Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 216
OLYMPIA — Five-year-olds are required to wear face masks inside buildings open to the public, along with everyone older than them starting Aug. 23. Washington State Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah amended Order 20-03 on Aug. 18 to require masks inside public-accessed buildings, including grocery stores, gyms, retail stores, and community centers. The mask mandate is regardless of vaccination status. Outside masks are “strongly recommended” for settings such as sporting events, fairs, and concerts, when physical distancing isn’t possibl...
COLFAX - People lined Main Street in Colfax on Aug. 18 to protest the forced masking of students by Gov. Jay Inslee. On July 28 the state mandated "all staff and students must continue to wear face coverings (or) masks, regardless of vaccination status," according to the state Department of Health. The mandate was extended to high school athletics on Aug. 10. The group, For the Kids Washington, opposes the mandate and is organizing grassroots efforts throughout the state "to give control over...
COLFAX - About 80 dead white-tail deer have been found so far in the Colfax area. The Colfax public works have picked up the carcasses found in city limits, said Colfax police Chief Bruce Blood. Four of the deer were found while they were alive and ill. They were dispatched by Colfax officers. "To let them go would have left them suffering," he said. "It's tragic that something like this happens." Blood said a similar situation happened in 2015. "It's not very unusual, unfortunately. When it...
OLYMPIA - Miss Colfax Lorien Smith was so excited for her friend being named Miss Congeniality, she was stunned when Miss Washington for America Strong was named. "It was hitting me when they said last my name. It was a 'wait a minute. Did they just say what I think they said?'" Smith said. "I was in tears ... I was just so shocked. It was like a movie moment. I don't remember how but I was hugging someone." Smith spent Aug. 13-14 at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts in Olympia. It's p...
ROSALIA – The Rosalia Volunteer Firefighters Association seeks donations to help with the annual Pig Roast and Silent Auction on Nov. 6. “We are seeking monetary donations, items for the silent auction, or items for door prizes,” said Vice Chair Laura Lautenslager. “This annual event is the major fundraiser for our department.” Whitman County Fire District 7 serves roughly 350 square miles in the northern portion of the county. “The funds raised during this event go to purchase of equipment,...
TOKYO – Susannah Scaroni is competing for the USA on the track and field team in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. Scaroni is one of the 65 people on the track and field team. Team USA has 240 members overall. She won the U.S. trials in June in the women's wheelchair 5,000 meters and 1,500 meters races. "Following the year-long postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening ceremony will take place ... Aug. 24 with competition beginning Aug. 25 and concluding Sept. 6," said a U...
Hypocrisy is when someone lied about their virtues or taste in music or pretty much anything. “I hate rap music!” screams your friend. But you find rap artist DMX on his playlist. Which is it? “Trump should be jailed for his involvement in the Ukraine!” screams the Democrat. Biden appears to admit quid-pro-quo with the Ukraine and withholding military aid on a video recording. Not a word from the Democrat. “We can’t afford to increase Medicare!” yells the Republican. The same Republican de...
PULLMAN — Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) President Edmund Schweitzer is working in opposition to the state's new long-term care income tax. The Long-Term Care Trust Act was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee into law in 2019. It begins in January of 2022. The new income tax is 0.58% drawn from workers' payrolls. The more someone makes, the more they pay. For people making $100,000, they pay $580 annually. The money is held to pay for long-term care toward the end of people's lives. A person c...
Nicole is a 22-year-old and sits in a chair telling her dad on the phone how her boyfriend abandoned her. He stopped calling and texting her once she told him she has COVID. The young man doesn't seem to know he can't catch it through a cellphone. Her dad is several states away waiting for a store to unload his semi-truck, but he called her. An unvaccinated coworker at a juice bar brought it to work. Nicole and two others got sick. She lost the job. Nicole's alone and feeling rejected by...
COLFAX - The two candidates with the most votes move forward toward the November general election. The only races in the primary election are ones with three or more candidates. The Aug. 3 primary election ballots are all counted. Whitman County voters cast 2,731 ballots. It means 34.8% of the county's 7,893 registered voters took part in the primary election. The last ballots were counted on Aug. 6 but results remain unofficial until they are certified by the county canvassing board on Aug....
PULLMAN - Fire destroyed a home on Maple Street in Pullman and shed embers to set another house on fire on Aug. 8. "Firefighters said the winds were gusting up to 30 miles per hour at the time and carried embers from Maple Street to more than a block away igniting the cedar shake shingles on a three-story home at 400 NE Howard Street," said Pullman Fire Department Public Information Officer Glenn Johnson. Embers started a wildland fire causing half an acre of a hillside on North Grand Avenue to...
COLFAX - It's hot already and it'll creep up a little more until it starts to cool on Sunday. "High pressure will build back over the region with drier and warmer weather ... The main story will be the extreme heat that returns by Thursday and lasts through the weekend," stated a National Weather Service meteorologist. It is predicted to reach 97 degrees on Thursday, Aug. 12, in Whitman County, climb to 99 degrees on Friday, and reach 100 degrees on Saturday, according to the weather service....
