(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Lynn and Debbie Husby (left) are passing Chewelah Floor and Wall off to new owners Alan and Brenda Melani. (Brandon Hansen photo)

TURNING THE KEY: Alan and Brenda Melani take over Chewelah Floor and Wall…

After 23 years of being the mainstay at the Third Street Mall in downtown Chewelah, Lynn and Debbie Husby are passing their sign to new owners: Alan and Brenda Melani.

“It has been a great ride, and we have met hundreds of wonderful people,” Husby said. “We want to thank Chewelah and the surrounding communities for their support and hope it continues far into the future”

Lynn Husby is an Air Force retiree who moved to Chewelah in 1995. He opened Chewelah Floor and Wall two years later. More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Chewelah got a nice blanketing of snow on Dec. 2, meaning we might have a White Christmas after all. (Brandon Hansen photo)

HOLIDAY CHEER: Here are some local tips on how you can enjoy a holiday-laden December in the cheery town of Chewelah…

With Christmas now just around the corner, there are gifts to buy and wrap, holiday parties to attend, trees and decorations to put up and countless other things to do for the holidays.
Sometimes it can be stressful when people should be enjoying both their friends and families during the holidays. That is why we put this handy dandy survival guide together so you can keep your Holiday Cheer!

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(ROBERT NEIN/Chewelah Arts Guild)

Joy to the World has become a Holiday tradition in Chewelah. (File photo)

JOY TO THE WORLD: Arts Guild Christmas concert coming to Abundant Life Fellowship on Dec. 8…

Joyful holiday music comes to Chewelah on Sunday, December 8, as Chewelah Arts Guild presents its fourth “Joy to the World” concert at 2 p.m. at Abundant Life Fellowship.
The performers, all making their first appearances here, will be Lake City String Quartet from Coeur d’Alene, Spokane soprano Hannah Kimball-Fuller and Lirico Chamber Singers, the elite vocal ensemble at University High School, Spokane Valley.

Kimball-Fuller will open the concert with a set of popular and Broadway songs of the season, backed by Riley Gray on piano and Ash Madison on a bass. She has sung with the Inland Northwest and Spokane Opera companies, Spokane Civic Theatre, Spokane Symphony Chorale, and other ensembles. She’s also a conductor for Spokane Youth Choirs.
Lirico Chamber Singers is a select group of University High School students with advanced vocal skills. They make a year-long commitment to director Matt Johnson’s rigorous schedule of rehearsing and performing. More

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

A late season check-in station in Deer Park saw a 26.3 percent success rate. (WDFW photo)

HUNTERS CHECK IN: WDFW Deer Park check station sees 26.3 percent success rate during late deer season…

With the end of late deer season on Nov. 19, WDFW released some of its check station data that was taken in Deer Park two weeks ago.

Chewelah did not have a check station on that Sunday, but did have low returns during early deer season.

In early deer season’s second weekend, of the 23 hunters who stopped at the Chewelah station set up at the WSDOT shop on Sand Canyon Road and Highway 395, two hunters had killed a whitetail buck. Deer Park numbers in early season were 62 hunters who stopped and twelve had bagged a deer on the second weekend. More

(PRESS RELEASE/Washington State Attorney General)

Attorney General Bob Ferguson released his fourth annual Data Breach Report. The report shows that data breaches increased by nearly 20 percent in 2019. The report also shows that breaches affected fewer Washingtonians in 2019 due to the relative size of the breaches.

Ferguson’s Data Breach Report relies on filings from businesses and state agencies that experienced breaches between July 2018 and July 2019. Washington law requires businesses and state agencies to report breaches affecting at least 500 Washingtonians to the Attorney General. That requirement stems from the passage of Attorney General Ferguson’s data breach legislation in 2015. More

(PRESS RELEASE/WSDOT)

DOWNTIME: Keller Ferry getting permanent repairs to hull and United States Coast Guard inspection…

Keller Ferry users who travel across the Columbia River on State Route 21 will need to find alternate routes.

The M/V Sanpoil will be removed from service starting Wednesday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 22, in order for crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation to make permanent repairs to the hull and allow the United States Coast Guard to inspect the vessel.
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Here are upcoming events in the Chewelah area for the upcoming week…

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Here is the Remember When column in the Chewelah Independent for Dec. 5, 2019…

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(PRESS RELEASE/49 Degrees North)

John Eminger had served as the manager of 49 Degrees North after its ownership change, helping the transition through the summer.

Eminger had owned Chewelah ski resort for 23 years…

49 Degrees North’s previous owner and General Manager John Eminger has announced his retirement. Mr. Eminger recently completed the sale of the ski area and announced his retirement to be effective November 15, 2019.

While working closely with new ownership, Mr. Eminger continued as the General Manager through the summer and worked diligently to plan and implement improvement projects across the mountain. Eric Bakken, longtime Mountain Manager, took over the reins as General Manager effective November 15, 2019.

On April 19, 2019 49 Degrees North was acquired by CMR Lands for an undisclosed price. 49 Degrees North and Silver Mountain resorts will now have related ownership but will operate as independent entities.

John Eminger owned 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort for 23 years. During that span, he planned and executed substantial improvements to the resort and the snowsports industry as a whole. He was an active member of the snowsports industry in the Pacific Northwest region and co-founded Ski the Northwest Rockies Association, which continues to thrive today. On the mountain, his vision led to 2 chairlift additions and over 700 new acres of terrain. More