(By Washington State Department of Health)

The Department of Health confirmed today that the number of people diagnosed with hantavirus this year has reached five, the highest number reported in the state since 1999.

Three deaths have been reported in 2017. The people who died are from Franklin, King, and Spokane counties. The two additional people who contracted the disease and survived are from King and Skagit counties.

Deer mice are known to carry hantavirus. People can become infected by breathing in air contaminated with the virus, through direct contact with hantavirus-infected deer mice, and from saliva, urine, droppings, or nesting material. More

(By Staff Reports/Chewelah Independent)

The epicenter of the July 5, 2017 quake in Montana.

Chewelah feels the shaking from hundreds of miles away…

An earthquake in Lincoln, Montana (northwest of Helena) shook the ground for hundreds of miles on Wednesday night, being felt as far away as Eastern Washington and Billings. The magnitude of the earthquake was 5.8 on the Richter Scale

Lincoln has a population of just 1,100 people and was at the epicenter of the quake.

An earthquake of that magnitude can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings but as most, none to slight damage to all other buildings. Quakes like these are very easily felt by people. Stores in Montana dealt with products falling off of shelves. According to the National Weather Service, residents in Lincoln briefly lost power and there was gas leak in Helena. No injuries were reported.

After the initial quake, the USGS reported at least nine aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4.9 to 3.1. More

(By WA DNR)

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today the following changes in the fire danger rating and burn restrictions on DNR-protected lands.

Effective 12:01 a.m., Wednesday, July 5, 2017:
– Fire danger will increase from moderate to high Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Grant, Yakima, Klickitat, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, Asotin, Whitman and Adams counties.
– Industrial Fire Precaution Levels move to a Level 2 in Zone 675.
– Campfires allowed in Approved Designated Campgrounds ONLY.

Effective 12:01 a.m., Friday, July 7, 2017:
– Fire danger will increase from moderate to high in Stevens inside Fire Districts 1 & 2, Spokane, Okanogan, and Lincoln counties.
– Industrial Fire Precaution Levels move to a Level 2 in Zone 684.
– Campfires allowed in Approved Designated Campgrounds ONLY.

Daily updates on burn restrictions are available at 1-800-323-BURN or on the Fire Danger and Outdoor Burning risk map at https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/protection/firedanger/.

(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Damage like this on West Boone Ave. will be getting repaired soon by the city of Chewelah. While many roads got back to normal from winter heaving, the city is using grant money to repair the most severe damage. (Courtesy photo)

West Main and West Boone slated to get repairs from freeze heaving…

The City of Chewelah has been awarded over $35,000 in state grant money to help repair damage to city streets created by the heaving from freezing during last winter.

“Normally heaves settle down and return to normal,” City Administrator Mike Frizzell said. “Most of our streets recovered from it but this was one of the worst winters we’ve had.”

The sections of needed repairs in question are on 2nd St. and West Main along with a section on West Boone. The total cost of the repairs will ring up at $36,000 with the grant matching up to 95 percent of the cost and the city making up another $1,845.

The fear was that the repairs would cut into the general maintenance fund and the city would have to hold off on scheduled repairs and chip sealing. The grant, however, means that the city can stay on schedule with its planned street improvements.

“We do have to have those repairs done by August because the grant requires it so we will put the job out to bid here in a couple of weeks,” Frizzell said.

The city was also able to fix a road bank in the city that was eaten away by Chewelah Creek flowing at an increased capacity. Frizzell said that they had to go through a permit process with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and they were extremely good to work with.

Chewelah City Park, which was inundated with flood waters, suffered very little damage and just needed cleanup of branches and silt by city crews.

(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Heidi Zornes found out she was Chewelah’s Honored Citizen while teaching one of her well-attended fitness classes at the Civic Center. (Jared Arnold photo)

Heidi Zornes has spent years getting Chewelah healthy…

When she learned that she was this year’s Honored Citizen of Chewelah, Heidi Zornes was teaching a class, something she’s done quite a bit since she and husband, Dick, moved to the valley nine years ago.

“The greatest gift a teacher can give is to be a difference maker,” Susan Schlatter wrote in a letter nominating Zornes as the Citizen of the year. “Heidi Zornes is just that. She has changed lives of a countless many; she has served as the inspiration for people to live well, be healthy and to embrace fitness for life.”

Zornes’ fitness classes started out as a small endeavour when she first moved here. As a certified personal trainer, Zornes figured she could do some one-on-one sessions with people. Spokane Community College wanted to branch out into Chewelah, however, with “Act 2” classes to enrich the lives of older adults and asked Zornes to teach a fitness class. More

Anyone interested in filling a vacancy on the Chewelah City Council –Position No. 6 should send a letter of application to the attention of the Mayor at PO Box 258/301 E Clay – Room 104/Chewelah, WA 99109. The term of seat No. 6 expires Dec. 31 2019 – the person appointed by Council would fill the position until the results of next city election in November of 2019 are certified. Applicant must be a registered voter of the City and a resident of the incorporated limits of the City of Chewelah for a period of at least one year preceding appointment.
Applications will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. July 28, 2017. Inquiries should be directed to the Mayor at 509-935-8311.

(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Addy resident Shelly Short visited the Chewelah Chamber of Commerce meeting last month. (Brandon Hansen photo)

Senator Shelly Short travels many distances to reach her constituents…

Olympia is 754 miles roundtrip from Addy, which works out to nearly a 14-hour drive.

