Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 476 - 500 of 2119
Fourth of July events around Whitman County include the following annual rites: the impromptu Johnson parade, Albion parade, fireworks and bands at Pullman's Sunnyside Park and the day-long events and fireworks at Endicott. In Johnson, on the single-strip of Johnson Road a mile off of Highway 95 north of Colton, 2019 will mark the 52nd parade, which has no official organizers or sponsors. It started as a mother telling her kids to make their own fun on Fourth of July morning, 1967. The Druffel...
Whitman County commissioners took in comments Monday from a rural county resident regarding the Beeson Cut-Off Road and Estes Road, halfway between Pullman and Palouse, toward the Idaho border. John Chaplain, a longtime WSU track coach, noted that he has lived on the road since the 1960s and that he first came in to talk to commissioners about this 50 years ago – and on subsequent occasions since – about what he described as a dangerous stretch of gravel road. “I don't think I can make it anoth...
The Palouse Police Department, which also covers Garfield, is down to two officers again after Leighton Cox, hired on April 3, was terminated June 20 for violating department policy. “There was cause,” said Chief Jerry Neumann. “There were things that didn't add up with him. That's why you have a year's probation period.” Cox joined the department from Wasilla, Alaska. Cox's equipment has been returned. With his absence, Neumann and Officer Joel Anderson will cover, if needed, until the return...
Fourth of July events around Whitman County include the following annual rites: the impromptu Johnson parade, Albion parade, fireworks and bands at Pullman's Sunnyside Park and the day-long events and fireworks at Endicott. In Johnson, on the single-strip of Johnson Road a mile off of Highway 95 north of Colton, 2019 will mark the 52nd parade, which has no official organizers or sponsors. It started as a mother telling her kids to make their own fun on Fourth of July morning, 1967. The Druffel...
The Washington State Parks Department has begun a process to evaluate the 1915 concrete Rosalia trestle after concerns about pieces falling onto the road below. The trestle, owned by State Parks as part of the Palouse-to-Cascades Trail (formerly John Wayne Trail), was the subject of a letter sent in May 2017 by Mark Storey, Whitman County Public Works director, after which he received a few calls from State Parks representatives, but no further action. Earlier this month at “Battle Days” in Ros...
Canola is in bloom once again in Whitman County with its bright yellow petals taking over hills for a crop that keeps increasing in this area. In 2012, seven Whitman County farms grew canola. Five years later, it was 25. "A lot more acres (in the state), definitely, again from last year to this year," said Karen Sowers, WSU Extension and Outreach Specialist who is also the executive director for the Pacific Northwest Canola Association. Last year, more than 67,000 acres of canola were grown in...
Andrew and Ronda Penwell, Colfax Junior-Senior High School teachers, have been chosen in a group of 77 teachers across the country to go to a summer workshop at Harvard University. The all-expenses paid trip to Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Mass., will be Aug. 18-20. The Pullman League of Women Voters nominated the Penwells for the workshop which is sponsored by the League's national organization. The event will focus on the Harvard case-study method of civics education, regarding...
What segment of voters will decide the next presidential election? The same people who always do – the mainstream. Two decisions in the last two weeks may underline this. Joe Biden's announcement to change his longtime support for the Hyde amendment was a step out of the mainstream, if you will, while Donald Trump's calling off a planned military strike against Iran was a foot kept firmly in it. These two moves, plus recent history of Republicans may portend the future. Why would Biden drop his...
Whitman County commissioners approved interlocal agreements on a new five-year county Solid Waste Management Plan with seven towns Monday. The list includes Colton, Lamont, Oakesdale, Palouse, Rosalia, Endicott and Colfax. The plan, required by the state, will cover 2019-24 to replace a previous plan from 2012 to present. The county began work two years ago on the plan, which is meant to be every five years. “They give us a little leeway on getting it done,” said David Nails, Whitman County soli...
The City of Palouse awaits a Shoreline Substantial Development permit from the Washington State Department of Ecology before going out to bid on a revamped plan for trail work along the river to be paid for by a county .09 fund grant. Palouse received the $26,530 grant last year. Last September, Palouse city administrator Kyle Dixon sought out five area contractors in an informal bid process to gauge what it would cost to build an estimated 500-foot long trail along the river – across from downt...
A Palouse flag may soon fly over Old Glory and possibly others. Moses Boone, a Palouse resident and farmer, briefed the city council June 11 on flag designs and symbolism, culminating in his proposal for a flag for Palouse. The design is now in the hands of the city council's policy and administration committee, which will decide whether to recommend it to the full council and mayor for approval. It all started in 2014, when Boone mowed his lawn one day listening to an episode of the Podcast...
Sander Carren and Shane Monroy took the Tekoa Slippery Gulch egg toss Saturday, June 15, winning $50 each. Monroy, 35, won one other time just after high school, an event which he's participated in since third grade. Carren, 36, Monroy's brother-in-law, had been in 10 Slippery Gulch egg tosses. "We switch off each year; with our wives one year, then we go for the win," said Carren. "Next year, we have to defend. Sorry, honey." Monroy is a Tekoa graduate, his wife Jessica a grade below him in...
