Newport Miner

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Something Sweet for the Sweet See Valentine’s Day Specials 10B

The Newport Miner

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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 109, Number 1 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages

75¢

Communication key to staying together Couples find ways to make marriages work BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – With Valentine’s Day coming up, couples across the country are having romantic outings, exchanging gifts and doing other things to celebrate their relationship. But in a time when about half the marriages end in divorce, what is the key to making a long term relationship work? We asked three couples for their advice. John and Lila Middleton of Ione have been married more than 50 years. Willard and Arlie Peterson of Oldtown have been married 66 years. Mike Lithgow and Randi Shaw of Newport have been married a little over a month, although they dated four and a half years before getting married. If these three couples are any indication, common interests and communication are keys to a good relationship. Lithgow and Shaw enjoy the outdoors together, hunting and fishing. The Middletons

Willard and Arlie Peterson have been married 66 years.

Mike Lithgow and Randi Shaw were married on New Year’s Eve.

Colville Forest selected for restoration funding Unclear what it means for local mills BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER

WASHINGTON D.C. – The Colville National Forest has received federal funding for restoration work, and area mill owners are hoping that means more lumber to keep their saws moving and crews working. The U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday, Feb. 2, that it will provide $968,000 toward the Colville’s restoration efforts through the Accelerated Restoration Effort. The funding will go toward the Colville’s Northeast Washington Forest Vision 2020, a $31.75 million dollar project that will last for 10 years. The plan is to emphasize restoring old forest structure and species composition – “resilient conditions currently rare on the CNF,” the plan states. The highest priority work involves thinning small trees to reduce fuel for wildfires and increasing fire breaks. Forest officials have been meeting over the last week to discuss what the funding means for the program and which specific projects will be SEE FUNDING, 2A

John and Lila Middleton have been married 50 years.

With industrial park full, PRDC looks ahead BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER

PRIEST RIVER – The Priest River Development Corporation is busy, getting the word out that northern Idaho is a great place to do business. Amy Emmons, business manager of PRDC, said she

and board member Greg Snow recently attended the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, a shooting, hunting and outdoor trade show. Emmons and Snow attended with representatives from the Idaho Department of Commerce and other economic development agencies from

SEE PRDC, 2A

also enjoy fishing together. The Petersons start each morning with a game of cribbage after breakfast. So what is the real secret to staying together? Communication, says John Middleton. “All you have to do is discuss things,” he said. Shaw agrees. “Even if it is hard, talking about things is important,” she said. There is one other aspect of discussion, Middleton says. “Ninety nine percent of the time you have to give in,” he jokes. Willard Peterson echoes that sentiment. “I let her be the boss,” he said. Taking a chance and going on a blind date was how two of the couples first got together. Shaw’s aunt, Misty Scholtz, who was also Lithgow’s dental hygienist, set them up, he said. She had arranged two other dates for Lithgow that didn’t work out so well, so he was cautious when he agreed to go out with Shaw. “It was supposed to be a coffee date,” he said. But when he met her, they hit it off right away. “She was cute and funny and had a confidence about her,” he said. Shaw said she wondered about Lithgow’s fashion sense when she first saw him. “He was wearing a red hat and a blue shirt and brown pants,” she said. But after she got to know him she learned he was colorblind. The Middletons also went on a blind date the first

SEE MARRIAGES, 2A

Institute to develop local work force Housed closed sawmill office BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER

PRIEST RIVER – A group of Priest River leaders is hoping to develop a local workforce while offering residents options for education. The Priest River Institute for Education, Skills and Training (PRIEST) is in the beginning phases of becoming a

vocational school. The group is comprised of president Greg Snow, vice president Amy Emmons, both of the Priest River Development Corporation, Garry Hojan of Aerocet, Dan Larsen and school district superintendent Mike McGuire. The project is in its early stages, Snow said. They are waiting for the non-profit status, but are leasing the former JD Lumber

