Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 866 - 890 of 2119
Chad Hansen makes tracks for the Vikings with Caleb Shanks of Touchet attempting to close ground. The second of a pack of key games has arrived at the conclusion of the Southeast 1B football season: Garfield/Palouse vs. Colton. After Colton lost to Sunnyside Christian Oct. 13 for their only league loss, Gar/Pal (5-1, 2-0 league) holds the edge over them without a league loss, but they haven’t played unbeaten Sunnyside Christian. They will face-off next week. It will all decide the order of t...
A new store is taking shape in an old building on Main Street in Colfax, expected to be an extension of a path that has seen success in Moscow. Austin Storm and wife Laura bought the gray and maroon 103 Main Street building in August with plans to open a new venture in the spirit of their Storm Cellar in downtown Moscow. Storm Cellar, the second-hand consignment clothing-and-more operation, first opened eight years ago, and then led to the opening of another business, Hansel and Gretel, in...
The Colfax school board approved Monday an $18.9 million bond proposal to go before voters in February. Designated for facilities improvements at Jennings Elementary and Colfax High School – from rooftops to classrooms and the auditorium – the nine-page bond filing will now be submitted to the Whitman County elections office. The $18.9 million final figure comes after refining a $19 million estimate that arose from a series of discussions earlier this year with staff, consultants and com...
More history The names of former workers at the Brotherton Seed Co. building in Tekoa are exposed as the tear-down work continues this fall. Progress continues on demolition of the former Brotherton Seed Co. building in Tekoa. Larry Heaton a year ago purchased the building from Brotherton Seed of Moses Lake and hired Butch Drott of Tensed last fall to take down the 10,000 square foot, three-story building at the west edge of downtown. “We’re gaining on it,” said Heaton. “It’s probably 85 percen...
Pasha Pavlo Rudenko, left, founder of Tribotex, stands with Vladimir Borisov, Tribotex research and development engineer, at the company's display in Tampa, Florida. A local company was named a winner of a Defense Innovation Award at the 2017 Defense Innovation Technology Acceleration Challenge in Tampa, Fla. Held Oct. 3-5, the technology-prospecting event draws representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, NASA, Air Force Space Command, Department of Energy and more. Tribotex,... Full story
It was night. A sound came from the closed firehouse. The printing museum was dark, and something had happened on the dirt road by the river. The 16th annual Haunted Palouse begins Friday in which the city becomes an eerie place. People 12 and over pay $20 to gain entry into a transformed gauntlet of a firehouse, an unrecognizably haunted printing museum and a cold, tense ride on the back of a farm trailer down Shady Lane. The two-weekend event benefits a varied list of town organizations. “Ever...
County commissioners continue to work on the 2018 county budget after a revised preliminary general fund expenditure list was presented Monday during the second part of a public hearing led by County Administrative Director Gary Petrovich. Noting that the numbers have changed since the Oct. 2 first session of the hearing, Petrovich pointed out the new general fund spending total is $15,902,000, a decrease from $15,960,000. The budget deficit has been reduced from $102,714 to $44,673. The budget... Full story
A new school bond proposal is taking shape in Colfax. At a school board work session Monday night, members heard the parameters of what would be a $19 million bond for facilities improvements at both Colfax High School and Jennings Elementary. Worked out over meetings going back to January when a committee was formed by Superintendent Jerry Pugh and lead by volunteer Wes Claassen, the measure would focus on what is needed for the next 20 years of the schools. Any bond proposal would have to be...
Whitman County Port commissioners fielded several topics at their Oct. 6 meeting. First off, commissioners John Love, Tom Kammerzell and Kristine Meyer asked for added time to review a process for people who want to get on the agenda to discuss an issue – and in the process revised a mechanism for how the port staff works with commissioners. “This will tell people a timeline to work around,” said Joe Poire, executive director. “I appreciate the clarity.” At the commissioners’ next meeting, pu...
The Garfield Grange will close at the end of the year after falling short of attracting new officers which were needed by Oct. 1. In July, existing officers voted to close the chapter if they did not reach the deadline. The minimum required by the Washington State Grange office in Olympia is to have a President or Master, an Overseer or Vice President, a secretary and a treasurer. “No progress of people stepping forward to take offices,” said Master Penny Martinez. “Thirty-one December will...
Last Friday, the 2017 Washington Rural Carrier Outstanding Member of the Year had just finished his route 10 minutes before. “It was quite nice,” said Jim Hemrich of Endicott, who delivers mail for the U.S. Postal Service in the Garfield and Oakesdale areas. “A little bit lighter volume, but boxholder phone books take up a lot of space, and quite a bit more time.” The term “boxholder” refers to an item delivered to all boxes. Hemrich, a 31-year Post Office veteran, was honored in June at the...
With the game tied at halftime, 20-20, Garfield/Palouse and Deary came out in the second half Sept. 29 at Palouse and it was still tied late in the fourth quarter. The Vikings drove to a first-and-goal on the Deary 9-yard line. The Mustangs held them short of the end zone once, twice and a third time. On fourth down, Garfield/Palouse quarterback Evan Weagraff threw incomplete and the Vikings turned the ball over on downs. Deary then drove 92 yards to score, taking the lead 28-20. The clock showe...
The proposed Oakesdale trestle removal project moved a step forward Monday when the county Public Works department received a permit from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. The permit calls for the 120-foot long structure to be removed by the end of November. A Whitman County crew will do the work, estimated at a week long. They will start after the Steptoe Canyon Bridge project south of Colton is finished. County commissioners Sept. 5 approved the purchase of the low, wooden...
