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students from as far away as Blanchard.
Five of the six defendants in last fall’s cattle rustling case were ordered back to court because they had not paid restitution. They still owed about $143 for the cow slaughtered in the Dalkena area. The men were found guilty of possessing stolen property and sentenced to an average of 45 days in jail. They were discovered by lawmen who were looking for the killer of Agatha Agee, Blue Star Landing owner. Subsequently Richard Vollar was captured and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
30 years ago 1995
Charges were brought against two 16-year-old Newport High School students who were alleged to have a handgun on school grounds. One of the students was also charged with possession of marijuana. The gun and marijuana were reported by another student who was moving into the locker of one of the students charged. According to court documents, one student admitted to bringing the gun and marijuana to school. The other student said he moved the gun because he did not want to be charged with possessing it. The gun was not found.
Newport High School has resurrected the Letter N club, open to students who had earned a varsity letter and varsity cheerleaders. The club was an effort to develop pride in and support of the school and its athletics programs.
20 years ago 2005
Four students were hospitalized following a stabbing outside Newport High School between Friday night basketball games. The stabbings were not related to the games but apparently related to an attempted carjacking of a student’s truck. Two Newport adults, a 15-yearold from Spokane and a 17-year-old from Coeur d’Alene were arrested. The adults and 15-yearold were charged with attempted robbery and rioting. The 17-year-old was charged with four counts of second-degree assault after allegedly cutting two students with a broken bottle and stabbing two others in the neck chest areas with a knife. One of the students was airlifted to Spokane. No one had life-threatening injuries. Buck and Carol Merritt were honored as Priest River Citizens of the Year for 2024 by the Priest River Chamber of Commerce. The Merritts contributed to many civic projects, including the Priest River airport, the old Priest River Loggers’ Day, Timber Days, the Chamber of Commerce Museum, the city park, downtown streets and sidewalks, the West Pend Oreille Fire District, the library district and the Pend Oreille River Bridge.
10 years ago 2015
The boiler at Priest River Elementary broke the week before Christmas, leaving school closed for a day, school trustees heard at a mid-January board meeting. The broken boiler was discovered on a Sunday night and workers struggled to keep the school warm Monday but were unsuccessful. School was closed Tuesday and opened Wednesday, although teachers used electric heaters to keep the classrooms warm.
Even though Washington voters approved legalizing marijuana, local jurisdictions could still ban it, state Attorney General Rob Ferguson said in a legal opinion. Both Pend OReille County and the City of Newport were considering bans.
