.png)
January
John Janney, 61, the new Pend Oreille Public Utility District general manager, said the industry is undergoing change.
“I’m seeing more change right now in this industry than I’ve seen in my whole career,” Janney says. Janney has worked for several PUDs, including Grant County, Chelan County and Klickitat County PUDs. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry.
Janney says environmental requirements as well as the various energy sources such as wind and solar emphasize the need to be proactive. He says the cumulative effect of the change adds up.
“Individually each of those things will have an impact but the collective of all those things coming in together, sometimes it’s not one plus one plus one is three,” he says. “Sometimes its four or five.”
The body of a person dressed like Geshe Dadul Namgyal, the 64-year-old Tibetan Monk who went missing Nov. 7, 2023, had been recovered from a pond at Sravasti Abbey Wednesday, Jan. 4, according to a news release from the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office.
The body was partially submerged in the frigid water. The clothing on the body was consistent with a that worn by the missing monk, according to the news release. Deputies and investigators were able to retrieve the body from the pond after using a canoe from a neighboring resident.
Residents of the Abby reported the pond had been frozen over with ice and recently thawed.
Pend Oreille County commissioners, on a 2-1 vote, agreed to have the Port of Pend Oreille be the economic development agency, or Associated Development Organization, for the county. The designation comes with some money from the state Department of Commerce.
Three entities responded to a request for proposal to be the ADO. The Port, Tri County Economic Development District and Better City US all submitted proposals.
County commission chair Robert Rosencrantz voted for the TEDD to be the ADO. Rosencrantz was chairman of the board of directors of TEDD in 2023, but that will change following the board meeting Jan. 24, when a new TEDD board chair will be named.
When Cusick’s maintenance and facilities director did his wintertime walk through at Cusick schools, he found much of the school ankle deep in water.
“A pipe burst in one if our middle school classrooms sometime in the evening of January 20th,” Cusick School District Superintendent Don Hawpe said. “It was discovered during mid-afternoon January 21 by our Maintenance and Facilities Director during a routine winter check.”
Some school staff came in Sunday to start the cleanup process. The process continued for several days.
February
“We’ve boiled up, and now we’ve boiled down and my guess is we’ll boil back up again,” Idaho state Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, said about a budget fight working its way through the Idaho legislature.
Sauter was speaking to a group of about 11 in Priest River Saturday morning, Feb. 18. He was holding a meet and greet at a local coffee shop.
Sauter, a first term representative, said that there was a philosophical divide within the Republican controlled Legislature of how to fund state government.
Pend Oreille County Superior Court Judge Lech Radzimski ruled that evidence in a recall petition brought by Michael Piccirilli is “insufficient.” He dismissed the recall. Piccirilli was attempting to recall Ione Mayor Eva Warren and council members Michael Shipley and Ken Timmerick. Timmerick had already resigned the council.
March
A cougar that had killed domestic ducks and chickens was killed just outside the Ione city limits, on orders of Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, the week of Feb. 25-March 2, according to WDFW spokesperson Staci Lehman. In addition to killing the birds, the cougar was also searching for food on people’s porches, Lehman said.
It was not the only cougar in the area.
“We are aware of at least one other cat frequenting the area that has not caused problems but has the potential to,” she said.
People feeding wildlife is one of the reasons the big cats come around, she said.
After receiving hundreds of tips from the public, U.S. Marshals Violent Offender Task Force members, arrested wanted fugitive, 38-year-old David L. Cato. He was safely taken into custody without incident in pre-dawn raid in Newport on Thursday, March 14 at 4:45 a.m.
He was booked into the Pend Oreille County Jail for his four Stevens County felony arrest warrants: Assault in the first degree- deadly weapon, burglary in the first degree- deadly weapon, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, assault in the third degree - law enforcement officer.
The audience let out a burst of relieved applause at the regular West Bonner County School District Board of trustees meeting Wednesday, March 20, when the forensic auditor said no signs of impropriety had been found in the audit.