ROSALIA - Port of Whitman County and Ziply Fiber delivers fiber optic Internet to about 300 homes and businesses starting today. "Rosalia's Internet connectivity (is) on par with major cities across the country," said Dan Miller, Ziply Fiber senior vice president. Rosalia is the first of five Whitman County communities being connected to the Internet with high speed service. Garfield, Oakesdale, Palouse, and Tekoa are scheduled to join the Ziply Fiber network by the end of the year. "Residents...
PALOUSE - It's not broke, but they are prepared to fix the aging firetruck used by Whitman County Fire District 4 and the City of Palouse. "We have some trucks pushing 30 years and are looking to replace them," said Whitman County Fire District 4 Fire Chief Scott Beeson. "We can't afford new trucks so we buy used." Replacing the 25-year-old fire truck is in the initial stages of replacement. First, they are finding the finances to buy a new-to-them firetruck. Palouse firetrucks are replaced afte...
PULLMAN — Washington State University Cougars' quarterback Jayden de Laura was found not guilty of DUI by a judge in Whitman County District Court on July 29. There was no jury, it was a bench trial determined by Judge Pro Tem Douglas Robinson. "They brought up a lack of evidence ... they showed video from the officer's body camera that he wasn't staggering or slurring his speech," said Whitman County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Tessa Scholl. "I think his attorneys did a great job in convincing t...
PULLMAN - An SUV ran a red light in front of a Pullman police officer, and while being arrested the driver claimed he was ISIS and hates white people. ISIS is the acronym for the terrorist organization Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It is an enemy of the U.S. Vikram Singh, 32, of Pullman, was arrested and booked into the Whitman County Jail on July 26 for driving under the influence of alcohol, resisting arrest, three counts of assault in the third degree, and five counts of felony harassment...
COLFAX – Only 1,803 ballots were counted for the primary election on Aug. 3 for races in Malden, Palouse, and Pullman. The initial ballot counting was finished by 3 p.m. on the primary election day since the ballots represent 19% of the 9,156 registered voters. Four races were voted on by people living in Whitman County. The races were for elections with more than two candidates. After the ballots are counted, only the top two vote recipients remain to compete in the general election on Nov. 2...
COLFAX – Arrested in Pullman for assaulting a woman in March, a Tacoma man is charged with possession of four types of drugs. Demetrius R. Robinson, 34, of Tacoma, was charged in Whitman County Superior Court on July 8 with four counts of violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act for possession of Xanax, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methamphetamine, and cocaine. The charges are in addition to his pending jury trial for assault in the second degree and felony harassment. He was arrested on March 15 for and appeared to be u...
COLTON — The Steptoe Canyon Fire was contained on July 25 after torching 2,605 acres. A handful of firefighters continued mopping up hotspots for a couple days to finish extinguishing the fire. The fire started after a lightning storm on July 22 near Steptoe Canyon Road about 5 miles southwest of Colton. Four structures were threatened but aviation drops of fire retardant prevented their losses, according to Walter Escobar, incident commander for the SE Washington Interagency Team. The fire expa...
It’s shaping up to be the year for conspiracy fans. UFOs are confirmed by the U.S. military and now government censorship through social media platforms. “We are in regular touch with social media platforms … We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on July 15 during a press conference. She was speaking alongside Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy about information provided about COVID, treatments, and vaccinations. Psaki outlined steps the White...
OLYMPIA - Gov. Jay Inslee declared an emergency drought for most of the state on July 14. The drought affects every county in the state but excludes an area that encompasses most of King County, half of Snohomish County, and Tacoma by itself. It stretches from north of Everett to south of Kent. Tacoma is the only area in Pierce County not impacted by the drought, according to the state. "Many areas of (Washington) are currently under the stress of these extreme drought conditions," said Inslee....
COLFAX — James S. Olson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge and is no longer facing the felony charge of rape. Olson, 30, of Albion, pleaded guilty in Whitman County District Court assault in the fourth degree – domestic violence on July 9. He was initially charged with rape in the second degree – domestic violence in Whitman County Superior Court. The rape charge was declined by the prosecutor due to the victim’s wishes and because it couldn’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. A plea agreement was made to obtain a convictio...
COLFAX - Randy Miller served Colfax as a volunteer firefighter for years and now he is the newest deputy for the Whitman County Sheriff's Office. "I've known of him for the last 10 years through the fire department," said Undersheriff Chris Chapman. "I don't think there is a person who doesn't get along with him." Miller returned from the Basic Law Enforcement Academy in Spokane on July 7 and began his field training two days later. He joins the 18 deputies working for the sheriff's office. He's...
CLARKSTON - Smoke could be seen from Clarkston as three wildland fires merged into two, one being 100% contained on Monday. The closest is the Silcott Fire, which is 2 miles west of Asotin and was burning 8,633 acres on July 12 and is 100% contained. "We do not expect the fire to grow or spread outside its current borders," said a spokesperson. Fire began burning brush and tall grass on July 7. No structures were lost. The firefighting is managed by Asotin County Fire District 1, the Washington...
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee declared an emergency drought for most of the state on July 14. The drought affects every county in the state but excludes an area that encompasses most of King County, half of Snohomish County, and Tacoma by itself. It stretches from north of Everett to south of Kent. Tacoma is the only area in Pierce County not impacted by the drought, according to the state. "Many areas of (Washington) are currently under the stress of these extreme drought conditions," said I...
