Shoshone News-Press 2020 Year in Review!

The following are the top News-Press headlines from 2020! Remember that these headlines appeared in the editions listed and did not necessarily occur on those dates. The Shoshone News-Press would like to wish everyone a happy New Year! Here's hoping that 2021 turns out better than 2020…

January

Jan. 3

• Kellogg man Brock Rainey named among those missing in an Alaskan crab boat sinking. Rainey, 47, died as a result of the accident.
• Kellogg School District honors former trustee Art Krulitz for his years of service.

Jan. 7

• The longest strike in Silver Valley mining history ends at 1,030 days as the United Steelworkers Union 5114 agreed to a labor contract at the Lucky Friday Mine with Hecla Mining Company.
• Local boxer Chevy Ward wins the regional Silver Gloves tournament and earns a spot in the National Silver Gloves competition.

Jan. 10

• Avalanche on Silver Mountain claims the lives of three skiers following an extensive three-day search and rescue mission. Five other skiers were rescued as part of the efforts.
• Kellogg and St. Maries high schools put on the annual Brawl for the Ball spirit day, despite snow storms and bad roads. The Lumberjacks lost the important games, but still won the coveted Brawl Ball.

Jan. 17

• A Wallace School District bus partially slides off the road heading up to Sunny Slopes. While no one was hurt, it forced Shoshone County officials to reexamine their maintenance schedule for that treacherous stretch of road.

Jan. 21

• Students with Wallace High School’s Channel 3 News produce a segment for Fox News involving Wallace Chamber Coordinator Dave Copelan and Blackboard Cafe owner Rob Wuerfel as part of their “Business in Small Town America” series.
• Mullan Football running back Skye Gallaway signs on to play college football at Montana Western University.

February

Feb. 4

• Shoshone News-Press reporter Josh McDonald took readers on a guided tour of the new Bunker Hill Central Treatment Plant in Kellogg.

Feb. 7

• The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare begins an investigation into disturbing abuse/neglect allegations at Pacifica Senior Living Center in Pinehurst.

Feb. 11

• Flooding in Walla Walla, Wash., causes Suddenlink’s internet service in the Silver Valley to go down for several days.

Feb. 14

• Wallace High School brings back the neon “W” sign outside their building, reigniting a tradition that ended in the 1990s.
• Wallace High School introduces new mascot Marty the Miner, much to the delight of Miner fans and the terror of children everywhere else.

Feb. 18

• Blackboard Marketplace opens in the old Tabors building. The market includes a clothing store, book shop, coffee bar and full restaurant.

Feb. 21

• Kellogg High School brings the Alma Mater back as a post game tradition at sporting events.

Feb. 25

• Wallace City Council rejects $818,260 bid for their pool repair project. This was the second time they rejected a bid, after rejecting one in November 2019.
• Kellogg High School sends 13 wrestlers to the state tournament.
• Wildcat volleyball player Cierra Brandt signs with Whitworth University to play volleyball.

Feb. 28

• The Kellogg Boys Basketball Team wins their seventh District I Tournament and clinches a berth to the 3A State Tournament. Graden Nearing was IML MVP, and Jeff Nearing was named IML Coach of the Year.

March

March 3

• Kellogg High School senior Judson Hall wins the state wrestling tournament in his weight class.

March 6

• Local woman Trina Welch is accused of embezzling $3.6 million from Kasco of Idaho.
• The Silver Valley EMS Corp. terminated their contract with Shoshone County after months of discussion between the two groups.

March 10

• Case of missing person Brian Shookman featured on Oxygen’s “Cold Justice.”
• Kellogg Boys Basketball goes 1-2 at state, narrowly missing the consolation championship.

March 13

• Wallace and Kellogg school districts pass their supplemental levy elections.
• Trina Welch enters a not-guilty plea for wire fraud charges.

March 17

• Shoshone County declares a state of emergency as part of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Kellogg and Mullan school districts close due to COVID-19, Wallace remains open.

March 20

• North Idaho has first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Kootenai County.

March 24

• The Idaho State Board of Education orders all schools to remain closed until April 20, as schools devise individual remote learning plans.

March 27

• Idaho Gov. Brad Little implements his multiphase “Stay-Home Order.”

March 31

• Human remains found on hillside in Kellogg, sort of. They weren’t actually human remains, but in fact belonged to a display skeleton.
  

April

April 3

• A 6.5 magnitude earthquake in southern Idaho is felt in Shoshone County.

April 7

• State Board of Education passes motion to keep schools closed through the end of the 2019/20 school year.
• Brother-sister duo Archie and Kat Rauenhorst nominated to North Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame.

April 14

• Local man Adam Hopper publishes children’s book “The Hairy Adventures of Harry the Bear and His Disgusting Sidekick Stanky the Dog.”

April 21

• Idaho High School Activities Association kills spring sports for high schoolers.

April 24.

