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The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901
Wednesday, Month 9, 2016
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 113, Number 6 | 2 Sections, 24 Pages 75¢
North county chamber contemplates closing By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner
METALINE FALLS – It could be curtains for the North Pend Oreille Chamber of Commerce (NPOCC), as the organization looks to call it quits due to lack of volunteer participation. The NPOCC is a non-profit organization serving the communities of Metaline, Metaline Falls and Ione in the northeast corner of Pend Oreille County. Meetings are held every second Thursday of the month and dues for individuals and businesses are $25 per year. There are about 42 members currently enrolled in the NPOCC, but getting members to pay dues is not the issue, says
organization president Kathy Grass. “Unfortunately, it’s the same five people who show up to meetings and work events, and it’s just too much,” says Grass. A public meeting will be held Thursday, March 10, at 7 p.m. in Metaline Falls Town Hall. A complete list of all NPOCC assets, monetarily and physically, will be made with a decision as to their final distribution. A scholarship to a 2016 high school graduate will also be awarded. According to Grass, while the NPOCC doesn’t host any events, it does help sponsor events like Bassin’ Assassin bass tournament, Affair on Main Street, and Down River Days. It also leads a highway clean
up once a year, maintains the visitor’s center in Metaline, and operates a hamburger booth for Affair on Main Street. Grass notes that membership is down “considerably.” There is about $10,000 in the NPOCC’s budget for 2016. The three north county towns – Ione, Metaline and Metaline Falls, will be given $1,000 each for beautification purposes and members who have paid their dues for 2016 will be refunded. That leaves the NPOCC to decide what to do with the remaining sum at the Thursday meeting. Pend Oreille County Commissioner Steve Kiss, See chamber, 2A
Democrats excited about upcoming caucuses By Don Gronning Of The Miner
NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County Democrats are getting ready for the upcoming presidential primary caucuses, set for Saturday, March 26.“It will be Democrats’ only chance to vote on the party’s candidate,” said Pend Oreille County Democratic Party Chair Gayle Cain. She says she has been getting calls about the caucuses and sending out surrogate affidavits to people who won’t
be able to attend the caucus. People can fill out the affidavit indicating their preferred candidate and alternative if the preferred candidate isn’t chosen, and return it to the address or fax number listed on the form. “I’m recommending faxing,” Cain said. Affidavits must be received by 5 p.m. March 18. To participate, people need to arrive by 10 a.m., declare that they are Miner photo|Don Gronning
See caucuses, 2A
Leroy Hokenson, Pomona for Pend Oreille County Granges, visits with people at the Davis Lake Grange Saturday, March 5. The grange holds a breakfast the first Saturday of the month at 9 a.m. and a dinner the third Saturday of the month at 6 p.m.
Dedicated volunteers keep granges afloat Membership declining, granges still have many activities
By Don Gronning Of The Miner
DAVIS LAKE - It’s about 8:30 a.m. on a rainy Saturday at the Davis Lake Grange. Leroy and Cindy Hokenson have driven down from Ione to put on the grange’s monthly breakfast. “It takes about 45 minutes, depending on how many turkeys or deer I have to dodge,” jokes Leroy. He serves as Pomona Master, overseeing the five county granges that make up the Pomona. They have a fire going and pancakes cooking. They are making breakfast, a time for camaraderie with neighbors and fellow Grange members. Davis Lake Grange puts on a breakfast the first Saturday of each month, open to the community. They ask for a donation, but nobody is turned away for lack of money. The same with the dinner they hold the third Saturday of the month, at 6 p.m. A few people come in for breakfast. Margaret Eiden and her daughter, Jeanie Wolke, have come from Diamond Lake for breakfast. The Diamond Lake Grange is still
Courtesy photo|Newport Hospital and Health Services Dr. Jeff Jones pretends this is where patients will sit in his new office
in the health building that is under construction.
New rural health clinic named NEWPORT – Newport Hospital and Health Services named their new rural health clinic “Newport Health Center.” Christina Wagar, Director of Primary and Ancillary Care, included the entire NHHS staff in the naming process. Wagar solicited name ideas from the staff and received 78 suggestions. From there, the clinic staff chose their favorites, which were passed along to the medical staff and directors. The board of commissioners selected the final name from a final list of three. See clinic, 2A
Daylight Saving springs forward this Sunday
NEWPORT – Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday, March 13, at 2 a.m. It’s the time of year when, for those looking forward to lighter evenings, to rejoice. By moving those clocks forward, Sunday’s sunset will be one hour later than Saturday. Sunset Saturday will be 6:42 p.m. Sunday the sun sets at 7:43 p.m. Sunrise goes from 6:55 a.m. Saturday to 7:53 a.m. Sunday, giving late sleepers something to be thankful for. Daylight Saving Time ends November 6, when it’s time to “fall back” and turn the clocks back an hour.
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active, sort of. The Grange itself on Highway 2 is closed. It, like all Grange halls, has a wood stove. “We couldn’t get anybody who could come start the fire to heat it up,” says Eiden. Still, the half dozen or so active members meet regularly, often at her house. The
‘We give away 29 coats to Selkirk kids and 16 to Idaho Hill kids,’ Chris Smith
Master of Fertile Valley Grange
Diamond Lake Grange, Camden Grange Calispel Grange along with Davis Lake and Fertile Valley make up the five granges in Pend Oreille County. At one time there were 14 granges in the county, says Hokenson. Grange membership has declined for decades. Granges face some of the same challenges as other volunteer organizations such as volunteer fire departments. Finding other volunteers who can spend time and energy
Rotary Club holds zombie fundraiser Saturday
OLDTOWN – The Newport/Priest River Rotary Club is hosting a zombie murder mystery titled “Chronicles of Zombie Town,” Saturday, March 12, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Oldtown Rotary Park building. The tagline for the event is “A murder mystery to die for…again.” There will be food and refreshments throughout the event, which serves as a fundraiser for the Rotary club. For more information on this event, including playing a zombie character, email bmingay@conceptcable.com.
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NEWPORT - The Stratton Elementary School Spring Carnival is Thursday, March 10, from 5-7:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and serves as a fundraiser for school and student activities. There will be a silent auction, games, and food and refreshments for sale. If anyone would like to donate an item to the auction, contact Elyce Cutshall at 447-2481 ext. 6500.
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Record
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sports
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Police Reports
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Obituaries
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Public Notices
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See grange, 12A
Stratton Elementary School Carnival is Thursday
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on the volunteer activities in addition to leading their daily lives is difficult. But granges face another challenge. “Eighty or 90 percent of our people are elderly,” says Otto Baumgardner, a Davis Lake Grange member. Younger people don’t have the same interest as the current Grange members, he says. “They’re more interested in things like video games and mud bogging,” he says. There are probably 30 members in the Davis Lake and Fertile Valley granges, the most active granges in the county. The other three have seven or eight members each, says Hokenson. It doesn’t cost much to operate a Grange, about $3,000 a year or so, depending on things like whether the Grange needs a new roof or a furnace repair, like the Fertile Valley Grange did this year. Or if there is a big change in insurances, as all the granges experienced this year. The insurance for Davis Lake increased significantly, to about $800 annually up from about $550.
wedding planning 8a-10a
easter is coming
see our easter church directory next issue