Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 427
After serving for 37 years as Whitman County Coroner, Pete Martin is well remembered and thought of by those he has served and worked with. “Pete has been a delight to work with over the years,” said Commission Chair Dean Kinzer. “He’s a great coroner,” said Commissioner Michael Largent. He added that Martin did his duties with “grace and aplomb” and that is what he was elected to do. “He was always thorough, did an excellent job,” said Robert Kramer, director of Kramer Funeral Home in Tekoa. He...
Washington State Department of Transportation is making changes to its railroad crossing permit procedure for landowners, especially those along the now-dormant line between Pullman and Colfax. “This is a unique section of line,” said Barbara LaBoe, WSDOT communications. According to LaBoe, the crossing issue is still a work in progress. “We’re in the process of drafting an easement agreement rather than requiring a permit and insurance,” she stated in an email to the Gazette. The easement is st...
Those present at the joint commission meeting from bottom left clockwise: Maribeth Becker, Dean Kinzer, Michael Largent, Art Swannack, Mark Storey, Kristine Meyer, Tom Kammerzell, John Love and Pete Martin. Whitman County commissioners and Port of Whitman commissioners met Monday for a regular joint board meeting at the courthouse. The Port of Wilma road was the biggest topic of the meeting with some unexpected revelations generating need for further discussion. The meeting began with a...
Above: The St. John Heritage Museum’s Farming Through the Years wall sponsored by Alex McGregor shows scenes of early farming on the Palouse. Right: Lydia Smith shows a new display to be put up in the museum soon. Left: A box of items from the “Hanoi Hilton” POW camp on display at the veteran’s wall. “Every hand’s a winner and every hand’s a loser,” the gambler advises, but on Feb. 10 the St. John Heritage Museum will be the biggest winner with every deal, roll and spin. The museum will host its...
The Colfax Junior Rodeo is hosting its regular Winter Barrel series which offers barrel racers an off-season venue and helps support the Colfax Junior Rodeo awards. “All the money we raise goes toward awards for the little guys,” said Carrie Lyle with the Colfax Junior Rodeo. The group has been hosting the event for about five years. Riders from all over attend the Sunday events. “I do have a lot of local girls,” Lyle said, noting many also come from Idaho, Oregon and other parts of Washing...
St. John School The St. John School District is seeking voter approval on a Feb. 13 capital levy for health, safety and facilities improvements which would make repairs to the school and grounds. “Roofing is the number one thing we need to do,” noted Supt. Suzanne Schmick who serves the St. John and Endicott districts. On the ballot is a capital levy proposition which would generate $500,000 over the next two years. Those funds would be used to replace the St. John school’s roof, repair sidewalk...
It is the perfect beginning for a dystopian novel: “A county wide power outage. Reports of an earthquake on west side of Washington State. Potential for ‘declared disaster’ situation pending. Whitman County’s capabilities are overwhelmed and activation of ECC is possible. Cell phone and internet service begins to degrade...” But it is not alternate-reality fiction, it is the scenario for the Whitman County Power Outage 2018 tabletop exercise set for March 8. “This is all about bringing pe...
A private railroad crossing which has been used for more than 80 years could now cost a homeowner $4 million dollars insurance a year to attain a crossing permit. Richard Old of Pullman brought the matter to Whitman County Commissioners Jan. 22 after seeking a resolution with State Department of Transportation for the past five years. “Basically what this is is extortion,” Old commented to commissioners. The issue came about in 2013 when Old approached the Whitman County planner to build hom...
“Imagine this scenario: A sudden event (such as a car accident or illness) left you unable to communicate. You are getting all the care needed to keep you alive and comfortable. The doctors believe there is little chance you will recover the ability to know who you are and who you are with.” Thus reads the top page of a packet for Advance Care Planning (ACP) which is being encouraged and facilitated by Whitman Hospital and Medical Center, Whitman Medical Group and Friends for Hospice. “We talk...
Iva Roberts is surrounded by antiques and art ready for sale at Our Cache in LaCrosse. Roberts has also recently opened The Inn which provides lodging for up to six people. What do you do with years of collected stuff saved for the kids when the kids do not want it? Sell it. That was Iva Roberts’ solution which has developed into Our Cache, an antique, consignment and art store set to open later this month in LaCrosse. “We wanted artists in the first place, but everything we get seems to be ant...
Whitman County commissioners and staff are working on installing a log to track data about public records requests. The last 2017 legislative session made changes in public records laws, one of which requires counties to track when requests are received, and how long it takes to process them. Agencies that spend $100,000 or more in responding to public requests are required to report it back to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC). “I don’t think we’ll get close to that... Full story
Becky Miller tends the till at Surplus Sale which raises funds for Palouse Habitat for Humanity. Volunteers Mike Madsen, left, and Jim McCloskey load a recently purchased dresser. Need something for the house? Want to help someone else get a house? The Palouse Habitat for Humanity Surplus Sale store is one of those places where both can be accomplished at once. “We’re a thrift store for home improvement materials,” said Jennifer Wallace, Palouse Habitat for Humanity executive director. “We l...