By Garth Meyer Gazette Reporter For the 92nd year, Tekoa Slippery Gulch Days arrived Monday and will culminate this weekend with a series of events, both new and perennial. It all started June 10 with the kids’ Fishing Derby in Hangman Creek. Weigh-ins are at Tekoa Hardware. Kids up to age 12 fish in the creek, on a designated stretch from the Idaho border to Fairbanks Road, then turn in their biggest fish for weighing/measuring. On Saturday, announcer Chris Smith will present a bike to the w...
The Colfax school board approved a raise May 28 for district principals and administrative year-round staff. They include the superintendent, principals at the high school and elementary school, transportation supervisor, technology director, maintenance director, business manager and the district's executive assistant. Jerry Pugh, superintendent, made the proposal to the board. “I had to get it balanced out, to get things equitable across the board,” Pugh said. The raises include two per...
A new store has opened in Tekoa at the site of the former Thompson Barn – which continues as a 10x20 space within Homestead General Store, open since May 8, on Crosby Street. The store is owned by Jim and Diedre Lee, along with Chet and Susie Creger. “Everyone retired and we just needed something to do,” said Diedre, who with husband Jim, previously ran an antique mall in Tacoma. The Cregers ran a gift shop at Langley on Whidbey Island and an antique mall in Bothell. Both couples now live in Te...
Nightly highlights for Major League Baseball ran on ESPN Wednesday, June 5. An impossible throw from third to first for an out in Toronto, a catch against the fence in Philadelphia, Boston's Chris Sale striking out a series in Kansas City. Then there it was. The highlight of highlights. A batter, a swing and a miss. He stepped off and behind him, empty seats in the first rows, with a Delta Airlines logo on each. Welcome to America's pastime in 2019. This is what it is now, in its fourth year of...
The Colfax school board Monday approved hiring David Gibb of Selah as principal for the junior/senior high school. Gibb spent the past four years as assistant principal/career and technical education director at Selah, a 2A school of 1,100 students. “We're thrilled to have David Gibb,” said Jerry Pugh, superintendent. “He was all in for Colfax. This is where he wanted to be. He pushed it hard.” The hiring process to fill a position vacated by the resignation of Carrie Lipe, as principal for thre...
Colfax Superintendent Jerry Pugh reported to the school board Monday about summer construction, now that students and staff have cleared out of the buildings. The top backside of the Jennings Elementary has been stripped of siding for roof replacement. The high school cafeteria is now “gutted.” Renovation of the elementary gym is now underway. The overall schedule for summer includes demolition work at the cafeteria, the front part of the office, the bathrooms and three classrooms dow...
Those taking recycling to the Colfax drop-off center on Sumner Street next to Empire Disposal may have noticed a difference. The dumpsters for glass, plastic and aluminum are gone. They were taken away April 1. “The market is really bad right now,” said David Nails, solid waste and recycling director. “I’ve been working at this for 12 years. This is the worst it’s ever been.” Aaron Lawhead, site manager for Empire Disposal which collects the recyclables at Sumner Street, made the decision af...
Discussions are underway between county commissioners and Mark Storey, Public Works director, about putting the question to voters whether to raise the road tax collection rate for residents of unincorporated areas. The county’s annual road levy is allowed to increase one percent per year, by state law. “We are losing buying power over the years,” Storey said, citing increasing costs of three to four percent each year. “We’re falling behind on our ability to supply rock to maintain gravel ro...
Last agreements are coming in on the delayed Almota Four road work, including one which county agents obtained from a hospital patient in Puget Sound. On Tuesday, two county representatives, one of which is a notary, drove west, where an Almota Four landowner is in the hospital. The woman, who had expected to be released and back to the Palouse by this time, requested she sign the papers from where she was. In turn, county right-of-way agent Dan Hall and Brandon Johnson, administrative...
Palouse city councilman and school board member Chris Cook is the lone candidate to replace Michael Echanove, the city’s four-term mayor. Cook submitted his name to run during the initial filing period in May. “I was approached by a number of different people and, in the end, in talking to others who may have been interested, circumstances and timing for other folks didn’t work out,” said Cook. “So I put my hat in the ring.” A 14-year Palouse resident and eight-year school board member, he...
No football team will play this fall for Garfield/Palouse High School. After seven senior players graduated last Saturday, the number of interested kids was too low to field an eight-man team. Scott Thompson, athletic director, and other school officials made the decision not to have a team in 2019. The Garfield, Palouse and Pullman school boards are now in the process of approving a combine to allow Garfield/Palouse students to go out for football at Pullman High School. Combines may be set...
As the Colfax High School class of 2019 prepares to graduate Saturday, one particular class has a stake in what happens next. Altaira Bogle, a six-year teacher at Colfax, leads Senior Transitions – a required year-long class for 12th-graders which covers career investigation, scholarships, writing cover letters, college applications and resumes. Also, it covers how to rent an apartment, buy a car, live with roommates, read a lease, budget for groceries, handle personal finance, utility bills, f...
Colton opened the tournament with a first round win over the Loggerettes of Wishkah Valley, 13-2. They advanced to meet Southeast 1B league rival Pomeroy in the semifinals, winning 11-6. They made the state final, a team lead by five seniors, to play defending champions Almira/Coulee/Hartline, which beat them in a seeding game a week before. This would be for Colton's eighth state 1B softball championship since 2009, the last title in 2016, when the seniors were freshmen. The game was Saturday...
