising and advertisements must say the event was supported with hotel motel tax money. Pymm was asked how many people came to the event and how many stayed overnight in Newport. He said last year’s event drew 75 people. There is a preregistration event the night before, so while he didn’t know how many stayed in Newport, he assumed some did. He said he would ask motels to track that this year. This is Pymm’s first year working on the event. He and Mike Lithgow are heading the Poker Paddle this year. City administrator Ray King said that he was recommending the council look more carefully at all future events funded with hotel motel tax money. He said the tax money was declining, as there were no big construction projects to fill the motels. King advised the council to consider only fully funding events that started within Newport city limits. “We need to be cautious,” King said. King reported that the Southeast Newport Improvement project was about two weeks ahead of schedule. He said work was expected to conclude in early July. In other council business: • The council passed a resolution authorizing the city to apply for a $750,000 Community Development Block Grants to fund the reservoir, treatment and transmission project. King also asked for associated authorization to certify the project for Title VI funding and authorizing a public hearing regarding an application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for financing for the project. • The council also agreed to pay the Wm. Winkler Company two installments of $3,025 and $185,167 for work on the Southeast Newport Improvement project. • The council authorized King to find out the fair market value for two properties the city owns that could be declared surplus and sold. One property is the former gas station on Washington Avenue that has been torn down and cleaned up. The other property is located off Highway 2.

l a s t week

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Source: National Weather Service and Accuweather.com, Newport, WA

Last Year: The weather this week last year was dryer with scattered showers and thunderstorms a couple of days.

May High Low Prec. 31 90 50 .02 01Jun 71 56 .02 02 69 50 .12 03 72 45 0 04 81 47 0 05 81 47 0 06 76 45 0 Source: Albeni Falls Dam

The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901

Wednesday, JUNE 21, 2017

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Volume 115, Number 21 | 2 Sections, 28 Pages $1.00

County bans pot sales in unincorporated areas By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner

NEWPORT – With a unanimous vote and a stroke of the pen at the June 12 regular meeting, Pend Oreille County commissioners passed an ordinance banning retail marijuana facilities in the unincorporated parts of the county. “It’s a decision that we’ve come to that we feel is in the best interest of the county at this time,” commissioner chairwoman Karen Skoog said on Monday. The ordinance only affects the unincorporated areas of the county, meaning any place that is not within the city limits of a municipality. City governments are in charge of deciding whether or not they will approve retail marijuana within city limits. According to Pend Oreille County Community Development Director Greg Snow, there are 490 square miles of unincorporated land in the county. The county has been under a moratorium on retail marijuana since it was passed Feb. 23, 2016. The moratorium was extended four more times, with the last one taking place Jan. 10, 2017. Public hearings were held several times at the commissioners’ office concerning the topic, including in March 2016, July 2016 and January 2017. The ordinance affects retailers of marijuana only. The county will process applications associated with the production and processing of marijuana. Commissioner Mike Manus cited the way that Washington state has lobbed medical marijuana and recreational marijuana together as a reason

Miner photo|Don Gronning

Newport City Council members Mark Zorica and Keith Campbell listen while Pend Oreille Sheriff Alan Botzheim explains why there isn’t 24-hour law enforcement coverage in Newport. There isn’t enough crime to warrant it, he said.

Miner photo|Don Gronning

Pend Oreille County Sheriff Alan Botzheim talks with the Newport City Council while city administrator Ray King looks on.

Botzheim open to cancelling Newport coverage

See marijuana, 2A

Rodeo action returns for 68th year By Don Gronning Of The Miner

NEWPORT – The Newport Rodeo will kick off its 68th annual event this Friday and Saturday, June 23-24. Rodeo president Ray Hanson won’t predict the weather for this year’s event. “It’s Newport,” he says. “It could be rainy or sunny or both.” Rodeo performances will start at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. This year’s event will feature a rodeo dance held in the space behind the beer garden immediately after Saturday night’s show. “Honky Tonk from Spokane is the band,” Hanson says. “Some of those guys used to play at dances at the Eagles.” The dance will be free and open to all ages. It will conclude at 1 a.m. Friday will be Military Night at the rodeo, with $10 tickets at the gate for military, firefighters, law enforcement and EMTs who show proper identification. See RODEO, 2A

Says Newport getting good law enforcement deal By Don Gronning Of The Miner

NEWPORT – Should Newport go back to having its own police department? In an hour-long talk at their regular meeting Monday, June 19, Pend Oreille County Sheriff Alan Botzheim told the council it wouldn’t matter to him. “I don’t need to do your stuff,” he said. “Maybe if the deputies didn’t have 3,000 more calls, it would be easier to keep them,” he said. The Sheriff’s Office

is down three deputies, to 13. It handles about 3,000 Newport calls per year. “Actually, if I didn’t have to cover Newport, I would be at full staff,” he said. Botzheim appeared before the council after the meeting two weeks ago when council members groused about city law enforcement coverage. Botzheim had let them know he was sick and couldn’t come to that meeting. Since he was sick, he wasn’t able to put the law statistics for Newport together. Outside Monday night’s meeting, Botzheim said he considered having someone fill in for him, but See law, 2A

Peases retire after 40 years at Cusick By Don Gronning Of The Miner

CUSICK – “It probably won’t seem real until school is ready to start next fall,” says Jean Pease, 62, who retired recently after 36 years as a full time Cusick teacher, mostly teaching second grade. Her husband, Nick Pease, 62, also retired this year after 40 years with

the district. Pease, a 1972 Cusick High School grad, has been heavily involved with Cusick athletics, most recently serving as athletic director, as well as a high school biology and physical education teacher. After graduating Cusick, Pease went on to play football or Spokane Falls Community College, making their traveling squad. “On the first day, more than 140

turned out,” Nick says. “That’s more football players than the number of people I was used to going to school with.” Only 35 players traveled to away games for SFCC and Pease was one. At 6 feet 2 inches and 230 pounds, he was defensive lineman. The See pease, 13A

B r ie f ly Motorcycle Poker Run this Saturday

OLDTOWN – To accompany Rodeo Weekend, the first annual Motorcycle Poker Run for Angel Paws is Saturday, June 24 at 10 a.m. Registration begins 9:30 a.m. at Fay’s Lounge and ends at Newport City Park. Registration is $25 and includes one poker hand and a t-shirt. Additional hands are $10. All proceeds go to benefit the non-profit Angel Paws. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place. For more information and to RSVP, call 509-6713457 or email baubau1038@yahoo.com.

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Public urged to attend Block Watch meeting

BLANCHARD - The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office is forming a community Block Watch program in the greater Blanchard area. There will be an informational meeting Friday, June 23, 6 p.m. to 8 at the Blanchard Community Center.   The watch program is community driven and provides an opportunity for residents to work with neighbors to prevent and report crime.   The public is welcome to attend. For more information, contact the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office at 208-263-8417. 8a-9A

Opinion

Kids, grab your stick horse NEWPORT – The second annual stick horse races are set for Saturday, June 24 at 3 p.m. in the Newport City Park. Children can purchase a stick horse for a $1 at Ben Franklins, Petroglyph Printing or The Miner and decorate it however they like. Age groups are 3 to 5, 6 to 9 and 10 to 12. There will be prizes for fastest horse and best decorated horse in each category. The event is sponsored by the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce.

