(PRESS RELEASE/Providence)

Providence Mount Carmel Hospital is re-opening a drive-thru screening site for people experiencing symptoms which present like COVID-19 (fever & 100.4 or chills, new cough or shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, new onset headache, sore throat, loss of sense of smell, or new onset nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.  Patients with known exposure to a patient who tested positive for COVID-19 if within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes starting 2 days prior to onset of symptoms.

Patients that meet the symptom criteria above, particularly those with underlying medical conditions and those over age 60, are eligible for the drive through screening site. More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

The NEOWISE Comet can be seen above Chewelah. (Photo by KS Brooks)

COMET PASSES BY SUN: NEOWISE Comet can be seen with the naked eye in low light settings…

It is an event that happens once every 6,800 years. The NEOWISE comet is currently streaking through our solar system and will be visible to the naked eye under dark skies for the rest of July.

This visible comet was discovered relatively shortly before it appeared our our skies. It was spotted by a team using the NEOWISE space telescope on March 27, 2020 and is has since made its closest approach to the sun on July 3 and is on an exit journey to the solar system’s farthest reaches. This is the brightest comet visible from Earth since the Hale Bopp comet in 1997 and has been getting closer and brighter in the Earth’s northern hemisphere. More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

The Northeast Tri-County Health district is reporting 38 cases of COVID-19 in the area in the last two weeks, and over 100 people are also being monitored and self-isolating for possible exposure to the virus.

These numbers and other metrics were presented during the Friday media press conference held over Zoom with NE Washington media members.

The health district said that the community spread is coming from gatherings at home, social gatherings and work settings. They are also dealing with a backlog of tests, with some dating back to July 1. NE Tri-County Health’s Matt Schanz said that this is also a national problem with commercial labs doing the testing. More

(PRESS RELEASE/NE Tri-County Health)

Tri-County health announced yesterday that the area had eight confirmed positive cases in the following areas:

-Ferry County: 2 residing in the Republic area
-Pend Oreille County: 4 residing in the Newport area
-Stevens County: 1 residing in the Chewelah area and 1 in the Nine Mile Falls area.

This is the highest one-day total we have seen so far. As of July 15, 2020, our total confirmed cases for all three counties is 59: Ferry (6), Pend Oreille (17), and Stevens (36).

Click here for the full press release.

Hey, everyone in Chewelah, try to refrain from putting a dead animal in a garbage can/dumpster.

People may not realize this, but when the trash is compacted it releases the odor from the skunk and the driver can be nauseated to the point where they may not be able to finish their garbage route.

If someone has a dead animal, please call public works 935-8313 or City Hall 935-8311 and the crew will dispose of the animal. Putting dead animals in city garbage receptacles is against city rules.