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News >  Spokane

Dnr Says Logging ‘Unlikely’ Cause Of Flooding But Agency Investigating Gold Creek Drainage

The state Department of Natural Resources is investigating complaints that logging may have contributed to flash flooding April 23 that caused major damage along Gold Creek, a half-dozen miles west of Colville. "We're just ensuring that we did not contribute to the problem," said regional DNR forester Bill Bidstrup, who considers the possibility "very, very unlikely."
News >  Spokane

Panel Will Consider Detour For Power Lines

Pend Oreille County utility commissioners agreed to consider a detour for a new 65-mile-long high-voltage power line that critics say will spoil Pend Oreille River views. Mark Cauchy, manager of customer and energy services for the utility district, said engineers probably will take two to three weeks to study the proposal. It calls for the 115-kilovolt transmission line to cross Koch Mountain and avoid a six-mile stretch of the river north of Newport, where most critics live.
News >  Spokane

New Official Goes Right To Work

Fred Lotze went to the Stevens County Courthouse on Tuesday morning for a job interview and spent the rest of the day reviewing bids and road projects as a county commissioner. Commissioners Fran Bessermin and J.D. Anderson interviewed three Republican nominees and quickly appointed Lotze to fill the vacancy created by the March 8 death of Commissioner Allan Mack.
News >  Spokane

Freemen’s Kangaroo Court Told To Jump In Lake Stevens County Judge Rejects Bizarre Lawsuit, $1 Million Bill

A bizarre lawsuit by a former Stevens County resident with ties to freemen in Montana and Oregon was thrown out of court Friday. Steven G. Fair's arguments in a childsupport dispute are "frivolous," Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael Donohue ruled after Fair failed to show up for a hearing. Donohue banned Fair from filing more claims or liens without court permission.
News >  Spokane

Commissioner Nominees Picked In Stevens County

Mainstream Republicans beat back their party's radical right wing Tuesday night in selecting three nominees to replace Stevens County Commissioner Allan Mack, who died March 8. Self-employed logger Fred Lotze was the top choice of the party's deeply divided precinct committee officers.
News >  Spokane

Sludge Spill Site Not Hazardous, State Officials Say

A Dawn Mining Co. truck sloshed 1 to 2 gallons of radioactive sludge on a road here last week, but state officials say no harm was done. The spill occurred when the truck accidentally lunged upon entering state Highway 231 from the Ford-Wellpinit Road last Tuesday.
News >  Spokane

Stevens County Gop May Take Hard Right Turn

Deeply divided Stevens County Republican leaders will decide tonight whether they want the county to continue to be controlled by mainstream conservatives or tilt to the right. The party's 37 precinct committee officers will meet at 7 p.m. at the Chewelah senior center to choose three nominees to replace County Commissioner Allan Mack, who died March 8.
News >  Spokane

Weapons Charges Expected Against Colville High Teen

Charges were to be filed today against the second of two 15-year-old Colville High School boys arrested in recent weapons incidents. Matthew D. Wallace, who allegedly took several small bombs to school, already has been charged in Stevens County Juvenile Court.
News >  Spokane

Wilbur Teenager Faces 11 Charges Boy Allegedly Exposed Himself, Made Secret Videos Of 8 Girls

A 16-year-old Wilbur, Wash., boy has been charged with making secret videotapes of eight teenage girls while they were nude and with indecently exposing himself five times last summer. He faces arraignment April 2 in Lincoln County Juvenile Court on five counts of dealing in sexually explicit depictions of minors, five counts of indecent exposure and one count of illegally recording a conversation.
News >  Spokane

Judge Splits Difference In Tax Dispute

Pend Oreille County can begin collecting millions of dollars in disputed property taxes from Ponderay Newsprint, but not as much as county officials would have liked. Pend Oreille County Superior Court Judge Larry Kristianson ruled this week that the Usk paper mill's assessed value is $254 million for 1995-98 taxes.
News >  Spokane

Judge Stewart Won’t Run Again

Superior Court Judge Fred Stewart will retire when his term expires at the end of the year. The 61-year-old jurist - who serves Stevens, Pend Oreille and Ferry counties - said he made the announcement this week so potential candidates for his job have plenty of time to "give it some careful thought."
News >  Spokane

Fringed Flag Returns To Courtroom Under Pact, Commissioners To Sue If They Want Flag Out

A gold-fringed flag, removed from the Ferry County courtroom to please constitutionalists, has been restored under a face-saving agreement between judges and county commissioners. County Commissioner Jim Hall removed the fringed flag last September after being pressured for months by anti-government constitutionalists. They claimed the flag eliminated constitutional rights by imposing "admiralty law" in the courtroom. When months of quiet negotiations between the judges and commissioners failed to get the fringed flag back, presiding Superior Court Judge Larry Kristianson threatened legal action against Hall. Kristianson could have ordered the return of the flag and jailed Hall if he refused.