Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday, April 8, that moving a county backwards for at least three weeks in his phased reopening plan may provide the impetus to improve vaccination rates. During his press conference, the governor said there has been a recent increase in coronavirus cases in some counties. And as a result, he’ll be looking at the “numbers” Monday to determine which counties should be bounced backward toward closure. “This is not judgment day Monday,” he said. “The score is the score… The numbers will be the numbers.” All c...
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign a bill today, April 14, that would begin the process of removing statues of perhaps the state's most prominent figure from the Capitol building and the National Statuary in Washington, D.C. The governor has called an 11:30 a.m. signing ceremony, where he will sign House Bill 1372 into law. The bill would replace the statues of Pacific Northwest pioneer, teacher and missionary Marcus Whitman. They will be replaced with statues of Billy Frank Jr., a Nisqually tribal fishing rights activist. The g...
COLFAX - The Colfax girls volleyball team wrapped up its 2020-21 season Tuesday night at home, winning the league championship in dramatic fashion. The Bulldogs (13-1, 13-0 against Class 2B schools) spiked the Liberty (Spangle) Lancers (10-2), 3-1. Set scores were 26-24, 22-25, 25-21, 25-12. The final set score was the largest margin of the night, as the Bulldogs racked up 13 unanswered points to close out the year. "I just couldn't be more proud of these girls," Colfax Coach Brandy Brown said...
MALDEN — The Malden-Pine City Gun Club wrapped up its winter league here Sunday, March 15, with a season-ending shoot and barbecue. For the season, Brad Bowman won high overall and Mike Koppel topped the AA Class. Bowman also won the HandiCap and Wobbles Classes. Diane Koppel toped the A Class, Dave Carroll the B Class and Dale Birchell the C Class. The Novice Class winner is Luke Guin. And the top Ladies Class shooter for the season is Kelli Broeckel and Rowdie Jo Broeckel was the top Junior Class shooter. The top season Veteran Class s...
PULLMAN — Washington State University has sold naming rights of the field in Martin Stadium to Tri-Cities-based Gesa Credit Union. The university and financial business have signed a 10-year deal naming the field as Gesa Field. The value of the contract is valued at more than $11 million, officials said. "Washington State University was established 130 years ago to serve the citizens of our state," university President Kirk Schulz said. "That commitment to improving the lives of Washingtonians is in our DNA. For that reason, we are thrilled t...
WELLPINIT - The Tekoa-Rosalia Timberwolves finished their football season Saturday on a high note by topping the 0-4 Wellpinit Redskins 66-20. Details of the game were not available. The season-ending win was the first victory on the gridiron for the Timberwolves (1-3) this year. And, it was the second game for Tekoa-Rosalia last week. On March 9 a late charge by the Timberwolves came up short as the football team fell, 64-42, to the Wilbur-Creston/Keller Wildcats (4-1). "It was a good game,...
ST. JOHN — The Odessa Tigers (3-0) juggernaut hit the century mark for the first time this season as they dominated the St. John-Endicott-LaCrosse Eagles (0-2) March 3. "We just had a tough game," Eagles Coach Richard Hallenius said on the field after the blowout. "It's obvious why they're the state champs. They have a lot of kids versus our 11." For the Tigers part, every one of its nearly 30 players took the field for several minutes of the game. The Tigers began rotating all of their s...
PULLMAN — Washington State University has sold naming rights of the field in Martin Stadium to Tri-Cities-based Gesa Credit Union. The university and financial business have signed a 10-year deal naming the field as Gesa Field. The value of the contract is valued at more than $11 million, officials said. "Washington State University was established 130 years ago to serve the citizens of our state," university President Kirk Schulz said today in announcing the deal. "That commitment to improving...
SPANGLE - A Colfax fumble recovered in the end zone led to the only touchdown of the night Friday, Feb. 26, as the Liberty Lancers topped the Bulldogs, 10-0, in a 2B football conference matchup. "Both teams fought hard," Colfax Coach Mike Morgan said after the game. "I predicted Liberty would be one of the top teams with all of the seniors and juniors coming back." "I am really proud of our kids," Liberty Coach Mike Dewey said. "It wasn't pretty. Only 10 points scored in the whole game, but we...
MALDEN - Mayor Dan Harwood accepted a $20,000 check Tuesday, Feb. 16, on behalf of the Fire Department. The donation from the Washington Fire Chiefs Association was presented to the city "no strings attached," organization Executive Director Steve Wright said during a brief ceremony in the temporary City Hall. "These funds will assist us in rebuilding our Fire Department and Fire Station, along with funds from our insurance and FEMA," Harwood said. Both the Fire Station and City Hall were...
OLYMPIA – Rep. Mary Dye spoke out Tuesday against House Bill 1084, which would prohibit the use of natural gas in new homes and buildings. Dye, R-Pomeroy, represents Whitman County as part of the 9th Legislative District. Dye objected to the bill as it was brought up for a vote in the House Environment and Energy Committee. She was joined in her opposition by Republican Reps. Mark Klicker of Walla Walla, Peter Abbarno of Centralia, Matt Boehnke of Kennewick and Keith Goehner of Dryden. The measu...
OLYMPIA - A bill that would've required boating classes for kayakers, canoeists, paddleboarders and even some surfers appears to have been scuttled. House Bill 1018 is the subject of an online petition that had drawn 18,450 protest signatures as of this morning, Feb. 11. The bill would have required nearly everyone piloting a vessel – even human-powered boats like kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and some surfboards – on state waters to complete a boater education course. In addition, the bill wou...
