Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Downtown Colfax investor Kim Nguyen was in town again last week and met with the Colfax Rotary and the community at the Colfax branch of the Whitman County Library Thursday, Sept. 29, to discuss her plans for the future of her buildings in Colfax. Nguyen made the visit, her fourth overall to Colfax, after Library Director Kristie Kirkpatrick invited her to come back and publicly share her plans. “She was thrilled to come,” Kirkpatrick told the Colfax Rotary at its monthly luncheon at the Methodist church. Nguyen first introduced herself at the...
A magnetized “closed today” sign has been affixed to the Perkins House road sign to alert passersby that the house will be closed for much of the month. If the “closed today” sign is not affixed, the house is open. The Colfax Chamber of Commerce has had its office in the Perkins House for almost one year now, allowing the opportunity for tours of the house to be increased. For the month of October, though, the hours at the house will be reduced as Colfax Unified Executive Director Valoree Gregory, whose office is in the house, will be wrapped...
The county's budget process for 2017 is advancing and, as of right now, the proposal shows a $142,937 deficit. County Administrator Gary Petrovich noted that while this number may seem large, it is a small portion of the actual general fund budget, which is projected at approximately $15.4 million. “That is less than one percent,” said Petrovich. “It is .92 percent.” The total overall county budget is estimated at approximately $61.5 million. Twenty-three departments make up the general fund, while another 15 are in the remainder of the bud... Full story
The Nov. 8 General Election is quickly approaching, and so are voter registration deadlines. The online and mail-in voter registration deadline is next Monday, Oct. 10. To register online, voters will need either a Washington state driver license or ID card. For mail-in registration, voters should request registration forms online and then fill those out and send them back postmarked by Oct. 10. Voters currently registered also have until this date to update any information, such as mailing address. Voters not currently registered can complete... Full story
Whitman County Sheriff’s Office identified Christina Erlewine and Justina Buffington as possible suspects in the early-morning robberies in western Whitman County and Lincoln County Saturday, Sept. 24. Sheriff Brett Myers said it is “very likely” Erlewine and Buffington are connected to burglaries in nearby counties. During the early morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 24, two burglars made their way through the western portion of the county, allegedly stealing cash and electronic items in the s... Full story
The Board of County Commissioners Monday, Oct. 3, voted to schedule a hearing date for the proposed budget amendment #2 to the 2016 operating budget for Monday, Oct. 17, at 10:15 a.m. The total proposed amount of the amended budget is listed at approximately $63,000, though the commissioners said they are not sure what department or departments are requesting the amendment at this time. “We don’t know until we get the amendment,” said Commissioner Art Swannack. The commissioners earlier this year passed budget amendment #1, which totaled $343,...
Volunteers work on the St. John Park installation Monday, Oct. 3. The new play structure includes four slides, a large climbing area, nets, bridges, play panels and a car driving station. The community rallied in the last year to raise $65,000 for the new equipment. Kiddos in St. John: your park is almost ready! Access to the park in St. John was limited throughout the summer, with much of the equipment having been removed because of liability concerns and to prep for new park equipment. The...
--Don Peters photo Left to right: Whitman County Genealogical Society members Marge Muir, vice president; Judy McMurray, newsletter editor; Janet Damm, librarian; Cindy Rice, treasurer; Sue Kreikemeier, president; Monica Peters, corresponding secretary, and Mary Simonsen, recording secretary. The society recently announced the publication of gleanings from selected newspapers in Whitman County from 1877-1886 which Simonsen spent the last couple of years collecting. For the last two or three year...
Fred Hale of St. John with his recently-published book, “Through a Passage in Time,” the story of a college professor whose soul has gone through a transference portal in a two-dimensional world. Fred Hale, a resident of St. John for two years, does not know how he came up with the story line for his book, “Through a Passage in Time,” but deemed it an interesting process. His publisher called it “a hard story to write.” “It was just something that came to mind,” said Hale, who was born in Wil...
Rosalia is seeking bids for a sidewalk restoration project near its school. The town has issued a call for sealed bids which will be due by 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6. The town is planning for improvements of the sidewalk on the west side of Josephine Ave. from Seventh to Ninth streets. The improvements include removal and replacement of existing sidewalk and the installation of ADA concrete ramps. “Enough of the sidewalk has become, in general, beat up,” said Trevor Skelton, project engineer with J-U-B Engineers in Spokane. “We'll be pulling... Full story
Some of the ponderosa pine trees lining Lake Street in Colfax are infested with three types of pine beetles. Pine needles on this tree indicate that it is dying from the infestation. The pine beetle infestation in Colfax was discovered in July, and work has been underway to attempt to save some of the trees and combat the problem. Infested trees ooze sap as a response to a beetle attack. The beetle infestation in Colfax and parts of Whitman County is still being monitored and solutions being...
Endicott/St. John Parent Teacher Organization plans a carnival at the Endicott school Saturday, Oct. 29. The fall carnival will bring a variety of activities, including a costume fun run, dinner and carnival games. “It should be fun,” said Tia Langston, PTO secretary. Langston said the carnival will serve as a fundraiser for the PTO to help support teachers. “It will build up our savings to help teachers get the things they need in the classroom,” said Langston. The fun run, organized by Jamie Misner, will start at 4 p.m. and take youngst...
