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Colville Earns League Championships With Win over Laeside - local reporting from the Statesman-Examiner serving Colville, Stevens County, and Northeast Washington. LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES Colville Earns League Championships With Win over Laeside November 5, 2025 By: Brandon Hansen The Colville Crimson Hawks proved once again they’re the class of the Northeast A League, grinding out a physical 35-28 victory over Lakeside Oct. 30 to claim their second straight league championship. With the win, Colville improved to 7-2 overall and 3-0 in league play. The Hawks will host Omak Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the state playoffs. Lakeside fell to 4-4 and 2-1 and will travel to Centralia to take on Rochester in its playoff opener. Quarterback Brock Benson led the way for Colville, showcasing both power and poise as he bulldozed through defenders and orchestrated several scoring drives. Benson rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries and added 46 yards through the air, completing four of seven passes for two more scores. Senior Mason Beardsley gave the Hawks a strong effort on the ground, churning out 110 yards on 20 carries as Colville controlled the tempo and dominated time of possession with 50 total rushing attempts for 265 yards. Colville jumped ahead early when Benson broke loose for a 20-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. A few minutes later, he found Gunnar Baker on a 15-yard scoring pass to put the Hawks up 13-0. Benson struck again early in the second quarter, running the ball into the endzone from 11 yards out to make it 19-0. Lakeside, however, wasn’t done and answered just before halftime with a touchdown pass to make it 19-7 before the break. The Hawks extended their lead in the third quarter when Benson sprinted 28 yards for his third rushing touchdown. Lakeside found some rhythm in its passing attack later in the half, but Colville’s ground game and clock management kept the Eagles from mounting a full comeback. Benson’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Bridger Lewis early in the fourth quarter – followed by his own two-point conversion run – gave Colville a 35-13 lead. Lakeside scored three times in the final seven minutes, including two passing touchdowns, but the Crimson Hawks held firm with clock-chewing drives to secure the win. Colville enters the playoffs this week on a two-game winning streak; the Hawks defeated Northwest Christian School 44-35 on Oct. 24. Previous Article Next Article LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES

Ode to an Older Time: Grace Marshall - local reporting from the Statesman-Examiner serving Colville, Stevens County, and Northeast Washington. LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES Ode to an Older Time: Grace Marshall October 15, 2025 By: Nancy Weigel Grace Marshall said she was born in Lake Chelan, Wash., in 1937 and moved to Hunters not long after. One of her childhood memories was playing with her siblings in the big willow tree in her yard and trying not to be the one to touch the ground. She said she grew up as a fun-loving child and always loved helping everyone. She drove a tractor and a team of horses, and separated hay while helping on the ranch. Marshall said she loved school and was always competing in sports such as baseball, basketball, football, and track; she could even long jump for six feet. By the 10 th grade, she said she met her first husband, Lyale Ray, and they moved to Chewelah, with her leaving high school at 17. After the two married, Marshall said she began having kids. Marshall said she worked in Chewelah, nine years at IGA and 12 years at Safeway She said she also volunteered at Long-Term Care in Chewelah, where she helped elders and others organize and do different kinds of crafts. When she wasn't taking care of her kids or working, Marshall said she enjoyed gardening, tending to her chickens and pigs, and canning produce from her garden, sometimes even reaching up to 120 quarts a year. For almost every holiday, Marshall’s kids, Velda, Lyale, Dean, Vera, and Kevin, brought their families to her house. She said she would bake pies and cook all kinds of food. Marshall said she loved to fish as well, and her favorite fishing spot was always at Waitts Lake. One of her fondest memories was visiting Seattle with her son, Kevin, and granddaughter Alicia; she said they went to the Space Needle, Santa Land, and the Fisherman's Wharf. Marshall said she feels close to God, and sings church songs at Colville Health & Rehabilitation of Cascadia, where she resides. Marshall said she enjoys her time at Cascadia and does pottery, painting, and many other activities. Marshall said she once entered into the Cascadia Fair and won first place on a bowl she made. When discussing life advice for younger generations, she said, “Love your children, take care of them, cook them good meals, and just be a mom.” Previous Article Next Article LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES

