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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901
wednesday, march 7, 2012
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 109, Number 5 | 2 Sections, 16 Pages
75¢
puD will set wholesale fiber rates Fees will be passed on to television and internet customers By Don gronning OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille Public Utility District plans to set the wholesale rate it will charge for fiber optic broadband service and other policies when the board of commissioners meets March
20. There will be a public hearing prior to adopting the rates, according to John Jordan, director of finance and administrative services for Pend Oreille PUD. People will be able to comment on the rates and the commissioners will consider the comments, he said. The PUD has reasons for the rates they plan to establish, he said, but commissioners always consider public testimony. If necessary, adoption of the rates could
w h at ’s n e x t be pushed back, based on what they hear from the WHAt: PUBliC HeAring to set wholesale public. broadband rates The rate is what will be charged retail service providers, who will set the WHen: tUeSDAY, mArCH 20, 11:30 a.m. actual rate that customers WHere: PUD’S BoX canyon Room, 130 N. will pay. The PUD cannot Washington, Newport sell retail broadband services currently. For standard class service, the wholesale rate for residential will be $50 a month, although customers and small businesses, there will be a $35 a month
introductory offer through the end of 2013, Jordan said. That is the rate the retail service provider will pay the PUD, not the rate the customer will pay for service. Whether the RSPs will pass along the discount remains to be seen. Retail service providers will be charged for each customer they sell PUD fiber connections to. Some customers may want to buy Internet television from one provider and an Internet connection
from another, for instance. Each RSP would be charged by the PUD so if a customer bought television from one provider and Internet from another, each would be charged $50 by the PUD and most likely the customer $100. But under the PUD policy, if one RSP provides television and Internet there would be only one $50 fee from the PUD for that household. The PUD expects to start hook-
See PUD, 2a
idFG ponders cutting big fish out of recreation picture Guides and others think fishing should stay same By michelle neDVeD OF THE MINER
PRIEST LAKE – The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is in the process of revising the state’s fishing management plan, and that could change the fishery at Priest Lake. The IDFG is deciding whether the lake trout fishery should be maintained, or if cutthroat and bull trout fishing is a better option. A series of public hearings are set for March, including one at the Priest River Senior Center, 339 Jackson Ave.,
Thursday, March 15, from 7-9 p.m. Currently, Priest Lake and Upper Priest Lake are managed in two different manners. The current plan states that IDFG will manage Priest Lake for a yield and trophy lake trout (mackinaw) fishery. It also states the department will restore native fish populations in Upper Priest Lake – including bull trout – with the yearly removal of lake trout with nets. According to regional fishery manager Jim Fredericks, the past six years have demonstrated that trying to manage the lakes as two independent systems is neither practical nor
See IDFG, 2a
No progress made on caribou issue U.S. Fish and wildlife, county at a standstill By michelle neDVeD anD Janelle atyeo OF THE MINER
PRIEST LAKE – Not much was accomplished at the second caribou planning coordination meeting held Tuesday, Feb. 28 between the Bonner County commissioners and U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials. County commissioner Mike Nielsen said he was disappointed with the outcome of the meeting, but impressed by how many people attended, even though public comment was not accepted. “I was very disappointed. It appears they don’t understand the concept of coordination,” Nielsen said. After the first meeting held in January, Bryon Holt, a supervisory fish and wildlife biologist
of the USFWS, said designating caribou habitat around Priest Lake would have no affect on public land unless some sort of federal permit was involved. Nielsen said he’s concerned about what affect any sort of designation will have on the Priest Lake economy, as Fish and Wildlife hasn’t done any socioeconomic studies on their proposed plan. Nielsen said while Fish and Wildlife is cooperating with the county, it is not facilitating coordination, a process that would give the county a say in what happens at Priest Lake. Nielsen said he has spoken with one business owner whose winter business has dropped by 70 percent because of previous closures, that kept snowmobilers and other recreationalists from coming to the lake during the winter months. Nielsen said if they can’t
See carIboU, 2a
Miner phoTo|don GronninG
about 40 people turned out for the republican caucus held Saturday, March 3, at the Peaceful Valley church in the south county. countywide, the caucuses drew about twice as many participants as they did four years ago.
