Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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A hearing date was set Monday by the Board of County Commissioners for public comment on the application filed by Tom Kammerzell for re-classification of 113.6 acres of property. The property in question is a mitigation site which was developed along the South Fork of the Palouse River east of Colfax. The re-classification first came up in September when Kammerzell filed with the county assessor’s office to have the land re-classified from agricultural land to open space. “It won’t meet the farm and ag current use because it’s no longer...
After a busy weekend in Colfax, Oakesdale, Rosalia, St. John and Endicott, Santa will stop this weekend at LaCrosse. Santa is booked to make a stop at 10 a.m. in LaCrosse where he will appear at the Gathering Place. Pictures with Santa will be provided free by the LaCrosse Business Group. Santa will be on hand from 10 a.m. until noon. Every child will receive a free stuffed animal, courtesy of LaCrosse Community Outreach, and a candy cane. The LaCrosse Library will offer materials to make Christmas ornaments in a free holiday craft session....
Anyone looking for a local holiday display and event will not have to look very far. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is hosting the 10th annual Nativities Around the World Dec. 7-11 in Moscow. Nativities include nativity-themed music and ornamental displays with several nativity scenes on display. “We've experienced that this event helps bring the community closer together,” said Scott McAdams, a volunteer organizer. “It also helps to emphasize and reinforce Christ in Christmas.” The nativities come from several places around...
Pullman's National Lentil Festival Director Britnee Packwood announced this week that the deadline for the 2017 commemorative poster has been extended two weeks until Dec. 14. The winning entry will be used for all festival merchandise and advertising for next year’s event. It will also be submitted for awards from the Western Festivals and Events Association. Artists can submit work in any form, including as originals, prints, drafts, concepts or photos. The festival committee will work with the winning artist to develop the final idea, and t...
The Port of Whitman is moving closer to the planning phase for the replacement of docks at Boyer Park & Marina. At the last Port meeting, Port Properties and Development Manager Debbie Snell said an application and powerpoint have been submitted to the Washington state recreation and conservation office boating and facilities program. She recently made the powerpoint presentation to the office. The Port decided to hire a consultant to help with the presentation and planning process. “We hired a consultant to help with budgeting for the a...
The Port of Whitman at its Nov. 22 session approved its 2017 operating budget. The budget remained the same as when it opened for public comment in early November. “We passed it with no changes,” said Port Properties and Development Manager Debbie Snell. The budget totals $4,037,000 with $1,094,500 slated in operating expenses and $1,546,000 in estimated capital expenses The capital expenses include potential projects at the Pullman Industrial Park and Henley Court, Boyer Park and possible fiber line installations. Those projects are not yet...
The Pullman-Moscow Runway Realignment project made significant progress this summer and fall, airport Administrator Tony Bean told the Gazette Friday, Nov. 18. The project is now being shut down as adverse weather moves in until the spring. “It's too wet to work at this point,” said Bean. “The contractors are getting everything put away.” Bean reported that the project made significant steps in the last few months. He added that land acquisition talks are still underway with the university. “All the private land acquisition has been completed,...
Whitman County election results were certified Tuesday afternoon following the final ballot tabulation. Ballots cast in the county totaled 18,328 for an 84.74 percent voter turnout. With the certification, the results became final, and four town and district levies were still below the passing 60 percent approval threshold with the finalization. Among those were the City of Colfax proposal to form a metropolitan parks district. This measure, after rising with each ballot tabulation, came in with a 55 percent approval rating. It needed 60...
Whitman County Commissioners and the Pullman City Council held a joint session in Pullman last week and discussed several matters of mutual concern, including the county’s and city’s tax sharing agreement, marijuana retail sales, the Pullman-Moscow airport project, a comprehensive emergency plan, single stream recycling and bypasses. County Commissioner Michael Largent said the recycling and bypasses were big items on the agenda. “One of the larger sections was talking about single stream recycling and the impact of glass on the solid waste...
The first of January is quickly approaching, and the Colfax Downtown Association wants to make sure businesses here are able to get a share of tax credit incentives available through the statewide Main Street program. Colfax was designated as a Main Street community one year ago. “We have all of our stuff prepared now,” said Colfax Unified Executive Director Valoree Gregory. The Main Street program offers tax credit incentives totaling $1.5 million statewide, and Colfax is eligible for up to $133,000 of that money if businesses apply for it....
Colfax The Colfax Winterfest festivities are slated for today with vendors, the Festival of Trees, Santa Clause and a lighted parade. There will be pop-up shops in several locations, including in The Center, the DeHart building at 213 N. Main St. and the Masonic Temple. Also, artisans will be back in the former Nostalgia building at 103 S. Main Street. The shops will run from 3 to 7 p.m., and the artisans will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Several downtown businesses also are planning extended hours, and some will have sales and promotions. Santa...
The YMCA of the Palouse will present the sixth annual Jingle Bell Fun Run in Pullman Dec. 3. Registration is at 3:15 p.m., the race starts at 4 p.m. The holiday-themed run is the official kickoff to Pullman's Holiday Fest, an annual shop local campaign which marks its start with promotions, entertainment and a visit from Santa Claus. The run is open to children 12 and younger, and cost to participate is $10 per child. Adults are allowed to accompany the youngsters at no cost. The race will start behind the YMCA office at 105 SE Spring Street,...
Empowering, Inc., will again conduct a holiday gift drive to benefit foster children. The Spokane-based firm will host its eighth annual drive in rural communities to benefit children in those communities. The company is asking for board games and arts and crafts items to donate to foster children in Whitman and Asotin counties. “We believe in supporting the right of children to learn through play and rich experiential games and activities,” said Tonya Miles, program coordinator with Empowering, Inc. According to Miles, Empowering, Inc., pro...