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Its rodeo time! Special section See pages 1B-10B

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Iffy tree issue comes up at Priest River City Council

LAW: Compared calls From Page 1

By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner

PRIEST RIVER – Most of us can agree that trees are part of the landscape that beautifies a town. In neighborhoods, parks and city streets, a bit of nature adds color and tranquility amongst angular buildings and concrete. However, sometimes nature has little care for infrastructure, as is the case with seven trees in the area of Seventh and Beardmore that need to be removed, according to Priest River Parks and Tree Commission member Chad Summers. Avista Utilities crews from Sandpoint were called out to that particular spot Saturday, June 17, when high Courtesy photo|City of Priest River winds caused branches Trees grow up and around an intersection near 7th and Beardto fall into power lines, more. Their proximity to power lines and a fire hydrant have resulting in an outage. Summers, who works for caused them to be scheduled for removal. Avista, said he doesn’t know how long the outmers said. “I think our and silver poplars are age lasted or how many city, and the community beginning to grow out customers in Priest River at large works really well into the intersection and were affected, but the together when it comes a fire hydrant is also obtrees need to be removed to operations and mainscured, making the area sooner rather than later. tenance projects, and a potential hazard, said “It’s a win/win situathis is no different.” See tree, 13A tion for everyone,” SumThe group of elms

Marijuana: Supports medical

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Miner photo|Sophia Aldous

Pend Oreille County Commissioners Karen Skoog and Mike Manus talk county business with consultant Gregg Dorhn Monday morning. Kiss was out of the office for the day. All three commissioners voted unanimously to ban retail marijuana in the county June 12. From Page 1

for commissioners banning retail shops in the county. Skoog agreed, adding that she supports medical marijuana users, as does Manus. Commissioner Steve Kiss was out of the office Monday. “As we’ve said all along, if the state had not lumped the two together, we wouldn’t have any objections to medical marijuana,” said Manus. Medical marijuana was approved in Washington State by voters in 1998 under Initiative 692, and Initiative 502 allowed the use of recreational marijuana in 2012. Snow said the county is currently working on development regulations for processing and growing marijuana in the county. “We’re trying to consider the unforeseen, the safety of others, and what significant challenges could come up as we move forward,” Skoog said. Metaline Falls and Metaline have currently taken no steps to amend

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‘It’s a decision that we’ve come to that we feel is in the best interest of the county at this time.’ Karen Skoog

Pend Oreille County Commission chairwoman

Last year Ione amended its development regulations to permit the retail sales of marijuana in its Highway Commercial district, resulting in the only marijuana dispensary in the county, Pend Oreille Cannabis Company. Newport has approved the sale of retail marijuana in its industrial zone.

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their current development regulations to include provisions governing the production, processing, or retail sales of marijuana, medical or recreational. Cusick has banned the sale of recreational marijuana in the city limits.

that would have been on overtime and the person wouldn’t have had the statistics to discuss, so nobody came, which is what set council member Mark Zorica off. He objected to no statistics and no sheriff at the previous meeting, starting a wide ranging discussion about law enforcement in Newport. Monday night, Botzheim said he felt like he was thrown under the bus at that meeting, which was covered by The Miner in a front page story. Newport was getting a good deal for law enforcement, Botzheim said, comparing the $284,548 Newport pays the county annually for law enforcement to other towns, which pay more. In addition, to the $284,548, the city also pays for jail and dispatch services. Botzheim took the city back to when it had its own police department. In 2005, when the city had its own police department, Botzheim said they had three officers and a chief hired from Alaska. They worked days, from 2 to 10 p.m. If police were needed outside those hours, they were called in. Botzheim compared those days to today. What Newport pays for funds three deputies, Botzheim said. “You’re paying for three and getting 15 or 16,” he said, meaning that since Newport is the county seat, deputies are usually available. He said crime was down in Newport. “You’re not having the crimes you’ve had before,” he said, noting last month there were no burglaries and three thefts. “That’s pretty good law enforcement,” he said. He gave a 2005 burglary in progress call as an example of how things went then. When the burglar was discovered by the homeowner and fled, it was no longer a burglary in progress, because the person left, therefore no longer meeting the criteria for an active crime calling for immediate response. He compared it to a 2012 call from Zorica, when an intoxicated person wandered into his home during rodeo weekend. A deputy had to be called out to respond, and Botzheim said the deputy was there within seven minutes. Zorica didn’t agree. “It was longer than seven minutes,” he said. Botzheim said that was from the time the deputy was called. Zorica said he had no idea if the intruder was armed or not. “I feel like I should have had someone at my house,” he said. “I didn’t feel safe.” Botzheim said in 2005, he wouldn’t have had anyone show up that night. It was Zorica noting that there wasn’t someone on duty rodeo weekend that started the discussion at the meeting two weeks ago. Botzheim assured the council that all vacations were canceled and people have to work on their day off to be on duty during this week’s rodeo weekend. Botzheim said he had been providing law statistics and attending council meetings each month. He said that wasn’t called for in the contract between Newport and his office and that he had been coming to council meetings “without being compensated.” The contract calls for Botzheim to meet monthly with the mayor and that was what he was going to do. He would continue to provide law statistics, but wouldn’t come to council meetings unless something required him to come. Botzheim said as far as crime goes in Newport, it really didn’t have much compared to other cities its size. “The biggest problem is that Newport has a couple areas with a lot of traffic,” he said. “That’s not illegal.” He said a place with a lot of traffic doesn’t qualify as a nuisance house of the kind Spokane has dealt with. Those houses had incidents of rape, prostitution and stabbings, much more serious crimes. “Traffic doesn’t qualify as a nuisance,” Botzheim said. Council member Nancy Thompson said she had heard from people in the community who wanted answers. “It’s not just us,” she said. Botzheim said that a problem neighborhood isn’t just a police concern; it’s a community problem. He said it took up to a year to hire a deputy because of all the tests, including polygraph and psychological tests. It takes another two years to train them. Botzheim was asked about experienced deputies who didn’t need so much training. He said they don’t want to come here unless they have a problem elsewhere.

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Partly sunny

83/52

74/44

Friday

Saturday

Partly sunny

Sunny

78/50

74/41

Sunday

Partly sunny

76/51

l a st week

Monday Sunny

73/42

Tuesday

Partly sunny

77/50

Source: National Weather Service and Accuweather.com, Newport, WA

Last Year: The weather this week last year was very similar except for thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday.