county Gop turn out for caucuses paul beats romney locally By Don gronning OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – Washington state’s Republican presidential caucuses got more national attention than in most years. Candidates Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum all made appearances in eastern Washington before the caucuses. Front runner Mitt Romney didn’t make it to eastern Washington but did make an appearance in Western Washington. While Romney got the most votes statewide at the Republican caucuses, Ron Paul got the most votes in Pend Oreille County. The Republican Party caucuses were held Saturday, March 3 at five locations in Pend Oreille County. “The Ron Paul supporters are pretty well organized,” Pend Oreille County Republican Party chairman Norris Boyd said. He said the caucuses drew about twice as many participants as they did four years ago, with 194 people voting in the straw poll. The party moved the
|| puD commissioners to interview general manager candidates NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille Public Utility District board of commissioners will interview nine general manager candidates March 12-14, and March 16 and 19. Interviews will be conducted in the PUD’s offices in Newport. Once initial interviews are complete, the board will discuss the applicants in executive session during the regular commission meeting, March 20. It will be decided if further consideration is needed, or if the board agrees on the top candidate. When the final applicant is chosen, the action of hiring that person and setting their salary will be done in an open, public meeting.
date of its caucuses to early March from early February to get more participation, Norris said. It appeared to work. Because of the expense, there is no primary election this year. The purpose of the caucuses was to select delegates to the county convention, which will be held April 14 at the American Legion in Cusick. Delegates to the state convention will be selected at the county convention. Delegates to the national convention will be selected at the state GOP convention. It is the national convention where delegates will choose the Republican candidates for president and vicepresident. Pend Oreille County will send seven delegates to the state convention. Many people attending the south county caucus held at Peaceful Valley Church just north of Miller’s One Stop were attending a caucus for the first time, including precinct committee officer Bob Christenson. Paul and Kathy Snyder were attending their first caucus. They are
B r i e f ly
Search criteria included relevant educational background, utility operations experience, leadership skills and professional qualifications to lead and manage the PUD. “We will look for strong people skills, clear communication ability, cost and rate consciousness, public power principles, and community involvement,” commissioner Dan Peterson said. “We want a person who provides excellent internal organizational oversight and who establishes constructive relations with external entities.” The PUD is seeking a new general manager after Bob Geddes took a job in Lewis County in December 2011. The interim GM is April Owen, who will not seek the position permanently. Once the position is fill,
Miner phoTo|don GronninG
Peggy McHenry, right, pitched in to help at her first caucus. Here she verifies that Paul and Kathy Snyder are registered to vote and are at the right caucus.
Ron Paul supporters. “I voted for Obama last time,” Kathy Snyder said. But not this
time. Paul got her support because of his anti war stance.
See GoP, 7a
||
Owen will return to her job as PUD auditor. “A woman saw the men walking through the woods with some property,” Bonner County detective Kurt Lehman said. The men left when she approached them, he said. The three men were appeared to be in their 20s and driving a light tan, late 70s model Ford truck with no tailgate. They had parked the truck and walked to the residence that was unoccupied at the time of the burglary, which occurred in the late morning. Lehman said he is waiting for the homeowners to return to determine exactly what was taken. People who have information about the burglary can call the Bonner County Sheriff dispatch at 208-265-5525.
Drum to serve as extension agent NEWPORT – Wendy Drum will be the interim WSU Pend Oreille County Extension Agent until a permanent replacement is found for Janet Kiser Lambarth, who has headed the office for more than three decades. Lambarth retired at the end of February. Drum has worked with the Extension Drum Service for three years running the Food Sense program, a nutritional education program. She will continue to run that program in addition to serving as interim extension agent. Hiring a permanent replacement could take as long as a year but Extension officials hope to have somebody on board by mid summer.
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