Homeless saga tops 2024 news countdown

There was fire and ice. There were significant shifts politically and economically. And there was crime.

Even though the items on the Lewiston Tribune’s countdown of the top stories of 2024 are unique to this year, the underlying issues are quite familiar to modern life.

One such issue is homelessness. Any illusion that the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley is immune from homelessness has been dispelled in recent years, and the plight of the unhoused population, particularly in Clarkston, was selected as the top story of 2024, as voted on by Tribune staff members.

It was a presidential election year, making the 2024 election especially prominent. And there were lots of business rumbling in the region, most of which had ties to national or global trends.

A cold snap in January, fires in July and the ongoing struggles of salmon were the big environmental news of 2024.

The murder of two area residents — possibly committed by two fugitives — and the methodical legal proceedings following the murder of four University of Idaho students in 2022 were the top crime stories of the year.

No. 1: Clarkston homeless camps cleared

The homeless camp near Walmart was filled with ice and people last winter. This year, the site is empty and an affordable housing complex is under construction nearby.

Unhoused people were invited to move into an area thought to be a city right of way west of Walmart in November 2023, and the camp grew from there. After the city discovered the land was not public, the camp was cleared in February 2024, and most folks wound up at Foster Park in Clarkston.

Neighbors of Foster Park began attending every city council meeting to shed light on what was happening at the park.

When a Supreme Court ruling cleared the way to close down the camp, the city of Clarkston worked with police to alert the homeless community.

Since then, Foster Park is no longer crowded with tents and people, and the unhoused have scattered. However, the Asotin County Alliance for the Unhoused, a nonprofit organization, is working toward building sleeping huts.

The holdup has been finding property near stores, public transportation and other resources, but Alliance leaders said they haven’t given up on the idea and are still searching for the right location.

Other housing projects are underway, including the Clarkston Family Haven affordable housing complex near Walmart, the Union Gospel Mission homeless shelter on Snake River Avenue in Lewiston and the LC Valley Youth Resource Center’s proposed tiny homes village in east Lewiston that would cater to young, at-risk adults.

No. 2: Eventful election cycle sees Idaho get redder, Washington turn bluer

A presidential election year paired with legislative races and a contentious ballot initiative effort made 2024 a particularly eventful year in Idaho politics.

The active election year began with a presidential caucus in a process that hadn’t been used in Idaho for more than a decade. The Legislature inadvertently eliminated the presidential primary in 2023, deleting it from code, so the parties hosted private caucuses.

Republican voters overwhelmingly selected Donald Trump as the state’s nominee in a single day of voting in March. Experiences varied across the state, with several voters reporting smooth operations and others experiencing long wait times and shorter voter periods than expected. Both the Republicans in March and Democrats in May reported low turnout.

May also brought the legislative primary contest in which every state legislative seat was up for election. Money poured in across the state and 15 incumbents lost their seats, including longtime Senate leader Chuck Winder. A central theme of many races was the idea of allowing state funds to be used in private education, with several lawmakers who had been against the concept losing their contests.

A statewide ballot measure that would have amended Idaho’s election system to implement a nonpartisan, top-four primary and ranked-choice voting in the general election brought in a lot of money in favor and a strong pushback from Idaho GOP officials. Prop 1, also known as the Open Primaries initiative, garnered support from former Republican officials who said it would counter extremism in the state. Currently elected Republican and party officials strongly opposed the system, arguing it was too expensive and confusing.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador sought to prevent the measure from appearing on the ballot through court challenges claiming it violated the single-subject requirement and that supporters were misleading in the process of gathering signatures. A judge later dismissed the case, clearing the way for Prop 1 on be printed on the November ballot.

Voters decisively defeated the measure in the general election, with nearly 70% voting against implementing the new election system.

Idaho’s other general election results largely followed a national conservative trend — Trump won Idaho’s vote by a slightly larger margin than in 2020. Trump won the popular vote nationwide and 312 electoral college votes. Idaho Republicans picked up one more legislative seat that had been held by a Democrat; the House now has 61 Republicans and nine Democrats, and the Senate has 29 Republicans and six Democrats.

In Washington state, Democrats retained control of Olympia and voters largely supported Kamala Harris for president. Harris received around 57.3% of the vote over Trump.

Bob Ferguson, the state’s former attorney general, won the race for governor, replacing fellow Democrat Jay Inslee, who is retiring. Voters also chose Democrats for every statewide elected office. Voters rejected all but one of a slate of initiatives meant to roll back liberal policies enacted by the Washington Legislature — only one measure meant to pull back on regulations on natural gas was narrowly approved.

No. 3: Vista Outdoors, Clearwater Paper sell parts of businesses

Ammunition and toilet paper continue to be two of Lewiston’s most important exports, but in 2024 new owners acquired the plants here that make those goods.

