RODEO AND STATE
GRADUATION SATURDAY, JUNE 7
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
OROVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, 1:00 P.M.
See PageS B1-3
TONASKET HIGH SCHOOL, 2:00 P.M.
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Librarian indicted on five counts of sexual misconduct
FOUNDERS DAY AND BEYOND
KinKade pleads not guilty at arraignment BY ZACHARY VAN BRUNT SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE-TRIBUNE
OKANOGAN – A former Tonasket School District librarian accused of having sex with a high school senior was arraigned in Okanogan County Superior Court on Monday. Elizabeth Ann KinKade, 37, pleaded not guilty June 2 after Judge Henry A. Rawson indicted her on five counts of first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. Elizabeth KinKade According to court documents, KinKade allegedly had that number of sexual encounters with an 18-year-old student enrolled at Tonasket High School. Even though the student in question – officially identified by the initials E.C.R. – is of the age of consent in Washington state, the law explicitly states: “A person is guilty of sexual misconduct with a minor in the first degree when… the person is a school employee who has… sexual intercourse with an enrolled student of the school who is at least sixteen years old and not more than twenty-one years old and not married to the employee, if the employee is at least sixty months [five years] older than the student.” At the time of the alleged rendezvouses, KinKade was 37, while E.C.R. was 18, nearly 19 years younger than she.
Above, the Founders Day Parade featured a number of unique floats, including this one dedicated to the Tonasket Water Ranch project. Aaron Kester did his best to get as many people as wet as possible. Right, the Shane Proctor Invitational Rodeo on Friday and Saturday featured the PBR circuit, which represented a major upgrade in the quality (and difficulty) of bullriding; bottom right, North Half performed at a street dance in downtown Tonasket on Saturday evening. Meanwhile in Cheney (below), Oroviille’s Sierra Speiker capped her high school track and field career with two state titles, as well as a state record in the 3200-meter run.
“Elizabeth stated she thought it was not an illegal act as the student is over 18 [years] of age and no sexual acts were performed on school property,” Tonasket Police Officer Audra Fuller wrote in a probable cause document filed with the court. In the same document, Fuller wrote that KinKade and E.C.R. both said the two had consensual sex up to five times, including at the KinKade residence and in her vehicle. “During the day, at least one time during lunch and other times after school/ after gym,” Fuller wrote, quoting E.C.R. about his alleged escapades with the former librarian. KinKade responded similarly: “During [the] day, after school and at least once at lunch time.” Tonasket attorney Anthony Castelda represented KinKade at the arraignment, where Rawson issued a general assault protection order forbidding KinKade to contact the high school student. KinKade agreed to not contact him directly, indirectly or through a third party, and to knowingly stay 300 feet away from his residence, school and place of employment. Violating that protection order would constitute a criminal offense. KinKade had agreed to a similar pretrial sexual assault protection order at her preliminary court appearance on May 21, where she was released on her own recognizance. That order expired Monday. Rawson scheduled KinKade’s omnibus hearing for Monday, July 7, at 8:30 a.m. A status conference was slated for July 21, also at 8:30 a.m., and a trial date scheduled for July 29. All dates are subject to change based on the court’s calendar.
Echo Bay to end Buckhorn gold exploration
Photos by Brent Baker
Watchdog group says it’s happy with decision BY GARY A. DE VON MANAGING EDITOR
Sarmiento stays as OHS Principal Most students in valley going on to college BY GARY A. DE VON MANAGING EDITOR
OROVILLE – Although the decision wasn’t announced during the Monday, May 26 Oroville School Board meeting, it appears OHS Principal Kristin Sarmiento will not be transferred back to a teaching position for the 2014-15 school year. “The board overturned the transfer,” said Sarmiento, upon coming out of the district office about 10 minutes after the board had officially adjourned. At a special meeting, held in closed door session the previous Wednesday, May 21, the school board met to discuss whether or not to reconsider Superintendent Steve Quick’s decision to end Sarmiento’s position as high school principal and transfer her back to a teaching position next year. Sarmiento
had requested the board reject Quick’s decision and she remain as principal. After hearing from Quick, Sarmiento and several of the high school staff, the district’s attorney, Rockie Hansen said state law, (RCW 28A.405.230) allowed the board to make the final decision without returning to open session. She said, instead the board had 10 days to inform Sarmiento in writing about whether to transfer or not. Apparently the board ruled in favor of Sarmiento, who had several teachers write letters of support, as well as testify one at a time during the closed-door meeting.
