YMCA's arrival tops '18 news

From a new YMCA and the dedication of a flagpole display, to Coats for Kids and Toys for Tots, 2018 continued to be a busy year.

This is the eleventh in a series looking back at the top stories of the year, continuing with the last part of October and into November. Stories are listed in no particular order.

- As enrollment at the Homeschool Academy continues to grow, now its garden will, too.

Sandpoint Elks Lodge No. 1376 members donated four raised garden beds, which were installed at the Homeschool Academy’s new location by the high school in October.

- Bonner County sheriff’s investigators investigated a homicide on Oct. 12. Deputies and a Priest River Police officer were summoned to the 100 block of Rebel Ridge Road after receiving a report a disturbance at 5:15 p.m. Prior to the officers’ arrival, dispatchers advised them that a 41-year-old woman shot a 39-year-old man who was attacking her and her 70-year-old mother. When deputies arrived, bystanders were administering life-saving procedures on Joshua Matthew Cole of Spirit Lake. Deputies and fire and EMS personnel took over those efforts, although they were unsuccessful. The family of the victim have since disputed claims that Cole was shot in self defense.

- State Rep. Heather Scott drafted a comprehensive list of questions and concerns over the proposed silicon smelter south of Newport. The Blanchard Republican’s cover letter to the Washington Department of Ecology expresses disappointment that a lack of meaningful attention has been given to Idaho residents’ concerns in the run-up to scoping hearings in Priest River and Newport. Scott said Idaho roads will facilitate PacWest Silicon’s project, which means they will be used extensively and will require expensive maintenance.

- Sandpoint City Council took a stand in opposition to the proposed silicon smelter. The decision to oppose the project cleared the council on a 4-0 vote and was greeted with a round of applause from city and Bonner County residents who offered testimony as the city groomed their formal remarks for the Washington Department of Ecology’s scoping process for the proposed smelter.

- Sandpoint City Council members voted on Oct. 17 to approve a wastewater facility plan to be submitted to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for review. The city was awarded a $65,000 wastewater planning grant from the IDEQ more than a year ago, and submitting the draft plan is the final step in the process. Key factors driving the project include new discharge permits, future permits, high peak flows and aging infrastructure.

- Priest River Elementary kids were awarded with a movie night in October after raising thousands of dollars for the school. The PRE parent-teacher organization set up a no-sell fundraiser to run Oct. 1-12, with a goal of $6,000. They far exceeded that goal, with the students raising $11,035.32. The PTO sold popcorn and candy during the movie night as well, picking up another $895.

- Jennifer Ann Lamanna was arrested and charged with aggravated assault for allegedly threatening a woman with knife during and argument. She was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Priest River Police were summoned to an apartment on West Jackson Avenue on Oct. 18 after receiving a report that Lamanna was en route to the alleged victim’s residence and officers tried to intercept her, but could not find her, according to a probable cause affidavit.

- Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Deputy Morgan Johnson was honored for saving the life of a woman who stopped breathing after being stung by a bee.

- State and county candidates were summoned to a forum ahead of the November election. All candidates were asked for their positions on the proposed PacWest Silicon smelter proposal south of Newport, while county candidates were quizzed on their thoughts on land-use codes, budgeting. State candidates, meanwhile, were asked about Medicaid expansion, climate change and public school funding.

- A racist robocall targeting a gubernatorial candidate in Florida is being linked back to Scott D. Rhodes, a local white supremacist. A disclaimer at the end of the ad indicates that it was paid for by Road to Power, a white supremacist website and podcast based in Sandpoint. The man behind the site and podcast is Rhodes, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Rhodes was caught distributing white supremacist literature at Sandpoint High School in 2017 and his site has been linked to other racist robocalls.

- The GOP bus tour made stops in Sandpoint and Priest River as it criss-crossed the state ahead of the election.

- Paul Kusche announced his retirement from the position of executive director for the Bonner County Economic Development Corporation. Replacing Kusche as BCEDC executive director is Andrea Marcoccio, who is also the co-owner and general manager of the new Matchwood Brewing Company in Sandpoint.

- Levi Lemburg of Dalton Gardens was killed in single-vehicle rollover crash on Highway 57 on Oct. 26. State police said Lemburg was headed southbound when he lost control of his 2003 Ford F-250 pickup truck while negotiating a corner 24 miles north of Priest River. The pickup truck turned broadside before entering the northbound ditch. The truck rolled and came to rest against a tree, ISP said. Lemberg, 20, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the truck.

- The Pence family announced the donation of the 48-acre Sandpoint Orchard and its state-of-the-art meeting facility to the University of Idaho. Once the Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center is fully up to speed, the property will become the college’s first facility to focus on organic farming and organic-certified production systems.

- Priest River Lamanna High School’s 21st Century Learning Agoge hosted a “Lights On Afterschool” rally at PRLHS — one of more than 8,000 such rallies across the country with the purpose of spreading the word about the importance of afterschool programs.

