OROVILLE TEACHER AND COACH
SIDEWALK SALE
DOUG KEE RETIRES AFTER 33 YEARS
Downtown Oroville Tuesday, July 1 10 a.m - 5 p.m.
See Page A9
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Jet ski races on Lake Osoyoos this weekend
PERFECT WEEKEND FOR A FESTIVAL
BY GARY A. DE VON MANAGING EDITOR
OROVILLE – Oroville is preparing for the first ever Lake Osoyoos Cup jet ski races this Saturday and Sunday off the shores of Deep Bay Park. Hosted by the Oroville Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the International Jet Boat Sporting Association (IJBSA), the two-days of racing promise high performance action – including a nearly 10 mile endurance race and stunt riding. The race is open to not only the experienced, but to first time racers as well. To participate would-be racers need to pay a fee of $105, which includes a $45 membership in the IJBSA, according to one of the race organizers Raleigh Chinn, with the Oroville Chamber. “There will be buoy racing and stunts behind the water craft on wake boards,” said Chinn. “The race is truly international. The endurance race goes from
Above, Saturday was a perfect day for the Molson Midsummer Festival, which included the Chesaw Rodeo Drill Team anchoring the parade past the old Molson School Museum. Nine-year-old Elaine Quinlan, the youngest member of the drill team, waves to bystanders with a smile as she passes by. More from the festival on page A2.
Deep Bay, south and around a buoy at Veterans Memorial Park, and then north again across the border to just south of Haynes Point Provincial Park... nearly 10 miles without touching land.” Chinn said they expect between 70 and 80 teams, each with more than one jet ski, to be participating. Many will be Canadian teams returning from racing that has taken place at various locations in the U.S., according to Chinn. Racing isn’t just for adults, according to Roger Harnack of the Northwest Jet Sports Association. He said he and his young daughter have been racing for several years. Harnack, a seasoned racer from Omak, has been promoting the race up and down the valley. He said that unlike the powerboat races, people in his sport race no matter the weather and choppy water just makes things more interesting. “We understand there are a lot of local people who are interested in racing, but have never done so before,” Chinn said.
Tonasket Schools eye ACA changes Roof leaks belie engineer’s ‘clean bill of health’
Right, singer Olivia De La Cruz performed on Sunday at the 5th Annual Conscious Culture Festival in Tonasket. The festival featured music, art and education up in the Okanogan Highlands at the Okanogan Family Faire Grounds. The festival took place June 20 through 22. For more photos see page A3.
BY BRENT BAKER BBAKER@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
TONASKET - Tonasket School District employees may soon be feeling the full effects of the Affordable Care Act in their pocketbooks, and Superintendent Paul Turner said that he and the district’s various unions are having discussions over ways to mutually minimize those effects, he reported at the Monday, June 26, school board meeting. “We’re working with the unions and sorting through what all this ‘Obamacare’ stuff means,” he said. “There will be major effects on everybody, so we’re trying to sort through that as the summer goes on.” Turner said that a new “player” in the local insurance market may provide some additional options that haven’t been present in the past. “We did have an inquiry from another insurance company,” he said. “Right now the only option we have is the Washington Education Association Blue Cross in this area. That’s all that’s available, but we got notice today from another company that is looking at addressing
Photos by Brent Baker and Gary DeVon
the ‘Obamacare’ issue throughout the valley, not just for schools. “So we are crossing our fingers on that. We’ll attend that meeting and hopefully we’ll be able to mitigate some of this.”
MORE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT Turner said that a couple of small projects would be completed during the summer to alleviate some of the more pressing needs in the elementary school. He said the pre-school would be moving into what is currently the computer lab (partially due to the ease of adding bathrooms in that part of the building); and a little-used exit in the Kindergarten - 1st grade wing would be closed off and the hallway space converted into a reading room. “The exit is in a place where the traffic doesn’t flow,” he said, adding that the plan had been inspected by the building inspector. Later in the meeting, the board passed a resolution authorizing the transfer of $67,773 from the debt service fund, which was left over from the bond repay-
SEE PROJECTS | PG A4
OSD doesn’t renew teacher’s contract Probational teacher’s non-renewal draws emotional protests BY GARY A. DE VON MANAGING EDITOR
OROVILLE – On Monday, June 23 the Oroville School Board denied the renewal of social studies teacher Ryan Frazier’s contract drawing vociferous criticism from many in attendance, as well as threats by the board to call in the police to clear the board room. The board supported Superintendent Steve Quick’s decision to not renew the first-year probationary teacher’s contract following an executive session to consid-
er Frazier’s request for reconsideration. anyway, including parent Lisa Cone, who Following about one and a quarter hours tearfully talked about what a positive behind closed doors board member influence the teacher was in her son’s life. Amy Wise made the Cone said that she had motion to approve the “contacted Wenatchee” “He made a difference and that she and the non-renewal and the motion carried unaniin my child’s life and I others had the right to mously. orally. am so grateful. For the comment When board chairThat’s when DeVon board to not listen is said he was going to man Rocky DeVon asked if there were clear the room and if so wrong.” any names on the pubthe “unruly” people Lisa Cone, lic comments signdidn’t leave he would Parent of OHS student in sheet, the meeting contact the police. devolved into chaos. “This is so disreSeveral people had signed in wanting spectful for parents,” Cone said. “I guess to comment on the Frazier matter, which we’ll not be voting for you for the board was an agenda item. However, DeVon again, Rocky. The school belongs to us said they would not hear comments as parents and as taxpayers. He made a on the matter, only in writing. Several difference in my child’s life and I am so people began to make their comments grateful. For the board to not to listen is
OKANOGAN VALLEY GAZETTE-TRIBUNE Volume 110 No. 26
so wrong.” Cydney Smith said she had been interviewing people for a college paper on racial segregation and that the best response she got was from her nephew. “When I asked where he had learned that he simply said ‘Frazier,’” said Smith. Other parents also tried to stand up and talk, while Frazier’s grandmother Linda McDaniel suggested that people not support the district in the next levy. There were also additional calls to vote out board members when they next came up for election. The board chairman announced that the board was going to move to another location and resume the meeting and that disruptive people would not be allowed to attend. Supt. Quick cited the law he said applied to such a move and said that
SEE OSD BOARD | PG A4
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media representatives would allowed to attend if they were not disruptive. “Why are you so afraid to hear our opinion?” asked Cone. Brad Scott, the newest member of the board, said they were not legally allowed to discuss Quick’s evaluation of the teacher, but that Frazier had been notified in writing about the non-renewal. He also said that the board would only accept a written response from Frazier. “If he was a tendered teacher it would be different, but he is provisional. He had the right to reply in writing only,” said Scott. Cone, and several others on the signup sheet, insisted that they had been told at the previous board meeting that they would get a chance to speak. The meeting was moved to the high
Molson Festival A2 Conscious Culture A3 Letters/Opinion A5
Community A6-7 Classifieds/Legals A8-9 Schools A9
Real Estate Cops & Courts
A9 A10