Thats the distance that state senator Shelly Short traverses while working at the state capital. As a lawmaker, she represents the seventh legislative district that includes Ferry, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties and parts of Okanogan and Spokane counties.

Politics is splayed out on various newspapers and websites, as people react to laws proposed and passed. Today’s climate might be more polarized than ever, but what has not changed is the fact that representatives still have a job to do.

And for an eastside senator like Short – that means getting familiar with her vehicle’s radio presets.

“It is not uncommon for me to travel back and forth on weekends during legislative sessions or during the interim for committee work or special assignments, however, the bulk of my driving takes place in the seventh district,” Short said. “As it is with most of us living in northeastern Washington, it is not uncommon to drive a hour or two to get somewhere. It’s the same thing for me.”
More

(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Spin class is one of the many group fitness classes offered at The Shed on Main Street. (Brandon Hansen photos)

The Shed offers Chewelah community a group fitness experience on Main Avenue…

The Shed will have Chewelah sweating a bit more.

The class based fitness business, just opened by Kaya and Torrey Landers is bringing a new fitness aspect to the downtown area. Not a gym in the traditional sense — a service that is offered well by the nearby Body Shop — the Shed offers classes for people of all skill and fitness levels.

“People are surprised when they come in here and see this space,” Kaya said. “They are pleasantly surprised that this is here in Chewelah.”

The plan to open this business in Chewelah came about two summers ago as both Kaya and Torrey have careers in the fitness/wellness industry but wanted to bring their lifestyle to Kaya’s hometown.

In the winter of 2015, Kaya learned that with a light winter in terms of snow, people in Chewelah were looking for something to do and were hoping that she could come up from Spokane and offer some classes.

“We would visit family here,” Kaya said, “so we have been connected to the community and saw a potential for a business like this to go and the real estate market up here made it affordable for us.”

So Kaya and Torrey purchased the building next to Sporty’s that has served as a furniture store and recently, Norco medical supply. While they expected renovations to last a few months, their goal of making the space inviting as a modern industrial re-use space that you might see in an urban downtown area took a bit longer than expected but was worth the wait.

“We completely renovated the interior of the building, including removing a middle floor, adding bathrooms and changing the upstairs access with the addition of a substantial staircase,” Torrey said. “This is about our one-year anniversary since beginning the project.”

“We were really impressed with the quality of service from so many local businesses here,” Kaya said.

A lot of local businesses and individuals contributed to the project. Tom Bristol of Purple Flat Top LTD helped in the design process and Bruce Barone of Barone Carpentry was the main contractor on the project. Also, Chewelah Welding, Eagle Mountain Electric, Sety’s Ace Hardware, Burya Logging, Chewelah Construction, Chewelah Painting, Guerrilla Graphics, Norvell Concrete, Fitzgerald Excavating and more, all had a part in the massive building redesign. Cody Youngblood, Jason Tapia, Justin George, Mike McMillin, James Blubaugh and lots of family and friends were a tremendous help as well as Quartzite Brewing, ChewVino, and Wuesthoff Excavation who lent a hand with equipment and support.

Having been opened for just a couple of weeks, Kaya and Torrey Landers have certified instructors at The Shed for a varied class menu for people to pick from.

They offer indoor cycling/spin classes that mix in high-energy cardio, beginner and dynamic yoga classes, fitness boot camp, general fitness, TRX total body resistance using your own body weight against your muscles and high intensity strength training.

Since they’re just starting out, the Landers said they will also make adjustments on both times and types of classes depending on the demand of each class and what seems to be popular.

In terms of fitness levels, Kaya and Torrey want to work with anyone who walks through the door that wants to improve their health and well being. They said they understand everyone is different and will tailor expectations and the experience to each individual person.

Since Torrey’s career has been setting up fitness and wellness programs for companies around the globe, he also wants to offer an athletic strength and performance program for Jenkins Junior Senior High School students.

“I have worked with a lot of college and professional athletes and I’d really like to help the local athletic programs here,” Torrey said. “I am excited to provide an opportunity for athletes to dramatically improve their performance. What our athlete training classes will consist of are ground-based movements that mimic what athletes do on the field of play, not just static weight classes. This type of training has a direct transfer to competition.”

Classes range from early morning to early evening for somebody trying to fit it in their schedule. Since everyone is trained and certified, there is a real focus on safety and ensuring everyone is doing things correctly to mitigate any injury risk.

They also said they really focus on their relationships with class students, supporting them and making sure it’s not an experience where they purchase classes but don’t use them.

“In the group setting, we really want to provide the motivation for people to keep coming back,” Torrey said. “People might be a little nervous at first but we want them to come in and experience it anyway, we’re here to help people improve.”

They also offer a free class for newcomers to check out and see what it’s like.

The Shed offers dynamic pricing so people can purchase a few classes, monthly passes and unlimited passes depending on how often they can make it in.

They also have an app for smartphones called “MINDBODY” where people can search for The Shed, see class times and purchase their passes. People can also choose the classes they’re going to, allowing Kaya and Torrey to see before the class happens how many people will be attending and make any necessary adjustments.

“There are folks that have been here every day since we opened,” Kaya said.

For more info, check out “The Shed” on Facebook.