- Bonner County Planning and Zoning initiated a subarea planning process for the Priest River and Oldtown area, hosting a meeting with the intent of forming a subcommittee of stakeholders.

- Encoder employees had gathered 116 coats and raised $1,025 for Coats 4 Kids, and then the company matched the dollar amount for a total of $2,050 to help share the warmth this winter.

- Area experts outlined Idaho housing and labor issues and solutions during the annual “What’s Happening Up North” collaborative workshop on Nov. 1.

- Addie Brewington has rallied her classmates at Kootenai Elementary each year, challenging them to raise at least $200 for Coats for Kids, which she then matches with her allowance for a total of $400. As the Kootenai Pirates reached their goal for the second year in a row, KXLY’s sports director Keith Osso, nighttime news anchor Aaron Luna and photographer Jim Hazelton delivered pizza to Addie’s third-grade class on Nov. 1.

- The YMCA of the Inland Northwest announced its acquisition of the Sandpoint West Athletic Club from the club’s long-time owners Don and Sue Helander.

- The Sierra Club called for a comprehensive public health and environmental studies of the proposed PacWest Silicon Smelter south of Newport.

- Sexual abuse charges were dismissed against Michael Henry Forker, of Sagle, after he was ordered to serve more than 30 years in prison for sex crimes in Oregon. Forker, 41, was charged in Bonner County with two counts of sexual battery of a child and possession of a child pornography in 2017. While awaiting trial in Idaho, Forker was charged with multiple counts of sodomy and sex abuse in Washington County, Ore. He was convicted of the offenses this summer and was sentenced this month to up to 34 years in prison.

- In the contested races of the Nov. 6 election, Jim Woodward for senator and Reps. Heather Scott and Sage Dixon got the majority votes on the state level for local candidates. Donna Gow, Dan McDonald and Steve Bradshaw took the lead in county contested races.

- After a 13 year run as the Daily Bee’s sports editor, Eric Plummer moved on toward something “new and fresh,” as Kyle Cajero took over the position.

- Daniel Frederic Barlow, of Laclede, who was wanted on warrants, was arrested and charged with felony eluding after leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase on Nov. 5.

- Sandpoint High School graduate Deanne Hargrave was appointed to a prestigious National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration advisory panel — the Hydrographic Services Review Panel — a federal advisory committee that gives NOAA independent advice for improving a range of services and products that support safe navigation and coastal resilience. Hargrave, graduated from SHS in 1995 and obtained a civil engineering degree from Gonzaga University in 2000.

- Jacob Corban Coleman entered a plea of not guilty in November for the stabbing death of cab driver Gagandeep Singh in 2017 in Kootenai. Coleman was later sentenced to 40 to life in prison.

- Sandpoint City Council voted to extend an access agreement for the disc golf course through March 31. The city contemplated relocating its wastewater treatment plant to the Baldy Mountain property on which the course is located, but council decided in August to upgrade the existing facility near Lakeview Park. The decision raised questions about what to do with the property, which have yet to be answered.

- A Panhandle angler is suing the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club for defamation and other claims. Calvin Nolan’s lawsuit against the fishing club alleges his membership was revoked and he was disqualified from competing in fishing derbies after requesting meeting minutes and financial records.

- James Robert Kerrigan pleaded guilty in November to vandalizing City Hall and leading law enforcement on a pursuit in separate incidents last fall.

- Sandpoint city officials pushed the second phase of the downtown revitalization project back until after Labor Day, rather than starting in the spring and working through summer. The second phase will ultimately mirror the first phase that was done on Cedar Street, replacing sidewalks, lighting, benches, bike racks, trash receptacles and trees along First Avenue.

- Bonner County Planning and Zoning initiated a subarea planning process for the Priest Lake area, hosting a meeting with the intent of forming a subcommittee of stakeholders.

- In honor of Veterans Day, Priest River Lamanna High School’s new flagpole display was dedicated to all graduates of Priest River Lamanna High School who have proudly served the country.

- Cryptic remarks made by James Michael Costello Sr. in a felony eluding case sparked a homicide investigation in Cocolalla, where investigators found James Michael Costello Jr. dead from several gunshot wounds. Costello Sr. became the lead suspect in the investigation.

- The Bonner County Planning & Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit for an asphalt batch plant proposed off of Highway 95. The permit approval cleared the board on a 3-2 vote.

- A Sandpoint real estate agent and the director of a local theater troupe were implicated on felony marijuana charges in Connecticut. Travis Buck Engle and Errol Dixon Clark were each charged with one count of selling more than a kilogram of the drug and one count of conspiracy to commit said transaction. The duo was arrested following a sting operation conducted by the Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Task Force on Nov. 11 in New Hartford.

- Homeschool Academy youngsters were captivated by falconer Megan Johnson’s raptors as they continued their work on ornithology books they were creating to be published.

- The Bonner County PRCA Rodeo’s “Miracle Minute” fundraiser brought in more than $1,600 in two minutes in August. One-hundred percent of those funds was split between Community Cancer Services and Bonner Community Hospice, which was presented to the organizations in November.

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