NORTH COUNTY RIVALS MEET
NW ICE FISH FESTIVAL
ON THE BASKETBALL COURT
Tournament on Sidley Lake at Molson on Saturday, January 17, registration at 7 a.m.
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SERVING WASHINGTON’S
OKANOGAN VALLEY
SINCE 1905
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Some good news for Nursing Home
BABY NEW YEAR 2015
LTC gets larger than expected Pro-share payment BY GARY A. DE VON EDITOR@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
TONASKET – The North Valley Hospital Board learned that the hospital will receive nearly twice as much in Disproportionate Share Payments from the state for the Long Term Care (LTC) as it did the previous year. The Pro-Share payment for 2015 will be $399,805, compared to $201,000 in 2014. While the extra cash was a good thing, the district is still looking at a loss in the Long Term Care Division, according to numbers shared with the board by District CEO Linda Michel. The payment, with a $30,000 lower Labor & Industries statement, will cut the LTC Division’s projected loss down from $809,145 to $558,572. Chief Financial Officer Helen Verhasselt explained that the reason the payment was larger was because there were only six remaining nursing homes that were still attached to hospitals in the
state and that some hospital districts were no longer participating in the program “because it is a lot of work.” The money that was budgeted by the legislature was divided amongst a smaller group and that caused the payment increase. However, she cautioned the district could not rely on the payment to be there in future years. Verhasslelt went over the financials for November, explaining that December’s, being the end of the year, were not yet available. “I like the numbers,” said Helen Casey, chairman of the hospital board. “I do too, especially when you consider it was payroll day, also when we are on a 16 day medicare payment delay. For November the hospital had a net of $38,000 while the extended care lost $45,000,” said Verhasselt. “The VA Clinic for November currently has 745 vets, last year it was 681
SEE NVH BOARD | PG A2
Groups suing county over Comp Plan
Pamela Thacker/submitted photos
adoption of all documents by the County Commissioners. The Citizens’ Council TWISP - The Methow Valley Citizens’ says it is taking this action now even Council (MVCC) and Futurewise though the county will hold a belated have filed a lawsuit in Superior Court public hearing on Feb. 2. The hearing has against Okanogan County, challenging been scheduled so the county commisits recent adoption of a Comprehensive sioners can take oral testimony on the Plan, the associated Interim Zoning, Comprehensive Plan, which the groups and Determination of Non-Significance say they failed to do in error on Dec 22, under the State Environmental Policy and now wish to correct. “Since the county Act (SEPA) for the Commissioners Plan and Zoning. According to the “‘First come first served‘ for have not responded input from con21-page lawsuit limited water is not a plan to cerned citizens in filed with the court for the future....” the past, we expect clerk on Friday, that this hearing Jan. 9, the plainPhil Millam, Board Member, will be pro forma tiffs are asking the Methow Valley Citizens’ Council and result in no court to rule that changes,” said the the Comprehensive groups in a recent Plan, approved by the Okanogan County Commissioners press release. “From MVCC’s perspecon Dec. 22, 2014 is “invalid and in viola- tive, the plan is Comprehensive in name tion of the requirements of the Planning only.” From their release: Enabling Act (chapter 36.70 RCW), First, it fails to meet state law by not the Growth Management Act (chapter 36.70A RCW), the State Environmental providing for the protection of water Policy Act (chapter 43.21C RCW) and quality and quantity or taking water its implementing regulations, and other availability into account when setting the allowed densities. applicable provisions of state law.” They say the lawsuit comes after years of debate and citizen participation, and SEE LAWSUIT | PG A2 THE GAZETTE-TRIBUNE
Meet little miss Victoria Reyes Giron. She was born at North Valley Hospital in Tonasket on a snowy afternoon on Jan. 4, 2015 at 2:03 p.m. She weighed six pounds, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long. Her parents are Adelina Giron and Dimas Reyes and she is number five of their beautiful family of five daughters. The family was gifted with an assortment of hand-made items made by the nursing staff and the foundation members, plus WalMart gift cards and a goody bag filled with toys, diapers, wipes and baby products. NVH staff said they were happy to introduce this little wonder and wish her well in her first New Year!
Oroville Council asked for help in purchase of K-9 BY GARY A. DE VON
EDITOR@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
OROVILLE – The Oroville City Council was treated to a dog and pony show, without the pony, at their Tuesday, Jan. 6 meeting as two county deputies displayed the skills of one of their K-9s and asked for help in obtaining another to be located in the north county area. Deputies Terry Shrable and Shane Jones explained to the council that K-9 officers can be an important tool whether searching for narcotics or apprehending the bad guys. “I’ve been in canines for 12 years and this is my third dog,” said Deputy Jones, who brought his dog Basco, a Belgian Malinois, to show what trained dogs were capable of. “He’s imported from Holland and he’s the best of the best.” Deputy Scrable is in the process of getting a dog to use, especially in the north end of the county, which hasn’t had a K-9 with the sheriff ’s department located here since Deputy Kevin Kinman retired Jake a few years back. “We’ve currently undertaken a county-wide funding effort and are actively pursuing donations from all members of the
county that can benefit,” said Schrable, who added that he has had donations from municipalities, as well as local businesses. He said the dogs would be invaluable in helping to search for suspects in burglaries like the ones that occurred recently in the Oroville area. He added that the dog would be available to aid the Oroville Police Department any time they gave him a call. “Most departments have one dog, we have three and we are going to have four. This is the next step for me and my career,” said Shrable. “I know how frustrating it can be for me or Officer (Ken) Waddell or Chief (Todd) Hill when we make a stop and we know there are drugs in that car and there isn’t a dog available. With a dog in the area we can change that.” The deputies explained that the dogs won’t hit on marijuana, because it is legal in Washington State, but they excell at locating other drugs. Basco demonstrated by locating some methamphetamine that had been hidden in the council chambers. “We just had some major drugs found by a dog in the Methow. We got a lot of meth, a lot of heroin and a gun,” said Jones.
Gary DeVon/staff photo
SEE K-9 COP | PG 2
OKANOGAN VALLEY GAZETTE-TRIBUNE Volume 111 No. 03
Okanogan County Sheriff’s Deputy Terry Shrable plays “bad guy” to demonstrate K-9 Basco’s ability to subdue a suspect and hold him for law enforcement. Shrable and Deputy Shane Jones appeared before the Oroville Council last Tuesday. They are looking for funding to purchase another Belgian Malinois Dog and training. This would bring the number of K-9s with the sheriff’s department to four, with the new dog located in north Okanogan County.
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