• Gov. Brad Little introduces his “Idaho Rebounds” plan for reopening the state after his maligned stay-home order.

May

May 1

• Phase 1 of Gov. Little’s Idaho Rebounds plan is initiated.
• City of Wallace approves $63,000 Gateway Project.

May 5

• Silver Valley Search and Rescue crews assist Montana crews in finding a deceased Washington resident in Mineral County, Mont.
• Shoshone News-Press turns 35 years old!
• Shoshone County Commissioners are granted extension from the Shoshone County EMS Corp. for emergency services.

May 8

• The annual Wallace Depot Day car show goes virtual for 2020.

May 12

• Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 moves in to their new home at 911 Bunker Ave. in Kellogg.

May 15

• Phase 2 of Gov. Little’s Idaho Rebounds plan is initiated.
• The tiny house at 3 Bank St. in Wallace is demolished after years of heated exchanges between the Historic Wallace Preservation Society and the owners.

May 19

• Ziply Fiber announces Kellogg as one of their target cities for fiber optic upgrade.
• Wallace Blues Festival, the county’s largest event, is officially canceled.

May 29

• Phase 3 of Gov. Little’s Idaho Rebounds plan is initiated.
• Americas Gold and Silver begins Recapitalization Plan efforts at Galena Mine Complex.

June

June 2

• Armed protests in Coeur d’Alene end peacefully, despite warnings of clashes between residents and potential ANTIFA members.
• Dr. Bob Ranells steps down from post as Wallace School District superintendent after 13 years.
• Shoshone County receives petition to create Ambulance District.

June 5

• Shoshone Medical Center receives Abbott Assay to help them diagnose potential COVID-19 cases faster.
• Silver Mountain opens the Silver Inn, formerly known as the Silverhorn Motor Inn.

June 12

• Phase 4 of Gov. Little’s Idaho Rebounds plan is initiated.
• Drinking water at Canyon Elementary School tests positive for toxic levels of arsenic, prompting investigations and discussions on how to remedy the situation.

June 16

• Classic replica cars are stolen from Cliff and Nancy Arthur’s residence in Mullan, resulting in car chases and crashes.
• County hosts public hearing for potential Ambulance District.
• A Silver Valley man drowns in a boating accident on the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

June 23

• Shoshone Medical Center hires Meghann Johnson as the manager of SMC Support Services, the hospital’s Psychotherapies Department.

June 26

• Shoshone County Commissioners vote in favor of creation of Shoshone County Ambulance Service District, effectively dissolving the Shoshone County EMS Corp. and taking control of the county’s EMS Services.
• Weight restrictions put on Silver Bridge over North Fork due to the structure’s failing structural integrity.
• North Idaho College announces closures of Silver Valley and Bonners Ferry centers.

July

July 3

• Shoshone County records its first official COVID-19 case.
• Ryan Ricktets is taken into custody following a standoff between him and law enforcement on July 1 in Nuchols Gulch.

July 7

• Avery holds the only Fourth of July parade in Shoshone County and Silver Mountain holds the only firework display, due to the pandemic.

July 10

• Heritage Health in Kellogg becomes the first true COVID-19 testing center in the area.

• The historic Avery fish pond gets restocked after IDFG gives residents a scare.

July 14

• Shoshone Planning & Zoning gets pushback from citizen group FORC concerning development of an RV park along the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

• A wheelchair accessible swing is installed at West Shoshone park in Pinehurst in honor of Wyatt Blalack, a Canyon Elementary student who passed away in 2019.

July 17

• Jamee Sperry is named director of the Osburn library.

July 21

• Real Life Ministries opens its new location, “The Connecting Point,” in Pinehurst.

July 24

• The PHD Board of Directors institutes a mask mandate for Kootenai County — the first of its kind in the district.

July 28

• On the heels of the Kootenai County mandate, the city of Wallace becomes the first city in Shoshone County to pass a resolution that recommends residents wear a mask while in public.
• SMC names Brenda Larsen as 2020’s employee of the year.

July 31

• Kellogg becomes the first city in North Idaho to pass a mask ordinance that has actual repercussions for not following it.

August

Aug. 4

• SCSO struggles to enforce regulations along the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River as people from far and wide flock to the popular outdoor recreation destination (due largely in-part to the COVID pandemic).

Aug. 7

• The first confirmed cases of COVID-19 are found in local nursing homes.
• Vitalant hosts their normal blood drive at the Kellogg Elks building. Donors have the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 antibody test to see if they have had the virus.

Aug. 14

• The Shoshone BOCC meets with members of FORC to discuss issues on the North Fork including littering, overcrowding, and a perceived failure to enforce regulations on the river.

Aug. 18

• Jim See receives Historical Society award for his work on developing the Pulaski Trail.

Aug. 25

• Confirmed COVID cases and related deaths spike at Mountain Valley of Cascadia in Kellogg. At the time, the facility had 74 total confirmed cases and five deaths.
• The Cataldo Mission receives its original 1878 organ after it is delivered by the Knights of Columbus. Somehow, the organ was previously located in Redding, Calif.

