Serving Whitman County since 1877
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COLVILLE — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in late October that it would be removing endangered species protections for wolves in the lower 48 states, essentially turning management of the predator fully to the state. The federal agency had listed wolves as endangered in much of Western Washington until the Oct. 29 announcement. As the state Department of Fish and Wildlife assumes the totality of the responsibility for wolves, with many of its action items seeming to focus on removing cattle instead of wolf management. In O...
DAVENPORT –– They may be on a bucking horse in Montana, or riding bulls in Colorado or parking their gear bag behind the chutes at practice pens near Reardan. They are sometimes smaller than their fellow riders and can easily be spotted by their long hair and narrow shoulders. They are spunky, brave and stubborn. These are the women of roughstock. In rodeo, roughstock, or the events featuring bucking horses and bulls, are usually considered men's events. But a new generation of cowgirls is sho...
A fast moving fire consumed over 70,000 acres in Lincoln County yesterday as high winds made the fire hard for crews to contain. The fire, also being referred to as the Hawk Creek fire, is currently burning in the areas of Hawk Creek Road, Cottonwood Creek, Gunning, South Telford, Whitaker Lake and Seven Springs Dairy. Isabel Hoygaard of the Type 3 Incident team said the fire has burnt at least four homes and numerous outbuildings. “We saw exponential growth of the fire yesterday and extreme fire behavior,” Hoygaard said. “Due to the wind...
The formerly shuttered livestock processing facility in Odessa has a new lease on life, with the new owners using the facility to help launch a direct-sales beef program. Miles Curtis, who ranches near Odessa, Ewan and Tokio, bought the facility this spring. The facility had formerly been operated by the non-profit group Cattle Producers of Washington. The new plant, called Limit Bid Packing, processes the beef for Curtis’ direct sales program, as well as processing animals for outside c...
WENATCHEE — Since February, Washingtonians have experienced a dizzying set of mandates and orders related to the Covid 19 virus from the governor’s office. From business shutdowns to stay at home orders and mandating masks, the ongoing emergency declaration from Governor Inslee has caused frustration throughout the state. One group says they have had enough. Restore Washington, an activist group that includes former 12th Legislative District Rep. Cary Condotta, R-Wenatchee, has worked on several issues in the past, including getting $30 car...
DAVENPORT — As the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect live cattle markets throughout the country, many ranchers and feedlot owners are looking for grazing land to hold animals that are awaiting slaughter. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a backlog of roughly 800,000 to 1 million head of cattle are awaiting slaughter as packing plants slowly return to capacity throughout the U.S. The Tyson cattle slaughter plant in Kennewick, for example, is now operating “near” capacity, but company officials said that worke...