The Czechoslovak Group purchased the ammunition making operations of Vista Outdoor, the parent company of Lewiston’s CCI/Speer, as part of a $2.23 billion deal that closed in November. CCI/Speer is one of Lewiston’s largest employers.

The acquisition included other important ammunition producers such as Federal, Remington and Hevi-Shot, which, with CCI/Speer, are the largest ammunition maker in the United States.

The plants are now a part of a private company that has its global headquarters in the Czech Republic.

Clearwater Paper’s private label tissue-making operations also are under new ownership after Sofidel America Corp. acquired them in a $1.06 billion deal that was finalized in November.

The transaction included Clearwater Paper’s tissue operations in Lewiston; Las Vegas; Shelby, N.C.; and Elwood, Ill., near Chicago.

The Lewiston, Las Vegas and Shelby sites all have machines that manufacture tissue then cut and package it into toilet paper, paper towels, paper napkins and facial tissue for retailers that sell it under their own brands. The facility at Elwood cuts and packages tissue from large parent rolls.

The about 500 employees who staff the former Clearwater Paper tissue operations in Lewiston all kept their jobs in the transition.

Top executives of Sofidel visited Lewiston earlier in December and introduced themselves to the community at an open house.

With the purchase of the Clearwater Paper operations, the Sofidel executives said, Sofidel is now the largest producer of private-label tissue in the U.S. retail market and the fifth largest manufacturer of household paper tissue products worldwide.

Late in December, news reports indicated Clearwater Paper’s pulp and paperboard operations could potentially be sold to another foreign company. According to sources, Brazil’s Suzano SA is exploring the possible purchase, which would affect the other 800 employees at the Lewiston mill.

No. 4: Men on the run accused of two murders

Two people were killed in Nez Perce and Clearwater counties allegedly after two men escaped from custody in southern Idaho.

In March, Skylar W. Meade and Nicholas D. Umphenour escaped in Boise. Meade was an inmate and Umphenour had recently been released from the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, south of Boise. The two had been housed together and were both members of the Aryan Knights prison gang. Officers were shot at when Meade was taken to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. The two then drove to northern Idaho, then through Montana and back to southern Idaho, where they were arrested in Twin Falls.

James L. Mauney, 85, of Juliaetta, was found dead in Nez Perce County and Gerald Don Henderson, 72, was found dead outside his cabin near Orofino.

Meade and Umphenour faced charges in Ada County relating to the escape. Those cases have been closed. Meade was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison and Umphenour was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.

Meade and Umphenour were indicted in Nez Perce County for first-degree murder in the death of Mauney. Both have stood silent rather than enter a plea and face the death penalty for the charge.

Meade’s trial is scheduled to take place Feb. 3. Umphenour waived his right to a speedy trial and his next court date is March 27.

No charges have been filed in the death of Henderson.

No. 5: Fires take a toll on residents

The 2024 wildfire season was both mild and severe.

North central Idaho and southeastern Washington experienced a relatively light fire season in terms of acres burned but one of the worst when it comes to impact to communities.

The Texas Ridge and Gwen fires were particularly painful. Both exploded in their first few days and consumed multiple structures.

The Gwen Fire, which started from a July 24 lightning strike to the hills above the lower Potlatch River Canyon, destroyed 25 homes and 118 other structures, including Colter’s Creek Winery near Juliaetta. It wrapped around and over the ridge that separates the Potlatch and Clearwater rivers and pushed up Cottonwood Creek as it grew to more than 28,800 acres.

Rural volunteer fire departments fought it alongside crews from the Idaho Department of Lands, Nez Perce Tribe and U.S. Forest Service.

The Texas Ridge Fire started July 15 near Kendrick and burned more than 1,500 acres and destroyed four homes.

Despite those two destructive blazes and blazing hot temperatures for much of the summer, more remote forests of the region experienced fewer fires than normal. Nonetheless, large fires burning across the West, garnered attention from firefighters and stretching firefighting resources.

No. 6: End of Denver-Lewiston flights announced

The final countdown has started for the last United Airlines’ Denver-Lewiston commercial passenger flights.

United announced its plans to pull the plug on the nonstop service earlier this month. United will operate the flights from Denver to Lewiston through Jan. 31 and service from Lewiston to Denver through Feb. 1.

The Denver flights, according to airport officials, have never been profitable for United. They have been subsidized with government money since they debuted in 2021.

United had requested another $4.9 million minimum revenue guarantee for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1.

Nez Perce County and the city of Lewiston’s elected officials were unable to find the money. The city and the county jointly own the airport.

The Lewiston airport still has nonstop flights to and from Salt Lake City and Seattle on Delta, which are not subsidized.

