Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 447 - 471 of 936
The Whitman County planner now has the ability to issue permits to certain construction projects at his sole discretion, after commissioners Monday approved a set of amendments to county zoning law. Iris Mayes, assistant county planner, told commissioners the changes were designed to streamline the permit process. The changes allow the planning department to issue administrative use permits for, among other things, cellular tower construction, property setbacks in the Pullman-Moscow Corridor zone, haul roads for quarry operations and farm...
Fears that the revolution in Egypt would disrupt the global wheat market were eased Monday when that nation made a large wheat buy. Tom Mick, chief executive officer of the Washington Grain Alliance, said Tuesday the country bought 55,000 metric tons of U.S. soft white wheat along with wheat from Australia and Argentina. “They need it, and they’re going to continue to buy,” said Mick. “We’re about the only supplier left that can meet their needs.” Egypt brought in about 10 million metric tons of wheat last year. Included in that was more th... Full story
A sketch of the proposed Mitzimberg cabinet shop which will be located at the site where the former building was destroyed by fire Nov. 30. The design work was done by Boudreau Architecture. Total square feet of floor space for the design is 5,640. Formal application to return Mitz’s Cabinet Shop to Main Street has been started by Craig Mitzimberg of Colfax. The city Monday initiated a permit process under the state’s Shoreline Management Act because the new structure, which will be on the site were the shop was destroyed by fire Nov. 30, is...
Residents of Rosalia this year have bumped Farmington for the dubious honor of being the highest taxed town in Whitman County. Declining property values for the tax base increased the levy rates faced by Rosalia taxpayers. They will pay $18.53 in taxes for each $1,000 of assessed value on the property they own. County commissioners Monday approved Assessor Joe Reynold’s 2011 levy rates. Due to falling assessments on private property and utilities, Rosalia’s levy rate rose 40 cents from last year’s $18.13 total. Farmington’s 2011 rate of $18.... Full story
For the first time in recent memory, John Hardy gym in the Endicott school will be without the sounds of squeaking sneakers and raucous rooters as county basketball teams start the final weeks of the winter campaign. Athletic directors from the eight Southeast District schools voted last fall to take the district tournament out of Endicott and move the show, at least the last three days of the show, to Colfax. “We’re sad about that, but we hope they’ll bring it back our way,” said Rick Winters, superintendent of the St. John/Endicott coopera... Full story
While still bargaining with union employees for contracts in 2011 and 2010, Whitman County commissioners Monday renewed a deal with negotiator G. Andrew Hunt and Associates. The Hunt firm of Spokane represents the county’s interests in collective bargaining negotiations with employee unions. Commissioner Pat O’Neill said the expertise of the Hunt firm is key to protecting the county’s interests in labor wranglings. “I’m not a professional at that, and we’ve got a lot of other things to do,” said O’Neill, who was a member of the Teamsters Union... Full story
More than seven months after being authorized to hire a director of Whitman County’s finances, Auditor Eunice Coker Monday told commissioners she needs to put the job back out for hire. Coker said she received three applications for the job when she initially advertised it last fall. Two of those applicants, she said, took other jobs, and the interview panel formed to hire the director decided to advertise the position again to draw more candidates. She said more supervisory duties have been added to the job description. Kelli Campbell, c... Full story
Whitman County Commissioner Greg Partch and Auditor Eunice Coker erred in their Jan. 20 statement about the source of local funding for the county’s new elections office. A letter written to voters and reported on in the Gazette said portions of this year’s $443,000 remodeling and the $105,571 roof on the building in 2009 were taken from real estate excise tax proceeds, which can only be spent on county infrastructure. “No property tax or current expense dollars were used,” Coker and Partch stated in their letter. The two county officia...
Whitman County has closed Babinski Bridge east of Uniontown to heavy traffic after inspection crews noticed upwards of 400 cracks in the foundation of the concrete span. Because of those cracks, the county has limited traffic on the heavily used bridge to under 30 tons, essentially anything lighter than a double-trailer semi truck. The restrictions will remain in place until the bridge can be replaced. “We don’t need a Minneapolis bridge,” said Public Works Director Mark Storey, referring to the infamous collapsed bridge The bridge, built...
Two roads which are not marked by signs and do not appear on maps are proposed to be abandoned by Whitman County. Public Works Director Mark Storey Monday asked commissioners’ permission to proceed with the vacation of the F.M. Thompson and Jesse Lewis roads in southern Whitman County. Storey said the roads, which stem from Wawawai Road west of Colton, were made obsolete when Wawawai was rebuilt in the 1930s. He said they amount to little more than pieces of right-of-way. “It’s really just clean-up work Whitman County should have done 70-some y...
Nearly one-fifth of the Palouse Empire Fair’s annual budget could fall casualty of Washington’s budget crisis. The loss of funding comes as part of the legislature’s efforts to close a $4.6 billion shortfall in the overall state budget. Members of the House have approved a plan to slash half of the funding that annually goes to state fairs. The Senate ways and means committee was slated to vote on the same proposal Wednesday. “That’s the way it works,” said Bob Reynolds, manager of the Palouse Empire Fair. “Take the funding away from the kids...
Revolutionary protests in Egypt have Northwest wheat growers tuned in to North Africa. “We’re definitely keeping an eye over there,” said Tom Mick, CEO of the Washington Grain Alliance. “We have no game plan in place because we don’t know what’s going to happen, but whatever happens is going to have an impact on us.” Egypt is by far the world’s leading importer of wheat. Mick said the U.S. is expected to export at least 9.8 to 10 million metric tons of wheat - including one million metric tons of soft white wheat - to Egypt this year. “And...