“As of right now we have not seen a pattern of activity that might be indicative of financial improprieties,” CPA Brandon Waldren of Eide Bailley said. He was speaking remotely from California.
School district critics, including the two recalled board members and their supporters, had insisted a forensic audit be performed. A forensic audit looks for signs of criminality.
While Waldren said there were not signs of impropriety, he did walk the board through a series if situations in which procedures were not followed by the district.
April
The Pend Oreille Sheriff’s Office and Newport Police Department were recruiting for open positions with their respective agencies, but the appeal of law enforcement has waned in recent years.
“Law enforcement is a tough career for many, and some just don’t measure up to the background and psychological standards demanded for this role,” Sheriff Glenn Blakeslee said.
“There are a lot of factors that make it difficult to recruit members for our occupations,” he said, among them being money, schedules, and hiring requirements.
“There are a lot of other jobs that can pay similar, but don’t have a lot of the same requirements for hiring and retaining. There are nearby agencies that do the same job, but pay more, have better schedules, and less overall responsibility,” Blakeslee said.
Wildlife officials were greeted by a skeptical and suspicious crowd as they elicited comments about introducing bull trout into Sullivan Lake in north Pend Oreille County in April.
Meeting at Cutter Theater, officials presented a plan to save bull trout, a species under the federal Endangered Species list, by stocking them in Sullivan Lake and its tributary Harvey Creek.
Bull trout were listed as endangered in 1999. In 2017, the Fish and Wildlife Service along with stakeholders conducted a feasibility study and determined Sullivan Lake and Harvey Creek were ideal for stocking these fish.
May
Newport Hospital and Health Services Chief of Medical Staff Dr. Jeremy Lewis applauded the success of a new service in the Newport clinic – Express Care – during a Newport Hospital & Health Services Board of Commissioners met Thursday.
Express Care was established for non-emergent, walk-in visits, so there is no appointment required.
Newport Hospital and Health Services kicked it off last Fall, but it’s been growing ever since, Lewis said. He also said it will be good to extend Saturday hours when the hospital hires another physician assistant.
Express Care was created in response to the community’s request for urgent care services, recognizing a gap in access to urgent, non-emergent services.
“Initially, we were able to staff the services with existing providers until we hired Eric Renk,” said Jenny Smith, Director of Strategy & Community Engagement.
The West Bonner County School District’s $4.64 million school levy was defeated in May’s Primary Election. With all 34 precincts in, the levy had 2,430 votes against and 2,050 votes in favor, or 54.24% to 45.76%, according to the Idaho Secretary of State’s website.
The district had been making plans on how to deal with the
SEE REVIEW, 5A financial shortfall.
School board chairwoman Margaret Hall said the board simply has to move ahead.
“The voters have spoken at this time,” she said. “The board now has to move forward and work together with district staff, parents, students and the community to address these new challenges and find viable solutions.”
June
After a season of unprecedented financial and leadership turmoil, West Bonner school trustees decided to close a school and select a new superintendent.
Trustees unanimously decided to close Priest River Junior High at a special meeting that stretched on for five hours Wednesday, June 5. It was a contentious decision, punctuated by the concerns, opinions, and support from vocal parents, patrons, and staff.
Dana Douglas and Candy Turner were named Priest River Citizens of the Year and the Kalispel Tribe of Indian was named Business of the year by the Priest River Chamber of Commerce.
On its Facebook page, the Chamber said Douglas and Turner profoundly impacted the community through their dedication and passion.
“Their unwavering efforts and inspirational leadership have been pivotal in preserving and revitalizing education in the West Bonner County School District,” the Chamber wrote. “Their pride in Priest River inspired many to help support our kids and schools. They poured their hearts and souls into this cause, enlisting family and friends, dedicating countless hours, and utilizing their resources to raise awareness and support for the district.”
