Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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This new sign went up in April at the St. John Cemetery entrance. For possibly the first time in its 138-year existence, the cemetery in St. John has received a sign at the entrance. The sign was made possible by fundraising efforts from the 2015 St. John Community Calendar and a private donation. “It shows good community collaboration,” said Becky Dickerson, one of three directors with the St. John Cemetery District. “It shows what we can do when we work together.” The St. John Cemeter... Full story
The online candidate filing period opens Monday for the November General Election. Several offices around the county will have slots on the ballot, including the Port of Whitman County, several city and town councils and school, fire, cemetery, hospital and park districts. The Port of Whitman County seat is currently filled by Kristine Meyer, who was appointed for the remainder of Commissioner Dan Boone’s term which is set to conclude at the end of this year. Boone passed away March 2, and Meyer was appointed by the Port on April 20. Meyer h...
Changes are being made to rules for the restricted use of herbicides, and the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is currently seeking public comments on the proposed changes. Drew Lyon, endowed chair in small grains extension and research, weed science crop and soil sciences at Washington State University, said the changes are mostly about updating language and making clarifications. “Most of the changes are correcting redundancies. Some of them have to do with rules written over 50 years ago when nozzle technology was very d... Full story
The Town of LaCrosse will host a public meeting next week to discuss potential improvements to the town's water system. Steven Marsh, an engineer with TD&H Engineering of Spokane, said the purpose of the public meeting is to help the town explore options for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). “All we're doing is looking for grant funding to take a look at doing two things,” he said. “We're looking at increasing the pressure of the water system on Hill and Star avenues, and simultaneously we're looking at a way to increase the amoun...
As the only applicant for this year’s county .09 funds, the Whitman County Library was awarded the entire sum of $100,000 for projects at The Center. “I’m so excited,” said Kristie Kirkpatrick, library director. “This will be huge.” Kirkpatrick said the funds will help to push The Center toward completion. The building was purchased with donated funds totaling $80,000, and work has been underway for eight years on projects to remodel the building and create a community space. Prior to the .09 funds, the renovations had been funded by grants a...
-Walter Taylor photo Goats graze a vacant lot in LaCrosse The Town of LaCrosse is still in the process of determining where it stands on allowing goats and sheep in town for the purpose of grazing. The town has been in a trial run to determine if it will allow the practice. “We didn’t change any ordinance at this time, but we’re allowing the guys from Endicott to bring goats to town every day to graze,” said Mayor Randy Camp. The town council voted in April to allow Walter and Ashlee Taylor... Full story
"We are crazy outliner," said Jessiann Loomis. The odds were not in St. John’s favor. When St. John entered the America’s Main Streets contest in March to vie for a $25,000 grand prize for its main street (Front Street), it was a month behind the rest of the competition, with the voting having started in February. With just a few weeks left in the competition, St. John was up against 241 other communities and was one of the smallest on the list. “You look at the math, you look at the popul...
Tickets are now on sale for the Colfax Chamber of Commerce 17th annual Wine & Micro Beer Tasting & Auction. The event is planned for Friday, May 12, at 6 p.m. at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds. Individual tickets cost $25, and tables can be sponsored for $150. Tables include eight tickets. Tickets can be purchased online or at Rosauers or Hen House Chicks. Valoree Gregory, Colfax unified executive director, said the event is being moved to the fairground for several reasons. “We moved it to the fairgrounds because first of all they are h...
The 21st annual Family Fair at Lincoln Middle School will be Saturday, April 29, and will bring together 30 organizations to provide a day of family-centered activities. The fair this year is themed “Families Matter,” and it is free and open to families with children of all ages, parents, grandparents and caregivers. The fair is meant to highlight services from local organizations and agencies that benefit families. Agency booths will be set up throughout the school and gym, and the booths will have resource information, as well as a chi... Full story
The Endicott Town Council will likely vote on whether or not to allow chickens in town at its next meeting May 9. The matter came before the council at its March 14 meeting when a resident presented a petition with 115 signatures in support of allowing chickens within town limits. A current ordinance does not allow residents to keep any horse, cattle, sheep, swine, goat, chicken, duck, goose, turkey, peacock, guinea, rabbit or wild animal. It also does not allow for residents to keep or maintain any animal that makes continuous noises or... Full story
Francis Benjamin with the Pullman Chamber of Commerce met with the Port of Whitman County last Thursday to update the staff and the commissioner's on the Chamber's “Pullman 2040” project. “We are about a year into this process,” Benjamin told those present. “A year into 23 years.” The Pullman 2040 project is an economic visioning plan that will set goals for where the city wants to be in 2040. “This is the first time Pullman has done a visioning of this style,” said Benjamin. “We're looking at where Pullman wants to be in 2040. What do we... Full story
The Port of Whitman County provided an update on the status of House Bill 1702 currently in the legislature. The bill is meant to refine telecommunications authority for ports statewide and updates that authority to allow ports to have preferential contracts with one company for the installation of fiber-optic communication lines. It would also allow the ability to work directly with certain entities to lease fiber. As the current legislation stands, ports can only lease lines to telecommunications companies, but the refined authority would... Full story
The Rosalia Town Council voted April 11 to pass a new fowl and poultry ordinance. Town Clerk/Treasurer Jenna McDonald said the council added the new ordinance to an already existing ordinance that allows for chickens in town. This ordinance, she said, makes the first more clear. “We had an ordinance for chickens, but this is a new one because it puts regulations on it,” said McDonald. “That one was more of a zoning ordinance. It was general.” Rosalia already allows chickens in town, and the new ordinance continues to do so. The new ordinan... Full story
The Endicott Town Council voted at its last meeting April 11 to amend the town's dog ordinance. The amended ordinance restricts the number of dogs to four per household. The ordinance actually upped the allowed number of dogs per residence by taking away the requirement for residences with more than two dogs to purchase a kennel license. “It has always been limited, we just changed it,” said Town Clerk/Treasurer Laura Jones. Jones said there used to be a number of kennels in town when breeders were prevalent, but that is not the case any...