June High Low Prec. 14 67 49 0 15 66 48 0 16 60 51 .29 17 66 43 .01 18 67 43 0 19 72 52 0 20 85 53 0 Source: Albeni Falls Dam

The Newport Miner THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNTY SINCE 1901

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 115, Number 1 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages $1.00

Sheriff wants to double fees, council stunned Newport not paying fair share of law enforcement costs, sheriff says pleased. In that letter, Botzheim said it would cost the city $575,257 to have his office provide law enforcement services in 2018, an increase of nearly $300,000. That’s up from $281,872 in 2016 and $284,548 in 2017. Sands arrived and the council went through some regular business, then got

BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Mayor Shirley Sands was a little late to Monday’s Newport City Council meeting, so council members had a chance to look over a July 26 letter sent to Sands by Pend Oreille County Sheriff Alan Botzheim. They were not

to the law enforcement contract. Sands said the county commissioners were aware of the situation. Councilmember Keith Campbell said he was shocked at the size of the increase. “The number makes my blood pressure rise,” he said. In the July 26 letter to Sands, Botzheim

said he had contacted city administrator Ray King in December 2016 about a proposed increase so the city and Sheriff’s Office could start discussion. He sent King another letter in March 2017. Botzheim said he didn’t receive a response. SEE STUNNED, 2A

No HiTest announcement yet Company not looking elsewhere, consultant says BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County planning consultant Gregg Dohrn told county commissioners Steve Kiss and Mike Manus Monday that HiTest Sands is still evaluating whether to build a $300 million silicon smelter at a site south of Newport. Dohrn said he has spoken with the company and they say they want people to know they aren’t looking at any sites but the Newport site. “They said they would either proceed with the site in Newport or not go forward with the project,” Dohrn said. Dohrn said it would take nine to 15 months for permitting to be completed after the company’s announcement that they would proceed. Dohrn said that either the county or the state Department of Ecology could be the lead agency for the project. If the county is the lead agency, they would likely contract with a third party, Manus said. HiTest would fund a cost recovery account to pay for the work ahead of time, Manus said. Dohrn said Whatcom and Skagit counties on the west side of the state have recently put forth big projects, one for a coal terminal and one for expansion of a gas processing facility. In those cases, the permitting didn’t exceed 15 months, he said, even though there were marine areas involved. Once the application is made there will be

MINER PHOTO|SOPHIA ALDOUS

No bull Olivia Hansen of Peaceful Valley 4-H club sold her Grand Champion Market steer for a jaw dropping $11,565 at the Market Animal Sale Saturday during the Pend Oreille County Fair. The steer weighs 1,285 pounds and went for $9 a pound. Buyers were Dave and Cheryl Williams of Industrial Preventative Maintenance in Newport.

SEE HITEST, 9A

Climate in D.C. tough

Newport schools grapple with state funding

McMorris Rodgers says no House funding for Secure Rural Schools yet BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

USK – U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, R-Wash., said the budget would take up much of Congress’ attention when it returns to session. She addressed the Pend Oreille Economic Development Council at its Wednesday morning meeting Aug. 16 at the Camas Center for Community Wellness in Usk. “The debt ceiling will be controversial,” she said. “I’m hopeful we can

move on to tax reform.” It’s been 31 years since meaningful tax reform, she said. Businesses are moving outside the country because of the high U.S. business taxes, she said. The Republicans would eliminate what McMorris Rodgers called the death tax, the estate tax on families with high net worth. It would change the current system with seven individual tax rates to a three-rate system. “The goal is to fit your taxes on a postcard,” she says. The only allowed

SEE D.C., 2A

BY SOPHIA ALDOUS OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – On the surface, it would appear that the matter is settled: Earlier this month the Attorney General’s office says Washington state has fulfilled its constitutional requirement to properly fund education, per the state Supreme Court’s 2012 McCleary ruling. Lawmakers finished a lengthy session in July

in which they approved a plan to increase spending on K-12 public schools by $7.3 billion over the next four years. At second glance, it’s not so simple, according to Newport Superintendent Dave Smith and Newport School District Business Manager Debra Buttrey. “We’ll have to use our fund balance or reserves to get through the

SEE GRAPPLE, 9A

B R I E F LY Free preschool screening Aug. 31 NEWPORT – Thursday, Aug. 31, the Newport School District will offer a free screening to any child 0-5 years old in the Newport School District. The following areas will be screened: cognitive (thinking and pre-academic skills), communication (speech and language), fine motor (writing, drawing, cutting, visual-motor), gross motor (balance, throwing, kicking), vision and hearing. To have a preschooler scheduled for a screening or for more information about the services available, contact Keri Leslie at 447-3167, ext. 4507 or email lesliekeri@newportgriz.com

Free food Aug. 24 Meet the Grizzlies Aug. 29 NEWPORT – Maws and Paws Booster Club is inviting the public to kick off the new school year with the Meet the Grizzlies event Tuesday, Aug. 29, 6 – 8 p.m. at Ellersick Field. Meet the cheer, football, soccer, volleyball and cross-country athletes and coaching staff, along with Newport School District teachers, and join in singing the district’s fight song. A free dinner will be served at 6 p.m. At 6:45 p.m. there will be games with prizes.

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NEWPORT – There will be a free food distribution through American Lutheran Church and Pend Oreille County Thrivent Members Thursday, Aug. 24, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. in the church parking lot. The food drive is open to the public and no appointment or documentation is needed. The event will be held rain or shine outside, so dress accordingly. Participants need to bring their own boxes. The Lutheran church is located at 332801S.R. Highway 2. For more information, call Nicole Smoot at 509671-1432.

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D.C.: McMorris Rodgers working on updating hydro licensing FROM PAGE 1A

deductions would be mortgage and charity deductions. There will be a big debate in the fall, she predicted. She said it was hard to say what would happen with health care. “This political climate is really tough,” she said. She says she’s working with fellow Republican Sen. Orin Hatch in the Senate to try to ensure that Secure Rural Schools (SRS) money that goes to the state gets to the schools. During the question part of the meeting, Newport School District Superintendent Dave Smith asked if there had been any movement on the SRS funding. McMorris Rodgers said how to pay for the program has been a sticking point. “We haven’t been able to find a long-term funding source,” she said. “Sen. Hatch says he has a way to pay for it, but won’t say what it is. He doesn’t want someone else to take it. In the House we haven’t identified funds.” Former Cusick Mayor Bob Spencer asked about Community Development Block Grants. “Rural America can’t afford itself,” he said. He said small towns like Cusick depend on CDBG funding. McMorris Rodgers said she supports CDBG funding. She says it allows local people to make decisions on spending. Spencer said after the meeting he wasn’t satisfied with her answer. When asked after the meeting about the Trump budget, which has no CDBG funding, McMorris Rodgers said

Ione – Law enforcement is searching for a the driver of a car that struck a 58-year-old man in Ione City Park and left Tuesday, Aug. 15. The suspect vehicle is described as an older dark grey sedan, with four male occupants. The victim also noted the windows were all down with loud music playing. The Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for information that could identify the vehicle and occupants of the vehicle. Anyone with possible information is asked to call the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office at 509-447-1980.