July
The Newport City Council approved a $308,500 wastewater and sewer plan in early July increasing the loan amount to $2.4 million. The amendment modified the overall goal description by adding to the scope of the work, adding to wastewater treatment plant and collection system improvements.
The loan is 50/50 with half forgivable.
The total cost of the project is unknown at the time of this story. The city council will be meeting with the project’s engineers next meeting to approve the design phase of the project.
City Clerk Nickole North said the project would likely come in phases over the course of five years.
Shane Stocking has accepted the job as Fire Chief for South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue.
While it will be Stocking’s first job as a fire chief, he has 15 years’ experience as a firefighter, says SPOFR fire district commissioner Randy Miller.
“He has quite the impressive resume,” Miller said. Stocking spent time with career fire departments in both California and Florida. He is also a certified paramedic.
Most recently Stocking will be coming from Gainsville, Florida, Miller said. He has also worked in Chino, California, where he was featured in a 2017 television newscast about his friendship with a 9-yearold boy battling cancer. When the boy lost his hair because of chemotherapy, Stocking, a firefighter who visited the boy regularly while he was in the hospital, shaved his head, too.
August
Newport council members heard from city administrator Abby Gribi that Newport is facing more infrastructure woes. This time it’s the water system. She said two of the city’s highest producing wells that were put online about four years ago have dramatically dropped off in production.
“We have been seeing a decline in the production of those wells, pretty much since they were put online,” Gribi said. She said the city did cleanings of the wells and saw a slight increase for a time, but the wells went back to decreasing production.
She said the second well dried up completely. Gribi went to try to find hydrological report from when the wells were drilled. “Unfortunately, there wasn’t a hydrologist as part of that project,” she said.
Former Town of Cusick clerk and councilmember Luke Michael Servas, 38, pleaded guilty to a single count of bank fraud in U.S. District Court Wednesday, Aug. 14. Servas admitted to embezzling more than $195,000 between October 2022 and March 2023, and trying to blame it on the late Duane Schofield, who was Cusick Mayor at the time, according to the plea agreement.
Fifty other charges were dropped in exchange for the plea.
Newport hospital Chief Executive Officer Merry- Ann Keane announced she was leaving her position to take a job with Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Centers in Ilwaco, Washington. Her last day here was Sept. 15.
Keane came to Newport Oct. 31, 2022. She replaced Tom Wilbur, who had been CEO since 2004. Keane says that she will be closer to family on the west side of the state. She praised the hospital district’s leadership team.
“My time in Newport was well spent!” Keane said. “We have the most amazing leadership team that allowed the District to grow and thrive. I believe that the District will remain independent and sustainable for many years to come. I am excited to see how far the District can grow.”
She said she was moving to be closer to her family.
“Moving to the west side allows me to be closer to my daughter and grandchild,” Keane said.
Kim Manus, the hospital’s Chief Financial Officer, will serve as the Interim Chief Executive Officer. Recruitment plans for a new CEO have not been announced, according to Jenny Smith, public information officer for the hospital district. The board announced Keane’s resignation at the Aug. 22 regular board meeting.
September
While COVID infections aren’t reported the way they were during the heights of the pandemic, indications are that the disease is surging again.
Matt Schanz, administrator for Northeast Tri County Health, can attest to that. He was out recently with a COVID diagnosis.
“I felt pretty bad for about four days,” he said. He had a body ache, fatigue, headache, mild congestion and a sore throat, but followed the advice of lots of fluids and sleep and is now doing okay. It was his first bout of COVID.
Regionally, he said there has been an increase in COVID but it hasn’t translated into an increase in the number of people seeking medical attention at area hospitals. That’s not to say that people don’t die from COVID. Statewide, the Department of Health said there were 1,110 COVID deaths this season in Washington.
Pend Oreille Fire District 4 Fire Chief Robert Webber announced at a Cusick council meeting that because of the FD 4’s Emergency Medical Services levy failing, the district was mothballing two of its four ambulances.
