(PRESS RELEASE/Stevens County Cattlemen)

Groups urge calling sheriff if a predator attacks…

A pair of local organizations concerned with the climbing numbers of predators in Stevens County have recently sponsored a billboard urging residents to call their local sheriff if they experience a predator attack.

The Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association, in partnership with the Northeast Washington Wildlife Group, recently sponsored a billboard along HWY 395 with the messaging, “Predator attack? Fight back! Call your local sheriff!”

SCCA President Scott Nielsen said the message is needed so citizens understand their best resource for addressing predator attacks is the local sheriff, not the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

The Stevens County Ambulance Training Center was packed last Thursday for the Improve Broadband in Rural Washington workshop in Colville. (Brandon Hansen photo)

IN SEARCH OF SPEED: Rural NE Washington leaders discuss challenges and solutions of bringing broadband to rural areas…

With leaders from both the state legislature, the county and U.S. Congress, the Stevens County Ambulance Training Center because something of a hub for the Improve Broadband in Rural Washington workshop in Colville on Thursday.

State Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber recounted the danger that can happen when NE Washington isn’t properly served by data services. When the Stickpin Fire was burning near Boulder Creek, Maycumber, an assistant for Senator Bob Morton met with incident command to take stock of the situation.

“The commander said he didn’t know what was going on; there was no radio, there was no reception up there, they couldn’t communicate and had no idea what they were looking at,” Maycumber told the crowd at the packed Stevens County Ambulance Center. More

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

Cause of accident is being ruled fatigue…

A Valley woman was killed this morning at roughly 8:30 a.m. when her silver BMW X3 rolled over on State Route 231 one mile north of Valley. According to Washington State Patrol reports, 48 year-old Rebecca Kimball passed away when her southbound vehicle drifted to the southbound shoulder and then rolled, coming to rest in the ditch.

According to the Washington State Patrol, the cause of the accident was fatigue. Drugs and alcohol were not involved in the accident.

Kimball’s family has been contact about the accident.

(JARED ARNOLD/Chewelah Independent)

The Chewelah Golf and Country Club was victim of a theft. (File photo)

STOLEN GOLF CLUBS: Matthew Sitton sentenced to 24 months parole for stealing golf clubs…

The man who was caught on video in June taking golf clubs and frozen steaks from the Chewelah Golf and Country Club has pled guilty and was sentenced on July 23.

Matthew G. Sitton, 35, of Chewelah pled guilty to Trafficking Stolen Property First Degree and Theft Second Degree in Stevens County Superior Court. A third charge of Theft Third Degree was dismissed. More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Firefighters face a variety of challenges when wildland fires hit, including heat, terrain, wildlife and keeping camp clean. (Courtesy photo)

EVENTFUL AUGUST: Rains help slow down Williams Flats Fire near Keller, but bring flash floods and more lightning…

Over a wild few days in Northeastern Washington, firefighters saw triple digit temperatures, then massive thunderstorms producing thousands of strikes statewide, followed by torrential rains that caused flash floods at the Williams Flat Fire location on the Colville Indian Reservation.

Rains were so heavy it set a historical record at the Spokane International Airport with .36 inches of precipitation. Many areas around Chewelah received over an inch of rain. This was good and bad news for firefighters. While the precipitation certainly slowed the fire down, a crew of 64 firefighters had to spend the night on the line at the Williams Flats Fire due to flash flooding caused by 1.36 inches of rain which bogged down the one route back to the fire’s command post. Some slept in vehicles or found areas of cover, and thankfully there were no injuries from the storm despite the lightning. More

(KELLIE TRUDEAU/For The Independent)

For more info on the St. Mary’s Preschool, call Kellie Trudeau at 935-8028 or email trudeau@dioceseofspokane.org. (Courtesy photo)

BEGINNING THE LEARNING: Pre-K program begins on Sept. 10 with registration due on August 23…

St. Mary’s Preschool, a private Christian preschool and pre-k program located in Chewelah, is now enrolling for the 2019-2020 school year. All children ages 3-5 years old (fully potty-trained) are eligible to attend. The school year begins Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019; registration is due by Friday, August 23.

Preschool classes are every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning from 8:30-11:30 a.m. September 2019 through May 2020. Pick up a copy of the registration packet at the St. Mary of the Rosary parish office at 502 E Main Avenue in Chewelah or call the office at 935-8028.

St. Mary’s Preschool helps its young students develop social skills as well as fine-motor skills. Students establish routines and learn the expectations of a classroom while having fun as they are encouraged to play and be creative. More

(JARED ARNOLD/Chewelah Independent)

You will now have to drive through downtown Chewelah going 15 m.p.h.

GO SLOW: Speed limit on Main Ave. dropped from 25 to 15 mph…

As part of their recent efforts to improve traffic safety in the downtown business area, the Chewelah City Council approved several measures at their regular meeting last Wednesday evening.

The council unanimously approved lowering the speed limit from 25 to 15 miles per hour on Main Ave. in the core downtown business area between Park St./Hwy 395 to 5th St. East. The decision came after months of discussion by the council about traffic, pedestrian safety and parking improvements in the area, as well as a couple of public input forums earlier this year. Police Chief Mark Burrows also presented the council with data from the department’s electronic traffic monitor that showed the council approximately 3,000 cars travel that road daily and showed the range of speeds that those cars are moving.

Also in the interest of safety, the council decided to ban bicycle riding on sidewalks in that same downtown area. Bikes are still allowed to be walked on the sidewalks.
Councilwoman Nicole Norvell opposed the ban if the city did not also provide bicycle racks. More

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

MORE ACTION: WDFW will continue lethal removal of members from the OPT pack in Ferry County after more depredations…

On August 9, WDFW Director Kelly Susewind reauthorized lethal removal of the two remaining members of the Togo pack, which are located in the Kettle River range of Ferry County. This comes in response to more depredations of cattle on grazing lands.

WDFW has documented three wolf depredations in the last 30 days and four in the last 10 months. A livestock producer also shot a wolf he caught in the action of attacking cattle.
Cattle producers have been using non-lethal deterrents in the area, but they have not stopped the attacks, WDFW said. More

(PRESS RELEASE/WDFW)

WDFW to remove remaining two wolves of Togo Pack…

WDFW Director Kelly Susewind today (August 9, 2019) reauthorized Department staff to lethally remove the two remaining wolves from the Togo pack in response to repeated depredations of cattle on grazing lands in the Kettle River range of Ferry County.

The Department has documented three wolf depredations in the last 30 days and four in the last 10 months.  During one of those depredations, a livestock producer shot a wolf during a caught-in-the-act scenario where the producer responded to a wolf depredating his livestock.

The proactive non-lethal deterrents used by the two producers (described below) in the area have not curtailed repeated depredations. Director Susewind’s decision is consistent with the guidance of the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan and the lethal removal provisions of the Department’s wolf-livestock interaction protocol. More

(STAFF REPORTS)

The North Mill Creek Fire continues to grow. (Courtesy photo)

Ninety firefighters working on fire 12 miles from Colville…

The North Mill Creek Fire has grown to 500 acres after being reported at approximately 4 p.m. on Thursday. Currently firefighting efforts are being managed by a Type 3 Incident Management Team and 90 firefighters are currently on scene.  More