Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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While Mr. Hochschartner’s letter and intentions were well-meaning, it highlights the growing disconnect many people have with their food and its source. Trying to grow food in labs instead of utilizing the ultimate source of energy — the sun — is not healthier for our bodies or plant. The less processing of food, the better. If you want evidence and research, check out the Weston A. Price Foundation. Is not manufactured meat the ultimate in processed food? The more something is processed, the l...
COLFAX - It was 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning in late June. Carrie Lyle was awake to make coffee for her husband, Larry. She crossed her arms and felt a small, pea-sized lump in her breast. She had a clean mammogram in January, but cancer can grow quickly. Fortunately, this barrel-rounding cowgirl was faster than the cancer. She has taken this bull by the horns and tossed it to the ground, all while wearing a smile. "It's been such an inspiration for others going through something similar," said...
PULLMAN — The Port of Whitman County will hold an 11 a.m. Jan. 7 digital public hearing regarding the proposed sale of the last of the land it owns at its Locust Grove Industrial Park, also known as Pullman Industrial Park-West. The proposed sale is to Pullman-based Veterinary Medical Research and Development, which operates adjacent to Lots 19-21 of the industrial park. The company approached the port to purchase the 8.36 acres of undeveloped land near the intersection of Grand Avenue North and Pullman-Albion Road. The proposed use of the l...
COLFAX-The Fireman's Toy Box give-away last week provided toys to more than 200 Whitman County youth, according to organizer Bill Knox. While down some from last year's 267 total, Knox said volunteers met their goal. Fundraising this year was very successful, Knox said. He has been overseeing the Toy Box for more than 30 years. More than $10,000 was received in donations - the exact number was unknown at press time as Knox was still calculating donations. People also brought in toys. Knox, his...
COLFAX — The longest discussion during last Monday’s, Dec. 21, City Council meeting was on the proposed update of the Home Occupation code, planned to come before the council in January for approval. The code applies to businesses that operate and serve customers in a physical space within a home, such as hair dressers, Building and Community Development Associate Steve Bretveld said. A Home Occupation code is on the books, but it is very vague, Bretveld said. The Planning Commission has been working on updating it for the past yea...
COLFAX — A Pullman man in the Whitman County Jail on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and three counts of assault allegedly committed suicide Saturday afternoon, Dec. 26. Jose Chagollan-Flores, 35, was found hanging from a bed sheet attached to the upper bunk of his cell at 5:33 p.m., according to the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office. Correctional officers, deputies and EMTs tried to revive him, performing CPR and attempting other lifesaving measures, officials said. He was transported to Whitman Hospital, where he was later pro...
COLFAX — The first shipment of a COVID-19 vaccine is not expected to be given to workers at Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics. “It appears WHMC will not be a distribution site for the first round of vaccinations for front line healthcare workers and physicians,” Whitman Hospital spokeswoman Laurie Gronning said. Interim county Public Health Director Chris Skidmore could not confirm whether the hospital was among those to receive any of the first 975 doses of the vaccine. The first shipment is excepted to arrive tomorrow, Friday. Accor...
COLFAX — The Nov. 3 general election saw a high voter turnout of 86.4%, far higher than in previous years. While that speaks highly of voter involvement in the election, it could mean snags for measures on the ballot in 2021 due to validation requirements. Bonds, including street maintenance and operation levies, require a voter turnout of at least 40% of the most recent general election to be validated. That could be a problem for any municipality running on the 2021 ballot, based on past issue that have passed, yet failed for lack of v...
MALDEN — President Donald J. Trump should have received a letter yesterday from city officials asking for federal assistance in the wake of the Babb Fire and other Sept. 7 wildfires statewide. Malden Mayor Dan Harwood and Pine Creek Community Restoration Long-Term Recovery Group Director and City Councilman Scott Hokonson signed the letter Dec. 8. The letter follows ones from Gov. Jay Inslee and state congressional delegation requesting a federal disaster declaration for the eligible counties, i...
COLFAX — Whitman County expects to receive its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week. Gov. Jay Inslee said the first shipment arrived in the state Dec. 14; the first in line for vaccinations are health care workers (Phase 1a), the elderly in long-term care centers and American Indian communities. “Everything is moving pretty fast,” county Interim Public Health Director Chris Skidmore said. The first shipment is the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. It is a two-dose vaccine, with the second dose administered 21 days after the first...
LaCROSSE-A happenstance meeting last Christmas is bringing some cheer this year. "I'm just excited about this whole project and this it will be good for everybody involved," David Soderstrom, CEO of Bainbridge Manufacturing, said. Bainbridge Manufacturing is in a five-year lease for a Main Street building and has already hired one local man to being assembly work. It is a gift for the small town, the stars aligning to get the business to come to expand into LaCrosse, Jeff Pietila, president of...
COLFAX — For the first time since it began in 1998, the Palouse Empire Fair Foundation’s Dinner and Auction has been canceled. But the foundation is still encouraging charitable giving for others who have been negatively impacted by the events of the year. “If you have funds on hand that you intended to spend at our annual fundraiser, we encourage you to find a place in our great community that your gift can do some good,” dinner coordinator Toni Jorgensen said in a letter to businesses. In recent years, the event brought in $42,000...
COLFAX — Hospital boards at Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics, Pullman Regional Hospital and Gritman Hospital have made the decision to dissolve Palouse Surgeons LLC, effective Sept. 1, 2021. The partnership was developed to provide general surgery to the three area hospitals and has served them since 2009. The three surgeons in the partnership are Drs. John Visger, Juan Parra and Nancy Panko. “It’s worked really well,” Whitman Hospital spokeswoman Laurie Gronning said. The struggle has been in giving adequate service to all three hospita...