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MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers takes a question about Community Development Block grants at the Pend Oreille County Economic Development Council meeting Wednesday, Aug. 16.

She says rural areas need to be able to connect to high speed Internet. She said she sees that as similar to the rural electrification that was done years ago. She said Microsoft approached her about getting authority to take advantage of the “white space” between broadcast television channels to send broadband data to customers using that frequency. “The broadcasters are against it,” she said. They are concerned about interference with their signals. There are four pilot programs underway in Elmira, she said. McMorris Rodgers said she has been holding unity dinners to promote bipartisanship. Democrats and Republicans, young

and old, have attended them she said. She says she’s learned and been encouraged by the dinners. She said she had been meeting with the NAACP in Spokane after racist graffiti was found in Spokane. She has held a series of roundtables, she said. She said poverty is probably one thing behind the racist messages. She is promoting a, “racism to gracism, divisiveness to security” message. When asked after the meeting if the Republican Party should distance itself from President Trump after his controversial remarks about the events in Charlottesville, McMorris Rodgers emphasized her belief that racism was wrong.

According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday, Aug. 15, at about 4:35 p.m., Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a man struck by a vehicle in the Town of Ione. Law Enforcement and medical personnel responded to the victim’s home near the Ione Park, while U.S. Border Patrol Agents checked the area for the suspect vehicle. On scene, first responders contacted the victim, a 58-year-old male. The man had what appeared to be serious, but non-life threatening injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle. Subsequent

investigation revealed the victim had been walking his dog in the Ione Park, at which time a vehicle struck him and fled the scene. The victim felt the suspect vehicle may have been targeting his dog, which was on a leash. The victim indicated he rushed forward to grab his dog, at which time he was struck by the vehicle and pinned between the vehicle and a rock wall. The vehicle backed up and fled the scene without offering aid. The victim was taken by helicopter to a Spokane area hospital for treatment and has since been released.

STUNNED: City paid $284,548 for law enforcement in 2017 FROM PAGE 1A

Botzheim said “ ... the County’s Financial Manager conducted a line by line analysis of the 2016 Sheriff’s Budget to determine the actual cost to the County to provide Law Enforcement Services for the City of Newport.” The analysis showed the actual cost to the county in 2016 was $542,235, based on the original agreement the city would pay for two deputies, a sergeant and all associated costs. Botzheim said the city only paid $260,363, which wasn’t fair to the county. Botzheim asked for the city to approve the contract by Oct. 1, if they intended to renew it. If the city didn’t wish to renew, he would also like to know that. The contract expires Dec. 31. City attorney Tom Metzger said he was involved with the writing of the contract when he was county prosecutor. He said the contract has been more or less the same for 10 years. City Clerk Nickole North said the

law enforcement contracts have increased each year, some in every category but dispatching. In 2017, it increased by $2,676. Metzger said the county had an obligation - to a level – to enforce all laws in his jurisdiction. Zorica said he wanted someone to explain to him in layman’s terms why he had to pay both city and county property taxes. Metzger said the county taxes pay for more than just law enforcement. He advised gathering information on how similar sized cities handle and pay for law enforcement. He said it should be on the council agenda and warned council members about forming subgroups to talk about it. More than three council members is a meeting he said. Zorica asked King if Botzheim had given him any verbal warning about the large increase during their meetings on prior contracts. King said he wanted to hold off answering. He said

he has had some questions about why Newport paid for dispatching services when others didn’t. King said overall the partnership with the Sheriff has been good. King said he liked how different deputies were assigned to Newport, instead of the same deputies. Prior to the law enforcement discussion, the council discussed land use appraisals for property the city may declare surplus. The council wanted to know the value of the land before deciding to sell it or lease it. Metzger said the council has to have information about whether the land was not needed and was surplus. There are four parcels involved, one in Newport that used to be a gas station, one by the Golden China restaurant, one up on the south bench land south of Newport and another near the wetlands on the city’s entrance on Highway 2. Once the council has the value they can advertise and hold a

public meeting to get input. The council also discussed a request for a zoning change at 601 Highway 20, the Bliss Chiropractic building. The request was to change to industrial from commercial. The council indicated it wasn’t likely in favor of such spot zoning, especially at the entrance to town. But to pursue it, the matter would go before the city planning commission, they would make a recommendation to the city council, who would approve or disapprove the change. If the requestor didn’t like it, an appeal to Superior Court was the next step. The council also approved a resolution adopting an updated public records request form. Metzger said the city actually gets quite a few records requests and changes to state law now allow charges for electronic documents. He said the city would need to change its policy to align with the new law. For now he just wanted approval for the one page form.

T H I S W E E K ’ S F O R E C A ST

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Congress would write its own budget. CDBG was funded at $3 billion for 2017. Pend Oreille County commissioner Mike Manus talked about Duncan Springs, a water pipe located off LeClerc Road that many use as a water source. The county applied for federal funding to widen the road but when they saw the hoops they had to jump through to get the funds, county commissioners decided to take $20,000 from the county budget to fund it. Manus said having federal participation makes projects 30 percent more expensive. McMorris Rodgers said that’s why it’s better to keep the money local to begin with. Manus also talked about the A-Z timber sale. He was happy the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had rejected a lawsuit brought by an environmental group. He said McMorris Rodgers had introduced legislation that would require anyone suing to stop a timber sale to have been involved in the process, which wasn’t the case in the A-Z sale. McMorris Rodgers highlighted some of her work in Washington D.C. She said the legislative streamlining permitting of hydroelectric facilities have passed out of committee. She says the update is needed; it takes about 10 years to permit a hydro project, compared to 18 months for natural gas. She says the medical school planned for Spokane will focus on training family practitioners.

Sheriff ’s Office seeks hit and run driver

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THE NEWPORT MINER

Wednesday Thursday Partly sunny

Partly sunny

87/55

80/41

Friday

Saturday

Partly sunny

Sunny

80/39

85/44

Sunday Sunny

90/46

L A ST W E E K

Monday Sunny

92/51

Tuesday

Partly sunny

89/53

Source: National Weather Service and Accuweather.com, Newport, WA

Last Year: The weather this week last year was half cloudy and rainy, half the same as this year.

