It’s going to get warmer this week! No snow! We promise!

According to weather.com, the forecast for this week includes highs in the 60s and lows above freezing to go along with five straight days of sunshine. This is much welcomed after the kind of spring we’ve had in NE Washington, but it’s five to 10 degrees above normal.

This should result in an increase of snow melt loss in the Inland Northwest in the lowlands and field flooding.  This warm up may signal the complete switch over from winter, which has lingered around with significant snowfall in March and lower than average temperatures. Spokane set a record on Saturday for its record snow depth. More

49 Degrees North is hosting its Bavarian Race today and its St. Patrick’s Day Party on Sunday. (Courtesy photo)

Spokane County Sheriff’s investigators say murder-suicide possible in death of Newport couple
While an official cause of death has not been determined, Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies say a murder-suicide is possible in the death of a Newport-area elderly couple, Frank and Ethel Korbel. The two were dsicovered Sunday inside their home south of Newport. The family had reported to authorities that they hadn’t heard from them in a week. Click here for the full story. More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Gary Peck

Chewelah resident who passed away in car crash honored with ski run named after him on Mt. Spokane…

Late Chewelah native Gary Peck, who passed away in a car accident last Spring, was honored at Mt. Spokane Ski Resort in January after being a ski patroller and race coach at the mountain for 42 years.

Gary was raised in Chewelah, and after graduating from Jenkins High School in 1964, he attended Spokane Community College. In 1966, he joined the Army Reserve where he served for six years. He attended Eastern Washington University and married Carol Ann Stroyan. He learned to ski at Chewelah Peak.
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(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Mackenzie Acord, Avery Arnold and Lily Kirry will be in this year’s Chewelah DYW competition on March 23. (Brandon Hansen photo)

Mackenzie Acord, Avery Arnold and Lily Kirry will be in this year’s program at Center for the Arts…

It’s been a time-honored tradition since the 1960s, and it continues again this year as Jenkins Junior/Senior High School juniors will compete for the title of Chewelah’s Distinguished Young Woman.

For the first time in the program’s history, the Distinguished Young Women program will be at the Chewelah Center for the Arts on March 23 at 7 p.m.

This year’s field includes Mackeznie Acord, Avery Arnold and Lilly Kirry. Since there are three girls, all three will be on the award-winning Chewelah Community Float this summer. More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Calving season can be time-intensive for cattle producers, who have to constantly moniter their cows to see if it is time to deliver or not. (Hagen Cattle and Hay photo)

Cattle producers deal with cold, snowy weather for calving season…

Chances are if you have some cattle-owning friends in Stevens County, there is a time of year where they can’t meet you for an event in town or even leave the house.
Why? Calving season.

For many cattle producers, it’s the Super Bowl-time of the year for them. Instead of big plays, however, it’s helping their cattle deliver a new set of calves.

For most cattlemen in Washington, calving begins in January, February and March depending on the climate in their respective areas. These calving periods last about 60 to 90 days. More

An undated photo of a log truck around Blue Creek. (Photo and information courtesy of Crossroad Archives/Stevens County Historical Society)

Colville National Forest warns of road conditions on Flowery Trail
Safety Alert: Flowery Trail is in the melting off stage. Road conditions vary between patchy snow, slush, dry, frost heaves, and everything in between. When temps are below freezing at night, expect black ice in the mornings and possibly throughout the day at the high elevations.

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The Chewelah Independent’s main front page story this week is on calving season as local cattle producers deal with new calves in a snowy and cold spring. We asked for photos of calves from our readers and the response was amazing. Here are some of the photos of calves (and goats!) people submitted from the Chewelah area…

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