Access Without Barriers: Naloxone Kiosks Offer Free Access Across Tri-County Area - local reporting from the Statesman-Examiner serving Colville, Stevens County, and Northeast Washington. LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES Access Without Barriers: Naloxone Kiosks Offer Free Access Across Tri-County Area August 6, 2025 By: Emma Lee Conyer 16 naloxone kiosks, supplied by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), will be placed at various public libraries across Stevens and Ferry counties, according to Northeast Tri-County Health District (NETCHD) officials. Per the National Institute on Drug Abuse, naloxone, also known by the brand name of NARCAN®, is a drug that allows an opioid overdose to be reversed. According to Molly Corvino, community health director for the NETCHD, these kiosks are being placed in order to improve naloxone distribution within the community, and is available both “free of charge and stigma.” The naloxone kiosks are not the first harm reduction systems that have been put in place by the DOH and the NETCHD. According to a DOH survey from August 2024, businesses that already carried these kiosks throughout the state reported them as an important tool for harm reduction. Officials stated that NETCHD also offers other services, including syringe exchange, sharps containers, condom distribution, and more, all free of charge. According to the DOH, multiple health centers and other businesses in eastern Washington have been offering naloxone free of charge; however, these new kiosks offer anonymity that is impossible to achieve with face-to-face contact. DOH officials recommended that any person likely to experience or be in the presence of an overdose carry naloxone; however, they noted that this can be challenging for individuals. The kiosks provide naloxone distribution where individuals can receive the overdose reversal drug without having to speak with someone first. The NETCHD currently plans for kiosks at the Cusick, Ione, Metaline Falls, Republic, Curlew, Northport, Nine Mile, Chewelah, Hunters and Loon Lake public libraries. Previous Article Next Article LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES

Healing in Harmony: Local Veteran Brings Guitars for Vets - local reporting from the Statesman-Examiner serving Colville, Stevens County, and Northeast Washington. LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES Healing in Harmony: Local Veteran Brings Guitars for Vets October 15, 2025 By: Isidora Patrick For Kettle Falls veteran Marvin O’Hearn, music is more than a hobby – it’s medicine. A retired veteran with a disabled shoulder and limited arm mobility, O’Hearn said he refuses to let physical challenges stop him and continues to sing and play guitar in his band even while using an oxygen tank on stage. As a survivor with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), O’Hearn said he discovered, while in counseling, that “music calms the savage beast.” That realization changed his life, he said, and inspired him to help others heal the same way. After reaching out to Guitars for Vets, an organization in Spokane, O’Hearn said he trained as an instructor and began leading local lessons. Guitars for Vets, founded in 2007, is a national nonprofit that aims to help veterans face trauma and PTSD through music, according to their website. The program offers free lessons and guitars, creating supportive spaces for recovery and connection. O’Hearn said he plans to bring the program to the American Legion in Kettle Falls, beginning Oct. 23, allowing Stevens County veterans to “experience music’s healing power close to home.” He explained that, “Winters are hard for travel, living in this area. I wanted to bring this opportunity closer to home for vets who might not be able to make the trip to Spokane.” According to O’Hearn, the program is free to any veteran within driving distance, offering weekly lessons for up to 10 sessions. Space starts at three students until more instructors join. O’Hearn said he hopes, as word spreads, other musicians and community members will volunteer to help it grow. For O’Hearn, this isn’t just about teaching guitar chords. “I want these lessons to be a safe space,” he said. “Some vets carry a lot of pain, and if talking about it helps while we play, then that’s what we’ll do.” After completing the lessons, O’Hearn said each veteran will receive a graduation guitar kit to keep playing at home. He added that he’s working with a local business owner to supply these kits, a partnership he hopes to finalize before the first group finishes. For more information, contact O’Hearn at 509-675-4989 or visit guitars4vets.org . Previous Article Next Article LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES

Citizens Weigh in on Vote-At-Home Effectiveness - local reporting from the Statesman-Examiner serving Colville, Stevens County, and Northeast Washington. LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES Citizens Weigh in on Vote-At-Home Effectiveness September 24, 2025 By: Chloe Harrington Stevens County Auditor Lori Larsen partnered with the auditor of Pend Oreille County, Marianne Nichols, to support Washington's vote at home system through their op-ed, “Vote-at-Home is the Law – and it Works.” Larsen said t it began with a call from a local Stevens County voter. “[The voter] wanted to check in with me and make sure that I remained confident in the security, effectiveness, and integrity of voting by mail,” Larsen said. “He invited me to share my thoughts more broadly, and I thought that was excellent encouragement. I wanted to [show] how