Firefighter's record among year's top stories

From world records and floods, to forestry contests and elections, 2018 was a busy year for news.

This is the fifth in a series looking back at the top stories of the year, continuing with May. Stories are listed in no particular order.

- Blisters, chafing, sore feet and utter exhaustion did not stop Gwen Le Tutour from setting a world record on April 28. In an effort to bring awareness to cancer prevention, the Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS firefighter ran 100 miles over the weekend in full firefighter gear — right down to the boots. The previous world record was held by a firefighter who ran a marathon in full gear, and as a marathon is 26.2 miles, Le Tutour nearly quadrupled the record holder’s miles. Beginning Saturday morning at 8 a.m., Le Tutour completed the 100 miles in just under 29 hours.

- A subcommittee of the county’s Waterways Advisory Committee hosted a workshop to gather input on the issue and seek potential solutions to curbing damage caused by wakes that trail powerboats on local waterways.

- HiTest Sands, the Canadian company seeking to develop a silicon smelter facility near Newport, rebranded itself PacWest Silicon.

- A new group, Friends & Allies of the Newport Silicon Smelter, established a presence on social media, lending its voice to the debate over the proposed silicon smelter proposal.

- Josh Dellinger, Peter McDaniel, Nolan Smith and Charlie Walker fired a 60 to win gross overall, and Kenny Fankell, D.J. Hieronymus, Brian Trenbull and George Post shot 50 to win the net title, as more than $15,000 was raised in one of the most successful Bulldog Bench Scramble golf tournaments to date. The annual spring and fall tournament, sponsored by Litehouse, drew scores of local golfers to Stoneridge for a four-person scramble, with all of the proceeds going to support Sandpoint High School athletics.

- Priest River Elementary hired a response to intervention specialist, Michael Jenkins. Students who are “at risk” are generally defined as those who struggle with academic and behavioral issues. These students tend to require intervention to succeed in school, and with a population of “at risk” students in the area, Jenkins was hired to help out the students who need it. He was later named assistant principal of PRE as well.

- Flood teams from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Seattle District distributed 65,000 sandbags in preparation of imminent spring flooding.

- Students at Selle Valley Carden school planted four blue spruce seedlings provided by the Idaho Forest Products Commission in celebration of Arbor Day.

- Sandpoint City Council members adopted a resolution on May 2 requesting the United States Coast Guard to provide an Environmental Impact Statement in regards to BNSF’s proposed Sandpoint Junction Connector.

- Five Sandpoint High School welding students gained experience with professional equipment outside of the classroom due to a partnership between the school, MakerPoint Studios and the Kiwanis Club of Sandpoint. The three organizations partnered to allow the students to use the equipment at MakerPoint, specifically the CNC plasma table, to give them the experience above and beyond their high school lab.

- The Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office released a free mobile app, which allows the sheriff’s office to quickly disseminate emergency alerts and post news about missing persons, flooding, fire, traffic delays, and crime reports.

- Ten of the region’s law enforcement agencies took part in a local first-responder active shooter training to address the fact that such an incident would draw in officers from multiple agency regardless of where it occurs. Hosted by the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, the one- and two-day courses combined classroom training with practical scenarios where the academic lessons are put to use. The training blends Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training and Federal Law Enforcement Training Center guidance on responding to active shooter incidents.

- Area youth foraged for honors at the 46th annual Idaho State Forestry Contest in May.

- Forrest Bird Charter High School seniors Sarah Warren, Eleanore Mearns, Carissa Lonzisero and Alden Bansemer received their associate’s degrees from North Idaho College — a month before they were set to graduate from high school. Priest River Lamanna High School senior Dylan Glazier also graduated from NIC before walking with his high school classmates.

- Danny Harold Neep, a Washington state man linked to the disappearance of a Montana woman in Bonner County, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of firearms on May 11.

- An Athol man drowned in Jewel Lake on May 12, according to the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. The deceased has been identified as Jerry W. Larson, 50.

Larson was at the lake with family when he jumped from a dock to retrieve a remote-controlled airplane, which was floating about 75 feet away from the dock. His son reportedly tried to rescue his father, but was unsuccessful.

- Solar Roadways won Innovation Nation’s “Mo Madness” competition. In celebration of its 100th episode — and a nod to March Madness — the Saturday morning television show identified 16 of the staff’s favorite inventions featured on the program that highlights solutions to real problems. By the end of the bracket-style competition, Solar Roadways was sitting atop the tournament as Twitter voters’ favorite.

- Priest River Elementary teacher Chris Naccarato held the annual Space Day event, complete with rocket launches and a visit from former astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger.

- Of the candidates who face opposition in the May primary election, Jim Woodward, Rep. Heather Scott, Ellen Weissman, Priscilla Giddings and Paul Shepherd came out victorious on the state level. On the county level, Dan McDonald, Steve Bradshaw and Donna Gow were the opposed candidates who prevailed in the primaries. A majority of Bonner County voters who cast ballots came out against the Scotchman Peaks wilderness designation in Idaho. The proposal drew 5,672 opposition votes and 4,831 support votes.

- Jason Dwight Newsome, a Cocolalla man who accidentally struck a Lake Pend Oreille School District student at a bus stop in 2017, was ordered to serve 29 days in jail for failing to report the collision, which broke the boy’s leg.

- Looming thunderstorms enhanced the flood warnings for Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River. Also, amid flood conditions, Bonner County commissioners passed a resolution extending the no-wake zones from 200 feet to 500 feet to mitigate property damage.

- A Washington state man was killed after the vehicle in which he was a passenger went off the roadway before striking a power pole and a tree May 19. Idaho State Police said Judi K. Conroy, 76, of Liberty Lake, Wash, was northbound on Highway 57 north of Priest River in a 2003 Toyota Tacoma when she drove off the right shoulder about 11:10 a.m., about 5.1 miles north of the city. Robert H. Conroy, 81, succumbed to his injuries at the scene, according to ISP.

- Fifth-graders from across Bonner County braved the rain to learn about water, bugs, fish and other wildlife during the 23rd annual Pend Oreille Water Festival in Laclede.

- As Lost in the ‘50s came to a close in May, so did Cedar Street with the commencement of the city’s downtown revitalization project. Cedar Street remained closed throughout the summer as street and sidewalks were replaced, and new trees, bike racks, benches, trash receptacles, lighting and storm gardens were added.

- High school seniors from Sandpoint, Clark Fork, Priest River, Lake Pend Oreille and Forrest M. Bird Charter schools attended the annual “Operation Grad Night” event, a mock DUI scenario intended to teach the teens about the consequences of drinking and driving.

- Panhandle Alliance for Education awarded a total of $102,950 to 34 teachers in the Lake Pend Oreille School District on May 17. Over the course of 15 years, PAFE has awarded $1,676,418 to 691 local teachers.

- More than 50 community members and organizations awarded Sandpoint High School seniors a total of $178,764 on May 22. During the school’s annual Scholarship Night, 73 students received 207 awards from the individuals and groups offering scholarships for the year.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.