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The Pend Oreille County Master Gardener Foundation thanks the community for their wonderful support of our annual plant sale this year.
We are grateful for everyone that stopped by and purchased plants as well as the Newport Miner for highlighting the sale in the newspaper and Selkirk Ace Hardware for donating items for our drawing.
The majority of the plants are grown and donated by the Master Gardeners with all the proceeds from the sale used to develop educational opportunities for the public and to purchase supplies for our demonstration garden (located on Circle Drive) such as wood and soil for new beds.
It was exciting to visit with all of the community members who came to the sale and shared their love of gardening.
The Master Gardeners are always interested in sharing gardening information, or learning something new from other community members, so feel free to stop by any time you see us in the demonstration garden.
Amy Dillon Pend Oreille County Master Gardener Foundation
Sudden elevation changes
harmful
Last week in two days the Priest River dropped three feet. It does this for Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Then rises just as radically in October. These alarming drops and falls are the direct result of the gates closed and opened at the Priest Lake Outlet bay dam.
Please take a look at google folder https://drive.google. com/drive/folders/17ytHDXECESpXBCoVap3fuwlvrjrx0eiz to see 15 years of flow history, a 50 second video filmed by a riverfront longtime resident, showing last week’s devastating water level drops and a one page report about why this is contributing to the decline of several species of spawning salmonids.
Along with negative impact on cold water fish, the sudden changes cause banks to collapse exposing water mammals’ dens where they are raising litters, bird nests in the banks are destroyed and wetlands along the river dry up overnight killing millions of benthic macroinvertebrates larva like damsel flies, dragon flies. The dam is not for electricity, flood mitigation or irrigation. It is so a relatively small amount of people can recreate.
Betty Gardner Priest River
Theories on Iran uranium
Some say Trump started a war with Iran. Others say he’s ending a war that began in 1979. They have been pushing America around since then and a bully in the Middle East.
Most of the world and especially the Middle East agree that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.
My guess is that the deal Trump makes with Iran will include the uranium, either removal or its destruction. It’s my understanding that uranium has a fingerprint. Trump wants that fingerprint.
Remember under Obama, it was alleged that Obama and Hillary sold some of our uranium to other countries? It was said to have gone through Canada and then moved on.
How many countries? If so, how many ‘Heads of State’ knew about it? Did any go to Iran? Did Iran have enriching capabilities in Syria at the time?
What if Trump gets the uranium, tests it, and the fingerprint matches our uranium? Would that implicate the Obama Administration in any way? If the alleged is true, would that be considered aiding an enemy of the US to help build a nuclear program?
Hmm. Is that why the ‘Deep State’ is panicking?
Glen Pierce Spokane/Cusick
Forty percent of residents not represented
An interesting point was made last week about democracy vs. a constitutional republic.
At least 40% of Pend Oreille County voters have no constitutional representation in our state and local elections. They are out voted by the 60% that always vote for Republicans.
That’s why our county has had no growth and an economy dominated by government employment. If you don’t work for the government in our community, you are a lower paid service worker or a struggling small business owner. Our Republican commissioners function as Commissars in a socialist government structure, and rule without opposition.
Holding up a protest sign at the Newport Wheel doesn’t change the locked-in majority vote. Many Commissars run unopposed. Why would a Democrat waste time and money running against an overwhelming majority?
The best the 40% can hope for is that Republicans turn on each other and purge out an incumbent. All power is held by a small number of officials elected by a 60% majority. Think of your car engine running on 60% power and wasting 40% of the fuel in the tank. How do you make it up the long hill of community living with governing that excludes 40% of its people?
Pete Scobby Newport
Nate Powell for Congress
As someone who ran for Newport City Council in 2025, gaining 184 votes and only losing by 28, and who continues serving our community through the Pend Oreille County Planning Commission, I care deeply about the future of our community. That is why I am endorsing Nate Powell for Congress.
Nate Powell is an Independent, union firefighter, and Marine veteran who understands the struggles facing working families. He supports securing the border while fixing our broken legal immigration system, lowering the national debt by cutting wasteful spending, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and defending family farms from corporate monopolies.
He also wants to stop large corporations from buying up single-family homes, ban insider trading in Congress, and reduce the influence of corporate money in politics. As Nate says, “it’s not left vs. right, it’s top vs. bottom.”
Nate also supports protecting rural hospitals, veterans, and first responders in Eastern Washington, and knows the challenges rural communities face every day.
Last Tuesday, I attended Nate’s town hall, and he has something rare in politics today: honesty, independence, and a willingness to work with people from both parties.
Eastern Washington deserves leadership focused on working people, not political games.
John Spring Newport
Surprised by letter writer’s optimism
Last week, I opened the Opinion section of The Miner newspaper during my weekly retreat from reality. I anticipated encountering the hilarious customary discourse: Hitler, fascism, dictator, tax concessions for billionaires, etc.
Naturally, my expectations were met. After wiping my eyes from laughter, I encountered two letters: one that was spot on, Constitutional Republic vs Democracy, and a striking letter entitled, “We are a strong community, regardless of differences.”
This writer usually doesn’t cover this kind of topic. Typically, this writer harbors a negative temperament towards any individual or group that does not reside within the blue circle. In fact, consistently expressing disapproval of others’ viewpoints, writing at least 50 letters annually, typically relying on unverified information.
Upon reviewing the letter, I propose three potential explanations. First, it is plausible that the letter was written by a ghostwriter who took the name of the individual. Second, the writer may have finally looked into the mirror and experienced a “Come to Jesus moment.”
Last, perhaps the impending end of the world as we know it is near, so if that’s the case, I recommend everyone prepare for survival by gathering essential supplies.
Renee Webster Newport
Birthday wishes
Today is my birthday. For some reason, I still hear that question, “what do you want for your birthday?” That memory causes me to wonder what my now older self wants.
First, an end to war. This current war demands attention because of its cost, both in dollars and in the rule of law.
The impact on Americans and world-wide is mind boggling, realizing that this is Donald Trump’s war of choice. He and the Republican Party, including Michael Baumgartner have steamrolled this war down the streets of the world.
Secondly, I wish for health, education, safety and a thriving planet for our children and grandchildren. By ending this and future wars we would have the funds to provide these. There would be no call by Trump and Baumgartner to slash funding for Medicare, rural health care, the Department of Education, the EPA and other programs to pay for multi-billion dollar attempts to overthrow sovereign nations.
Thirdly, I wish for a return of our system of government, of the people, by the people and for the people and away from the abuse of power that Donald Trump and his enablers are trying to normalize.
JR Wyatt Elk