we got here and the processes that came out of voter desire.” Nichols stated her eagerness to join Larsen, saying, “My biggest hope is that people will understand that vote-at-home is safe, but to also try and answer some other questions that are out there; there is a lot of disinformation.” Larsen said, “I wanted to [show] how we got here and the processes that came out of voter desire.” The op-ed stated, “As county auditors in Washington state, we serve in the executive branch of local government and are responsible for administering elections in accordance with state and federal law. That includes elections for local, state, and federal offices. The U.S. Constitution grants states the authority to conduct federal elections, and Congress sets certain minimum standards.” The op-ed continued, “Here in Washington, our legislature has determined that vote at home is the official method of conducting elections – and that’s not just the law, it’s a system that works.” After sharing the op-ed with their colleagues of the Washington State County Auditors, it was cosigned by “23 elected elections professionals from across the state – underscoring the shared confidence in the transparency, access, and integrity of Washington’s vote at home system.” Larsen said, “For those of us that work in this space, we know this is tight. It is predictable. Our processes and machinery are accurate, but not everybody lives in this role. So this inquiry from the Stevens County voter was my prompt: it's time to say this again, [vote-at-home is] accurate, and folks deserve to be reassured. “Of course,” Larsen continued, “you see a number of bills filed in the Washington state legislature every session concerning elections.” In a single legislative session as co-chair of the legislative committee for the Washington State Association of County Auditors, Larsen said she tracked 70 bills that would directly affect county auditors, 40 of which were elections related. She said, “Some of those seek to go back to in-person voting [and] precinct level ballot tabulation, but those are not bills necessarily getting committee time. It's more about having the conversation, I think. And I'm grateful for repeated opportunities to speak to the strength of the system that we have now.” Larsen said that the citizen who initially inquired about vote by mail “was watching the conversation nationally,” when several days prior President Trump stated his intent to eliminate vote-by-mail. “These concerns turned citizens to their local officials to find out what they think,” she said. “A lot of people, especially in rural areas, consume their news through a national source or lens. It is what comes on their cable, so they don’t necessarily have the same level of understanding or expertise [about] how Washington does business when it comes to elections.” The chair of the Stevens County Democrats and official election observer, Lisa Wolfe, said, “I think that [the] support across the state was fabulous. It's actually pretty amazing to watch them go through the process and elections.” The op-ed presented that “vote-at-home works because it reflects the way people live.” It stated, “Voters can take their time, read through ballot measures and voter pamphlets, and return their ballots from home – or in-person – when it’s convenient for them. Participation is easier and more deliberate, especially for those with demanding jobs, caregiving duties, limited mobility, or long travel distances to the nearest polling place.” Nichols said that the process allows voters to “spend time actually engaging in the process and to think through it.” She continued, “We've really tried to take everything into consideration and make it as easy as possible for people; we even pay for the postage to come back to us now.” Wolfe added, “I view moving away from voting by mail as a problem [because] it feels like it is a backdoor attempt at voter suppression in our state, and I don't support that at all.” She continued, “Vote by mail has opened up voting to people who would not be able to make it to a polling place on Election Day. They are open from seven to seven, but you have people who work. You [have] kids; you got to pick up from school; you got to make dinner. It is so hard to put everything into a day. It doesn't make sense to throw one more thing at them – that they have to be in a certain place at a certain time. Going back to one day would allow way too many people to not be able to do it. It is that inflexible, and absentee ballots would not take care of it.” The op-ed said, “Years ago, when absentee voting required a specific excuse, voters steadily requested more flexibility. Our legislature responded – first by expanding absentee access, then by allowing counties to convert to vote at home elections where it made sense.” Larsen said that the difficulties processing ballots in the 2004 Washington gubernatorial election between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi also prompted the state to find more cost effective avenues. The op-ed continued, “In 2011, Washington became one of the first states in the nation to adopt vote at home as the statewide standard – a move built on decades of experience, careful planning, and voter trust.” The chairman of the Election Integrity Committee, Eric Simpson, said, “Initially, it was sold to people