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Articles from the January 7, 2021 edition


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  • Whirlpool of consequences

    Jan 7, 2021

  • Idaho woman arrested for meth

    Staff Report|Jan 7, 2021

    COLFAX — A Clarkia, Idaho, woman was booked into the Whitman County Jail this morning on a charges of possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine. Betty Nash, 56, was held without bail overnight and her first appearance was scheduled for today. Nash was stopped by Whitman County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Michael Jordan about 9 p.m. Dec. 28 on Main Street for a brake light not working. While talking to Nash, Jordan observed signs of recent drug use, including sweating despite cold temperatures, shaking hands and burn marks on her fin...

  • Deer Park man to be arraigned on drug possession charge

    Staff Report, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    PULLMAN — One person was arrested for driving with a suspended license and drug possession and another cited for knowing he was doing the illegal actions just before 7 p.m. Dec. 30 on U.S. Highway 195 near Armstrong Road. Robert Suttles, 46, of Deer Park, will be arraigned Jan. 8 for driving with a suspended license and possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine. He is being held without bail in the Whitman County Jail. Suttles was jailed after Whitman County Sheriff’s Office deputy Tyler Langerveld pulled over the vehicle he was dri...

  • High-speed chase ends in arrest

    Roger Harnack, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    CLARKSTON — The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office arrested an Idaho man early Sunday morning, Jan. 3, following a high-speed chase. Robert Edgar Speer, 49, of Couer d’Alene, Idaho, was scheduled to make his first appearance in Whitman County Superior Court today on charges of felony eluding, second-degree assault, second-degree trespassing and second-degree malicious mischief. He may also be facing additional charges in Idaho, where the high-speed chase began, the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office reported. As of this morning, he was being held wi...

  • No one cited in train versus SUV crash

    Staff Report, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    ENDICOTT — No one was seriously injured or cited in a Dec. 18 collision where a train struck an SUV and pushed it 225 feet down the tracks. According to the report issued by Whitman County Sheriff’s Office deputy Michael Melcher, the incident occurred before sunrise sometime between 6:40-6:50 a.m. at the train track crossing on 3rd Street. A 1999 GMC Yukon driven by Jonathan Taylor, 47, of Endicott, was struck on the front side by a Union Pacific grain train with 30 cars and two diesel electric locomotives. The report noted it was dark at the...

  • Colfax Council passes two ordinance updates

    Garth Meyer, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    COLFAX — The City Council met Monday night and passed two ordinances, one a nuisance code update and the other regarding home businesses. For the nuisance code – which deals with derelict properties — the process for enforcement will now bypass the Board of Adjustment and go to the courts, in the event of an appeal of what is a civil infraction. A written ticket would be a late-stage option in a process that includes site visits, warnings and allowing time for compliance. “The last resort is a citation,” Mayor Jim Retzer said. Moving the proce...

  • Minimum wage increased

    Roger Harnack, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    OLYMPIA - As of Jan. 1, low-wage earners and some salaried employees are being paid more for their efforts on the job. Across Eastern Washington and some areas west of the Cascades, the minimum wage increased 19 cents per hour, from $13.50 to $13,69, according to the state Department of Labor and Industries. The minimum wage in the cities of Seattle and SeaTac increased to $16.69 per hour and $16.57, respectively, the agency said, noting those minimum wages are set by city ordinances. Elsewhere...

  • Port to host hearing on proposed land sale

    Jana Mathia, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    PULLMAN — The Port of Whitman County will hold an 11 a.m. Jan. 7 digital public hearing regarding the proposed sale of the last of the land it owns at its Locust Grove Industrial Park, also known as Pullman Industrial Park-West. The proposed sale is to Pullman-based Veterinary Medical Research and Development, which operates adjacent to Lots 19-21 of the industrial park. The company approached the port to purchase the 8.36 acres of undeveloped land near the intersection of Grand Avenue North and Pullman-Albion Road. The proposed use of the l...

  • Mayor Retzer: Support local eateries

    Jan 7, 2021

    COLFAX — During a City Council meeting Monday, the mayor called on local residents to support local eateries in light of the continuing gubernatorial coronavirus-related shutdown orders. Several area business are fighting to continue to provide indoor services, despite efforts by the state Liquor and Cannabis Board and state Department of Labor and Industries to shut them down as ordered by Gov. Jay Inslee. “I would encourage everybody to support the local restaurants,” Mayor Jim Retzer said. I’m frustrated with this just as much as anybody...

