(COLIN HAFFNER/Chewelah Independent)

Here is how you can avoid encounters with bears…

It’s that time of year when the bear population begins preparations for the winter’s hibernation, which means they’ll be looking for opportunities to gorge on high calorie foods in the fall to build up their fat reserves.

That means they’ll be looking for any and all means of accomplishing their goal, and that could put the population at risk if they’re not careful and know how to play it safe, a memo from the WDFW said.

“Do everything you can to avoid an encounter with any bear, which help to keep them, and you, out of harm’s way,” Rich Beausoleil, WDFW statewide bear and cougar specialist, is quoted as saying in the memo. More

(COLIN HAFFNER/Chewelah Independent)

Study done by SmartAsset says Ferry has lowest rate in state…

Stevens County has the sixth lowest tax burden in the state according to the 5th annual study from SmartAsset, a financial technology company that aims to provide personal financial advice.

The study looked at the impact various taxes have on a persons finances in each county across the state to see which counties had the lowest burden of tax rates. Included in the study and methodology were income, sales, property, and gas taxes, using specific calculations for each to determine the tax impact on an individual in each county.

For example, SmartAsset noted on their results page that, “In order to determine sales tax burden we estimated that 35% of take-home (after-tax) pay is spent on taxable goods. We multiplied the average sales tax rate for a county by the household income less income tax. This product is then multiplied by 35% to estimate the sales tax paid.”

SmartAsset listed each methodology on their website, www.smartasset.com, when explaining the results that included an interactive map for each county in the state.

Stevens County came in with the sixth lowest overall tax burden, third lowest sales tax impact, fifth lowest poperty tax impact, and ninth lowest gas tax impact in Washington State.

SmartAsset also compared the tax burden in each individual county with those across the country, using a 100.0 index to indicate the lowest burden nationally. The higher the score on the index, the lower the burden.

According to this ranking, Stevens County scored 78.56 on the index, translating to a national rank of 466.

The top three counties in the state according to the study were neighboring counties Ferry, first, Lincoln, second, and Pend Oreille, third.

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

You might have a newer radio than the one from the Chewelah Museum, but the concept is the same: tune into 102.7 FM and listen to the soothing tones of Bryan Tidwell as he reads “The City of Ember.” (Brandon Hansen photo)

READING RADIO: Chewelah Library’s Bryan Tidwell reading “The City of Ember” on KCHW…

It was common back in the day for families to gather around the radio and listen to stories and broadcasts before TV and the Kardashians took over.

Well, Chewelah being its usual hipster self is getting back to basics, thanks to a partnership between the Libraries of Stevens County and KCHW Northern Lights Public Radio.
Chewelah Public Library Manager Bryan Tidwell will be reading the acclaimed novel :The City of Ember” beginning on Nov. 3 and running for 14 episodes every Sunday beginning at 8 a.m. Each episode lasts 20-30 minutes, usually encompassing a chapter or two of the story.

So how did Tidwell choose “The City of Ember”? Well it’s not an easy process.

“I read a lot of books to my own children, so I lean on that experience, but we’re really looking hard for a book that is both fun to listen to and fun to read aloud,” he said. “I know that if I’m having fun when I’m reading it, the story will resonate with anyone that’s listening.” More

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

The Washington State Department of Commerce announced that 25 rural cities and counties will receive a total of more than $10.5 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for 2019. Twenty-seven projects were selected from 41 grant applications requesting over $20 million. The projects awarded funding will improve water and sewer systems, streets, community facilities and fire protection systems, and also support affordable housing projects and community planning.

“Partnering with local governments to create infrastructure is essential to our mission of strengthening communities,” said Commerce Director Lisa Brown. “The grants we are announcing today will result in cleaner water, safer streets and ultimately, a higher quality of life in towns, cities and counties across Washington State.”

In our area, Ferry County received $310,000 for water system improvements, the town of Metaline Falls got $735,000 for water distribution improvements and the City of Colville was given $24,000 for a comprehensive plan update. The town of Nespelem got $24,000 for an asset management plan as well.

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

CHANGE IN THE WIND: Off-year election will reshape schoolboard, while two Chewelah city positions are up for grabs…

This year’s election doesn’t have the headlines of a presidential election year or even the state-level dramatics. But for Chewelah, the winds of change are in the air. The Chewelah School District will be completely different with the exception of Judy Bean, while the Chewelah City Council has two incumbents being challenged.

Colville has a mayor’s race on their hands, and the City of Springdale could also see some changes.

