NEWS
Local wildfires prompt aggressive approach
Clark Fork sees gradual growth of Bee Top Fire as Consalus Fire burns near Coolin By Reader Staff Two lightning-caused fires are currently burning in or near Bonner County, and both are undergoing aggressive attack from fire personnel. The Bee Top Fire is located about five miles up Lightning Creek Road near Clark Fork. Discovered on July 1, the blaze was reported at about 40 acres and 16% contained on July 12. Precipitation on July 11 slowed fire behavior, which is burning in mostly dead and downed fuels. As of July 12, resources allocated to the Bee Top Fire include 151 total personnel, including four hand crews, two engines and three helicopters. Almost six miles of handline have been constructed around the fire as aircraft have engaged the blaze directly with water drops. There are currently no road or trail closures associated with the Bee Top Fire. However, the public is asked to exercise
awareness while recreating and make space for fire personnel as they navigate the area. Farther to the north, in Pend Oreille County, Wash., but only 10 miles west of Coolin, burns the Consalus Fire. Measured at 248 acres as of July 12, there are currently 186 personnel, half a dozen hand crews, two engines, and other types of logging and firefighting equipment assigned to the blaze. Officials reported the Consalus Fire 10% contained on July 12, and pleaded with the public in their daily report to not fly drones in the area of the fire. “If you fly, we can’t,” fire officials stated. While no roads are closed in association with the Consalus Fire, members of the public are asked to avoid Forest Service roads near the incident as a matter of firefighter and public safety. For the most recent updates on all area fires, go to inciweb.wildfire.gov.
Repairs continue as new culvert is placed on Dufort Road
County allocates emergency funds, anticipates road will reopen before month’s end
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff
Bonner County Road and Bridge crews work July 11 to place a new culvert on Dufort Road, where the previous culvert failed in early June. Courtesy photo.
Bonner County Road and Bridge crews took a major step in repairing Dufort Road this week when they installed a new culvert to replace the one that failed in early June, disrupting one of the county’s most-trafficked roads. The culvert — which is 12 feet in diameter and arrived from Topeka, Kans. in two 50-foot pieces — is meant to connect Morton Slough to the Pend Oreille River. The catastrophic collapse occurred June 4, creating a flood risk that required total excavation of the site and rendering Dufort unpassable. According to Road and Bridge officials, repairs are scheduled to be completed by the end of July. Road and Bridge Director Jason Topp
gained unanimous approval from Bonner County commissioners July 11 to allocate nearly $300,000 in funding toward the Dufort Road repair efforts. The sum includes nearly $100,000 in unanticipated revenue from the state, a $100,000 emergency grant from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council’s Local Rural Highway Improvement Program and about $80,000 in forest apportionment funds. The total cost of the road’s repair is estimated at $800,000, half of which was required to pay for a sheet-pile dam to dewater the area for construction. See occasional project updates on the “Bonner County Road & Bridge” Facebook page.
6 / R / July 13, 2023
Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: The JFK-QAnon cult leader who believed John F. Kennedy and JFK Jr. are still alive, and claimed he met the deceased Michael Jackson in disguise, recently died due to injuries from a dirt bike accident, Salon reported. Michael Protzman in 2021 took fellow believers to Dealey Plaza (where JFK was assassinated in 1963) to witness what he said would be JFK Jr. reinstating Donald Trump to the presidency. Protzman regarded JFK as the reincarnation of Jesus, his wife as Mary Magdalene and Trump as the Holy Spirit. Lowering health care expenses is the goal of President Joe Biden’s new initiatives, AP reported. They include cracking down on “junk” insurance plans (which Biden describes as a “scam”), working to prevent “surprise” medical bills and a plan for reducing medical debt tied to credit cards. A Forbes investigation indicates Russia has secretly spent more than $300 million to influence foreign elections. The U.S. Federal Elections Commission ruled in 2021 that foreign donors can finance U.S. referendums. The FEC decision, according to the Campaign Legal Center, “reflects a big loophole in the federal ban on foreign money in U.S. elections.” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-M.D.) has introduced legislation seeking to eliminate the influence of foreign money in U.S. elections. ADP, a payroll processing firm, said private sector jobs were up by 497,000 in June, with leisure and hospitality adding 232,000 new hires. Most of the jobs were with companies having fewer than 50 employees. As well, annual pay rose 6.4%. Using robots, a facility in Colorado has destroyed some of the last of the nation’s chemical weapons stockpile. Some weapons were in storage for more than 70 years, The New York Times reported. Last week a federal judge restricted government communications with social media platforms, following a lawsuit from Louisiana and Missouri. The states accused social media of censoring right-leaning content. According to a preliminary injunction, the Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI and “other parts of government” are to cease communications with social media for “the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression or reduction of content containing protected speech,” The New York Times wrote.
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
Those disagreeing with the new restrictions say there is no issue to address, since the government is not forcing removal of content, and is instead notifying companies of potentially dangerous messages. Disinformation or misinformation in violation of social media platform policies is typically noted by nonprofits, researchers, or individuals and software at the social platforms themselves. A Center for Countering Digital Hate spokesperson said the U.S. is “fangless” regarding dangerous content in comparison to places like the European Union and Australia, and needs to update social media platforms’ liability rules. He added: “It’s bananas that you can’t show a nipple on the Super Bowl, but Facebook can still broadcast Nazi propaganda, empower stalkers and harassers, undermine public health and facilitate extremism.” So far, more than 1,000 people have been arrested for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the nation’s Capitol. The reach of the law is going higher, according to NPR and CBS. Rather than be disbarred, a Trump lawyer who promoted 2020 election lies is instead being allowed to retire his law license. Meanwhile, a Trump aide has been charged with withholding documents and conspiring to obstruct justice over allegations he helped Trump hide documents. Presidential candidate and former-Vice President Mike Pence has told pro-lifers to never give up, “until abortion is illegal in every state,” according to the National Review. Speaking recently to Moms for Liberty, North Carolina Gov. Mark Robinson said words from dictators like Adolf Hitler and Mao Tse-tung have been taken out of context and should be reconsidered. Salon reported that Robinson has a history of discriminatory comments and Holocaust denial, and regards communism as a greater threat than Nazism. Moms for Liberty has been pushing book bans in schools and opposes any materials in schools related to the discussion of race, ethnicity, LGBT rights and teaching of the nation’s history of racism. Blast from the past: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013, anti-apartheid activist imprisoned for 27 years. He negotiated the end of apartheid in South Africa and became the country’s first Black president.