Aug 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

High Low Prec. 82 44 0 84 47 0 84 47 0 85 50 0 80 46 0 82 46 0 88 49 0 Source: Albeni Falls Dam

The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901

Wednesday, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 115, Number 41 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages $1.00

Anti-smelter proponents take it to local government By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner

NEWPORT – Emotions ran high at two separate Pend Oreille County meetings regarding one looming issue: the proposed silicon smelter by HiTest Sands, Inc. Local residents and representatives of the Citizens Against the Newport Silicon Smelter (CANSS) attended a meeting Wednesday, Nov. 1 between Pend Oreille County department heads, 7th Legislative District Senator Shelly Short, and 7th District Representative Jacquelin Maycomber. The meetings allow local government to meet with state lawmakers to discuss issues pertaining to their individual departments. However, citizens that attended the meeting were upset that Short and Maycomber, who represent Pend Oreille, Stevens, and Ferry counties, did not stay afterward to address their concerns regarding the multi-million dollar smelter. “You saw the representatives run away; they don’t want to talk to us,” resident Axel Hiesener said after the meeting. “Light needs to be shed on this and we just want our lawmakers to listen to what we have to say.” If permitting for the plant goes through, it would be built roughly a mile south of the U.S. Highway 2-Idaho state Route 41 junction on 186 acres. “We don’t want you or your smelter,” one woman yelled at Short after the meeting, slamming a “No Smelter” sign on the table where Short had been sitting as she rose to leave. “Take it back to Addy.” Short, who is from Addy, has been a proponent of the See smelter, 2A

Miner photo|Sophia Aldous

Constituents opposing the proposed HiTest smelter site in Newport confront Pend Oreille County Commissioner Steve Kiss after a meeting last Wednesday.

Local veteran passes after returning from Honor Flight

Sands could keep seat, Cusick mayoral race close

By Sophia Aldous

NEWPORT – The initial results for Pend Oreille County are in for the general election, with the polls closing promptly at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. In 7th Legislative District races, it appears Pend Oreille County voters want incumbent state Sen. Shelly Short to stay in office. Short, a Republican, received 2,008 votes to Democrat Karen Hardy’s

Of The Miner

NEWPORT – It is hard to quantify service in the Armed Forces into a memorial, but the Honor Flight might come the closest. Several local veterans recently traveled via Honor Flight to Washington D.C. to visit various war memorials on the National Mall. The flight departed Monday, Oct. 23 from the Spokane International Airport and returned late in the evening on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Among them was Newport resident Jay Cline, who served in World War II in the Philippines, joining the merchant Marines when he was 17 years old. The trip to Washington DC was a timely one. Cline, 90, passed away Oct. 29 in the arms of his wife, Phyllis. “He was still alert and had his senses about him,” Phyllis Cline said of her husband’s journey on the Honor Flight. “He was apprehensive at first, because of his health, but once he found out they could accommodate him, he was determined to go.” Honor Flights are conducted by nonprofit organizations whose goal is to transport as many United States military veterans as possible to see the memorials in Washington D.C. of the respective war Courtesy photo|JoAnn Bell they fought in at no cost to the veterans. Keith Bell and Jay Cline return to Spokane Oct. 24 after the Honor Flight to WashKeith Bell, a physician assistant at

See election, 2A

County rejects Newport offer for law enforcement City has to form own force or contract elsewhere By Don Gronning Of The Miner

NEWPORT – After Newport City Council members Keith Campbell and Mark Zorica and Mayor Shirley Sands met with Pend Oreille County Commissioners Monday to discuss a law enforcement contract, Sheriff Alan Botzheim and the county commission rejected the city’s offer during an executive session Tuesday, Nov. 7. “After a thoughtful and thorough review of all

ington D.C. Around 100 veterans traveled on last month’s Honor Flight.

See honor flight, 10A

See CITY, 10A

B r i e f ly Christmas Arts and Crafts sale at Stratton NEWPORT – The Christmas Arts and Crafts Sale returns to Stratton Elementary School Saturday, Dec. 2, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Along with a variety of craft vendors and merchants, Santa Claus will be on site for photos. For more information, call 509-447-0656.

Leave food out for the Scouts to collect PRIEST RIVER – Be sure to assist local scouts with their

classifieds Life Obituaries

food drive Saturday, Nov. 11, at 10 a.m. in Priest River and 9 a.m. in Newport and Oldtown. Local Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts will be canvassing residential areas looking for bags of donated food. To help, leave a bag or two of nonperishable food by your front door so Scouts can collect and deliver them to a local food bank. For more information or if your house gets missed, call Brad Mingay at 208-448-2875 in Priest River or Steve Price at 509-447-2287 in Newport and Oldtown. Participating Scout groups are Troops and Packs 604, 603, 630 and 696 7B-8B

Learn about Youth Emergency Services NEWPORT – Youth Emergency Services, YES, is holding an informational meeting Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Newport High School, for those interested in learning about the agency, and about being a host home for homeless youth in Pend Oreille County. The meeting is at 6 p.m. in the Newport High School library. Dinner will be provided, and childcare is available. Anyone needing childcare should RSVP 24 hours in advance by calling YES at 509-447-1125.

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Get your party on! Holiday Party planner Next week’s issue

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NOVEMBER 8, 2017 |

Ione’s plan for annexation depends on the vote IONE – Annexation into Pend Oreille Fire District No. 2 was one of the topics brought up at the Oct. 18 Ione Council meeting. Chris Haynes attended the meeting to introduce himself as the new Fire Chief and ask if there were any questions or concerns about the upcoming vote for Ione to be annexed into Fire District No. 2. If the annexation does pass he would like to see the Ione station roll into Fire District No. 2 in a seamless fashion. He also asked if Ione has a plan if

election: From Page 1

1,141 votes. A write-in candidate received 10. It was a similar situation with 7th Legislative District Representative Jacquelin Maycumber. The Republican incumbent received 1,945 votes to challenger Susan Swanson’s 1,170 votes. A write-in received 11. It looks like Newport Mayor Shirley Sands could keep her seat

the annexation fails. Spears stated that at this time there is no plan and the city will wait and see what happens before moving forward. Election day was Tuesday, Nov. 7. Results of this vote will be in next week’s issue of The Miner. Haynes also said that Fire District No. 2 is considering increasing their number of commissioners from three to five and would like to see a member from Ione on the board. Council member John Redinger

against councilman Ken Smith. Sands received 223 votes to Smiths 195, with write-in taking eight. In Cusick incumbent Chris Evers is being edged out by challenger Ken Murray in the mayoral race, with her receiving 11 votes and him 18. It’s also a tight race for Commissioner of Hospital District No. 1, with Lynette Elswick maintaining 1,172 votes to Susan Johnson’s 1,031. Write-ins received 17 votes. In Fire District No. 2 Commissioner No. 2 Pete Smoldon is behind

stated that there are a few trees along the fence on the Greenhouse side of the airport that are potentially interfering with the glide path of approaching aircraft. Redinger said he would like to get the trees removed, but the persons who own the adjoining property are not willing to remove the trees at this time. Mayor Charles Spears asked it the trees violate the county code. Redinger said that at this time he is going to leave the trees alone.

a write-in candidate, 199 to 149. In Fire District No. 4, Position No. 2, Baneta “Bonnie” Sheffler is at 179 votes to challenger Ryan Tellessen’s 157. Ione is on track to approve annexation into Fire District No. 2, with 46 voters approving the proposition and 27 rejecting it. The Sacheen Lake Water and Sewer levy is currently approved by 66 yes votes to 41 no votes. The election will be certified Nov. 28.