A twist on what it is being asked by the Washington State Department of Ecology for Palouse’s wastewater treatment plant has led to the city requesting more time to meet the rule. Originally on a December deadline to adjust to new limits on nitrogen levels and a cooler overall effluence for the plant, the city now reacts to a pending change regarding Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB). The city was told in a meeting Aug. 23 that PCB requirements are likely to shift. It was information that made m...
County Administrative Director Gary Petrovich presented a preliminary general fund expenditure budget to county commissioners Monday to consider for 2018. The deficit was $102,714 on a total of $15,960,085. “I have to commend the departments for being financially diligent and responsible,” said Petrovich. The projected deficit number of $102,714 represents a significant drop from previous years. Ten years ago, the initial budget deficit would often be in excess of a million dollars. “Then you’d...
-Janet Leifer photo St. John/Endicott/LaCrosse freshman Caden Noha finds running room in the Eagles' 30-22 loss to Columbia. A rare Tuesday night Southeast 1B football game in Colton counted as non-league. Nonetheless it counted up to 74-6 for the Wildcats over St. John/Endicott/LaCrosse. Colton (3-1) got three interception returns for touchdowns, from Cameron Bean, Matt Wolf and Cole Hennigar, as they forced seven turnovers. At quarterback, Parker Druffel threw 10-for-18 for 280 yards and five... Full story
Port of Whitman commissioners will consider a new draft at their next meeting Oct. 5 of a letter to encourage support of proposed work at the intersection of U.S Highway 195 and State Route 26 at Colfax. The letter, which is to be sent to the federal Department of Transportation, will likely also advocate for a rail project near Endicott. Debbie Snell, Port of Whitman properties and development manager, shared a draft letter with commissioners Sept. 21 on the Colfax matter, which is referred to...
The Colfax School Board met Monday night for its regular meeting and approved coaching contracts, new policies and met the new art teacher. Confirmed hires included Carrie Lyle as para-educator at six hours per day, Craig Culbertson as assistant high school football coach, Casey Zander; assistant high school volleyball coach; Mollie Kramer, assistant junior high girls basketball coach and volunteers Phil Morgan (football), Maggee Cochran (volleyball), Derek Holmes (cross-country) and Reagan...
Kirby Dailey, a 1977 Colfax High graduate, will open LizaJane Cabinets early next year on Highway 26 in Colfax. Newly broken ground at the northwest corner of Colfax on Highway 26 is set to become a custom cabinet shop owned and operated by native Kirby Dailey. The shop will come out of Mitz’s Cabinets in Garfield, which Dailey bought two years ago from Craig Mitzemberg. Dailey, a Colfax High graduate of 1977, quit working at Decagon Devices in Pullman in May as senior vice p... Full story
The City of Palouse picked up $5,000 Sept. 12 from Avista as part of its Renewable Energy Cost Recovery Program. Palouse earned the award by exceeding its production quota on its solar farm built last year. Avista gave the program’s maximum award, $5,000, calculated from a formula of 18 cents per kilowatt hour (kwh) generated in the fiscal year of July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017. In that time, the Palouse farm delivered 42,869 kwh. “Our production was fantastic this year,” said Kyle Dixon, Palous...
Whitman County Port Commissioners discussed two items Thursday, Sept. 21, which may alter their standard agendas in the future. Both matters were ultimately shelved for discussion at their next meeting. Earlier in September, at the commissioners’ prior regular meeting, Commissioner Tom Kammerzell requested when a resolution came up on the agenda it should not go to a vote until the following meeting. “I think it becomes overly paternalistic,” said Commissioner Kristine Meyer. “I don’t think the...
Whitman County commissioners Monday approved the 2018 road construction program, an annual step required by funding agencies. Included in the 2018 program are Almota Four reconstruction, Almota Three surveying and engineering, the remaining guardrail from the federal road safety program, Hume Road surveying and nearly four miles of paving on Sand Road. The largest is Almota Four. The fourth and final part of the Almota Road reconstruction will be done before Phase Three because its funding was...
Coach Ken Gering’s St. John/Endicott/LaCrosse football team made their home debut Sept. 15 against Selkirk and went down 58-26. Staying with the non-league opponent for the first half, the Eagles trailed 36-20 in the third quarter before Selkirk took control for good. Five St. John/Endicott penalties in the fourth quarter played a role. “We ran out of steam,” said Gering, who will work this week on adjusting his lineup to play less two-way players. Eagles quarterback Trey Fleming threw for four...
The Uniontown sidewalk-extension project has been approved and pushed back to next year. Originally planned for this summer, the work to extend sidewalks to each end of the town limits was approved Sept. 13 by the Washington State Department of Transportation. With its approval, the state designated a change to the planned pedestrian lighting which calls for narrowing the focus of the LED fixtures. Uniontown and its engineer, Munir Daud, will now go out to bid Nov. 1 for work next spring. The... Full story
The Steptoe Canyon Road bridge work south of Colton moves forward toward completion as a deadline nears of Oct. 15 on the permit from the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife. Brandon Kruger, Whitman County maintenance operations manager, reported to county commissioners Monday that the new bridge’s pilings have been driven and steel caps installed for girders to be attached. Delivery of the 34-foot span concrete girders is now being coordinated along with scheduling a crane. County P...