as a very convenient way to vote – which it is. But I think when it was rolled out, people were a little more trusting of the government than they are now. I know from what I have seen through the precinct caucuses in the county convention – the feedback I got from the citizens that showed up – [voters] were very concerned about the elections.” He also commented on the op-ed, “Personally, I think she did a good job describing the conventional thinking of how vote by mail works. But I don’t think that she did a good job addressing a lot of the concerns that people have about the vulnerabilities of mail-in voting.” Larry Batterton, the chair of the Stevens County Republican Central committee, said, “Having several other people on my committee read through [the op-ed], the common response was [that we] don't argue with the points that she wrote. The veracity and the professionalism of the county election office is not a question that we have, and we have put this in the form of a resolution in the past. But it's a narrow picture of the larger voting issue. It is other pieces of the election puzzle that really caused me concern about mail-in voting in general. Voter fraud is a real concern among most conservatives, and I believe even some liberals. And that's the reason that most conservatives, including our Central committee, are very in favor of going back to vote in person and proof of ID.” Explaining the vote-at-home process, the op-ed stated, “Ballots can be returned in-person and into secure storage at the County Auditor’s Office, via any official drop box, or through the United States Postal Service. In addition, voters can sign up at VoteWA.gov to receive text notifications tracking their ballot’s journey – from issuance to acceptance.” Larsen said that she chose the phrase “vote at home” for the op-ed “as an acknowledgement that some people are unsure about the U.S. Postal Service.” Nichols agreed that the ID verification is the biggest contention, but “that's not what the law requires at this point.” She said, “If the law changes, absolutely, we'll do what the law tells us to do. But right now, the law is written. So we can make sure people at home get that ballot.” She continued, “We have so many checks and balances in place. The signatures are the big thing we check. People don't always believe us, but we check every single signature that comes in. We all have to be trained through state patrol training every single year on it. We take [it] seriously if there is somebody that's voting inappropriately.” The op-ed stated, “We are proud of our dedicated elections staff, whose professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to transparency are at the heart of every successful election.” Nichols said that in her 19 years as Pend Oreille County auditor, she has seen only three or four instances of forgery, “and they've been taken care of.” Larsen said, for example, “If you go back to the unanticipated state-wide recount of last year's primary in the commissioner of public lands race, I think that state-wide there were just a tiny handful of adjustments made to the final vote count. Our results after hand counting every single ballot cast in Stevens County resulted in zero change in vote counts.” Nichols said that Pend Oreille had the same success in the recount, which “spoke volumes” to her confidence in the system. Wolfe said, “I've observed the county's processing of ballots using vote by mail. They're very professional; the procedures that they use are defined by the state. It's actually pretty amazing to watch them go through the process.” Simpson has also observed at the county center multiple times and said, “I have never seen anything in that office that would cause me any concern. The issues that I see primarily are [that] the voter rolls are not well maintained. There does not seem to be a lot of proactive effort on the part of the county auditors to ensure that the voter rolls are accurate. For example, in the 2024 election there were seven votes counted from the [395 Chewelah Business Plaza], and that's not a residential address.” Batterton said that, while Stevens County verifies signatures manually, the signatures prove the citizenship of the voter without correct voter rolls. “There are major questions of the completeness of the voter rolls in Washington and whether they meet federal standards; one of those standards is verification of citizenship.” According to Batterton, Harmeet Dhillon of the federal Department of Justice elections department requested that the Washington Secretary of State (SOS)– as well as around 20 other states – present all voting registration records. He said, “It's difficult to get information on the voter rolls in Washington, because the state tends to block avenues that reveal that information.” Several years ago, the SOS promoted legislation that limited voter data access to once per month, Batterton explained. “There were people gathering data – [finding out if] there are significant numbers of double votes –[but] it's a matter of being able to track that frequently enough that you can see statistical information.” Simpson said, “After 2020, a lot of blue states passed laws prohibiting access to the electronic images of the ballots – and this specifically did happen in Washington. So instead of addressing the concerns that people