PLAY OFF SEASON IS HERE
CHECK OUT PAGES 1B-2B FOR THE LATEST SPORTS
The Newport Miner THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNTY SINCE 1901
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 113, Number 2 | 2 Sections, 16 Pages 75¢
Washington Republicans caucus Feb. 20
BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – The Republican Party will hold caucuses at precincts throughout Washington Saturday, Feb. 20, to set the party platform and discuss presidential candidates. In Idaho, Republican caucuses will be held March 22. In Washington, the caucuses will select delegates for the Pend Oreille County GOP convention, where delegates will be selected for the state convention, where delegates will be selected for the national convention. But just how the national delegates vote in the first round will be based on the presidential primary election, set for May 24. Since Washington is a vote by mail state, people will start voting May 6. Even though the Republican Party in Washington will use only the primary election to decide how delegates vote in the SEE CAUCUS, 2A
Aerocet looks to future with possible expansion BY SOPHIA ALDOUS OF THE MINER
PRIEST RIVER – The production floor at Aerocet Inc., a North Idaho manufacturer of composite floats for aircraft, is quieter than one would think it would be, almost tranquil, even. There is the hushed grind of industrial machinery emanating from another room, but if it weren’t for that and a strong odor of chemicals, an outsider might think they were walking into a woodworking studio or an artist’s metal fabrication shop. The company’s CEO, Garry Hojan, walks from
station to station, explaining the various methods and techniques that go into crafting the various composite floats. Floats are the pontoons that enable airplanes to land and float on water. He greets each worker by his or her first name and they respond in kind. “We’ve had our rough patch as a company, but we’ve come out of that and we’re excited about the future,” Hojan says. “We love that we’re a part of this community, and we don’t plan to change that. If anything, we want to make
COURTESY PHOTO|PATTI CUTSHALL
Pedro Medeira, front, and Lucas Angarita visit the gum wall in Seattle and meet last year’s exchange student Mathias Loft who came from Denmark to live with Cutshall family for the 2014-2015 school year.
Foreign exchange students make rural USA their home
BY SOPHIA ALDOUS OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – Apparently, the dress code at Pablo Rufino’s high school in Madrid is a little more lenient than Newport High School.
SEE AEROCET, 7A
Thursday, Feb. 4 was Pajama Day and the 11th grade student, who originally hails from Spain, wore a tank top with his flannel pants. “My teacher said I need to cover up,” he says, discreetly showing some of his peers the fashion
Valentine flowers Regina Smith, florist at Fleur de Lis Floral & Home in Newport, puts together a floral arrangement Thursday, Feb. 4. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, area floral businesses are preparing for those last minute rush orders.
indiscretion under the hoodie he’s wearing. “What’s wrong with this?” Rommy Ribabeneira, a senior from Quito, Ecuador, holds up the first three fingers on her right
SEE STUDENTS, 2A
Hospital bond before voters April 26 BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County voters will once again be asked to approve a $10 million construction bond to build a new assisted living facility in Newport. A special election will be held Tuesday, April 26. Since the bond will be the only issue on the ballot, the election will cost the Pend Oreille Hospital District No. 1, $20,000 to $25,000. The board of commissioners approved the resolution unanimously to put the bond on the ballot during their regular meeting Thursday, Jan. 28.
SEE HOSPITAL, 2A
MINER PHOTO|SOPHIA ALDOUS
Learn secrets of seed gardening
NEWPORT – Come learn secrets of effective gardening when Master Gardeners present “Growing Your Garden from Seed” Thursday, Feb. 11, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Pend Oreille County Extension Office meeting room, 227 S. Garden Avenue, Newport. Learn tips and techniques for extending our short summer growing season by starting plants, inexpensively, indoors from seeds; sample various planting mediums and tools and go home with a sample potted seed “ready to grow.” Refreshments will be offered. The cost for the class is $5 for community members
Follow us on Facebook
B R I E F LY
and $3 for Master Gardeners. Pre-register by calling the WSU/Pend Oreille County Extension Office at 509-447-2401 to provide contact information should the class schedule change and ensure adequate materials for all participants will be available.
Rotary club hosts free breakfast Saturday OLDTOWN - The Newport/Priest River Rotary Club is sponsoring a free community breakfast Saturday,
Feb. 13, from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. at Rotary Park in Oldtown. Breakfast includes beverages, pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon. The public is invited to attend this event. The Newport/Priest River Rotary Club is a local branch of Rotary International, an organization dedicated to bringing together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian services, and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. For more information on Rotary, go to www.rotary. org. Check out the Newport/Priest River Rotary Club on Facebook.
CLASSIFIEDS
5B
OPINION
4A
RECORD
4B
LIFE
3B
POLICE REPORTS
4B
SPORTS
1B-2B
4B, 8B
PUBLIC NOTICES
6B-8B
OBITUARIES
VALENTINE’S DAY THIS WEEKEND
FIND THE PERFECT GIFT LOCALLY