City: Botzheim proposed increase to $575,257 From Page 1

aspects of the current circumstance, we stand in agreement that the City’s proposed contractual figures do not meet the direct costs, let alone the indirect costs of the County to provide service to the City,” the letter addressed to Mayor Sands read in part. The letter noted that the city’s offer was essentially what they currently pay. Botzheim had proposed increasing what he charged the city for law enforcement services to $575,257 for 2018, with subsequent increases to follow for the next three years. Newport initially offered about $389,000. Sands said the city increased the offer by $5,000. Coupled with the $50,000 or so of property taxes the city residents pay the county that goes towards law enforcement, Sands said the city offered about $400,000 for services that included dispatch and jail services, along with law enforce-

ment services. City and county attorneys Tom Metzger and Dolly Hunt attended Monday’s meeting, but city administrator Ray King did not. City clerk Nickole North did attend. Campbell and Zorica added law enforcement talks to the agenda for the Oct. 16 city council meeting, although King was on vacation. “They are the ones along with the rest of the council that makes the decision of what happens with this contract and it makes no difference if the City Administrator is present,” minutes from the Oct. 16 meeting read. That led to a series of executive sessions to discuss the contract. All three executive sessions included Metzger, who attended by phone. County commission chairwoman Karen Skoog said one of the sticking points was the lack of communication from the city. “We have to respect the challenge of not having

W h o to c o n ta c t WASHINGTON

Federal

President Donald J. Trump (R) The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20500 Phone: Comments 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 Senator Patty Murray (D) 111 Senate Russell Office Building Washington D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-0238 Spokane office: 10 North Post Street Spokane WA 00201 Phone: (509) 624-9561 Senator Maria Cantwell (D) 111 Senate Russell Office Building Washington D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-0238 Spokane office: W. 910 Riverside, No. 697 Spokane WA 99201 Phone: (509) 353-2547 Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) 1708 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 224-0238 Colville Office: 555 South Main Colville WA 99114 Phone: (509) 684-3481

State

Governor Jay Inslee (D) Office of the Governor PO Box 40002 Olympia, WA 98504-0002 360-902-4111 Relay operators for the deaf or hard of hearing, dial 7-1-1 www.governor.wa.gov Legislative District 7 - Position 1 Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber (R) 411 John L. O’Brian building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 Phone: (360) 786-7908 Email: Jacquelin.Maycumber@leg. wa.gov No home office yet Legislative District 7 - Position 2 Rep. Joel Kretz (R) 335A Legislative Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 Phone: (360) 786-7988 Email: kretz.joel@leg.wa.gov Local Address (March-December) 20 North Main St. PO Box 1 Omak, WA 98441 Phone: (509) 826-7203 State Senator - Legislative District 7 Shelly Short 409 Legislative Building PO Box 40407 Olympia WA 98504 Phone: (360) 786-7612 Email: shelly.short@leg.wa.gov

Washington Legislative Hotline 1-800-562-6000 During session, weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Legislative homepage: www.leg.wa.gov

communication soon enough,” she said. Commissioners and Botzheim made reference to the lack of communication in the letter. “Additionally, the City’s silence at Sheriff Botzheim’s repeated requests, since last year for a meeting to discuss the contract which would be ending this year, has left him unprepared for staffing requirements that would be essential to provide effective Law Enforcement Services to the City,” the Nov. 7 letter to Sands read. Kiss said it is too late for Botzheim to hire staff. Campbell and Zorica both want to know what has changed in the last couple years that brought on such a dramatic increase in the cost of providing law enforcement services. Campbell said as soon as the city became aware of the increased costs, council members jumped on it and started working the numbers. Zorica said he didn’t get a satisfactory answer from Botzheim about what has changed during the Monday meeting to justify the steep increase. “The only reason (the county) went to these numbers was because of bruised egos, and Alan is one of them,” Zorica said Tuesday. He said the high increase felt like ransom. Campbell said he has respect for Botzheim and that he felt the city made an offer in line with similarly

sized eastern Washington cities. Campbell, Zorica and Sands have compiled a list of 26 cities with populations between 1,734 and 3,115. Of these, 11 contract with their county’s Sheriff’s Office for some portion of the law enforcement. According to those numbers, among the cities that contract for jail and dispatch, along with law enforcement services, Davenport pays $326,500, Benton City pays $325,000, Dayton pays $377,300, Okanogan pays $308,870, Pomeroy pays $237,571, Cashmere pays $438,961, and Deer Park pays $470,000. Campbell says the city simply couldn’t pay a $300,000 annual increase. Sands says the next step is for her, Campbell and Zorica to get together to evaluate what to do next. At Monday night’s city council meeting, they asked if the rest of the council agreed with the direction they were going. The council indicated it did. Campbell and Zorica agree with Botzheim that an incorporated city either has to have its own police chief or contract out with an agency for law enforcement services. Campbell regrets that talks weren’t started sooner, but says the city has some alternatives to contracting with the county. “I don’t think we’re in a desperate situation,” he said. “We have options.”

Public hearing on cemetery district IONE – A public hearing will be held by the cemetery district commissioners in the Ione Council Chambers for the public to comment on the 2018 Tax Levy for Cemetery District No. 3. The 2018 pre-

liminary budget for the levy will be available with the commissioners on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 5:10 p.m. The Ione Council Chambers are located at 112 Central Ave., Ione.

School board work date changed METALINE FALLS – The Selkirk School Board Work Session has been changed from its regular meeting time of Wednesday, Nov. 8 to Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 5:30 p.m.

Coffee House this Sunday

METALINE FALLS – The popular Cutter Coffee House Concert returns Sunday, Nov. 12, from 2-5 p.m. There is a $5 cover charge, with coffee, teas, hard ciders, beers and wines available, as well as salty/ sweet treats. As usual, Donivan Johnson will be at the keys of the baby grand piano, taking requests and providing a laidback atmosphere for the afternoon. As there is no “curtain,” guests are welcome to come and go during the threehour period as their schedule allows. For more information, call The Cutter at 509-446-4108. The Cutter is located at 302 Park St., in Metaline Falls.