Tom Riedner and Greg Nolan partnered nearly two-and-a-half years ago to form Homestead Ministries, a nondenominational Christian ministry which aims to provide meals for those in need through soup packets. Riedner called it “a faith thing.” “Sometimes mountains are a little higher than we think they are,” said Riedner. “It's a journey of faith.” Riedner told the Gazette this week that Homestead Ministries is nearing 500,000 soup packet meals which the organization distributes. “We thought God would come through for us, and He did,” said Ri...
Gladys Edgerton enjoys lunch while talking about her upcoming 100th birthday. A party 100 years in the making will be at the Colfax United Methodist Church Saturday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. Gladys Edgerton, a Colfax resident of approximately 80 years, will celebrate her 100th birthday. Bob Russell, a long-time friend of Edgerton's, has organized the celebration for local friends to be able to celebrate Edgerton's birthday. A separate family celebration will take place Dec. 10 in Spokane with her...
The sidewalk construction project in Rosalia is set to wrap up by the end of this week. Contractor Cameron-Reilly Concrete of Spokane Valley started in late October and was originally expected to take 15 working days to complete. Mayor Nanette Konishi said there have been some minor delays which extended the time of the project. “Right now, they’re at the end where the school is and they’re doing some storm water revisions,” Konishi told the Gazette Friday. “They’re hoping to get it done by Thanksgiving.” Konishi said change orders to the...
—Photo Paige Collins The Whitman County Food Coalition was formed earlier this year following a League of Women Voters poverty study. At the most recent meeting on Nov. 10, an executive committee and subcommittees were formed. The effort to form a food coalition within Whitman County made a step forward last week with the formation of an executive committee and subcommittees. Paige Collins, executive director at the Council on Aging in Colfax, spearheaded the effort to form a coalition after a L...
The annual Colfax Giving Tree, sponsored by the Colfax Eagles, will start up again at the end of this week. The aim of the tree is to provide gifts to children in the community. The trees will be set up at Columbia Bank, U.S. Bank and the post office with ornament tags bearing a description of the recipient and clothing gift needs. “People can pick an ornament, take the information and buy for the child,” said Gail Webster, one of the organizers. “They bring it back to where they got the ornament.” The Giving Tree drive is for clothing only, an...
With another count completed by the Whitman County elections office, two levies have moved above the 60 percent passing threshold. Both of the levies were in St. John, the first being a street maintenance levy that is now passing with 166 yes votes (61 percent) and 104 no votes (39 percent). The second levy, for sewer maintenance, is now passing with 168 yes (62 percent) and 103 no (38 percent). The St. John levies were previously failing at 58.77 percent and 59.39 percent, respectively. In the latest count, the elections department tabulated 2...
Audit Manager Debbie Pennick prepares to read the report of the state auditor’s office findings for Whitman County for 2015 as County Commissioners Art Swannack and Michael Largent, plus county clerk Maribeth Becker, look on. Kelly Collins, director of the local audit, sits to the right of Pennick. County books for 2015 show lack of internal controls Staff members from the state auditor's office Monday reported that the county was unable to provide accurate financial statements and that w...
—Richard Scheuerman photo Palouse Colony Farm circa 1910. Richard Scheuerman grew up about two miles from a farm known as the “Palouse Colony,” a farm between Endicott and St. John that was settled by German immigrants from Russia in the 1880s. “It was kind of a legendary place as a boy growing up,” said Scheuerman. Scheuerman said he was always interested in knowing more about the people there. “I enjoyed talking to older people. Even as a boy, I started visiting with elders of my grandfather...
Plans are in full gear for Colfax’s Winterfest next Thursday, Dec. 1. The annual Winterfest celebration will feature pop up shops, local artisans, the Festival of Trees, a visit from Santa Claus and a lighted parade. Pop up shops are planned in The Center, the DeHart building at 213 N. Main Street and a unique new site, the Masonic Building. Sara Golden, who has helped to organize the pop up shops, said the Masonic Temple will be a great stop for visitors during the festivities. Kim Nguyen of Rockport, Texas, recently purchased the building, a...
A Colfax High School student dons the turkey costume outside of Rosauers Friday afternoon to remind people about the Tom’s Turkey drive. The annual Tom’s Turkey drive was Friday and Saturday at the Colfax Rosauers, and the community was able to purchase 480 turkey bags to be distributed at Whitman County pantries for Thanksgiving and Christmas. “Not quite as many as last year, but we’ll end up with enough turkeys, hams and chickens,” said Paige Collins, executive director at Council on Aging. “B...
The Whitman County Bar Association has set details for a retirement party for Whitman County Superior Court Judge David Frazier, who will retire at the end of the year. Jenna Brozick, an attorney in Pullman and vice president of the bar association, said the celebration will include a slide show with photographs of Frazier as judge, during his college days and in his law school days. She said she expects attorneys from Whitman, Asotin and Latah counties will be attending, as well as people who Judge Frazier interacts with in the community. She...
After 22 years of publishing, the final issue of the St. John Community Current was published by Becky Dickerson last week. Dickerson began the publication after she moved to St. John with her husband Todd Dickerson. She had graduated in journalism and communications from Eastern Washington University. She told the Gazette in September that owning and operating a newspaper was her “dream.” “It was my dream since I was a little girl to own a newspaper,” she said. “I fell in love with and married a farmer, and I wanted to use my degree. I worked...
