Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 47 of 47
Washington slips in best states ranking The famous baseball pitcher Satchel Paige used to say, “Don’t look back — something might be gaining on you.” With all due respect to Satchel, Washington should glance over its shoulder because something is gaining on us. Competing states are coming after Washington’s economic powerhouse: aerospace. One of those competitors recently received a big boost from Forbes magazine. For the third year in a row, Forbes ranked Utah the Best State for Business. Meanwhile, Washington slipped from seventh to 11th....
Washington vs. ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ In “Zero Dark Thirty,” CIA characters warn of congressmen coming after them for running the agency’s interrogation program. As it happens, they could have said the same thing about making a movie about the agency’s interrogation program. Washington is aghast at Kathryn Bigelow’s fantastically compelling new film. “Zero Dark Thirty” isn’t really about interrogation, although you could be forgiven for thinking so given all the debate over its scenes devoted to the agency’s harsh questioning of detainees after Sep...
The tragedies at Columbine and Sandy Hook are embossed on the nation’s psyche. Add to these the continuing but less notorious killings on school campuses, and there is little wonder that communities around the nation want their schools safer and more secure. Just last week, a school bus driver was killed, and one of his students was abducted. Reaction to the violence and danger has been strong and emotional. Many schools are reacting by hiring armed guards, and there is talk about arming school staffers. A young girl was recently suspended f...
FRIDAY SCORING Colton 69-LaCrosse/Washtucna/Kahlotus 43: 17/5 19/13 7/16 19/9: Jake Straughan 28, Zach Dvorak 3, Dillon Frank 2, Dalton Patchen 18, Austin Meyer 8. LWK: Darcy Stamper 4, Matt Stubbs 2, Austin Summers 5, Joey Guske 5 Jed Zimmer l4, Justin Wargo 6, Sam Harder 4, Rile Roberts 3. Pomeroy 51-Garfield/Palouse 47: 19/11 12/12 11/16 9/8: Tanner Feider 12, Bryan McGreevey 7, Riley Bott 16, Cody LaMunyan 5, Tyson Feeder 3, Max Ruchert 8. Garfoe;d/Palouse: Matt Holbrok 7k, Jesse Lopez 10, Hunter Woltering 5, Tyler thurjkan 7, Zach Kuehner...
The Colfax High School wrestling team sent eight contenders to the District tournament in Davenport and six will advance to this weekend’s Regional Tournament at Reardan. Trapper Askins, wrestling on the Colfax team for Gar-Pal High School, works his way to a district title in the 120-pound weight class. Wrestling Feb. 2, Trapper Askins took first-place at 120-pounds while Thomas Newton took second at 138 pounds. At 113 pounds, Mitch Barney placed second. Evan Lord finished third at 182 p...
Toward the end of Paramount Pictures’ 1986 movie “Top Gun,” one of the pilots wants to know something. “Who’s the best?” asks Lt. Tom Kazansky of his instructor. He’s competed hard for weeks and would like to find out. The same question could be asked this year by boys basketball players in the Southeast 1B League. After a season of back-and-forth, upset wins, surprising losses and key players missing games with sickness, the answer to which team is best is essentially unknown. Gar-Pal’s (15...
A silky gray line drops from an upper corner of the loss column for the Colton girls basketball team. The cobwebs have returned. After losing their first game this season Dec. 28 to break a 37-game win streak, the team has won 12 in a row since then to finish their season 16-0 in league. So dust has been restored in its familiar place, and Colton will aim not to disturb it again as playoffs start this week. In second place for the Southeast 1B girls are the Tekoa-Oakesdale Nighthawks with a...
Gazette Editor Two wins out of the consolation bracket sent the Bulldog girls south to face an SE foe this week in the sub-regional rounds of the state playoff trail. Colfax senior Amelie Bruya stretches over Springdale’s Taylor Smith after a rebound. The Bulldogs posted consolation wins over the same two NE teams they defeated in the last weekend of league play. They hammered Mary Walker of Springdale 52-27 Saturday and defeated the LRS Broncos 44-20 for third place in the last of four regional rounds at Mt. Spokane. The Broncos advanced in t... Full story
Like a taxiing 787 with a corrected battery, the Colton gym was about to get loud. Colton junior guard Jake Straughan sees an opening on his way to two of his 31 points against Gar-Pal last Friday. The Gar-Pal boys arrived there Friday for a game to seal the Southeast 1B League championship. With bleachers full on each side and fans standing in doorways, both engines were about to blare. But they never really did. There was no reason to, as Colton controlled the game from the start, shut down... Full story
Gazette Editor The Colfax Bulldogs Saturday night came within two seconds and one shot of upsetting the St. George’s Dragons and taking the district title into the next round of the state playoffs. Brandon Gfeller of Colfax goes up against Dexter Sienko on title night. Gfeller was named league MVP of the final round. The dramatic finish to the District 7 title game at Mead ended a Colfax charge from 14 points back against a Dragons team which remains undefeated in the 2B ranks. St. George’s, which had dominated Colfax in both league rou... Full story
Low income families and fixed-income seniors in Whitman County may be able to save money and energy through the Weatherization Program from Community Action Center. The Weatherization Program provides energy conservation improvements to homes to prevent problems such as air leaks. Such improvements can lower utility bills and make homes more energy efficient. People who qualify for the Weatherization Program receive a free energy audit from a certified energy auditor from Community Action Center who will determine major sources of energy loss...