Airport officials are working on a plan to replace the United flights and could have a proposal ready by the end of this month.

No. 7: Lewiston-Clarkston business scene alerted by openings, closings

The debut of Planet Fitness at the Lewiston Center Mall was a key development in a whirlwind of changes this year in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley’s retail scene.

The 24,000-square-foot gym is in the eastern section of a former Macy’s. On the other end of the enclosed section of the shopping center, remodeling is underway for a 40,000-square-foot Hobby Lobby where J.C. Penney once was.

The renovation is expected to be done on time in the spring, but no opening date has been established for the store.

A few blocks away, the national chain Denny’s is working on plans to open at 2122 Nez Perce Grade in a former Shari’s Cafe and Pies that closed Memorial Day weekend this year.

At least four other prominent restaurants closed in 2024 – Red Lobster on Thain Grade, Tapped in downtown Lewiston, the Super China Buffet at the Lewiston mall and The Bait Shop Grill in the Lewiston Orchards.

Lewiston’s Red Lobster was one of about 50 that closed around the country at the same time leaving about 600 locations of the restaurant. Red Lobster’s financial troubles have been attributed in part to the extreme popularity of an all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion.

Like Shari’s, Tapped and The Bait Shop Grill are not expected to be vacant for long. The Mango Tree Indian Kitchen and Tap House is expected to open at the former Tapped location. Tapped continues to operate its original location in Moscow.

Betsy and Jason Rowden are taking over The Bait Shop Grill. They are revising the concept for the restaurant and expect to introduce The Bait Shop Grill’s replacement in 2025.

It wasn’t just restaurants that Lewiston lost. Eddie Bauer at Nez Perce Plaza ended its run in Lewiston in June.

The retail news continued into December. Just before Christmas, Big Lots announced it was planning going-out-of-business sales at its brick-and-mortar stores throughout the nation. One of Big Lots’ four Idaho locations is at the Lewiston mall.

No. 8: Deep freeze in January coincides with natural gas conservation

The coldest stretch of 2024 was memorable on its own, with low temperatures in the region dipping below zero in mid-January.

But what made it especially noteworthy was the fact it coincided with Avista Utilities asking its customers in Idaho and Washington to conserve natural gas because of a malfunction at a compressor station in Canada.

Natural gas was still available — unlike during an outage in November 2023 — but the mechanical issues made it important that residents didn’t splurge, Avista said.

The cold snap lasted for about five days, from Jan. 12-16. The coldest day was Jan. 13, when Lewiston saw an official high temperature of 2 and a low of negative-10.

Avista’s request to conserve natural gas was over less than 48 hours after the plea was made. The utility arranged for natural gas to be obtained from a different supplier.

“Avista really wants to thank our customers,” said Scott Kinney, Avista’s vice president of energy resources. “We do appreciate the actions they did take, because it really did stabilize our system both days. We know it was a hardship. Again, we are so thankful for the response we did get.”

No. 9: Kohberger case moves to Ada County

The crime may have occurred in Moscow, but the fate of the suspect in the November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students will be decided in Boise.

Latah County District Judge John Judge agreed with suspect Bryan Kohberger’s argument that Latah County’s relatively small community and its exposure to media coverage of the murders would make it difficult to find an impartial jury for his trial.

Judge also felt that Latah County’s Courthouse lacks the resources to take on such a high-profile trial.

The Idaho State Supreme Court handed the case over to Ada County District Judge Steven Hippler.

The trial is now scheduled to start in August 2025.

Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in the November 2022 stabbing deaths of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

No. 10: Salmon vs. dams issue continues to play out

In early 2024, a federal judge overseeing a sprawling salmon-versus-dams lawsuit signed off on a settlement that could pause the legal proceedings for up to a decade. As the year drew to a close, the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation reopened a 4-year-old study measuring the damage Snake and Columbia river dams inflict on wild salmon and steelhead projected by the Endangered Species Act.

In between those bookends, the region saw OK but far from great returns of spring and summer chinook, steelhead, coho, and fall chinook to the Snake River. The Columbia River experienced a huge return of sockeye but the number returning to the Snake River Basin and their spawning grounds in the Stanley Basin continued to be troubling.

In November, former President Donald Trump was reelected. While salmon recovery was not a campaign issue, the change in administrations is likely to play a role in how it plays out over the next four years. The Biden administration was more involved in efforts to recover wild salmon and steelhead in the Snake and Columbia rivers than any of its predecessors and was willing to entertain the idea of breaching one or more of the four lower Snake River dams. Trump has said little about the iconic fish but has talked about his desire for “energy dominance,” and congressional Republicans from Idaho, eastern Washington and Oregon who oppose breaching are likely to have his ear on the issue.

The Tribune staff may be contacted at [email protected].