COLFAX - The Whitman County Sheriff's Office has a new deputy. Resident Randy Miller was sworn in Dec. 1. "He's a real great hire for us," Undersheriff Chris Chapman said. Miller, 30, is the son of Clark and Fonda Miller of Diamond, one of eight children to the pair. He first became involved with firefighting when he was 16, accompanying his dad at the Diamond Fire Department. "He liked that law enforcement deal a long time ago," his father, Clark Miller, said, recalling Randy Miller always want...
COLFAX — The Port of Whitman County has signed a letter of engagement with consulting group Maul Foster and Alongi, Inc., as a preliminary step in potentially re-opening the former WSU coal plant as a multi-use, value-added agricultural building. “It would be a bridge between the university, the community, the port and the county,” Properties and Development Director Debbie Snell said. “This is just the first step in what I think will be a long process as the port evaluates this building.” The consultant will complete a limited feasibili...
PULLMAN — A homeless man made his first appearance Monday after allegedly breaking into a frat house at Washington State University. Initially, Indiana Ludwick, 27, was being held without bail since his arrest late Saturday, Nov. 28. He was booked into the Whitman County Jail early Sunday morning, Nov. 29. Bail was set at $10,000 surety. He had been living in the frat house for about three days, Whitman County Superior Court records state. Police responded to a call of unsecured premises late Saturday at Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, records show. A...
COLFAX — Many events have been canceled this year and the consequences have been near and far-reaching. The cancelation of United Methodists Women’s annual potato bar meant less spud consumption and less funding for the Whitman County Chaplaincy. “I have to raise my own funds,” Chaplain Ron McMurray said, adding state law forbids public funds from being used to pay chaplains. The chaplain’s annual budget is $35,000-$37,000. McMurray’s job is supporting the emotional and mental well-being of victims of trauma and loss, law enforcement...
DIAMOND - New vehicle, coveralls and members, oh my! The Diamond Fire Department has seen a lot of improvement since the Labor Day fires, mostly due to support of other departments in Rural Fire District No. 11 and a Rural Community Grant. "There was a lot of cooperation that happened to get this done," Fire Chief Rob Shindler said. Shindler, chief for two years, was specifically speaking of the addition of a 2000 Ford Med-Tec ambulance and receiving an aid license. Now, the department can...
ROSALIA— A local man was arraigned Friday, Nov. 20, in Whitman County Superior Court following his arrest for allegedly attempting to burn down the Community Baptist Church. Samuel Jack Edgar Owens, 45, of Rosalia, remains in the Whitman County Jail on a $750,000 bond. He made his first court appearance and was charged Nov. 17 with first-degree arson. On Monday, Nov. 16, deputies were called to Community Baptist Church, 818 N. Whitman Ave., for a man threatening to burn down the church, Whitman County Sheriff Brett J. Myers said. A witness t...
COLFAX - Potlatch, Idaho, is becoming a lot cooler. Or, at least the NAPA store is, with Tyler Kuhl, owner of the Colfax and Pullman NAPA, taking over at the beginning of November. "A lot of project going on," said Kuhl from the Potlatch store at 140 Sixth St.. Kuhl has been traveling to the new acquisition practically daily. Projects include repainting, redoing displays, new merchandise and upgrading inventory. Kuhl already owns NAPA stores in Colfax and Pullman. The former owner of the Potlatc...
COLFAX — The Whitman County Elections Office is expected to continue processing ballots into next week as staff work through duplicates. “It’s very time consuming,” Auditor Sandy Jamison said The Washington Administrative Code defines ballot duplication as: “the process of making a true copy of valid votes from a physically damaged ballot or a ballot that is unreadable or uncountable by the tabulation system onto a paper or electronic blank ballot to ensure the ballot may be correctly tabulated by the tabulation system.” Duplicate ballots can...
COLFAX - Whitman County Commission challenger Tom Handy is leading incumbent Dean Kinzer in a race that has yet to be decided. As of 4:55 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, 9,153 votes (50.25%) were tallied for Handy and 8,966 (49.23%) for Kinzer. The next count is scheduled for Wednesday; an estimated 700 ballots remain, which are almost all duplicates, according to Whitman County Auditor Sandy Jamison. Duplicate ballots are those that a person marked a vote that they crossed out and changed to a different...
DIAMOND—New vehicle, coveralls and members, oh my! The Diamond Fire Department has seen a lot of improvement since the Labor Day fires, mostly due to support of other fire departments in Rural Fire District #11 and a Rural Community Grant. “There was a lot of cooperation that happened to get this done,” Rob Shindler, two-year fire chief, said. Shindler was specifically speaking of the addition of a 2000 Ford Med-Tec aid rig and receiving an aid license. That means now the department can respond to medical calls and do initial patient care...
COLFAX — In the wake of the devastation of the Labor Day fires, there was an outpouring of aid for the surrounding region. Civic clubs were the first to step up to assist in the response. The groups have the structure in place to accept donated items and money, and begin channeling it to the people in need. While the gears began to move for the large charities and relief organizations, friends and neighbors, through groups such as the Lions and Eagles, were already providing aid to the victims. “We just happened to be organized enough to get...
COLFAX — Winter is coming and now is the time for drivers to prepare themselves and their vehicles for winter driving. “Winters on the Palouse can be very nasty,” Washington State Patrol Sgt. Courtney Shawley said. La Nina conditions are expected, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), meaning an expected wetter and colder season than normal. There are increased odds of cooler than normal temperatures, especially toward the latter half of the winter, NWS advised. Drivers, especially ones not on a plow route, should carry a few extra...
