Fun in the Snow at Priest Lake. See page 6A
The Newport Miner
Local teams start League play. 1B - 3B
THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 108, Number 49 | 2 Sections, 18 Pages
75¢
States decide presidential candidate by caucus BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER
MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING
Stratton Elementary School students eat breakfast last Friday, Jan. 6. An average of 446 students ate free breakfast each day during the first week of free breakfasts.
NEWPORT – Both Washington and Idaho will choose their Republican presidential candidate of choice by caucus in 2012. The Republican Party is in the process of choosing which candidate will run in the presidential General Election in November. As of the Iowa caucuses held Jan. 3, candidates still running for the position are Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum. Tuesday was the New Hampshire Republican Primary, but results were not available when The Miner went to press. The Washington state Republican precinct caucuses, including Pend Oreille County’s, are sched-
uled for Saturday, March 3. At precinct caucuses, voters decide which candidates are represented at the county convention, which in turn determines who is represented at the state convention, which determines who is represented at the national convention. “There will be 40 delegates elected at the state convention, but all don’t necessarily go for the same candidate at the national convention,” said Josh Amato, communications director for the Republican Party of Washington State. “The national delegates are bound to vote for the presidential candidate they were elected supporting at the state convention for the first round of balloting at the national convention.”
SEE CAUCUS, 2A
Students start day with free breakfast at Newport, West Bonner schools
MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING
Students line up for free breakfasts at Stratton Elementary School Friday, Jan. 6.
Federal government pays BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – It is about 7:30 a.m. at Newport’s Stratton Elementary School. Sleepy eyed students, some accompanied by parents, are coming into the lunchroom. The students talk with each other and the staff, as they line up to get breakfast – canned fruit, bacon and pancake sandwiches – getting ready for the
school day. Getting ready for the day now means all students will be offered free breakfast at the school, something that started last week for Newport students. In the West Bonner School District, students have been offered free breakfast for a couple years now. The free breakfasts are popular with parents. “Breakfast is the most important part of the day,” Newport parent Elizabeth Spring said. She was
there with her son, Johnny, 5, as he ate breakfast Friday morning. Schane Eutsler was at breakfast with his children, Mercedes Chitwood, 6, and Matthew Chitwood, 8, at Stratton Elementary. Eutsler was just laid off from his job as a union sheet metal worker. “Free makes a difference,” he said. In the first week of free breakfasts, an average of 446 students per day ate breakfast for free at school. That’s nearly 100 more students who ate breakfast at Newport schools each day, about a 27 percent increase since before they were free, district business manager Tom Crouch said. Having more students eat breakfast is a key to making the breakfast cost free to the local school district, Crouch said. The federal government reimburses the districts for all the meals. The district gets more for students from low income families that qualify for free and reduced meals but it still gets some reimbursement for all the meals. District wide, it was costing the district about $50 a day to provide
breakfast before the free breakfasts started, he said. He anticipates that having more students eat will pay for the free breakfast because there will be more federal reimbursement. Even figuring the extra food that will be required, he anticipates the program will pay for itself. It did in Riverside and Deer Park, other districts that offer the free breakfasts. School nurses in the Deer Park School District reported fewer calls to the nurses’ station after they began the free breakfast program, Crouch said. Judy Henshaw is food service director for the Newport School District. She has worked for the district since 1989. She says she has seen some changes in school food since she started. “The focus on nutrition is getting bigger,” she said. More fresh fruits and vegetables are being added, and deep fried food is becoming a thing of the past. “Burritos are no longer deep SEE BREAKFAST, 2A
Idaho’s snowpack less than average BOISE – Without much snow fall this winter, the mountains of Idaho are holding less snow than usual. But North Idaho snowpacks are closer to normal than in the rest of the state. Snow surveyors from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) measured the snowpack around the state last week verifying that most Idaho snowpacks are below average. “We’ve been in an extended dry
spell since around Thanksgiving Day,” said Ron Abramovich, Idaho NRCS water supply specialist. “The stagnant weather pattern gave us blue skies during the day and clear skies at night for nearly 30 days.” Twenty-two snow telemetry (snotel) sites – the remotely located automated sites that record and transmit snowpack data – registered record low amounts of snow by Christmas Day.