Pete Martin will retire March 1, 2018, after serving as the longest-running, consecutively-elected official in the state. County Coroner Peter Martin submitted a letter Jan. 22 to announce his retirement as of March 1, 2018. “I have found that the position as Coroner very challenging and satisfying. I was appointed Coroner in 1981 and have dramatically changed the office to a professional and well-respected office. My Chief Deputy Coroner, Annie Pillers, and the deputy coroners are excellent and... Full story
Mark Clinton After 18-and-a-half years in public service, Mark Clinton is not ready to give it up yet. “It’s my career duty to help the citizens of Whitman County,” he said. Clinton announced he is seeking to retain his post as Whitman County Treasurer. Clinton was elected to the post in 2014, running un-opposed following the retirement of Bob Lothspeich. Before his election, he was the city treasurer for Colfax for 14-and-a-half years. The treasurer’s office underwent a lot of bookkee... Full story
Emily Thompson watches the robot drop a “barrel of water” into a reservoir. Thompson was fine tuning the program to get the distance to the drop point just right. While many people in Whitman County have seen the robots built by area high schoolers at the fair or other public gatherings, they may not be aware of a younger crowd that is using a popular toy as a prequel to a deeper understanding of robotics and computer programming. First Lego League is an organization where school children exp...
When Lee Root resided in Lewiston and traveled north to visit relatives in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, he traveled through Rosalia. “I always thought it was a nice little town,” he said. Nice enough that when he retired, he ended up moving to Rosalia and has lived there for the past nine years. He added it was one of the best moves he has ever made. As the newly-elected mayor of Rosalia, Root is stepping up with the hope of getting Rosalia back to what it was before the Highway 195 by-pass was p... Full story
The Whitman County Food Coalition and Palouse-Clearwater Food Coalition will co-host the 2018 Food Summit, Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Gladish Community Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The summit will focus on food access on the Palouse; whether that be individuals growing their own, food pantries or food access in rural towns. The summit will also launch the Palouse Tables Project. There is high food insecurity in Whitman County as a whole, according to Ryan Lazo with the Center for Civic Engagemen...
Chris (Christina) Nelson of Endicott declared her intention to run for Whitman County treasurer Jan. 12. “I see where additional improvements can be made or improvements to areas that haven’t been tackled yet,” she said. County Treasurer Mark Clinton told the Gazette this week he intends to seek re-election. Clinton ran for the position unopposed in 2014. Nelson has worked as the Whitman County IT Director since September 2009. She has worked in Washington county government for 20 years, havin...
Above: One of the large tomes relocated in the move holds handwritten accounts from commissioners’ proceedings in 1915 and 1916. At right: Commissioner Michael Largent unloads boxes in the first floor vault. The boxes are labeled with the department they hail from and when to destroy the records therein. Commissioners and county staff got a little bit of a workout Jan. 4 moving tomes and boxes of records from the second floor vault to the first floor vault at the county courthouse. “We’re tryin... Full story
Emma and Lisa Klaveano Mother-daughter team Lisa and Emma Klaveano are gearing up for weddings, parties and more with the Palouse Knot Barn on SR 272 east of Colfax. “We’re good to go in June,” said Emma of the venue location. Lisa and her boyfriend bought the property in March. They were looking for a place big enough to fit their combined seven children and the large 1919 barn came with it. They bought the property from the Buris who had the barn listed on the heritage barn register and gave i...
Grant County has signed a two year contract to house its youth at Martin Hall, the juvenile detention center at Medical Lake. The facility was constructed and is overseen by a consortium comprised of Adams, Asotin, Douglas, Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens and Whitman counties. “It will be beneficial to the consortium because it will bring in more revenue,” said Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack, who is a board member for Martin Hall. The consortium was created in 1996, wit...
Sandy Jamison of Garfield, Republican, announced her plan to run for Whitman County Auditor Saturday, Jan. 6, at the Whitman County GOP crab feed. “I’m ready to do it,” she told the Gazette Monday. “I’m ready to be a public servant.” Incumbent Eunice Coker has announced plans to retire when she finishes her term at the end of this year. In a press release Jamison stated, “I firmly believe that it’s important to positively immerse myself into my community as a public servant – and I think being...
Daniel Broeckel is ready for customers at his new shop, Outlaw Meats. After almost 30 years sitting vacant, the old butcher building in LaCrosse is back in business with Daniel Broeckel returning to offer custom farm-to-table services. “We are putting back into the community that raised me,” he noted. Broeckel was born and raised in LaCrosse and grew up cowboying. When he started a family he realized he could not support them by cowboying. While in college he took a job at a butcher shop in Wal... Full story
Port of Whitman County commissioners Dec. 21 approved an interlocal agreement to be presented to Pullman for reimbursement of utility costs at the Pullman Industrial Park West. The agreement will now go to the Pullman City Council at its Jan. 9 meeting. The port bought the 30-plus acre site located near the intersection of Pullman-Albion Road and Highway 27 in 2008. It was annexed by Pullman and re-zoned light industrial. In 2014, the port put in water and sewer lines. All totaled, the port...
Whitman County commissioners started their first meeting of the new year in a workshop session with Auditor Eunice Coker to discuss staffing concerns. Topics included changing job classifications and requesting permission to advertise to fill a position. The biggest sticking point in the discussion was the funds to pay for the re-classifications and new personnel. The changes in job classifications will mean the people in those positions are paid more, totaling $15,210 in 2018. Commissioners...
