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January
Newport resident Jim Morrison died in a house fire Monday, Jan. 7, on Coyote Trail, near Highway 2. Morrison was wellknown in the community for his humble, generous nature and constant hitchhiking. No foul play was suspected.
Pend Oreille County Superior Court Judge Pat Monasmith retired after a 40-year legal career. He never used a gavel in his time on the bench.
West Bonner County School District Trustees debated whether to get current appraisals on unused district properties like the district office in downtown Priest River, Idaho Hill Elementary fields and a plot on Hoodoo Loop Road. Plans were underway to move the district office to the Priest River Junior High, which will leave the building on Main Street vacant.
One female prisoner was airlifted to a Spokane hospital and another female prisoner died in the Pend Oreille County Jail on Jan. 27.
Natalie J. Lemery, 32, of Spokane was charged with introducing a controlled substance into a jail facility and controlled substance homicide in connection with the death, according to a news release from the Newport Police Department, which investigated the death.
February
Newport Hospital and Health Services staff started discussions to possibly convert River Mountain Village Assisted Living into a daycare facility. Hospital district commissioners heard about the potential plans at their board meeting Thursday, Jan. 30. The idea was later scrapped. Also at the January meeting, longtime hospital district employee Kim Manus was named CEO and Superintendent of NHHS. Manus, 64, started with Public Hospital District No. 1 of Pend Oreille County’s Newport hospital in August 1986.
While the other fire districts in the county seemed to support forming an Emergency Medical Services district to support ambulance services, South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue said it wouldn’t support an EMS taxing district. SPOFR is the largest fire district in the county, with more than $1.12 billion assessed real estate value within the district. Fire districts, the hospital, Newport and Pend Oreille County met Wednesday, Feb. 4 to discuss the situation.
The largest federal employer in the Tri County area is the Colville National Forest. Just how many people work for the Colville National Forest, which includes the Newport-Sullivan Lake Ranger District, and how many will be laid off? A call and follow-up email from The Miner to the Colville National Forest public affairs officer was forwarded to United States Department of Agriculture, which the Forest Service falls under. A response on behalf of Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins from an unnamed USDA spokesperson says she supports President Donald Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce, including the Forest Service.
March
After not passing an electric rate increase for the last three years, the Pend Oreille Public Utility District commissioners approved the staff recommended 4.25% rate increase at their March 4 meeting. The new rates, effective April 1, would raise per-kilowatt-hour charges for all customer classes. This adjustment is for 2025 only, not a multi-year increase.
There were two house fires in the span of four days in a week, with a fire on 1st Street in Newport on Wednesday, March 5 followed by another on Rusho Lane Sunday, March 9. No one was injured in either incident and arson was not suspected, according to South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue Chief Shane Stocking. The March 9 fire marked eight structure fires that SPOFR has responded to since the beginning of the year, Stocking said.
U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, started his town hall in Spokane March 17 at Cowles Auditorium on the campus of Whitworth University by saying he likes holding town halls.
“This is my seventh town hall in my first 75 days,” he said. “It’s my hope that we can do at least one town hall in every county.”
While he was generally optimistic about the country he said in opening remarks, he was also worried. “I do really worry about the partisan divide in our country and the hyper-partisanship and anger,” he said.
April
Nichole Anderson, a math teacher at Priest River Lamana Junior/Senior High School was named a finalist for the national Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Anderson was one of six Idahoans considered against other math and science teachers from around the country for recognition as national PAEMST awardees. The award is widely considered to be the top honor bestowed by the U.S. government to K-12 science, technology, engineering and math educators.
A man awaiting sentencing for killing his mother died in the Pend Oreille County jail because jailers were negligent about his medical care, a federal civil rights lawsuit filed April 4 contended. Jacob Mitchell, 29, was awaiting sentencing for killing Carolyn Mitchell in Newport in 2022, was found dead in his Pend Oreille County Jail cell in April 2023. He died because his jailers and the county didn’t provide him adequate medical care, according to the lawsuit.
The body of Randy Mesec was found Saturday, April 19. Mesec, 69, had been reported missing in the Greenhood Road area, northeast of Cusick near the Idaho border.
A missing person report was taken by the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday, April 15. Mesec had been last seen at his residence April 8. Pend Oreille County Search and Rescue was contacted to conduct a search of the area. After a four-day search investigation, Mesac was found deceased in a forested area adjoining the residence by Bonner County Search and Rescue April 19.
Youth Emergency Services of Pend Oreille County held a host home program public meeting April 22 to restart the program, which went away during the COVID-19 pandemic. Host homes for youth ages 13–24 is needed all over Pend Oreille County.
May
Priest River Lamanna Jr./Sr. High Principal Matt George finished out the school year remotely after the West Bonner County School District Board trustees voted not to renew his contract at an executive session held May 8. Spacek did not confirm if the reason for not renewing George’s contract pertained to the school district’s investigation the previous month into alleged inappropriate conduct between George and a female student at a school dance.
Though President Donald Trump had yet to release a full budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, 21st Century Community Learning Centers was among several Department of Education programs Trump requested to zero out funding for all four fiscal years of his first term. “Our program is one of those programs that are on the chopping block at a federal level,” GDC program director Vickie Blanchet told the Newport School District Board at its May 13 meeting.
