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Trustee to inform judge Thursday who won auction for Ponderay Newsprint

Todd Behrend, interim mill manager of the Ponderay Newsprint mill in Usk, closes a window at mill during a tour of the closed facility on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. A hearing will be held Thursday to inform the bankruptcy judge who won an auction for the mill.  (Tyler Tjomsland/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Thomas Clouse tomc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5495

The bankruptcy trustee in charge of the auction of the Ponderay Newsprint mill in Usk asked for a court hearing on Thursday to name the apparent  winner.

Trustee John Munding did not return messages left seeking comment , but he has requested a hearing for 11 a.m. Thursday before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frederick Corbit. The purpose of the hearing is to inform the judge which bidder won the auction and to set a hearing for the final sale, according to court records.

Up until the auction Friday, negotiations failed to find a new owner for the 927-acre property, which consists of 29 buildings and storage facilities and is adjacent to the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad and Pend Oreille River. What was once among the largest employers in Pend Oreille County was listed for sale in December for $11.5 million.