Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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COLFAX — With the election approaching, Whitman County is seeing an initial wave of ballot returns as voters are encouraged to submit their ballots early. Whitman County Auditor Sandy Jamison reported that approximately 2,500 ballots have been returned, as of press time, Tuesday, Oct. 22. “We will do our first round of emptying ballot boxes tomorrow (Wednesday). That number will increase significantly for sure,” she said. About 10% of the 25,000 ballots sent out have been received, with most returns coming through the mail, in person at the a...
COLTON — Various Whitman County towns have proposed levies that constituents will approve or reject at this year’s general election. Here’s what’s set to be on the November ballot: COLTON —The town of Colton has proposed a special levy of $30,000 to continue supporting general operations, street improvements and water maintenance. Homeowners would pay $80 per $100,000 in assessed home value. LACROSSE — LaCrosse Parks and Recreation is proposing a $75,000 levy to continue supporting the operation, maintenance, and capital improvement...
COLFAX — Deputies from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office and personnel from Fire District 14 and Lewiston Fire responded to a two-vehicle crash on Wawawai Road near milepost 11 shortly after 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17. According to the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, Joshua Godwin, 37, of Clarkston, was traveling northbound and crossed the centerline, striking a newer-model GMC passenger truck traveling southbound. Godwin was driving a late-model GMC passenger truck. The driver of the southbound vehicle sustained serious injuries and w...
COLFAX — Whitman County is gearing up for Halloween with a variety of events scheduled throughout the week. Here’s a rundown of the festivities happening in the area: In Colfax, Trunk-or-Treat will be held in downtown Colfax on Halloween, Oct. 31, from 4 to 7 p.m. Trick-or-Treat on Main Street will take place on Friday, Oct. 25, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Additionally, the Friends of Whitman County Library will host the Halloween Spooktacular on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 8 to 11 p.m. This adults-only fundraising event will feature drinks, sna...
ST. JOHN — Rock Lake, nestled in the rolling Palouse hills of Eastern Washington, has long been cursed—a reputation steeped in eerie legends and tragic history. The small town of Rock Lake once existed along its shorelines, but its waters seem to hold something darker beneath the surface. In 1905, Willis Anson Evans saw an opportunity in the area when he heard the railroad was coming through. He purchased land along the outflow of Rock Lake and built a small resort called Cliff House. Cliff House became a popular spot for railroad workers and t...
LACROSSE - Four men reunited at Selbu Lutheran Church on Sunday, Oct. 13, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of an extraordinary bicycle journey that transformed their lives and solidified their bond of brotherhood. Embarking on a 10-month trek from Detroit, Mich., to La Paz, Bolivia, in 1974 - a time before cell phones, the internet or GPS, John Cross, of Lacrosse, Peter Crane, of Ojai, Cali., Jim Oines, of Thousand Oakes, Cali., and Jeff Stoops, of Cascade, Mont., bid farewell to friends and...
COLFAX - College rodeo teams from across the region competed in various events, with Blue Mountain Community College dominating both the men's and women's teams at the Northwest Region Rodeo at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds on Saturday, Oct. 12. Blue Mountain Community College took first place in the men's team competition, scoring 699 points, followed by Walla Walla Community College with 461 points. Lassen College placed third with 409 points, while Treasure Valley Community College came in...
PULLMAN—School board members met at Franklin Elementary School to discuss a new sensory space showcase that will support an environment which fosters learning during transitional periods. The meeting began at 4:30 p.m. and included the attendance of all board members and district administrators. The session kicked off with a showcase of the newly established Sensory Space at Franklin Elementary. Principal Kathi Keefer introduced Tarrin Weber, the school’s counselor, and Katelyn Classen, an occupational therapist for the Pullman School Dis...
STEPTOE - A three-vehicle crash on Highway 23 near milepost 7 injured one driver on the morning of Monday, October 14. The crash occurred around 11:36 a.m. and involved vehicles traveling in both directions. According to the Washington State Patrol, Vehicle One, a 2020 Jeep Cherokee driven by 20-year-old Mandy L. Cole of Belfair, Wash., was heading southbound when it swerved into the northbound lane to avoid a controlled brush fire. "What I can tell you is there was a controlled burn at the...
ROSALIA — The Rosalia Branch of the Whitman County Library hosted its seventh annual Bridge Day on Saturday, Oct. 5, a community event dedicated to local railroad history. The event featured a presentation by Washington State University Professor Emeritus Robert G. Olsen and a guided history hike across the iconic Rosalia Concrete Arch Bridges. Rosalia Branch Manager Marcy Campbell shared the origins of the event, which began in 2017 when railroad history enthusiast Mark Borleske approached her with the idea. “He is a railroad history afi...
As the Halloween season approaches, the Whitman County Gazette is kicking off its special feature, “The Haunting Hour”, a section dedicated to ghost stories, mysteries and chilling local tales throughout the month of October. GARFIELD — Tucked deep within the rolling hills of the Palouse, where the winds sweep gently across golden fields, lies the nearly forgotten town of Elberton—a place that time has slowly claimed. Founded in 1886 by Sylvester Wait and lovingly named after his son Elbert, Elberton began as a hopeful frontier settlement. With...
PULLMAN - A Washington State University student has pleaded guilty to felony harassment in connection with multiple cases involving threats and extortion on campus. In a plea deal, Taylor Asante, 21, signed and agreed if prosecutors dropped the extortion charge, which stemmed from an incident involving Asante's former partner, Ethan Reynolds. Court records show that Asante allegedly threatened to damage Reynolds' phone unless he paid $80, following a brief romantic relationship that began in...
