Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Sterling Bank will open its newest branch Monday, July 2, in LaCrosse. Sterling will occupy the 1915-vintage First Savings Bank building on Main Street. The building was vacated and LaCrosse left without a bank when state and federal regulators closed the Bank of Whitman last August. Sterling will lease the building from LaCrosse Community Pride, a volunteer non-profit formed in 2010 with the goal of bringing back a grocery store to the town. McGregor Company purchased the bank building out of receivership from the Federal Deposit Insurance...
Dignitaries broke ground on the $17 million McCoy Grain Terminal in an official ceremony in the Rosalia City Park last Wednesday, June 20. The project is a collaboration between Cooperative Agricultural Producers and Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative, local grain cooperatives. The state-of-the-art train loader will be able to load unit trains of 110 cars holding 410,000 bushels of wheat in about eight-and-a-half hours before turning them around for Portland via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad. “Those yields, and that p...
On state Highway 195, just a few hills away from the Palouse Wind farm on Naff Ridge, the Horn School Rest Area has drawn Commissioner Greg Partch’s eye as a possible site for an electric car charging station. “I think it would be good to get something over here on this side (of the state),” said Partch. “And if we could put it there to spotlight renewable energy and tie it into the wind farm.” Partch Tuesday hosted a conference call on the potential for putting a charging station at the rest area south of Rosalia on 195. “It’s just a logica...
Whitman County commissioners unanimously approved Monday a new schedule for giving raises to county employees. The new salary plan will take effect next year. Under the existing system, which Commissioner Pat O’Neill called “archaic,” employees are given three percent “step” raises every 18 months. The new plan changes that to two percent raises at the beginning of each year. Heads of various county departments issued a consensus endorsement of the plan, which was drawn up two weeks ago by the county’s classification committee. Those offic... Full story
Washington state has decided Whitman County’s Hume Road is the worst road in northeast Washington. Turns out that’s a good thing. Because of the deteriorating condition of the north end of Hume Road, Whitman County has been awarded repair funding from the state’s rural arterial preservation program. “Looks like other counties are beginning to have a hard time competing with our nice, windy, crappy roads,” said Public Works Director Mark Storey. Storey reported to county commissioners Monday that state officials determined the surface of Hume R... Full story
Uniontown and Tekoa received funding to remodel buildings for operating businesses by Whitman County’s Blue Ribbon Advisory Task Committee Tuesday night. Whitman County Library District was partially funded in its request to develop a community arts center in Colfax. The committee decides how to distribute a portion of the county’s allotment of economic development funds. The county receives .09 percent of the state’s share of sales taxes generated in the county to fund economic development projects. This year, the county expects to recei... Full story
Residents of Colfax report a strong affection for their hometown. Now, the city needs to do a better job of sending that message to the world. Mayor Todd Vanek Tuesday told a Chamber of Commerce luncheon crowd of 50 residents at the Colfax library that the city needs to improve its profile. “We have to get other people excited about Colfax,” said Vanek. “If we want people to move here, if we want businesses to come, we don’t necessarily need to change. We just need to market it.” Vanek cited the city’s recent parks survey which showed 75 p... Full story
“Something remarkable has happened,” declared Alex McGregor, his booming voice filling the newly-painted walls of the LaCrosse Community Building. McGregor spoke as part of Saturday’s dedication of the building, still in the midst of a renovation, which will soon bring groceries back to the western Whitman County farmtown. The 7,500-square-foot building is the central feature of LaCrosse Community Pride’s efforts to revitalize a downtown that lost its grocery store, bank and hardware store in a three-year span. Residents volunteered their e...
City Slicker was hurting, smoke pouring off of it and gears slipping as Tyler Startin of Dusty backed up his machine for a full-speed run. Startin slid his combine, named Bass Ackwards after modifications moved the rear end to the front, into fourth gear and pushed to almost eight miles an hour before delivering the blow that finally took the Seattle-based City Slicker machine out of commission. Startin backed up again to make a final celebratory run at the urban monster and was then crowned champion of the 25th annual Combine Demolition Derby... Full story
Almost four years after the Great Recession ground it to a halt, the real estate market on the Palouse is about to pick up steam, a panel of realtors and land-use experts predicted in a meeting Tuesday. “We’re definitely in an area that should be growing,” said Shelly Bennett, a realtor with Palouse Commercial Real Estate. Bennett’s firm presented its second annual commercial market review at Pullman’s Belltower Tuesday. Experts like Pullman Planner Pete Dickinson and Jeff Jones, director of Moscow’s urban renewal agency, reported increasing... Full story
Whitman County’s Blue Ribbon Advisory Task Committee decided Tuesday night to call back three of four entities that had requested .09 economic development funds. Rejected was a $15,000 request by the Pullman-Moscow Airport to fund an upgrade of its emergency communication system. “How is it creating jobs by buying radios?” asked committee member Dale Miller of Uniontown. Board member Marty Mullen of Pullman noted the project already has funding from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Port of Whitman County and Avista. The funds deriv...
A new LaCrosse will be on display during the town’s annual Farmers’ Festival this weekend. Along with the regular parade, barbecue and mudfest, LaCrosse will celebrate its efforts to turn around an economy that has been struggling for years. “LaCrosse is not the little town that could. It’s the little town that is,” said Randy Myklebust, one of the board members of the LaCrosse Community Pride nonprofit. Highlight of the festival weekend will be a dedication of the new grocery store and marketplace building at 2 p.m. Saturday. LaCrosse...