The general feeling after the West Bonner County School District passed its levy Tuesday, May 20 was a celebratory one when the board of trustees met for their regular board meeting. Chair Ann Yount did a happy dance in her seat, and staff and community members expressed their gratitude after the maintenance and operations levy received 2,101 yes votes, or 54.54%, to 1,751 no votes, or 45.46%.
June
Among other food banks in Pend Oreille and West Bonner Counties, Cusick Food Pantry receives support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where national food assistance programs are experiencing cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration. These cuts come while food insecurity rates are increasing in both Washington and Idaho, with more households signing up at Pend Oreille and West Bonner County food banks every month since 2022 or 2023.
The town clerk of Metaline was suspended without pay and town officials called the Sheriff’s Office to make a report of an alleged fraud. That information was included in the minutes from a special town council meeting held Monday, June 9. Following the meeting, the council then called the sheriff’s office to report a potential fraud. A reported fraud was listed in the June 11 call logs from a Housing Drive address in Metaline.
At the Newport School District Board’s June 10 meeting, OAC special projects manager Gene Sementi advised the board to confirm costs and develop a public communication plan by the end of June, assuming the district presents the bond to voters on Feb. 10, 2026. OAC is a design and construction performance management firm with locations in Washington and California. Financial services partner D.A. Davidson estimates the bond to cost $48.4 million, projecting two bond tax rates in 2026: $2.08 per $1,000 of assessed property value over 20 years, or $1.82 per $1,000 over 25 years.
July
Two teenage boys were taken into custody and charged with first-degree malicious mischief, a felony, after an overnight vandalism spree in which at least three buildings and nine cars across Newport were damaged Sunday, June 6. The boys, both 15 years old, made their first appearance remotely from Martin Hall in Medical Lake on July 7. District Court Judge Robin McCroskey set a $5,000 bond for each of them.
A man from Newport and another man from Deer Park drowned in two Pend Oreille County lakes in a matter of days. Webster Kneass III, 64, of Deer Park drowned in Horseshoe Lake on July 12. Kneass was in a boat when he fell overboard near the waterfall area of Horseshoe Lake. His drowning was reported around 3:44 p.m., four minutes after he had gone underwater. He was not wearing a life jacket. Just two days later, David W. Harvey, 61, of Newport drowned in Davis Lake on July 14. Harvey was fishing near a rocky water edge on the south end of Davis Lake when he slipped into the water, Pend Oreille County Sheriff Glenn Blakeslee said. He was also not wearing a life jacket.
President Donald Trump’s administration released funds for the Newport School District’s K-8 after-school and summer program, Grizzly Discovery Center, after its three-week pause on billions in funding for K-12 schools across the country. About $1.3 billion of the $6.8 billion on pause since June 30 was released to Newport and other school districts from the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, one of the six programs included in the pause.
Visitors seeking information at the Newport Visitors Center were met with a locked door when the center closed after losing funding for its lone worker. The money for the position was from a federal Department of Labor program and administered through AARP. Funding was stopped for the Senior Community Service Employment Program, with little information,
SEE REVIEW, 6A Greater Newport Area Chamber of Commerce President Madi Cambell said. The chamber runs the visitor center.
August
Chris Jones, General Manager for Pend Oreille Public Utility District, talked about the PUD’s new Extreme Fire Settings map. In fire season, the PUD has Extreme Fire Settings on their power lines, meaning when the lines go out, they must be visually inspected before power is restored. Jones served as interim General Manager for the Pend Oreille Public utility District since Feb. 2025. Previously, he was Operations Manager and a lineman.
Cooper Ericksen, a student at Newport High School, placed first in the nation in the highly competitive Computer Applications event at the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference, this year June 29–July 2 in Anaheim, Calif.
An incoming senior, Ericksen is the first student from Newport to ever compete at the national level for FBLA, marking a historic achievement for the high school.
For the first time since 2008, Metaline Falls will have a new mayor. Incumbent Mayor Tara Leininger was defeated by political newcomers Walter Minsal and Sherice McAnerin in the Primary Election that concluded Aug. 5. McAnerin received 35 votes, Minsal 30 votes and Leininger 20 votes, with one write-in vote. McAnerin and Minsal advanced to the General Election in the non-partisan race.
September
The Tacoma Creek Fire was reported in the early hours of Sept. 1, caused by a spate of dry lightning during Labor Day weekend, according to Northeast Washington Fire Information. As of Sept. 9, the wildfire was at 3,560 acres, 15 miles northwest of Cusick, and at 0% containment. Total personnel assigned to the fire was 366. No structures were lost in the fire, and no one was injured.
The Port of Pend Oreille received two grants, one a $100,000 grant from the USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations Program to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study for a Value-Added Wood Manufacturing Facility at the Wolfred Industrial Park in rural Northeast Washington. In the other grant, state regulators approved $25,000 in funding from the Grade Crossing Protective Fund to support safety improvements at the Highway 20 railroad crossing near Usk.
