Backyard party

LBHS Knowledge Bowl teams shine at Oroville

By Mike Maltais
The Liberty Bell High School Knowledge Bowl Teams placed fourth, seventh and eighth among 15 teams from six schools at Oroville Monday (Jan. 30).

The Oroville meet could only accommodate three teams from Liberty Bell rather than the usual four so coach Leverett Hubbard had to rotate team members in order to give all 14 students some competitive exposure.

Liberty Bell One comprised of Larkin Hubrig (captain), Tim Lewis, Nathan David, and Willy Dugu

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Obituary: Darrell Henry Routien

Darrell Henry Routien, 73, passed away on Dec. 30, 2011, in Spokane, with family nearby.

Darrell was born to Ora and Nellie Ruby Routien, on May 12, 1938, in Hammond, Ind. He married Mary Lou on June 14, 1969, and together they moved to the Methow Valley in 1974, living first in Methow and later in Twisp. Darrell’s love for drilling wells began at age 15 and he kept on drilling until his retirement in the late 1990s. Well drilling allowed Darrell to do what he loved, make a lot

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Debaters snag seven awards

The Liberty Bell High School speech and debate team won seven awards in five categories during their first non-league competition against 200 other students from 18 schools at Spokane over the weekend of Jan. 28-29. Winners included:

• Varsity Debate: second place, Kathleen Chavey-Reynaud & Nick Saunders.

• Novice Debate: semifinalists, Amalia Weber and Patti Watson.

• Spontaneous Argument (SPAR): second place, Kathleen Chavey-Reynaud (46 competitors

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Obituary: Helen Jane Lewis

Helen Jane Lewis of Twisp died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, following a heart attack.

Helen was born Oct. 15, 1922, to Verna and Will Blythe of Granite Falls, Wash. After graduating as valedictorian from high school, she completed nurse’s training at Providence Hospital in Everett. She subsequently worked as a registered nurse at the original Seattle Children’s Orthopedic Hospital on Queen Anne Hill.

In 1943 Helen married high school sweetheart, Douglas Lewis, also of Gr

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Community briefs

Looking for Wilbur
   The Groundhog Day search for the valley’s own Wilbur the Whistlepig will be Thursday (Feb. 2) at the Winthrop Town Trailhead, beginning at 9 a.m. A cross-country ski tour will begin along the Community Trail to flush out Wilbur and see if he retreats into his home after seeing his shadow, thus prognosticating another six weeks of winter. Methow Valley naturalists Kim and Steve Bondi will lead the search. A proclamation is scheduled for 11:30

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Mazama

By Bob Spiwak
Last week was the week that was when it came to snow. The biggest dump of the season, some 18 inches, fell here a week ago Tuesday, shortly after Jim Wright drove down with a loader to do some berm clearing.

I was on the tractor and it seems we had both finished our tasks when the sky opened. This required another visit from Jim with his truck and a plow to re-clean what he had done, along with an additional four inches that had fallen overnight.

T

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Winthrop

By Ashley Lodato
On Thursday we should know if the end of winter is imminent, after biologists Kim and Steve Bondi of North Cascades Basecamp lead the search for Wilbur the Whistlepig, the Methow Valley doppelganger of Punxsutawney Phil, the infamous eastern groundhog. The tour departs from the Winthrop Town Trailhead at 9 a.m. on Thursday (Feb. 2) morning and the proclamation about the fate of winter will be forthcoming at 11:30 a.m.

Assuming winter continues, there is

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Off the Wall

Eyeball to eyeball with insurance costs

By Bob Spiwak
What follows does not involve any medicos or establishments in the Methow Valley.

Many years ago I got involved in a cat fight. My hand got between the combatants and I got bitten. I got medical help and forgot about it until a few days later it began to puff up and edged toward royal purple. I went to an emergency room and had to have minor surgery to drain the blood-poisoned wound, which was then sewn

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