The kickoff for the summer series of First Thursday events in Colfax is next week on May 4. A Bingo Block Party has been planned for the festivities, and the bingo games will include several prizes. First Thursday will begin with vendors setting up shop by 3 p.m. at various locations along Main Street. Several businesses are also planning extended hours to coincide with the event. “We'll have lots of vendors on the street, and lots of businesses like Fonks, Ticks, Hen House, the Dusty Attic and the Grandmother's shop will stay open late,” sai...
Tom Kammerzell, Kristine Meyer and John Love pose together after Meyer was appointed to fill out the remainder of Commissioner Dan Boone's term. Below, Meyer prepares to sign documents following her appointment. The Port of Whitman County has appointed a new commissioner. Kristine Meyer, the president of Avista Foundation, was the only candidate to apply for the position which became open following the death of longtime commissioner Dan Boone, 89, on March 2. The Port had 90 days to fill... Full story
The annual Rosalia High School Trot for Tots Walk-a-Thon will be tomorrow, Friday, April 28, at the high school. For the past three years, Jennifer Olson’s leadership class has planned and put on the Walk-a-Thon to benefit the March of Dimes. Friday’s Trot for Tots Walk-a-Thon will include a dunk tank and an obstacle course, as well as a bean bag toss. The obstacle course will be a little different this year than in year’s past. “The National Guard is letting us use it,” said Hannah Beach, a senior at RHS and ASB treasurer. “It’s a new obstacl...
This year’s St. John Community Fair, themed “Barns ‘Round Here,” is set for this weekend. Several events are planned for the weekend. The festivities kick off today, Thursday, when the Cook Shack opens at the fairground at 11 a.m. Food, sewing, adult arts and crafts, photography and flower entries will be accepted from 8 a.m. to noon today, and livestock entries will be received from 12-5 p.m. From 1-5 p.m., judging will take place in the home ec building. The building will be closed to the public at this time. The building will however...
Last month, notices were placed up around the former St. Ignatius Hospital building, deeming the building unsafe and structurally unsound. These notices were posted by the City of Colfax following an inspection of the building in November or December. Mayor Todd Vanek told the Gazette in December that the city thought the building was unsafe, and when they issued a report, it would go to building owner Anthony Girges. Irving Trejo, city building inspector, said he was in the building prior to this time, but a report was not issued until recentl...
A public open house has been slated for tonight, Thursday, in Pullman to allow the public to learn about an upcoming construction project in Pullman planned by the Washington State Department of Transportation. Plans have been laid for a resurfacing of State Route 270 this summer through Pullman from the US 195 intersection west of town through downtown Pullman to Bishop Boulevard. The project includes grinding the existing asphalt layer, replacing 70 curb ramps, improving traffic signals, installing signs and restriping the pavement. The...
Nearly a decade ago, the Whitman County commissioners and Council on Aging and Human Services entered into a transportation program agreement that would allow the COA to acquire vanpool vehicles. The program ultimately never came to fruition, and it was officially dissolved on Monday with a unanimous vote from the county commissioners. “The intent of it was to provide some vanpooling services into Pullman, primarily from State Route 27,” said Craig Van Tine, contracts and grants manager at COAST Transportation. The agreement was titled the “Un...
The Pullman School District earlier this year adopted a resolution to initiate a collective bargaining process to allow the public to observe – but not participate in – collective bargaining negotiations between the school district and employees. The agreement was approved in January and made the Pullman School District the first in the state to implement the practice. “Oregon and Idaho already do it, but for Washington it's a pretty big deal,” said Jami Lund, senior education policy analyst for the Freedom Foundation. “We've been watching...
Fujiyama chef “Fred” prepares an “onion volcano” on the hibachi grill at the restaurant Monday night. Fujiyama’s official grand opening is today, April 20. Pullman’s newest restaurant looks like it belongs in a much bigger city. Once the home of Denny’s restaurant, which closed in 2013, the interior is now almost completely unrecognizable. Classy Japanese ornaments decorate the walls, large windows – each with several boxes filling the frame – make for an abundance of natural lighting, setting...
The City of Colfax and Whitman County renewed an interlocal agreement for incarceration services with a unanimous vote of the county commissioners Monday. The agreement provides that the county will incarcerate misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenders referred by authorized law enforcement of the city and Colfax Municipal Court. It also stipulates that the city agrees to make quarterly payments to the county for the incarceration of each adult offender. This part of the agreement states that no expense will be incurred to the city for any of...
County Administrator Gary Petrovich presented the first quarter budget report to the Board of County Commissioners Monday at the regular meeting. He reported that the budget is currently in line to stay on track for the year, as it is below the 25 percent mark expected at the end of the first quarter. “The percent of funds expended versus the budget is about 22.8 percent,” he told the commissioners. In total, that equals out to approximately $3.5 million of the total $15.4 million budget. “Personnel has accounted for about 23.8 percent of the b...