  • Services Board to meet

    Staff Report|Jan 7, 2021

    COLFAX — The Whitman County Developmental Services Board will select officers for 2021 when it meets digitally at noon Jan. 13. Members will select its chairman and vice chairman, as well as discuss an open board seat. For a meeting link to attend digitally, call 509-397-6238. The boards following meeting is set for Feb. 10....

  • Governor offers another phased plan to reopen

    Roger Harnack, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    COLFAX - Area restaurants, bars and gyms may be able to reopen indoor services as soon as Jan. 11 under another coronavirus-related plan release by Gov. Jay Inslee during a press conference Tuesday. Under the plan, the state will be divided into eight regions based on proximity to health care services. Whitman County will be grouped in the East Region that includes Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Garfield and Asotin counties. All regions will be designated as "Phase 1" unt...

  • State Parks to repair historic Rosalia train trestle

    Garth Meyer, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    ROSALIA — Washington State Parks will open bids Jan. 21 for a project to repair the historic train trestle here after incidents in recent years of small pieces of concrete falling to the Old State Highway 271-Rosalia Road below. The project will include removal of loose concrete, debris containment and temporary sediment and erosion controls, state officials said. Concrete pieces from a half-inch to two inches have been seen on the road. The 1915 trestle, a former railroad bridge owned by State Parks as part of the Palouse-to-Cascades Trail (...

  • 'Stop the steal' protest planned

    Roger Harnack, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    COLFAX — The nationwide “Stop the Steal” protest will hit close to home Wednesday afternoon. Local Republicans are planning to rally from noon to 4 p.m. at the Codger Pole on Main Street to oppose approval of the Electoral College vote in Congress. The protest coincides with similar events taking place across the region and in Washington, D.C. Former state Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, will be leading the protest that takes place simultaneously on the steps of the Spokane Valley Courthouse, 1116 W. Broadway Ave. Meanwhile in Washi...

  • Fire department gets emergency funding for EMT

    Garth Meyer, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    COLFAX — The City Council committed Monday night to extend up to $10,000 to the Fire Department for an emergency staffing fund to cover another daytime shift to help with an increase in calls due to COVID-19. “We’re being stretched pretty thin,” said Fire Department Officer-in-Charge Jake Smith. “We’ve made do, but we’re getting our butt kicked.” Smith reported the department received 115 calls in December. “That’s a very busy month,” he said. “More than doubled our call volume from November.” An estimated 80% of department calls are medi...

  • WSU falls to Arizona in double-overtime

    Garth Meyer, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    PULLMAN - What would decide a double-overtime game between two PAC-12 early season contenders last Saturday night in Pullman? A ball thrown off an opponent's thigh to save a possession? A tip-away steal on the dribble in the last minute of regulation? The lingering effect of a technical foul on WSU coach Kyle Smith an hour earlier? None of the above – it was a banked-in three-pointer from the top of the key, Arizona winning 86-82. The silence that followed in the no-fans-allowed Beasley C...

  • Carmen Gfeller making her mark at University of Montana

    Staff Report|Jan 7, 2021

    MISSOULA, Mont. — From the Steptoe school gymnasium to Dahlberg Arena at University of Montana, Carmen Gfeller is now a redshirt sophomore starting for the Grizzlies, averaging 16.3 points per game. A 6-foot-1 forward Colfax High School standout, Gfeller opened the 2020-21 college season Nov. 25 with a career-high, then beat it in the Grizzlies’ second game. First, in a road loss at Utah State, she scored 21 points before getting 26 in a home win over North Dakota. Gfeller is the first Montana women’s player since 1984-85 to start a seaso...

  • Steelhead fishery rules changed Jan. 1

    Staff Report|Jan 7, 2021

    ALMOTA — New steelhead fishery rules take effect above and below Lower Granite Dam beginning Jan. 1. Below the dam, downstream to the mouth of the Snake River, fishermen are limited to one hatchery steelhead daily. Above the dam, to the Idaho-Oregon state line, two hatchery steelhead are allowed. The new rules expire March 31, state fisheries officials said. The new rule is due to an updated steelhead forecast return of 109,500, an increase of more than 2,000 fish. While the overall run is expected to be more than previously forecast, f...