Mill office, located on Bodie Canyon Road near the Priest River Industrial Park. The original plan was to house PRIEST in the industrial park, but the most recent business to move in, Lone Wolf, asked to lease all the available space in the park, Snow said. While PRIEST is separate from the Priest River Development

SEE INSITUTE, 2A

Tax time

AARP volunteers help local citizens prepare taxes BY JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER

NEWPORT – Preparing your tax return can be – well – taxing. But help is available. Each Friday until tax day, April 15, volunteers with the AARP Taxe Aide program are setting up their laptops at the Hospitality House in Newport to help people file their 2011 federal tax returns. They’ll also be at places around Bonner County

on other days, offering free help. The program is especially for seniors and disabled people, but volunteers will help out anyone, as long as your return is not too complicated. Karen Olin of Newport came to the Hospitality House with her W-2s Friday, Feb. 3. She had read about Tax Aide in the paper and figured they could help. “I keep goofing mine up,” she said. The Newport help center opened Jan. 27 and had six or

SEE TAX, 9A

MINER PHOTO|JANELLE ATYEO

AARP volunteers Richard Mansbridge and Karen Squires help Newport resident Karen Olin, left, prepare her 2011 tax return Friday afternoon at the Hospitality House in Newport. Volunteers will be helping with taxes there each Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

|| County approves mental health merger NEWPORT – It appears that Pend Oreille County’s mental health program will soon be operating under Spokane County. Pend Oreille commissioners approved an interlocal agreement Jan. 30 that makes way for the area’s regional support network (RSN) to merge with Spokane’s mental health program. The agreement is between Spokane and six other counties. Stevens, Pend Oreille, Adams, Ferry, Lincoln and Okanogan have signed off while Grant County has not made a decision yet. They are members of the North Central Washington RSN. Pend Oreille County’s counseling service would still continue to be the provider for mental health services, but the Spokane entity would oversee funds as they come through the state and take care of

B R I E F LY

monitoring requirements. Counseling services director Annabelle Payne said Spokane will start a readiness checklist to see if the county’s policies, procedures and computer systems work with theirs. The goal is to have the merger complete by July. The counties still have to submit a formal termination with the North Central RSN. Payne said they are still awaiting some input from the state.

Woodman Road residents quit Fire Dist. 8 NEWPORT – There will be a hearing Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 11:30 p.m. at the Pend Oreille County Courthouse to take input on letting about 17 people who live on Woodman Road, in the southeast corner of the county, withdraw from Fire District 8.

||

The South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue district has agreed to cover them until they can be brought into the district, said fire chief Mike Nokes. The SPOFR is closer to Woodman Road than Fire District 8. It will be up to the people to ask to be annexed into SPOFR after they are out of Fire District 8.

Forest ranger talks of consolidating districts NEWPORT – Talks are continuing about consolidating the Newport and Sullivan Lake ranger districts into one. The districts, part of the Colville National Forest, have been combined administratively for a number of years. Gayne Sears, who took the post of district ranger this past September, met with Pend Oreille County Commissioners Jan. 30 and told them they don’t intend to move

staff from the Sullivan Lake office. “We’re pretty thin now, staffing wise,” forest spokesman Franklin Pemberton said. If the districts are combined, he said the name of the districts might change, and the Sullivan Lake office may become a “work center” in the winter months and return to normal hours in the summer. No decisions have been made yet.

Caribou meeting set for Thursday SANDPOINT – A Caribou Coordination meeting is set for Thursday, Feb. 9, at 1:30 p.m. in the Bonner County Administration Building, 1500 Highway 2, Sandpoint, in room 338. The meeting will focus on possible plans for caribou around Priest Lake.

SPORTS 2B -4B - RECORD 5B - POLICE 5B - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS 6B - 9B - PUBLIC NOTICES 8B - 9B - DOWN RIVER 9A - LIFE 7A - OBITUARIES 5B


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