A years’ long drought, rising fuel, and flat hay prices made it difficult for hay farmers to make a profit in Pend Oreille County. Washington State Hay Growers Association Vice President Jon Paul Driver organized a meeting of some hay growers to meet with Steve Bruchman and Andrew Rolwes of U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner’s office to call attention to how the drought and other things are impacting farmers.
State Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, is the senate majority leader. Republican county commissioner Robert Rosencrantz invited Pedersen to hear concerns of Pend Oreille County elected officials and others during a wide-ranging meeting Thursday, Sept. 25. He was joined by state Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, who represents the 7th Legislative District, which includes Pend Oreille County. Pedersen is one of the highest-ranking Democrats to come to Pend Oreille County in years.
October
Pend Oreille County Prosecutor Dolly Hunt said the lack of prosecuting attorneys isn’t confined to Pend Oreille County or even Washington. It’s a nationwide problem. “District attorney and prosecutorial offices across the state and nation are facing similar staffing difficulties due to a combination of high caseloads, competitive private sector opportunities and the demanding nature of public service work,” Hunt said. There are currently three prosecuting attorney openings in Pend Oreille County. The most recent departure was when deputy prosecutor, Lori Preuss, left in June. That left just Hunt for felony cases and civil matters and deputy prosecutor Samantha Brookman, who handles District Court cases, where misdemeanors are handled.
At 17, Sarah Nowels was the age of many students at Newport High School when she started using fentanyl. She told them so in a speech she gave at the end of Fentanyl Awareness Day, a Thursday, Oct. 9 event organized by the National Honor Society of NHS to inform students of the dangers of fentanyl in Pend Oreille County and wider eastern Washington. A recovering addict, Nowels was just one of the guest speakers invited to the three-hour event. Also included were Todd Krogh, a local whose son died of fentanyl poisoning; Chris Bell, NHS’ school resource officer and an officer with the Newport Police Department; and Shane Stocking, chief of South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue.
More than 175 people turned out to protest the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump Saturday, Oct. 18, according to the organizers who counted the people attending. This is the second “No Kings” protest in Newport. The first was held June 14. The Newport event was held along with more than 2,600 other such events in nearly every state. In addition to Newport there were protests in Spokane, Sandpoint, Coeur d’Alene and Kettle Falls, to name a few.
November
With 29.45% voter turnout so far, 3,290 ballots have been counted as of 8 p.m. Tuesday in Pend Oreille County for the general election. The county includes 11,171 voters. Ballots postmarked by Nov. 5 continued to be counted as they arrive at the auditor’s office.
Priest River Spartan football lost 28-12 to Aberdeen in a state playoff game at Priest River Nov. 8. Despite the loss, the boys brought home the school’s first league title in 68 years, scored the most points in a single season (308), and broke several individual and team records along the way.
The No. 2 seeded Newport Grizzlies hosted the Rainier Mountaineers, the No. 15 seeded team, in the first round of the state 2B football playoff games Nov. 15. Newport won 55-6. The Grizzlies pulled off some big plays against Adna in the quarterfinal game of the state 2B football tournament Nov. 22 but lost 42-32.
Newport saw the largest Second Harvest Food Distribution in its history Nov. 6 during the free food giveaway at the Newport Rodeo Grounds, according to Debbie Buckley, Chair of The Mission and Social Concerns Committee of the American Lutheran Church (ALC). Approximately 465 families were served, equaling 12,513 meals. In lieu of the federal government shutdown that started Oct. 1, the status of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits has been uncertain, leaving families and individuals that depend on those services in a state of food flux.
December
After nine years, many meetings, public comment and another hearing on Dec. 8, Pend Oreille County commissioners apparently weren’t ready to form a county-wide Emergency Medical Services district. The three county commissioners were divided, with commission chair John Gentle opposed, commissioner Brian Smiley undecided and commissioner Robert Rosencrantz in favor. At the Dec. 15 meeting commissioners decided not to vote on forming an EMS district, leaving Pend Oreille County one of three counties in the state without one. While they’re not going to vote on it this year, commissioners left the door open if the fire districts came to them with a plan and need for an EMS district.
The City of Newport updated two ongoing projects to improve the wastewater treatment plant and sewer collection system, expected to cost a total of around $42 million.
So far, the city received funding from the Washington State Department of Ecology and Public Works Board for design work on both projects.
“We’re still in the engineering of what everything will really look like, and those price tags are going to be pretty close to what’s been put out there,” city administrator Abby Gribi said. “But, as we do more investigative work, that can sometimes find additional items.”
Former Pend Oreille County Treasurer Charlotte Demlow passed away suddenly at her Newport home Thursday, Dec. 11. She was 87 years old. She served as treasurer from 1999 to 2010.
Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, said the short 60day state Legislative session which starts Jan. 13 will be largely focused on dealing with the state budget deficit. Abell, who represents the 7th Legislative District, anticipates the Democratic Party, which is in the majority, seeking revenue increases. Abell met with Miner staff on Dec. 18 for an interview.
“Our state budget has doubled in the last 10–12 years,” Abell said, going from $35 billion per biennium to more than $70 billion. “My observation is the appetite in Olympia for more taxpayer dollars is really insatiable.”