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down rive r eve nts Wednesday, Nov. 8 Story Time: 10:30 a.m. Metalines Library

Story Time: 10:30 a.m. Metalines Library

Tuesday, Nov. 14

Basic Computer Class: 11 a.m. to Noon - Ione Library, Call 509-442-3030 For Reservations

Story Time: 11 a.m. - Ione Library

Weight Watchers: 6 p.m. Weigh in 6:30-7 p.m. meeting Ione Catholic Church

Metaline Falls Town Council: 7 p.m. - Metaline Falls Town Hall

Metaline Town Council: 7 p.m. - Metaline Town Hall

Thursday, Nov. 9 Story Time: 11 a.m. - Ione Library Friday, Nov. 10 Story Time and Crafts: 10:30 a.m. - Metalines Library Alcoholics Anonymous: 7 p.m. - Ione Senior Center

Monday, Nov. 13 Fire District No. 2 Commissioners: 10 a.m. - Fire Station 23, 390442 Highway 20, Ione

Book Discussion Group: 4-5 p.m. - Ione Library

Wednesday, Nov. 15 Story Time: 10:30 a.m. Metalines Library Basic Computer Class: 11 a.m. to Noon - Ione Library, Call 509-442-3030 For Reservations Commissioner Kiss Office Hours: 3-6:45 p.m. - Ione Library Weight Watchers: 6 p.m. Weigh in 6:30-7 p.m. meeting Ione Catholic Church Ione Town Council: 7 p.m. - Clerk’s Office

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The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Long-term care bid comes back as expected

Volume 115, Number 50 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages $1.00

Hospital district awards bid to Kilgore Construction By Michelle Nedved Of The Miner

NEWPORT – With some redesign and change in scope, the

Long Term Care Facility planned by Pend Oreille Hospital District No. 1 went back out to bid, and this time came back as expected. See Long-Term, 2A

Inslee lashes back at Sessions on marijuana By Alex Visser WNPA Olympia News Bureau

Editor’s note: The Washington Newspaper Publishers Association funds journalism students who cover the Washington Legislature, which got underway this week. Many of their stories will appear in The Miner. See page 8A for more legislative coverage.

OLYMPIA – Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee expressed a defiant attitude toward U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who announced Jan. 4 the rescinding of Obama-era guidelines that assisted the legalization of non-medical marijuana in Washington, seven other states and the District of Columbia. Sessions’ announcement came via a memo to U.S. attorneys, in which he referenced the ilSee Inslee, 2A

Miner photo|Don Gronning

Swede’s send off The color guard of American Legion Post No. 217 gives Glenn Fred “Swede” Bergau a military honors salute Friday following Bergau’s funeral in Newport Jan. 5. An Army veteran, Bergau was one of the charter members of American Legion Post No. 217. He passed away Dec. 9 at age 94.

New Year wrapping up old work for Public Works projects By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner

NEWPORT – After Pend Oreille County commissioners approved a road levy shift last November to help balance the 2018 budget, Pend Oreille County Public Works is preparing to wrap up several large projects this year that have been a long time in the making. For those that don’t know, the road levy shifts $200,000 in taxing au-

thority from the county’s road fund to the current expense fund to balance the budget. The county transferred $200,000 from the capitol projects fund to make up the difference for the road shift levy, but those funds must go into road projects and not current expense fund. Washington law allows county governments to collect two separate property tax levies. These are levies for the current expense fund and the

road fund. This just means that the money will be there for roads when it’s needed and doesn’t really affect the projects that are coming to completion this year, said county commissioner Karen Skoog. “Our public works department has been working on these for a long time, putting funding sources together and implementing them,” Skoog said of the four big projects the county is

winding up in 2018. “All the road levy shift means is that we’re still going to be able to complete them with the finances that available.” The $200,000 backfill from capitol project funds will go toward the Fertile Valley Road rehabilitation, which is budgeted at $2,280,000. The Rural Arterial Program is contributing $2,052,000, but the project must go to bid See Projects, 10A

Newport hires experienced police chief By Don Gronning Of The Miner

NEWPORT – Newport’s new police chief, Mark Duxbury, was out on a call when a writer stopped by for an interview this story. “He might be awhile,” the office staff said at city hall. As a one-man police department, Duxbury, 51, is likely to be plenty busy for the next few months. Duxbury is Newport’s latest hire. He’s part of the city’s process of standing up a new police department after Pend Oreille County Sheriff Alan Botzheim substantially in-

creased the amount he would charge the city for law enforcement services. The city and county couldn’t come to an agreement on the new charge, which was about double the previous charge. Botzheim said the increase reflected the actual cost of providing law enforcement services, something the county subsidized before the proposed increase. So the city set about recruiting a police chief. “We had a number of applications,” city councilmember Keith Campbell said. But after interviewing Duxbury, Campbell, fellow council member Mark Zorica and Newport

Mayor Shirley Sands agreed Duxbury was the best candidate and offered him the job without interviewing anyone else. The council agreed and he was sworn in at the Jan. 2 meeting. Duxbury signed a six-month contract, for which he will be paid $33,744 plus benefits. According to city clerk treasurer Nickole North, Duxbury has six months to complete the Equivalency Academy, which he is scheduled to attend the latter part of January. The city has hired police chiefs on sixmonth contracts before, she said. Before the city started con-

tracting with the county for law enforcement in 2006, the city had its own department. Duxbury now lives in Pend Oreille County, but grew up in California. He went on to work 26 years in California law enforcement, mostly in Tracey, Calif., a city of about 80,000, where he spent most of his career. He rose to the rank of captain. He retired at age 50 and moved to Pend Oreille County full time, drawn in part by the fishing. “We’ve owned property here and used to spend summers up here,” he said. He and his wife, Chasity, moved here full

time in August. They have two grown children. Duxbury coached youth and high school football in California. He was an assistant coach for Newport’s team this year, coaching receivers. Duxbury will have his hands full at first and will work closely with the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office for the first few months. “Everyone from the Sheriff on down has been welcoming and supportive,” Duxbury said. For his part, Botzheim said he likes Duxbury, who he deSee Chief, 2A

B r i e f ly Cities, counties, schools closed for MLK Day

North Pend Oreille Chamber to meet Jan. 21

NEWPORT – Both Pend Oreille and Bonner county offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 15, in observance of Martin Luther King Day. City offices in both counties will also be closed, as will state offices. Local schools in Pend Oreille and West Bonner Counties will also be closed for the day. Priest River will hold its regular city council meeting Tuesday, Jan. 16. Newport’s council meeting will be moved to Jan. 19 at 9 a.m. That is to close out the city’s books for 2017 and happens every year.

METALINE FALLS – The North Pend Oreille Chamber of Commerce (NPOCC) will hold its annual meeting Sunday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m. at The Cutter Theatre. The event begins with a potluck, hosted by outgoing President Tara Leininger, and then the general membership meeting will follow. Business will include the certification of elected officers and board members, and establishing a 2018 budget. At this time there are no contested offices, but a

classifieds

7B-8B

write-in line is included for all officers. The ballot includes Jacob Warren for president; Sonya Scauflaire for vice-president; Susie Bisson for treasurer; Lynn Holster for secretary; Chris Daley, Dean Grass, Steve Kiss, Rick Larson and Leininger for board members. Members of good standing in 2017 are eligible to vote and should have received their ballots and invitation in the mail. If you believe you are a 2017 member of the NPOCC and haven’t received a ballot, contact Leininger at 509-446-2117 or through the website at www.npochamber.org.