LEADER IN ME GRANT As usual Monday’s board meeting started with “good news and announcements” and it was reported that the Oroville Elementary had received a Leader in Me grant. “You know Waterville had to apply three times... so this is a huge, huge accomplishment,” said School Director Todd Hill. According to their website: The Leader
OKANOGAN VALLEY GAZETTE-TRIBUNE Volume 110 No. 23
in Me program is described as a “wholeschool transformation model that acts like an operating system of a computer” improving performance of all other programs. It is based on “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and is said to produce transformational results such as higher academic achievement and reduce discipline problems. It is also said to increase engagement among teachers and parents, as well as equip students with the self-confidence and skills they need to thrive in the 21st Century economy.
PROTEST FOR POPULAR TEACHER During the public comment period, School Director Rocky DeVon said, “It’s come to my attention that several people are here to discuss an item not on the agenda regarding an employee. It would be illegal to discuss with him not here.” Although DeVon, the board chairman, did not mention the employee by name, just outside the district board room’s win-
SEE PRINCIPAL | PG A4
REPUBLIC – Echo Bay Exploration, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Kinross Gold, has decided to call it quits and withdraw their Buckhorn Mountain Exploration Project. The exploration had been proposed on nearly 10,000 acres of federal, state and private lands surrounding the Buckhorn Gold Mine which has a closing date in 2015. The company made the announcement on Wednesday, May 28. Their proposal to drill up to 965 exploration holes began in 2009 and had been undergoing development of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) when the termination announcement was made. “After five years of effort this is obviously a serious decision, not taken lightly by the company,” said Deana Zakar, Community and Government Relations Specialist with Echo Bay Minerals. “Echo Bay Exploration is evaluating exploration opportunities in the region, including the perspective of which can be authorized within a reasonable time frame. Echo Bay conducts its mining and exploration activities to high technical and environmental standards, which would apply to future exploration activities,. The Plan of Operations that Kinross
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submitted was to do exploration 24/7, utilizing up to 20 drill rigs simultaneously in the Okanogan Highlands above the town of Chesaw, near the US/Canada international border, according to the Okanogan Highlands Alliance (OHA), a watchdog group that has been critical about the mine and it’s parent company in the past. They say questions materialized in the agencies’ environmental review process regarding the accuracy of wetland inventories and the lack of adequate baseline water quality data, in areas where work was proposed such as on steep slopes and through a rare remnant cedar ecosystem. “OHA welcomes the termination of the massive exploration proposal,” said David Kliegman, Executive Director of the OHA in a recent press release. “Kinross/Echo Bay is facing the economic reality that its ‘blank check’ approach for unfettered exploration over an entire large block of lands was not going to be feasible if the agencies were going to seriously analyze the impacts,” he added. The Kinross proposal called for clearing almost all vegetation in up to three 160-acre areas and for drilling exploration holes on as close as 50-foot centers, with associated drill pads and waste dumps, but Kinross/Echo Bay would not identify up front specifically where the mineral exploration would take place. The US Forest Service and the state Department of Natural Resources were
Founders Day A2-3 Letters/Opinion A5 Community A6-7
Cops & Courts A8 Rodeo & Sports B1-3 Classifieds/Legals B4-5
Real Estate Obituaries Graduation
B5 B6 C1-6