Facility will be able to load 410,000 bushel trains in 8.5 hours. McCoy Land Company will host a groundbreaking ceremony next Wednesday to mark the start of construction on its $17 million shuttle train loader. The company is a joint venture by local grain cooperatives CoAg and Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative. The loader will be located just north of McCoy siding, along State Route 271 south of Rosalia. The 1.3-million-bushel, state-of-the-art train loader will reduce the time needed to fill 110-car unit trains. The longer trains net...
Picketers stood outside the gates of the Jordan World Circus Tuesday at the Palouse Empire Fairground, protesting against what they view as cruel animal training methods. “Circuses are very cruel to animals. They use inhumane training methods to get these animals to do what they want them to do,” said protester Cindy Wines of Moscow. The Jordan Circus and its collection of exotic animals performed two shows Tuesday at the fairground. The four protesters held signs made by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, and distributed... Full story
Seniors from LaCrosse High School are in Hawaii this week and were slated to visit Pearl Harbor to see the wreckage of the attack which brought the United States into World War II. Teacher Don Kemper is leading the students on their trip. “It’s tough duty, but somebody’s got to do it,” said Kemper. Before leaving, he took the students to Spokane to meet with members of the Lilac Chapter of Pearl Harbor Survivors. Kemper organized the visit in order to give his students first hand accounts of the attack. The students met with eight veteran...
After more than a decade and 11,423 miles bicycling across the U.S., Pastor John Cross has found a place to rest. Cross recently took over as pastor at Selbu Lutheran Church between LaCrosse and Hay. “I’m just glad to be in one spot,” said Pastor Cross. “And this is a great spot to be.” He takes over the pastor position at Selbu from Dennis Bay, who retired in August after 32 years as the church’s pastor. Over the previous year and a half, Cross was on the road, without any possessions save the 60 pounds of gear he packed on his trusty Trek... Full story
Leaders of Whitman County’s various departments urged commissioners Monday to approve a plan to overhaul employees’ salary structure. The county’s classification committee two weeks ago presented a plan that would change how employees receive regularly scheduled raises and provide longevity raises for long-term workers. Fran Martin, health department director, presented commissioners the opinion of the Elected and Appointed Team of county officials, or EAT, that the committee’s plan should be approved for next year. “We believe this is a more...
The race for Whitman County commissioner from District 2 will be on the August primary ballot. With only two candidates, Democrat incumbent Pat O’Neill of Johnson and Republican farmer Dean Kinzer of rural Pullman, county elections officials initially figured the office would not need to be on the “top two” primary ballot. State elections officials last week told Debbie Hooper, county elections supervisor, that assumption was wrong. “Because it’s a partisan race, it will have to be on the ballot,” said Hooper. “We have to do it. It’s law.” So...
Four applications were submitted to Whitman County in search of a share of the $100,000 in .09 economic development funding available for public projects. The funds derive from a .09 percent share of the state’s portion of sales tax revenues to use on projects that will bolster the local economy. Awards are determined by the county’s citizen Blue Ribbon Advisory Task Committee. Applications were submitted by the Uniontown Public Development Authority, the city of Tekoa, the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport and the Whitman County Rural Lib...
Bottles of liquor appeared on the new row of shelving at Rosauers in Colfax Friday morning, the first booze sold by a private vendor since before prohibition. Store manager Shawn McAdams said his store had “very steady sales” in the first weekend of privatized liquor since voters approved Initiative 1183 last November. “So far the biggest concern is the extra tax that gets added on,” said McAdams. Many customers who got a bottle of spirits from the store’s secured shelves griped about the sticker shock they felt when the bottle rang up 24 perce...
A decision on an amendment to the development contract between Whitman County and Boise-based Hawkins Companies was delayed Tuesday for at least another week. Commissioners had scheduled a possible vote on the deal Tuesday after a planned executive session to discuss the contract with Prosecutor Denis Tracy and special counsel Milton Rowland, who was hired out of the Foster Pepper law firm in Spokane. Greg Partch, chair of the county commission, said Rowland and Tracy still had concerns to discuss before commissioners could vote on the...
McCoy Hall fire follows two in campus apartment buildings Pullman fire crews responded to a third suspicious fire in eight days early Tuesday morning when Whitcom dispatchers received an alarm from McCoy Hall on the WSU campus at 12:30 a.m. Firefighters initially found nothing at the building, which is located off Stadium Way on the east side of the campus. They then discovered the sprinkler system in the building had been triggered and doused the fire. WSU police believe entry to the building was gained by smashing a window at the south entran...
Thieves struck at the Endicott Cemetery Sunday afternoon, stealing dozens of flower arrangements from graves along the cemetery’s rear access road just before Memorial Day. “I just don’t understand what they want with them all,” said Ray Huntley, a director of the cemetery’s board, who was tending to the cemetery Tuesday. Huntley said word began to spread Sunday that flowers were missing, but nobody was quite sure exactly when the flowers were nabbed. Deputies were called out to investigate Sunday night. Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Chapman sai...
Battle Days blasts off Friday, as Rosalia’s 43rd town festival takes hold of the city this weekend. Events are marked up and down Main Street this year. Kelly Brown of Malden has painted old-timey Battle Days-themed scenes on windows of businesses up and down Whitman Ave. Battle Days coordinator Sarah Birrenkott noted Brown’s work is part of the heavy influence of arts on this year’s Battle Days blast. Commemorative posters featuring a design by Rosalia student Tyler Mundt will be available, as will buttons designed by student Alexandra Naugh...
Central Ferry Park will be out of commission for another year this Memorial Day weekend and for the whole season. The river park will be closed this summer, as it has the past two summers, while officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continue to mull options for the site. “Unless our budget changes, nothing’s going to happen down there,” said Gina Baltrusch, press agent for the corps’ Walla Walla office. Central Ferry closed down after the firm that operated it cancelled its lease with the corps. The park was built as one of the cor... Full story