Opinion

Record

sports

1b-3B

Life

Police Reports

Obituaries

Public Notices

9B-10B

Priest lake winter fun 6A-7A

Winter festival at Priest Lake See pages 6A-7A

f r om p a g e o n e

| January 10, 2018

The Newport Miner Serving Pend Oreille County, WA

Michelle Nedved Publisher

Jeanne Guscott Office Manager

Natalie Babcock Assistant Office Manager

Micki Brass Advertising Manager

J. Lindsay Guscott Advertising Sales

Cindy Boober Advertising Sales

Don Gronning News Editor

Sophia Aldous Reporter

Brad Thew Production

J. Louis Mullen Owner

DEADLINES

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Newport Miner, 421 S. Spokane Ave., Newport, WA. 99156. Telephone: 509-447-2433 E-mail: minersubscriptions @povn.com

Published weekly by Newport Miner, Inc., 421 S. Spokane Ave, Newport, WA. 99156. Periodical Postage paid at Newport, WA.; USPS No. 384400. LETTERS POLICY

By Mail: 421 S. Spokane Ave. Newport, WA 99156 By FAX: (509) 447-9222 * 24-Hours Comments or Information By Phone: (509) 447-2433

ThE newport mineR

Chief: From Page 1A

scribes as experienced, professional and qualified. “I am currently working very closely with Chief Mark Duxbury to ensure a seamless transition of Public Safety Services to the City of Newport,” Botzheim said by email. “Presently, this includes handling calls and supporting and backing up Chief Duxbury as he sets up the infrastructure he needs to run his department. Even after Chief Duxbury gets settled in we will continue to support him and the City as I am sure they will support and assist the County.” Duxbury’s supervisor will be Mayor Shirley Sands. Duxbury will be doing quite a bit of administrative work as he prepares the department, but he will also be out on patrol. He patrolled last weekend, he says.

Miner photo|Don Gronning

Mark Duxbury is Newport’s new police chief. He has already been out patrolling.

He says he wants to be unpredictable for criminals, so will likely patrol various hours. During the first year, it won’t cost the city any more to have its own department than it would have to contract with the Sheriff’s Office, even

Long-Term:

From Page 1A

The district’s commissioners approved a bid of $8.27 million to Kilgore Construction of Spokane at their board meeting Thursday, Dec. 28. “We clearly made our bid,” district CEO Tom Wilbur told the board while explaining the process district staff went through to get the bid where it needed to be. The project, which will be built north of River Mountain Village in the empty lot on the corner of Spokane and First streets in Newport, will replace Newport Long Term Care, an aged facility where residents all share rooms and use restrooms with curtain access to the hall-

at the old rate, North said. She moved $124,000 from reserves last year to start the process. The city purchased a 2014 Ford Explorer with 109,000 miles on it from the Washington State Patrol for $10,000.

way. Voters approved a $10 million bond in 2016 to build the facility. When the first round of bids came in during spring of 2017, the low bid was at $10.5 million. Wilbur said then that the architects were stunned. The project was priced out three times in late winter and early spring the year prior, and an independent costing group out of Spokane went over the numbers. District administrators sat down with the low bidder to determine what went wrong with the cost estimates. A lot of construction in the region was driving up subcontractors’ rates. The five general contractors who bid on the project then received

North plans on replacing the money in reserves this year. The city has budgeted $274,000 for law enforcement for 2018. City councilman Campbell says the details of standing up a department are still be-

subcontractor bids from only two electricians. The number of subcontractors was even more limited this time. Five of the six contractors who bid this time received the same plumbing, electrical and mechanical bids. To lower the cost, the design team went back to the drawing board, and ended up with a more flexible, mixed-use facility. In some instances, there will be two residents per room. Wilbur said that is better for memory care patients, and some people like having a roommate. Three neighborhoods will have a total of 54 beds after the first phase of construction, and a fourth neighborhood will be roughed in with the potential for

ing worked out. “At a minimum, we want to get him at least one other officer,” Campbell said. He’s happy with everything so far. “We’re happy to have him on board,” Campbell said.

18 more beds in the future. The project includes a gated, secure cognitive memory care unit, but it won’t be a “full blown dementia unit,” Wilbur said. The footprint went down from 54,000 square feet to 47,000 square feet, allowing for more parking and a place to put snow. So far, $625,000 has been spent out of the hospital district’s operating budget on the project, but none of that was borrowed. The district did collect $705,000 in voter-approved taxes, but because construction did not begin in 2017 as expected, those funds will be used to make a principal payment in 2018 once bonds are issued. Construction is expected to begin this year.

Inslee: From Page 1A

legality of possessing and distributing marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. The attorney general suggested that such legislation confirms that marijuana is a “dangerous drug.” The Ogden and Cole memoranda, put in place in 2009 and 2012, respectively, set guidelines for federal authorities that essentially encouraged a hands-off approach to enforcing federal marijuana laws in states that had legalized the drug. Marijuana was legalized in Washington by Initiative 502 in 2012. In his memo, Sessions declared the memoranda to be rescinded, effective immediately. While the attorney general encouraged federal prosecutors to exercise

their own discretion, Inslee said they would have to work in isolation, as he has no plans to use the resources of local law enforcement agencies in Washington. Inslee, flanked by Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center and Rep. David Sawyer, D-Tacoma, voiced vehement opposition to Sessions’ announcement, calling out President Donald Trump’s administration for going against what Inslee called progress. The group was gathered Thursday in Olympia as part of the annual Associated Press legislative session preview for news media. “It’s disappointing to see the administration want to go backwards,” the governor said. “The rest of the world wants to

follow us.” While Inslee and Ferguson were hesitant to comment on potential legal action, the governor did not rule out the possibility of a lawsuit against the White House. Rivers emphasized the bipartisan effort that has helped the marijuana industry flourish, and said that effort will continue, despite federal sentiment. “We have been extremely united,” the senator said. “We anticipate that we will maintain our system and program.” Sawyer noted that even in years of Republican control in the Washington Senate, there have been no efforts to repeal the initiative that established marijuana’s legalization. Rivers called the U.S. attorney general’s position “misguided,” and

claimed that Washington state has all but eliminated the black market for marijuana, while Sessions’ new federal guidelines could bring it back. The senator from Southwest Washington also referenced economic interests, predicting that the marijuana industry could bring $750 million into the state by the end of the year. While Washington state’s political leaders shared their disappointment in Sessions’ announcement with compatriots in Colorado, Alaska and Oregon, Ferguson made sure to point out that Sessions’ announcement was to be expected, and that Washington state legalized marijuana before the Cole memorandum was authored in 2013. Inslee, Ferguson and

governors in Alaska, Oregon and Colorado made several attempts throughout 2017 to meet with Sessions to discuss the Trump administration’s position on marijuana, but the attorney general declined, writing back that Washington state’s regulatory structures were questionable. A recurring theme in Inslee’s rhetoric was the power of Washington citizens, whose votes allowed the legalization of marijuana in the first place. The governor hearkened to the history of citizen initiatives, and repeatedly said that it was the citizens that could shape national discourse. “We should believe an uproar of public sentiment can change policy,” Inslee said. “We should have confidence in our ability to do this again.”

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