UPDATE: Hours after the press conference, the Governor's Office announced that areas moving to "Phase 2" can do so Sunday, Feb. 14, to allow restaurants, bars, taverns and theaters to be open for indoor service on Valentine's Day. COLFAX — Whitman County will move ahead to Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee's newest coronavirus reopening plan beginning Monday. In a press conference today, Thursday, Feb. 11, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that 92 percent of all residents will be in Phase 2 counties. The o...
The culture, heritage and history of Eastern Washington — indeed all of Washington and Oregon history — is under fire again in Olympia. I’m talking about an effort this year in the House to erase Marcus Whitman’s significance from the halls of the Capitol building in Olympia and the national statuary in Washington, D.C. Pushed by lawmakers, who obviously lack a full understanding of Whitman’s significance, House Bill 1372 seeks to replace the bronze Marcus Whitman statues with a new statue of...
PULLMAN – Four students took the school board to task Wednesday night for failing to get them back on campus. The governor and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have called for in-person learning. The Pullman School District is among the last holdouts generally keeping students off-campus in Whitman County. During a digital school board meeting, students Collin Bannister, Maddie Weber, Maxwell Cordova and Hanna Talbot called on the board to get school campuses open and operating. “My peers and I are here tonight because we...
PULLMAN – Even though few students have returned to on-campus learning, the School District will be handing out $725,000 in bonuses to employees. The School District announced Wednesday that teachers and other full-time employees will received $2,000 bonuses. Part-time employees will receive $1,000. School officials said the funds will come from the savings the district has realized by keeping most students off campus during the coronavirus shutdowns. Pullman schools are the last in Whitman County to return most students to on-campus learning....
LAMONT — A requested two-year replacement educational programs and operations levy continued to fall short Wednesday, Feb. 10, following a tally of late-arriving ballots in the special election. As of 3:51 p.m., the measure that would have collected $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation each of the next two years was failing, 24-28, garnering only 46.15% support. If approved, the tax levy was expected to bring in $130,000 in 2022 and $132,000 in 2023. The owner of a home valued at $200,000 would have paid $500 in taxes annually u...
OLYMPIA – Eastern Washington businesses will have to wait at least two more weeks for coronavirus relief following a gubernatorial press conference at 2:30 p.m. today, Jan. 28. During the press conference, Gov. Inslee said he will allow his so-called “Puget Sound” and “West” regions to move to “Phase 2” on Monday. That means inside service will be allowed on a limited basis for restaurants, bars, taverns and other businesses. Limited sports will also be allowed, he said. Snohomish, King, Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Pacific and Grays Harbor countie...
PULLMAN – Four students took the School Board and employees to task Wednesday night for failing to get them back on campus even though the governor and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called for in-person learning. The Pullman School District is among the last holdouts generally keeping students off-campus in Whitman County. During a digital School Board meeting, students Collin Bannister, Maddie Weber, Maxwell Cordova and Hanna Talbot called on the board to get school c...
On Tuesday, Whitman County commissioners agreed to send to a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee calling on him to rescind the newest of his phased-in, coronavirus reopening plans. We strongly support the move. Our commissioners are joining leaders in Franklin and Yakima counties who, too, are pushing for the “Healthy Washington-Roadmap to Recovery” to be abandoned. Like Inslee’s other phased-in reopening schemes, this plan offers another false carrot, but a very real stick — especially in rural areas. This new plan essentially replaces local health...
SPOKANE VALLEY - Four Republican lawmakers have signed onto a new bill designed to encourage splitting Washington into two separate states. Reps. Bob McCaslin and Rob Chase, both of Spokane Valley, Tom Dent of Moses Lake and Robert Sutherland are co-sponsoring House Bill 1239. Under the bill, "a separate and independent state is established from the eastern portions of Washington." That state would be named Liberty. The bill calls for establishing transitional committees to help settle issues...
Protests are nothing new in Olympia. Each year, thousands of protesters converge on legislative sessions to rally for special causes, object to government activities and generally just remind lawmakers who they work for. I cannot recall a time that the Capitol Building, other legislative office buildings and the state library weren’t available for public access. Indeed, each year I wander the Capitol campus during session to personally deliver a newspaper to those who represent us in Olympia, a simple reminder that we’re here, and that con...
CLARKSTON - A local man is being held in the Whitman County Jail on $75,000 bail after attempting to elude law enforcement last week. Steven K. Young, 35, is facing charges of felony eluding, possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine, possession of a control substance-heroin and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was booked into the Whitman County Jail on Friday, Jan. 8. According to a Whitman County Sheriff's Office report, deputies attempted a traffic stop at the intersection of...
OAKESDALE — An autopsy determined that resident Chester David Hathaway’s death was the result of suicide. Whitman County Coroner Annie Pillers released the autopsy findings in Hathaway’s death Thursday, Jan. 7. Hathaway, 82, died Dec. 26 at the home he shared with his wife after an attempted murder-suicide, according to initial reports. Hathaway shot his wife, Irene Louise Hathaway, 83, and then himself at about 1:04 p.m. “The cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the coroner wrote...
COLTON - High winds early Wednesday morning knocked out power to hundreds of Avista Utilities customers across the Palouse region and much of Eastern Washington. At press time, the Spokane-based utility was reporting 355 customers were without power from Colton to Johnson. A second outage was reported south of Palouse, with 329 customers affected. In town, another 26 homes were without power. "Crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to assess damage," the utility said in a press...