Aug. 28

• The Mount Pulaski Wildfire, located southwest of Wallace, is contained quickly by IDL firecrews before it has time to get out of control.

September

Sept. 1

• Due to the spike in local COVID deaths, Shoshone County enters into a mutual aid agreement with other Idaho counties for the purpose of borrowing a refrigerated morgue trailer to temporarily store bodies.

Sept. 8

• A large wind storm sweeps through the region and causes property damage and power outages across the county.

Sept. 11

• Shoshone County Planning & Zoning considers amendments to the county’s comprehensive plan. Petitioner Courtney Frieh argues that the amendments are meant to protect county hillsides (with an emphasis on Wallace’s hillsides) from uncontrolled development.
• Questions over ownership of a road in Pine Creek come up when local property owner Joe Avery blocks access to it.

Sept. 15

• Smoke from coastal wildfires blankets the Silver Valley and lowers air quality to hazardous levels.

Sept. 18

• A quick response by SCSO Cpl. Darius Dustin and SCFD No. 1 firefighters keep an electrical fire inside Johnson’s Gems from getting out of hand.

Sept. 25

• An elk is responsible for multiple vehicle crashes on Interstate 90 near Mullan.

Sept. 29

• The Kellogg School District announces that after a month of hybrid-scheduling, students will be going back to school fully in person. This full-time schedule does not last long though.

October

Oct. 6

• The Jackass Half Marathon and 5K draws nearly 400 walkers/runners to the Silver Valley.

Oct. 13

• The 9th annual Tata’s Party raises more than $9,000 for the Shoshone Cancer Support Corporation.
• A Pinehurst man gets probation for displaying a large wooden penis statue on his front porch across from an elementary school.

Oct. 16

• The Wallace School District announces plans to return to a fully in-person class schedule. Due to a later spike in COVID-19 cases, this never came to fruition.
• Burglars steal three vehicles from a Dave Smith building in Smelterville.

Oct. 23

• PHD raises Shoshone County’s COVID risk level to “moderate” as case numbers climb across the region.

Oct. 27

• Nine are arrested in a massive Smelterville drug bust involving SCSO and Probation & Parole. P&P reported that this is one of the largest busts they’ve ever been involved in.
• The Kellogg High School football team defeats Bonners Ferry at home 32-14 in an impromptu Snow Bowl.

Oct. 30

• PHD raises Shoshone County’s COVID risk level to “substantial” as case numbers climb across the region.
• The SNP spotlights local author Deborah Cuyle and tours the Brooks Hotel for the annual Halloween story.

November

Nov. 3

• The Mullan football team wins the Northstar League outright and earns the right to host a playoff game.

Nov. 6

• Shoshone County records highest voter turnout in years during general elections.
• Two people are killed in a head-on collision with a semi-truck near Elk Creek.

Nov. 13

• City of Kellogg renews mask mandate for third time.
• Wallace City Council approves annexation ordinance with Shoshone County Fire District No. 1.

Nov. 17

• Gov. Brad Little moves Idaho to an amended Phase 2 of his Idaho Rebounds plan, in light of surging positive cases of COVID-19.

Nov. 20

• The Panhandle Health District approves a district-wide mask mandate for Idaho’s five northern counties.
• The city of Kellogg approves revised flood maps from the Army Corps of Engineers. The revised plans must now be approved by FEMA.

Nov. 27

• The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office announces that they would no longer allow out-of-county residents to use their licensing services.

December

Dec. 1

• Shoshone County residents get their first look at Starlink internet service.
• Drug detection K-9 aides SCSO in heroin arrest.

Dec. 4

• Prospector’s Pizza opens up in Pinehurst to rave reviews.
• The Wallace City Council accepted a $225,000 community block development grant to assist in paying for their pool repair project.

Dec. 8

• SNP Managing Editor Chanse Watson gives readers a first look at how the COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed throughout the Idaho Panhandle.
• Ryan Rickets pleads guilty to felony unlawful possession of a firearm charges, which in turn, led to the Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney’s office dropping charges against Rickets’ girlfriend, Heather Therrian.

Dec. 15

• Shoshone Medical Center announces new physician Dr. Jocelyn Korasick as the medical director of SMC Family Medicine.
• Kellogg and Mullan school districts move to strictly online schooling as several positive tests in the respective districts are confirmed.

Dec. 18

• Kellogg High School’s Polar Express night brings people from near and far together to safely enjoy a festive night.

Dec. 22

• COVID-19 vaccine makes first appearance in Shoshone County.

Dec. 24

• Silver Valley Seniors raise more than $5,000 during their annual mini Festival of Trees fundraiser at the Senior Center in Osburn.

Dec. 29

• I-90 crash leads to large drug bust for SCSO.