COLFAX — Whitman County Auditor Sandy Jamison announced that ballots for the upcoming election are set to go out by October 18, with most expected to be mailed on October 16. “As far as I know, we don’t have any folding issues. The ballots will most likely go out [on the] 16th of October, but the due date for them to go out is the 18th,” said Jamison. “Ours will be out a day or two before the due date.” Jamison encouraged voters to cast their ballots early, stating, “Vote early and get it back to us. It really helps us so that we are not inund...
COLFAX — The Washington Supreme Court is considering a major overhaul to public defense services, which could significantly reduce the number of cases individual public defenders handle. The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) and its Council on Public Defense are advocating for the reduction, citing overwhelming caseloads that have hampered public defenders’ ability to provide adequate representation. Under the proposal, the number of felony cases a public defender can take on annually would drop from 150 to 50, with misdemeanor lim...
PULLMAN — Students, faculty, and staff at Washington State University (WSU) returned this fall to an upgraded Student Recreation Center (SRC) after significant renovations were completed over the summer. Among the major upgrades was the resurfacing of the basketball, volleyball, and sport courts, which were sanded, repaired, and refinished. Courts were added to meet growing demand for volleyball, pickleball, and badminton. The pool deck and locker room floors also received a multilayered acrylic coating, which makes them easier to maintain a...
COLFAX - The residents that haunt St. Ignatius Hospital will find some relief this Halloween season as the historic building nears the completion of its new roofing project. Built in 1893 by Ellis and Waite, the hospital has been a fixture in the community for over a century. For Austin Storm, who owns the building with his wife Laura, the completion of the roofing marks a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to preserve and restore the iconic structure. "It will be so nice to be done...
COLFAX – The Colfax Downtown Association is gearing up for the inaugural Fall Crawl. The boozy night is set to run from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12. Participants are invited to visit local establishments, enjoy exclusive food and drink specials and enter for a chance to win prizes. “We don’t have many events for adults. We noticed that if we have something going on, people will come out and support our businesses. We thought it would be super fun to do a fall crawl since we got a couple of new restaurants and shops,” said Allie C...
As the Halloween season approaches, the Whitman County Gazette is kicking off its special feature, “The Haunting Hour”, a section dedicated to ghost stories, mysteries and chilling local tales throughout the month of October. PULLMAN — With its rich history, Washington State University’s campus is home to several unsettling stories—none more haunting than the tragic explosion that shook Perham Hall in 1979. A young man, heartbroken and consumed by despair, detonated a bomb that killed himself and injured five others, leaving an eerie mark on t...
PULLMAN — Whitman County Public Health (WCPH), in collaboration with Environmental Health & Safety Services at Washington State University (WSU), is investigating two confirmed cases of pertussis (whooping cough) within the WSU student population as of Tuesday, Sept. 24. Due to these cases, health officials believe additional pertussis may be circulating in the area. Pertussis is a respiratory illness caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. It spreads person-to-person through large respiratory droplets, particularly in indoor settings o...
COLFAX - A Pullman woman filed a motion for pre-trial release amid drug charges in Whitman County Superior Court. Diana Hughes, 39, filed a motion to revoke her pre-trial release in Whitman County Superior Court on Friday, Sept. 27, amid charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. According to the court documents, Hughes was involved in a drug investigation that began when law enforcement used a Facebook profile to communicate with a suspect, Antonio Tenzsley, who...
COLFAX — The man detained for possessing controlled substances pleaded guilty in Whitman County Superior Court. Jason A. Williams, 38, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver methamphetamine during a hearing in Whitman County Superior Court on Friday, Sept. 27. According to the court documents, Williams was implicated in a series of events that began with a Facebook conversation between him and an undercover officer on June 29, 2024. The officer, using a profile to connect with individuals involved in local...
COLFAX — The man detained for possessing controlled substances pleaded guilty in Whitman County Superior Court. Jason A. Williams, 38, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver methamphetamine during a hearing in Whitman County Superior Court on Friday, Sept. 27. According to the court documents, Williams was implicated in a series of events that began with a Facebook conversation between him and an undercover officer on June 29, 2024. The officer, using a profile to connect with individuals involved in local...
PALOUSE — A false report of a deadly shooting near Palouse School sent the campus into lockdown Friday, Sept. 27, sparking a swift and law enforcement response that turned out to be part of an alarming trend known as “swatting.” According to reports from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, the incident was later identified as a false alarm. At approximately 8:30 a.m., an anonymous caller contacted local law enforcement, claiming they had been in an argument with their mother and had “shot and killed her.” The caller provided an address nea...
PULLMAN - Severe thunderstorms and dust storms swept across the Palouse on Wednesday, Sept. 25, causing widespread power outages that left approximately 11,000 customers without electricity. Avista Utilities, Clearwater Power and Inland Power reported outages affecting about 6,000 customers in Moscow and surrounding areas to the south. Additionally, over 4,000 customers in North Latah County, Potlatch and Viola experienced power loss, while hundreds were affected in the Steptoe area. Scattered...
PULLMAN — The Pullman business community is facing another setback as The Batting Cage, an indoor batting practice facility, has announced it will close its doors on Friday, Oct.11. Open for just over a year, The Batting Cage occupies the old Higginson’s Furniture store, a building that was once home to Finch’s Grocery. This closure is part of a larger trend in Pullman, where several long-standing businesses have recently announced their shutdowns. Pullman Building Supply, a fixture on North Grand Avenue since 1996, will also close this fall....
