BORDER PATROL EXPLORERS
MUSIC IN THE PARK
GRADUATE
Ruby Rust to perform at Tonasket’s History Park, Friday at 6 p.m. See page A7.
See Page A9
SERVING WASHINGTON’S
OKANOGAN VALLEY
SINCE 1905
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Oroville adopts changes to Critical Areas ordinance
RODEO BY DAY, FIREWORKS BY NIGHT
BY GARY A. DEVON MANAGING EDITOR
OROVILLE – After several public hearings and nearly two years of interim ordinances, the Oroville City Council adopted the changes to the Critical Areas Ordinance at their Tuesday, July 2 meeting. “At the last council meeting I proposed changes to lessen the impact of the prohibitions in the floodplain as long as they have at least 5000 square feet to include in upland property or to designate as open space,” said Chris Branch, director of community development. Councilman Jon Neal expressed concern about 100 foot setbacks in the riparian areas and said it looked like there was an additional buffer of 25 feet on top of that. “Did I read that right?” asked Neal. Branch said that 25 feet of riparian area was required, but not 100 feet from the ordinary high water mark, only 50 feet. Following these few questions about setbacks in the riparian area Councilman Ed Naillon made the motion to adopt a
resolution making the changes, including making a change to reflect a lesser setback requirement. The motion was seconded by Councilman Tony Koepke and passed unanimously. Rod Noel, superintendent of Public Works, updated the council on mosquito spraying for this year. “I received a call from the Public Works director of Omak last Friday afternoon and he said they are not going to spray as they neglected to get a spray permit for the Tribal side of the river. That pretty well prices us out of the market. We wouldn’t be able to get the acres required to get the copter guys at a price we could afford.” Police Chief Clay Warnstaff asked the council if they had seen that the school district had cut down the trees along the elementary school. “Those trees were city heirlooms,” said Warnstaff, asking if that was city or school property. “Part of the sidewalk ordinance says that all trees within the city right of way are property of the city, like the
SEE OROVILLE | PG A4
Agreement resolves Buckhorn Mine water quality penalties
The northern reaches of the county were hopping on July 4, with the Chesaw Rodeo filling up most of the daylight hours while Fireworks lit up Lake Osoyoos later that night. Above, Kaylee Bobadilla successfully roped a calf to win the Junior Calf Roping. For more photos, see page A3. Right, the Grand Finale of the Oroville Community Fireworks Show lights up the night at Deep Bay Park.
OHA still intends to sue, Crown vows to defend itself “vigorously” BY GARY A. DEVON MANAGING EDITOR
YAKIMA – Crown Resources Corp. has entered into an agreement with the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) to settle a penalty issued last year for water quality violations at the Buckhorn gold mine near Chesaw. On July 16, 2012, Ecology assessed a $395,000 penalty to Crown when the operation’s water treatment systems failed to adequately capture and treat mine water during the 2011 and 2012 spring seasons, resulting in permit violations. Also in 2011, Ecology determined that discharges of treated mine water created slope instability and triggered a
Photos by Brent Baker and Gary DeVon
landslide that impacted a small stream below the mine. As part of the settlement, Crown will pay $80,000, a portion of the penalty and will undertake environmental projects worth $180,000 in the local area of the mine. The projects will be approved by Ecology and completed within the next three years. Crown agreed to the process and schedule for issuing a new wastewater discharge permit that will contain more stringent limits for groundwater and treated wastewater discharged from the mine. A schedule of compliance and interim limits will allow Crown to bring the Buckhorn Site into compliance with the new limits in a timely manner. The new permit is scheduled to be issued on Nov. 1, 2013. Crown also agreed to reimburse Ecology for the costs of dedicating one full-time and one part-time employee
SEE MINE | PG A2
Jack was here Black and family kick back in valley, highlands BY BRENT BAKER BBAKER@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
TONASKET - Jack Black’s Tonasket-area connections are not a secret. Nor was his vacation here last week as the well known actor/ musician and his family didn’t exactly hunker down and hide during his visit. Black, his wife Tanya and young sons Sammy and Tommy, while visiting dad and stepmom Tom and Linda Black, took in plenty of the area, from buying fireworks at the stand in the TVBRC parking lot, fishing, causing a bit of a stir while grocery shopping at Grant’s and consuming a pizza with his
family (and a reporter) at the Tonasket Pizza Company. “I’ve been here quite a few times,” he said. “Even before my dad moved back here, we had lots of family here. My grandma, Gladys Black, lived here. The Fanchers are all my aunts and uncles and cousins. “This is my third time with the boys. The first time Sammy was just a baby. The second time it was just me and Tommy. But this is the first time with both my boys (at once). It’s a great town and we always have a great time when we visit here. Plus, there’s less traffic here than in L.A.” While Jack and Tom enjoyed a fishing trip on July 4, the rest of the family took in the Chesaw Rodeo, though to their regret, the boys didn’t enter the chicken chase. “When Sammy found out he could have kept a chicken he was a little upset,” his dad said. “I told him I didn’t think they’d like it on
the plane.” The boys were also treated to a tour of the inner workings of the local ambulance by the Tonasket EMS, which, as it turned out, found they were dealing with a five-year-old locked in a braineating zombie trance. “So we go on the ambulance, and they let us turn on the sirens and they took turns getting on the gurney and getting carried out of the ambulance,” Black said. “Then Tommy looked like he lost consciousness. But when he woke up he wasn’t Tommy any more, he was the Living Dead. “We all ran. He wanted to eat our brains. “It was amazing, one of the highlights of the visit.” Black himself is not working on any zombie movies. Most of his time and energy is currently feeding Tenacious D, the comedy
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Volume 109 No. 28
SEE BLACK | PG A4
Brent Baker/staff photo
Jack Black takes a stuffed crust pizza (of sorts) for a spin at the Tonasket Pizza Company. The actor/rock comedian and has family visited relatives in the area last week.
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INSIDE THIS EDITION Chesaw Rodeo A3 Letters/Opinion A5 Community A6-7
Business Directory A7 Classifieds/Legals A8-9 Valley Life A9
Real Estate Cops & Courts Obituaries
A9 A10 A10