Storms the last week of December finally pushed out the static weather pattern. The storms raised monthly precipitation measurements across the state but not enough to bring snowpacks to average levels. Northern Idaho snowpacks are the best at 75-90 percent of average for this time of year. Southern and central Idaho snowpacks range from 35 to 65 percent of average. SEE SNOW, 2A
|| Newport chamber manager resigns NEWPORT – The Greater Newport Area Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that executive director Krista Dinatale has tendered her resignation effective Jan. 20. She was the first full time director ever hired by the chamber beginning last March. The chamber was able to fund the position after receiving a grant from chamber presdent Barb Smith and her husband. One of Dinatale’s goals was to increase chamber revenue to a point where her position was covered. “I have learned so much in this position and believe that the Board, volunteers and members together have made tremendous progress this past year,” Dinatale said. “Unfortunately, I received another offer that was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.” “We have the utmost respect and admiration for the
Get your fill of crab at annual feed
NEWPORT – The Soroptimist International of Newport is once again serving all you can eat crab at their annual crab feed set for Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Newport Eagles. This is the group’s largest fund raiser of
First baby of the year Emmit Duane Benson is The Miner’s New Year’s Baby winner, born Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 4:03 p.m. at Newport Hospital and Health Services, to Nancy and Devon Benson of Ione. He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 19 inches long. He joins sister Cherry, 5, brother Jaydon, 3, and brother MacKalister, 15 months. As winner of The Miner’s First Baby contest, the family received a variety of gifts and gifts certificates from R. Little Hair House, Oldtown Hardware & Rental Center, Yokes Sandpoint, Life Choices Pregnancy Center, Albeni Machine Shop, Seeber’s Pharmacy, Roger’s Body & Frame, C & D Zodiac, Inn at The Lake, Cenex Harvest States, Selkirk Ace Hardware, Ben Franklin, Mountain West Bank, Concept Cable, Mitchell’s Harvest Foods, Aerocet, Pizza Factory, Golden China, Owen Deli & Grocery, Newport Hospital & Health Services, Newport Miner/Gem State Miner and The Kitchen Shoppe.
Final PUD budget calls for lower power rate increase
BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – Smaller electric rate increases are planned for this summer after the Pend Oreille Public Utility District’s 2012 budget was revised. PUD commissioners approved a budget with a 2 percent rate increase Dec. 20. The preliminary budget called
B R I E F LY
tireless job Krista has done this past year and, while we are certainly sad to see her go, we wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors and hope that she will retain strong ties with the Greater Newport Area,” Smith said. The chamber has commenced a search for a new executive director to fill the position as soon as possible. Applications will be accepted until 3 p.m. Jan. 18, and more information about the position can be found online at www.newportareachamber.com.
MINER PHOTO|MICHELLE NEDVED
for a 3 percent increase to take affect in July. Before they’re implemented though, the rate increase will go through a public hearing process and must be approved by the board. “We just wanted to try to keep it as low as possible,” said April Owen, interim manager of the PUD. “We’re trying to do smaller increases more regularly so we don’t hit people really hard. But
our costs are still increasing.” Half of the electric rate increase is automatic. That part of the rate increase is tied to power costs at Seattle City Light’s Boundary Dam, where the PUD gets much of its power for residential and commercial customers. Starting this year, the cost of Boundary power is calculated SEE BUDGET, 2A
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the year and procedes are used for community betterment projects. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Eagles, Seeber’s Pharmacy and Owen’s Grocery and Deli. Seatings are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and the meal includes coleslaw, baked potato and beverages. Those who have questions can call Micki at 509-671-2552.
Sheriff’s office searches for missing man NEWPORT – Concerned friends of a transient man living in Cusick reported him missing to the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office Jan. 3. William “Bill” J. Bailey, 54, was staying in his van on a friend’s property on the corner of Fifth and Monumental Way in Cusick with his Pomeranian dog but was reported missing when his friends noticed he
was not at his vehicle. Bailey is 5 feet, 11 inches, weighing about 230 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Bailey is considered by residents to be a friendly face and always has a helping hand and a smile on his face. He is a frequent visitor at the Calispel Valley Bailey Library on pinochle Tuesdays. Friends have started a Facebook event titled “Let’s Find Bill Bailey,” open to the public to post tips and any updates. Community members have also been searching the trails and wooded areas by the dam and river in the town of Cusick, with no luck. Anyone with possible information is asked to call the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office at 509-4473151, ext. 2.
SPORTS 1B - 3B - RECORD 5B - POLICE 5B - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS 6B - 8B - PUBLIC NOTICES 9B - DOWN RIVER 7A - LIFE 4B - OBITUARIES 5B