The City of Colfax has been seeking comments from residents on the upcoming 2017 budget process, and a survey has been posted online since July. “Not a lot of people have responded, and the survey closes soon, so we're encouraging people to fill it out,” City Administrator Michael Rizzitiello said. Rizzitiello said the survey is a good way for citizens to provide feedback to the city and have an opportunity to participate. “It helps because, as you're crafting a budget, it gives an indication of what's important to the community,” he said. “And... Full story
The Perkins House is getting in on the Halloween festivities with “after dark” tours scheduled for the last week of October, Theresa Dale, Perkins House coordinator for the Whitman County Historical Society, announced Monday. “Since visiting hours have expanded we have a regular stream of visitors coming to the house. Many of the guests coming through are asking if we have after dark tours similar to the St. Ignatius Hospital tours and those of the historic buildings downtown,” Dale said through a press release. The tours are booked for Oct...
The county has started work on its 2017 budgeting process. The commissioners and administrator Gary Petrovich have met with department heads to attempt to set the budget, and it is now moving to the review process. “There are some things I think the commissioners want to sort out,” said Petrovich. Petrovich said the general fund is projected to be about $15.5 million, with the overall county budget at $55-$60 million. Department heads have been working through their budgeting processes, and the commissioners will review that starting today to...
The Washington State Department of Transportation, at the request of the state parks department, has completed a paving project at Steptoe Butte to make way for another project set to resume soon. The paving project involved filling in pot holes on the road leading up to the butte for the purpose of transporting heavy machinery to the top for another construction project. “The preliminary work by WSDOT has been done,” reported Toni Droscher, parks spokesperson. “It was done to patch the road so they could get the heavier equipment up the road....
LaCrosse is gearing up for another café opening. Following the closure of Hazel’s Place Aug. 1, the LaCrosse Café is slated for re-opening Oct. 4 by Darlene Kates, Julie Roberts and Soni Broeckel. Kates and Roberts previously operated the Dusty Café from 1988-2005. Roberts is Kates’ daughter, and Broeckel is Roberts’ daughter. “Three generations are going to run it,” said Carol Cauley, LaCrosse Community Pride (LCP) board member. “The board approached them, and we’ve been asking them over the years.” LCP owns the café building in town, a...
Neoglyphic Entertainment created this artwork for Stephanie Rohrbaugh’s short story that placed in the top 20 of more than 4,000 entries in a national writing competition. S.A. ROHRBAUGH When Stephanie Rohrbaugh, a Colfax resident of six years, received a message from her mom last December with information about a national writing contest, she decided on the spur of the moment to enter the contest, which had a deadline looming. “My mom Facebooked the contest to me, and it was 10 days away fro...
CRAIG VANTINE COAST Transportation has a new face which may be familiar to some. Craig VanTine, who previously retired from COAST, has been hired as the contracts and grants manager. “They asked me to come back,” said VanTine, who previously worked in the roles of transportation director and executive director. “I'll focus mainly on grants and contracts, which was embedded in the transportation director position.” Suzanne Seigneur, prior transportation director, recently left for another...
-Debbie Snell photo Teri Heilsberg with Port commissioners, from left, Dan Boone, John Love and Tom Kammerzell at her retirement party Sept. 15. The Colfax native is set for retirement Sept. 30 after 28 years with the Port. Teri Heilsberg, an accountant with the Port of Whitman, will retire Sept. 30 after 28 years with the Port. “Best job ever,” said Heilsberg. “A lot of it's the people. Also, I graduated in business administration at WSU, so I got to do what I graduated in.” The daughte... Full story
Downtown Colfax investor Kim Nguyen will be back in town next week, and the businesswoman from Rockport, Texas, will be at the Colfax Rotary meeting and Colfax Library Thursday, Sept. 29, to discuss her plans for her buildings in Colfax. The Rotary luncheon is at noon at the Methodist Church, and the public library reception will be at 7 p.m. at the Colfax Library. The Rotary luncheon is open to the public, and individuals wanting to have lunch are asked call the library ahead of time to reserve a meal for $12. A reservation is not required...
-Jackie Tee photo Traci Bozarth, administrator of Fairfield Care, is presented with a $1,000 check from Cindy Lyden of Northwest Farm Credit Services Tuesday. The McCoy Grain Terminal was recently awarded a $1,000 grant by Northwest Farm Credit Services which they relayed Tuesday to Fairfield Care. McCoy also matched the grant funding to help provide new chairs for the dining room at the care center. “We wish to thank Northwest Farm Credit Services for the grant award in the amount of $1,000 to... Full story
A small water leak at the Port of Whitman Business Air Center (Colfax airport) was recently repaired after an older pipe at the airport had started to leak. “We noticed water was seeping out,” said Port Executive Director Joe Poiré. “Trucks were driving over it, and even though it was three or four feet down, the seam broke on it. We noticed standing water on the ground.” The repair was done approximately two weeks ago by Palouse River Rock at a cost of about $4,000, Poiré said. He said the line dated back to an old well that was formerly on th...
-Heather Andersen photo The former Crossroads Nursery site on the corner of the Pullman-Moscow Highway and Airport Road is being sought as a possible location for a marijuana retail shop. A conditional use hearing has been set for Oct. 6 at the Public Service Building in Colfax before the county Board of Adjustment. An attempt by a group called Highland Central LLC earlier this year to establish a marijuana retail shop at the former Crossroads Nursery site on the Pullman-Moscow Highway fell...
The Town of Rosalia last week received a $24,000 planning grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce. The money will go toward funding a wastewater facility plan amendment. “It’s planning for specifically in this case for their wastewater collection needs,” said Lane Merritt, project manager and engineer with J-U-B Engineers, which helped Rosalia with the grant process. “The plan will help them to identify needs and how to address them.” Jenna McDonald, town clerk, said the grant will cover the entire planning project. “It cover...