Here is our unofficial election guide as you should be getting your ballots in the mail this week if you live in the area where you can vote on these positions. More

73 points.

That is how many fantasy points that Selkirk QB Jay Link scored last week in a big win over Hunters. His stat line was so eye-popping the state of Washington was forced to pay attention to the disturbance in the Force that was Link’s stat line: 252 passing yards, seven pass TDs, 191 rushing yards and one rushing TD to go along with five two-point conversions. This is mind split-tingly ridiculous.

This was more than enough to win the week six fantasy championship, Link’s second of the year.

The thing is, many players put in career performances and crazy numbers themselves, only to be beat by Link by a margin of 30 points. Selkirk isn’t even in Stevens County! We like throwing them into this because basically the only way to get to civilization from Ione is to drive through Stevens County. They’re like a satellite community of our county. Can our commissioners start going up there and talking about wolves at Ione meetings? Give them the full Stevens County treatment? More

(PRESS RELEASE/WDFW)

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has established rules for fluorescent hunter pink.

During the 2019 legislative session, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 5148 that allows hunters to wear fluorescent hunter pink. The Fish and Wildlife Commission recently adopted rules to implement the legislation, which allows hunters to wear fluorescent hunter pink, fluorescent hunter orange, or both. Several other states have passed laws allowing hunters to wear pink clothing for safety.

“Hunters must follow the same requirements as hunter orange if they wear hunter pink,” said David Whipple, WDFW hunter education division manager. “If you hunt during a season that requires visible clothing, you’re required to wear a minimum of 400 square inches above the waist that is visible from all sides.” More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

The NEW Creators’ Workshop will offer a space in Chewelah for artists, entrepreneurs and community members to work on their passions. (Brandon Hansen photo)

NEW Creators’ Workshop provides a spark…

A new membership-based, shared, creative workspace is now open in downtown Chewelah.

As Chewelah’s growing economy leans more toward creative industries, more and more creative opportunities pop up in town.

One of those, NEW Creators’ Workshop dovetails nicely into Chewelah being named a new Creative District by the Washington Arts Commission. Operated by the Chewelah Makers, the workshop is a member-supported, shared-use creative space providing access to equipment, workspace, expertise and community. More

(JARED ARNOLD/Chewelah Independent)

LOOKING FORWARD: Evans lays out plans for next year…

The volunteer director of Chewelah’s Walter E. Goodman Historical Museum shared a report on the recently concluded season with the Chewelah city council at their last regular meeting on Oct. 2. Diane Evans, who volunteers as the museum’s director, called the facility “a gem of an asset” for the community and told the council of all that had been accomplished this past season and some of their plans for the 2020 season.

The museum is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.

Evans began by recognizing and thanking the many volunteers who helped clean, organize and staff the museum. She said that prior to the Memorial Day weekend opening, 16 volunteers spent 71 hours cleaning and organizing the building. During the season, 13 volunteers worked to keep the museum open for visitors. More

(JARED ARNOLD/Chewelah Independent)

Erica Tindal, a junior at Jenkins High School, was given the Mayor’s Youth Award at the Oct. 2 Chewelah City Council meeting. “Erica doesn’t hesitate to help others in the classroom or on the court,” the nomination letter read. Mayor Dorothy Knauss (left) presented her with a certificate and a t-shirt while Clerk Pam McCart gave her $25 Chamber Bucks sponsored by the Chewelah Chamber of Commerce. (Jared Arnold photo)

CONSTRUCTION CONUNDRUM: Chewelah developer asks city to move sidewalk requirement for development to when buildings are occupied…

A builder’s proposal to find an alternative method to guarantee sidewalk construction on his property subdivision did not gain much traction at last week’s Chewelah City Council meeting.

Mike Bellevue, who owns the “Lovejoy” property near the city park on the southeast corner of Lincoln Avenue and North 3rd Street East, asked in a letter to the city’s building official Bruce Barone that he be allowed to utilize an alternative form of guarantee for sidewalk construction on his subdivision project. Previously, Bellevue was told by city officials that in order to get final plat approval he would either need to build the sidewalks on the east and west sides of the property or provide a bond to guarantee funding of the sidewalk construction within five years.

Bellevue suggested in his letter that he be allowed to transfer the sidewalk requirement from the plat approval process to the certificate of occupancy after the home construction is complete but before the home can be sold and occupied. He argued that this method of guarantee is “far more iron clad security that sidewalks will be installed” and that it makes more sense in the construction process. The proper time to build sidewalks, Bellevue said, is after heavy machinery is finished on the jobsite and the driveway location is defined according to the final home design. More