After a life of taking care of dozens of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and hungry farm crews, Mabel Wheeler will mark her 100th birthday Saturday with fitting grace. “That’s just how her life has been,” said granddaughter Sue Gilchrist. “She’s so considerate for everybody else that she just had to have her 100th birthday fall on a Saturday.” Ms. Wheeler was raised alongside 15 siblings in the Moscow mountains and has lived a down-home farm girl life ever since. She remembered packing half-gallon and gal...
Should the damaged CETC building in Colfax be fixed, razed or sold? That was the question discussed by Whitman County leaders in a workshop session Monday. Commissioner Michael Largent called the meeting after discussing the future of the building last week with Facilities Manager Bob Reynolds and County Engineer Mark Storey. “I think the key question we have to answer before we pick a direction is, is the CETC part of the core mission of the county?” Largent asked his fellow commissioners. A heavy load of ice and snow caused the roof of the...
Even though the program may be discontinued by the state, Whitman County is looking at awarding .09 economic development grants to local jurisdictions this year. With almost $800,000 in undedicated .09 funds, commissioners discussed in a workshop session Monday the possibility of assigning $100,000 for local projects this year. “Given where we’re at with it, I think we may have room to give out $100,000,” said Commissioner Greg Partch. Each year, the county receives a .09 percent share of the state’s portion of sales tax revenues to use on...
The Gazette’s Jerry Jones was awarded the 2010 Silver Helmet by the Washington State Football Coaches Association. Colfax Coach Mike Morgan received the award for Jones at the association’s annual banquet Friday night at Bellevue. “I’ve always been a sloppy typer; half of my action pictures are out of focus, and I miss a lot of the big plays,” Jones wrote in his acceptance and thank you letter. “Sports Illustrated never called.” He has been covering Colfax and Whitman County news and sports for the Gazette for 45 years. The award is presented... Full story
Bank under operating orders from state, feds Jim Tribbett, chief executive officer, and Craig Conklin, chief lending officer, stepped down from their positions with the Bank of Whitman Jan. 14. The bank is currently operating under orders from state and federal regulators. Bill Knox, chief financial officer, said Tuesday Tribbett and Conklin decided to “pursue other opportunities.” Knox said their departures were unrelated to state and federal orders that the bank change some of its management practices. Bank of Whitman has been operating und... Full story
Whitman County’s juvenile justice department is struggling to meet an increased workload after the county’s budget crunch has kept the agency from employing a full-time case worker to speak for youths in court cases. In 2009, the department lost its full-time Court-Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, agent. To hold down expenses, remaining staff patched that hole. Unfortunately, where the CASA agent had time to properly train volunteers, the staff found it more time-efficient to handle cases themselves. Handling those cases, in addition to... Full story
Concern over new energy efficiency mandates in the state building code at the start of the year prompted a boost in new home construction in rural Whitman County at the end of 2010, according to Dan Gladwill, county building official. “We probably got two extra houses this year as a result of the fear of the new energy code,” Gladwill told county commissioners during their regular meeting Monday. Gladwill issued permits for five new houses and one new manufactured home in the final three months of last year. He had permitted five homes in the...
After spending four years in Cheney taking EWU to the top of the college football world, LaCrosse native Matt Martin returned home to a hero’s welcome. One week after taking the NCAA Football Championship Series trophy with a 20-19 win over Delaware in Frisco, Texas, Martin returned home to speak to an auditorium full of wide-eyed LaCrosse students. National champion Matt Martin speaks to LaCrosse students. “It’s kind of hard to believe, being back here, how big a deal it all actually is,” said Martin. “It still hasn’t quite set in yet.” Winni... Full story
Almost one year after they first appeared, chlorine tanker cars have returned for storage on the railroad siding track at Belmont. Cars disappeared for much of the fall, but have slowly been coming back during the winter months. Tom Bieker, whose front yard extends up to the fenced-off railroad track, counted more than 50 cars while looking out his window Tuesday. “They move every so often,” said Bieker. “But they always come back” The cars are being stored by Canexus, a Houston company that has a chlorine manufacturing plant in Vancouv... Full story
Rapidly rising water in the town of Palouse jumped past the 15-foot mark Monday, flooding the town park and several buildings downtown. Area waterways around the region of Palouse swelled past flood levels Monday as a pineapple express of rain and warm air melted snow on the Palouse and in the Idaho mountains. The flood toll, as usual, was worst in the low-lying areas of the town of Palouse. Waters surrounded homes in the flood plain and covered nearly all of Hayton Green Park on the west end of the town. Flood waters surround playground equipm...
The decision to write approximately $200,000 off Whitman County’s books was delayed Tuesday by county commissioners. The county’s general ledger shows, at last account, $206,000 more invested than can be proven by bank statements. Commissioners are planning to erase that sum from the county’s cash reserves in order to have a zero balance budget to bring into new accounting software. They thought that decision had to be made Tuesday. Maribeth Becker, commissioners’ clerk, had a resolution drawn up for their consideration. They held off, though,... Full story
There are rumblings from Olympia that the tap on economic development funding might be turned off to local governments. This has prompted concern in Whitman County about outstanding obligations based on income from the funds. Each year, the county receives a .09 percent share of the state’s portion of sales tax revenues to use on projects that will bolster the local economy. Fearing the legislature may take that away, commissioners may also hold off on awarding any of the county’s portion of that revenue to fund projects in smaller com...
Lamont appointed councilman Michael Breckenridge as mayor at a special session of the town council last Thursday night, Jan. 6. The appointment touched off controversy in Washington’s second-smallest town. “People are getting passionate about politics in Lamont, and that passion’s a good thing for every community,” said outgoing mayor Steve Lacy. Lacy resigned Jan. 3 to move to New Mexico. Breckenridge has served on the council for three years, and has lived in Lamont for the past nine years. He asked late in the game to be considered for may...