had with possibly the count not being accurate, it looks like they just tried to make it more difficult for people to have access to be able to verify that the results are accurate.” Nichols said, “The last few elections, we've seen another side of things for people who don't love it. They want to vote in person.” The op-ed stated, “We believe that changing or eliminating Washington’s vote at home model is not necessary, not efficient, and not more secure. It would impose significant costs, reduce accessibility, and dismantle a system that has earned the trust of millions of Washington voters. We often hear from voters who wish results could be finalized on election night. We understand that desire – but elections are large, complex operations.” Simpson responded that he believes “part of the reason they're so complex is because of mail in voting. When it was done at a precinct level, it was actually a very simple operation. It would require more people on election day to administer the elections, but you wouldn't have people in there counting ballots for six or seven weeks with early voting.” However, Larsen and Nichols continued in their op-ed, “In our field, there’s a well-known principle: you can have two of the following – fast, accurate, or affordable – but not all three at once. If speed were the top priority, we would need to dramatically expand staffing, technology, and overnight operations. Returning to polling-place voting would multiply costs even further. Staffing polling sites, facilities, purchasing equipment, training workers, and providing oversight to ensure those duties are performed without error or fraud – all of it would be enormously expensive. And for what gain? Not greater accuracy. Not better security. Just more cost, more complexity, and less access. We prioritize accuracy and fiscal responsibility. Vote-at-home allows us to serve all voters while using public funds efficiently and transparently. It reflects the lessons we’ve learned over decades of service.” Nichols said, “Pend Oreille, for over 20 years, has been doing it this way. I can't imagine what that would look like – having to conduct two separate elections. Because you're going to have the majority of people that still want to vote at home and a handful of them who want to vote at polling places. We [would have] to set up polling places for just a handful of people.” For more information about the op-ed or at-home voting, contact the Stevens County auditor’s office at 509-684-7511. Previous Article Next Article LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES

Chewelah Dominates District 6 1B/2B Cross Country Championships - local reporting from the Statesman-Examiner serving Colville, Stevens County, and Northeast Washington. LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES Chewelah Dominates District 6 1B/2B Cross Country Championships November 5, 2025 By: Brandon Hansen The Chewelah Cougars cross country teams are peaking at the perfect time. Behind a pair of elite individual performances from seniors Emmitt Warren VIII and junior Amber Eppel, Chewelah captured the boys’ team title and shared the girls’ top score at the District 6 1B/2B Regional Cross Country Championships on Oct. 31, at Colfax Golf Club. Warren once again proved why he’s one of the best runners in the state, blazing through the course in 15 minutes, 15.5 seconds – the fastest 1B/2B time recorded in Washington this season. The senior’s dominant run powered Chewelah to a 33-point team victory, outpacing perennial powerhouse Freeman (39) and Northwest Christian (75). But he isn’t the only one on the Cougars roster to impress. Justice Whittekiend took fourth place in 16:08.7, followed closely by Blake Schlining (eighth, 16:43.8), Francis Sety (ninth, 16:46.2), and Kyle Foster (11 th , 16:51.6). Chewelah has five runners in the top 25 times for the state in 1B/2B this season. Chewelah’s strong depth was on full display, with Titan Tapia (30 th , 18:06.4) and Jayden Miller (33 rd , 18:11.7) rounding out a full varsity squad heading to state. On the girls’ side, Eppel continued her breakout junior season by finishing second overall in 18:36.3, trailing only Saint George’s senior Regan Thomas (18:00.9). Eppel’s time ranks second-fastest in Washington among all 1B/2B girls, placing her firmly in contention for a state title. Chewelah’s girls tied Saint George’s with 74 points but settled for second on a tiebreaker, underscoring the tight competition at the top. Freshman Josie Carter ran an impressive 20:04.4 to place 13 th , followed by Rin Parsons (21 st , 20:47.6), Mei Parsons (26 th , 21:18.9), and Elise Warren (27 th , 21:19.4). Diana Durham (42 nd , 22:20.5) and Liberty Whittekiend (54 th , 22:58.2) also qualified for state. Kettle Falls also produced state qualifiers on both sides. Isabella Tiwebemal finished 28 th in 21:21.7, and Mason Reeves earned an 18 th -place finish in 17:25.7. Both Chewelah squads and individual Kettle Falls runners are headed to the WIAA State Championships at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Nov. 8. Previous Article Next Article LOCAL NEWS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FARM & RANCH GREAT OUTDOORS PROFILES OUT OF THE PAST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS CALENDAR OBITUARIES

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