He said it wasn’t financially viable for FD 4 to continue use fire money for ambulance service without additional funding.
“The Fire District has not been able to purchase much needed firefighting equipment or appropriate personal protective equipment for most of my staff because I use the money taxed for fire protection to pay for the expenses incurred having a great ambulance service,” Webber said in a news release. “I just can’t and won’t do it anymore because it would just kill me if one of our volunteers got injured or killed because of it. The liability of that is just too much to risk, so I made the decision to proceed in the
SEE REVIEW, 6A direction of just being a fire district like we are paid to be.”
Two Newport High School graduates were nominated to the Newport High School Alumni Hall of Fame, Micki Weisbarth and Craig Crotteau. The two were inducted into the Hall of Fame Saturday, Oct. 5, at Newport High School at 11 a.m.
October
Local volunteers are making headway in their efforts to revitalize and reopen the Rex Theater in Priest River’s historic Beardmore Building. The Foundation for the Rex Theater was awarded a $15,000 grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation with a matching grant from the Marcus Anderson Family Foundation, bringing the total to $30,000. The two grants will be used to develop a detailed Master Plan for the rehabilitation of the historic theater, says Foundation Board Executive Director Anne Maxham.
“This helps the board create a vision of the theater’s rehabilitation,” Foundation board President Chad Summers says. Newport Chief of Police Wade Nelson told the Newport City Council at a Monday night meeting in October that the area had been hit with a spate of car prowling. Newport was especially been hit, with six cars reported prowled on one Sunday. The car prowling has been going on about three and a half weeks, he said.
November
There weren’t really any close local races in this year’s general election, which saw a turnout in Pend Oreille County of nearly 78%, down from the 2020 turnout of 83%.
Troy Moody was elected to the non-partisan Pend Oreille Public Utility District No. 1 commissioner race, defeated one-term commissioner Joe Olney 4,348 to 2,968 or 59% to 40% for the six-year term. That was as of the most recent count Thursday, Nov. 7. There are about 30 ballots left to count, according to the Pend Oreille County Auditor’s election results website. The election was to be certified Dec. 7.
The district can’t afford to operate as many schools as it does in light of the recent $1.13 million supplemental levy failure. The facilities committee of the West Bonner County School District recommends closing the junior high to all use and to consider closing at least one of its elementary schools, district superintendent Kim Spacek said.
“We recommended closing the junior high January 1 to all activities,” he said. He said the committee wanted to give the community sufficient notice so they aren’t suddenly locked out of the gym, which is used for some youth sports and fundraising.
December
The border station near Metaline Falls is extending its hours, but it doesn’t seem like a lot of North Pend Oreille County residents are celebrating.
“It’s just not enough,” says Stacy Pelkie, Executive Director of The Cutter Theatre in Metaline Falls.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection sent out a press release in November announcing there will be adjusted hours of operation for 38 ports of entry along the U.S. northern border, beginning at midnight, Jan. 6, 2025. This includes the Metaline Falls-Nelway Border Crossing in North Pend Oreille County where operating hours will be expanded to be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours are currently 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the hours were 8 a.m. to midnight.
A $3 million tort claim was filed over the death of a man who died of “complications from Type 1 diabetes mellitus,” alleging the county was negligent in caring for Jacob Mitchell, who was being held pending sentencing after pleading guilty to killing his mother.
The claim was filed by the Seattle law firm of MacDonald, Hoague & Bayless, which represents Mitchell’s father, Harry Joe Mitchell.
Mitchell died April 5, 2023. Mitchell had several medical problems. Except for when he was at Eastern Washington State Hospital for competency evaluation, he had been held at the Pend Oreille County Jail since his arrest in February 2022.
Pend Oreille County Prosecutor Dolly Hunt said the claim will be reviewed by the county’s legal and risk management departments.
