OMAK - The man who died Oct. 15 in a homicide on West Third Avenue has been identified by the Omak Police Department as Keith Riehart, 31, Omak.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Voters around the region will have plenty of choices on the Nov. 5 ballot. Earlier this month, The Chronicle sent questions to all of the candidates who are in local contested races in Okanogan, Douglas and Ferry counties seeking answers to three questions, along with their ag…

YAKIMA – The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking farmers and other irrigators to contact them two to four weeks before shutting down irrigation systems for the season.

OLYMPIA – State, federal and tribal governments will come together Oct. 23 to prepare for an infestation of quagga and zebra mussels.

OMAK – Students at Omak High School plan a variety of trips this school year

OKANOGAN – A 3 percent electric rate increase could be in the offing for Okanogan County Public Utility District customers in 2020.

OMAK – Budget season has started.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Several members of Congress, led by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-4th District, are supporting the Colville Confederated Tribes’ bid for a new Indian Health Service clinic in Omak.

OMAK – A proposal for a new regional hospital ranked No. 5 on the Economic Alliance infrastructure committee’s community/economic development project prioritization list.

TONASKET — City Attorney Mick Howe reported legal fees paid by the city defending council members Christa “Teagan” Levine and Jill Ritter in a recall petition brought forward by residents Brenda Jones and Charlotte Betchan could not be recovered.

TONASKET — The city council approved to spend up to $4,500 for Jeff Moran of the city’s engineering firm Varella & Associates to apply to the state Department of Ecology (DOE) for a storm water grant/loan. Council member Marylou Kriner opposed.

MESA, ARIZ. - Loren Culp received the Police Chief of the Decade award from the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association Saturday, Oct. 12.

OKANOGAN - We don’t want grizzly bears.

OMAK – A man died early Tuesday, Oct. 15, after an assault was reported at a home on West Third Avenue.

WINTHROP - The Methow Valley School Board has approved refinancing debt on the 2009 bond issue to replace the Liberty Bell Junior-Senior High School roof.

OMAK - Mid-Valley Hospital and Clinic’s new Cerner electronic health record system went live Sunday night, Oct. 13.

SPOKANE – A woman detained at the Okanogan County Jail under a U.S. immigration detainer has filed a federal District Court lawsuit against the county.

OKANOGAN – Ashes of fallen Okanogan firefighter Christian Johnson were brought to town Oct. 12 and a memorial service is being planned for Oct. 24.

OKANOGAN – Water in the Alta Vista Irrigation District system is scheduled to be turned off for the season on Oct. 15.

SPOKANE – A market snapshot report for the state’s major agricultural commodities has been issued by Northwest Farm Credit Services.

OMAK - Omak Middle School is under a soft lockdown because of a note found in a student bathroom indicating a possible school shooting for today, Oct. 10.

OKANOGAN – An Oroville man has been charged with three crimes, including drive-by shooting, after allegedly shooting a pistol and taking two dogs.

OKANOGAN – Parents of Okanogan School Districts students can get school-related messages on their mobile devices.

OKANOGAN – An Oroville man pleaded guilty Oct. 2 to second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault in a 2017 incident in which two men died.

SPOKANE – A man convicted of first-degree murder in the 2013 death of a Riverside man will be resentenced, the state Court of Appeals for Division III has decided.

OLYMPIA – Two projects in Okanogan County have received a combined $839,000-plus in the state Recreation and Conservation Funding Board.

SEATTLE — Okanogan Fire Department Assistant Chief Christian Johnson, who died Oct. 2 from injuries received in the Sept. 1 Spring Coulee Fire, was remembered as a caring individual who had a great outlook on life.

OKANOGAN – The city’s management team plans to talk about options for filling the building official position vacated by the death of Christian Johnson.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – More than 30 U.S. senators are seeking at least a two-year reauthorization of the payments in lieu of taxes and Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act programs.

OKANOGAN – A charge of drive-by shooting was filed Oct. 1 against a Brewster man who allegedly shot at men standing outside a Brewster restaurant.

TWISP – An open house and “public sensing” meeting is planned Oct. 17 for landowners near the Twisp forest restoration project.

SEATTLE – Okanogan Fire Department Assistant Chief Christian Johnson has died of injuries received in the Sept. 1 Spring Coulee Fire southwest of Okanogan.

WINTHROP – A series of listening sessions is planned during early October by the Methow Valley School District’s three new principals.

OLYMPIA – Washington Health Benefit Exchange Board has announced the certified 2020 qualified health plans and qualified dental plans to be offered through Washington Healthplanfinder during the upcoming open enrollment period.

SEATTLE – A month after Okanogan volunteer firefighter Christian Johnson was injured in the Spring Coulee Fire, he continues to recover at Harborview Medical Center.

MAZAMA – Less than a week into autumn, snow hit several parts of Okanogan and Ferry counties last weekend as part of a larger weather system that dropped hail on Seattle and snow on Spokane and Pullman, and caused blizzard conditions in Montana.

OKANOGAN – The conservation loan program is being discontinued by the Okanogan County Public Utility District.

OKANOGAN – Customers are sought to participate in the Sunny Okanogan Community Solar project under development by the Okanogan County Public Utility District.

OKANOGAN – The Okanogan School District has received a $1,500 award for safety needs in the district.

OMAK – New psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner Leslie Hite is on the job and introduced herself to the Mid-Valley Hospital board during its Sept. 24 meeting.

WENATCHEE – People who venture into the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest during the next year will encounter forest support workers conducting surveys to gather information for forest and tourism planning.

OKANOGAN – Owners of 43 parcels face foreclosure for unpaid taxes under a lawsuit filed by Okanogan County.

SPOKANE – A Spokane man was sentenced to five years in federal prison for beating and stabbing his girlfriend near Owhi Lake and Nespelem on the Colville Indian Reservation.

OMAK – An observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month will begin Oct. 3 in the Centennial Bandshell in Civic League Park on Ash Street.

BREWSTER – Construction plans for remodeling Brewster High School have begun.

OKANOGAN – The city will host a fall chipping event Oct. 15 and fall cleanup Nov. 5.

OKANOGAN – A Oroville man has been charged in Okanogan County Superior Court with blocking a driveway to prevent an Okanogan County sheriff’s deputy from leaving and, a few days later, with confronting the deputy.