  • Shooting range closed Jan. 5-7

    Jan 7, 2021

    DAYTON — The target shooting range in the W.T. Wooten Wildlife area will be closed Jan. 5-7 for construction work. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is upgrading the range to comply with new target shooting rules that go into effect Jan. 18 for state lands. The Wooten work follows a similar reshaping of the target backstop at Asotin Creek Wildlife Area, which has since reopened. Target shooting on publicly owned, agency-managed lands is regulated under Washington Administrative Code 220-500-140....

  • One killed in crash

    Justin Slayton, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    PULLMAN - One person was killed and three injured Tuesday afternoon in a two-vehicle, head-on crash five miles south of the city on U.S. Highway 195. Edward F. Meyer, 82, of Genesee, Idaho, was pronounced dead at the scene near Gimlin Road at about 2:30 p.m., the Washington State Patrol reported. Emma E. Cook, 18, of Kamiah, Idaho, and Hester M. Cook, 44, and Samantha J. Stang, 18, both of Ranier, Wash., were injured and transported to a regional medical center, the patrol said. Their...

  • Malden-Pine City Gun Club posts trap shoot results

    Staff Report, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    PINE CITY — Here are the single-score results from the Jan. 3 Malden-Pine City Gun Club trap shoot. The event was the start of an eight-week trap shoot league, officials said. Men 25 — Mike Deife, 25 24 — David McDowell and Dave Carroll 23 — Mike Koppel, Randy Scmick, Neal Robertson, Conr Hergert and Brad Bowman 22 — Cory Hornvedt, Luke Guin and Daniel Broeckel 21 — Dave Kjack and Jeff Wood 20 — Don McDowell, Dale Birchell, Brad Hergert and Eric McDonald 19 — Jon Sutter and Sean Amestoy 17 — Ed Hayes 16 — Brad Hodges Ladies 24 — Diane Koppel 2...

  • Light snow in Friday forecast

    Staff Report, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    COLFAX — The National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of widespread light snow Friday, with a dry and mostly cloudy weekend. Next week, a wet and warmer period is expected Monday through Wednesday, Jan. 13, the service said. That could produce rising rivers and streams, with a prolonged period of rain on already saturated soils. Mud or landslides in steep terrain may also develop, the service said....

  • Colfax names interim girls basketball coach; season delayed

    Staff Report, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    COLFAX — Michael Dorman has been appointed interim Colfax High School girls basketball coach. CHS Principal David Gibb announced the appointment of Dorman, a social studies teacher in his second year at the junior-senior high school. Gibb said the district wanted to tap someone “in the building” to coach the girls in the event of a season, then make a permanent hiring decision after this year. The announcement was made Jan. 4, when the current Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) plan was to have winter sports begin Feb....

  • Guardsmen, troopers ready for protests

    Roger Harnack, The Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    OLYMPIA -- The Washington National Guard and the Washington State Patrol took up positions around the Capitol today in advance of the opening of the legislative session. Their deployment came as two protests took place in the city. The only damage reported was a broken window smashed when some Black Lives Matter protesters broke off from the main protest downtown and marched to the Capitol campus, where state troopers awaited them. After the window damage, the group retreated to the downtown...

  • Roger Harnack, Franklin Connection|Jan 7, 2021

    OLYMPIA – Two people were arrested this morning, Monday, Jan. 11, as the Legislature entered session behind locked gates. Early in the morning, a woman parked her RV in front of one of the gates and refused to move it or leave, the Washington State Patrol reported. When she was arrested for failing to follow a lawful order, one of her friends moved the RV. Then at precisely 11 a.m. as the Legislature was opening session, a man in his 30s attempted to walk to the Capitol building and was i...  Website

  • Newhouse votes to impeach Trump

    Roger Harnack, Whitman County Gazette|Jan 7, 2021

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eastern Washington's two Republican congressional representatives were on opposite sides of the House vote to impreach President Donald Trump for a second time. Fourth Congressional District Rep. Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside joined Democrats in voting for impreachment of the president on grounds of so-called sedition. Newhouse represents Central Washington, including Benton, Franklin, Adams and Grant counties, among others. Fifth Congressional District Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane opposed impeachment. She represents E...