The Department of Ecology’s Eastern Regional Office in Spokane plans to hire about 115 teens throughout Eastern Washington this summer to help clean up area roadsides, parks and recreation areas. Ecology Youth Corps members also will learn how to better care for the environment. Young people ages 14 to 17, who live in Eastern Washington counties can apply through April 1 to work with one of Ecology’s EYC crews this summer. Crews will work from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, in one of two four-week sessions. Local crew loc... Full story
First Palouse Cabin Fever Brew Fest will take place Feb. 9 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Palouse Community Center. The cost is $15 for a commemorative pint glass and six four-ounce beer tastes from local breweries, including Twelve-String Brewing (Spokane), Budge Brothers Brewery (Spokane), Paradise Creek Brewery (Pullman), Kootenai River Brewing Company (Bonners Ferry) and Riverport Brewing Company (Clarkston). In addition, brauts will be for sale. Tickets are available at the door, at the Green Frog Café in Palouse and Paradise Creek Brewery... Full story
An effort to start a community center has begun in Oakesdale. A non-profit organization called Oakesdale Coffee House filed for articles of incorporation in October. The group is headed by board president Dave Hooks, along with vice president Nancy Hathaway and Secretary/Treasurer Pia Hooks. “There’s no place in Oakesdale, no community center to speak of, it’s one of the things that Oakesdale is missing,” said Dave Hooks. The goal of the group is to utilize one of the empty buildings in town. ... Full story
Supporters, parents and artists gather at the Whitman County Library in Colfax for a “Meet the Artists” reception Feb. 4 featuring high school work from around the county. The exhibit runs in conjunction with the first Rural Alliance High School Art Show Feb. 3-14 at the library. Some of the young artists will make presentations about their work this evening (Thursday) beginning at 7 p.m. at the library.... Full story
On Thursday, Jan. 31, Whitman County Relay for Life kicked off its annual fundraiser with a spaghetti dinner at the Colfax Baptist Church. Cooking spaghetti for the Relay for Life kickoff Jan. 31 at Colfax First Baptist Church, from left to right, Gail Webster, Jeanette Nolan, Cozy Lueck, Dana Repp and Patty Collinsworth. Although only 35 people were served that evening, organizers termed it a success. “We were very pleased,” said one of the organizers, Cozy Lueck. Although they served more people last year, Lueck said they knew other eve... Full story
Whitman County Conservation District now has its own corner at the Colfax Library. Materials from the Whitman County Conservation District now are available at the Colfax Library. Seated on the left is Catalina Flores, library circulation supervisor, and at right is Nancy Hoobler, conservation district natural resource coordinator. Standing in back are district board members, Tom Kammerzell, left, and David Lange, right. Materials provided by the district are available for library patrons to check out at the “Conservation Corner.” “It... Full story
Gazette Editor A pre-trial hearing date has been slated for Friday on two motions filed in advance of the first trial in the state’s murder charge filed against each of the Lazcano brothers. The trial of Daniel Lazcano, 21, is scheduled to start Monday in superior court. A pool of approximately 60 potential jurors will be called and jury selection will start. The trial is expected to last a week or longer. Daniel Lazcano and his brother, Frank Lazcano III, 25, have been charged with the murder of Marcus Schur, 23, Rosalia. The charges were f...
The open Port of Whitman/WSU business plan competition has been put on hold after Port commissioners voted to de-fund their $15,000 investment in prize money. The annual competition has honored local start-ups since 2007. “We’ve been evaluating the usefulness of the competition,” said Debbie Snell, Properties and Development Manager for the Port of Whitman. “We need to re-evaluate whether it’s the best way to spend our economic development dollar.” The deadline for this year’s contest was t...
David Benscoter of Chatteroy loves apples. And because of his passion for the famous fruit from Washington, he is on a mission. This homestead near Steptoe has old apple trees that David Benscoter believes might produce a long-lost variety. As he was pruning a 100-year-old orchard near Chatteroy for a friend, he became curious about the varieties of apples the orchard contained. He began researching old apple varieties. For the past six years, Benscoter has researched extinct apples that were prominent in Whitman County in the early 1900s. His... Full story
Gazette Editor Michael Assenberg, Colfax marijuana grower who became part of the state medical marijuana debate, packed a heaping box of paper bags full of marijuana out of the Whitman County sheriff’s office Monday morning. Michael Assenberg carries a box full of bagged marijuana out of the sheriff’s office Monday morning. The paper bags containing marijuana plants had been held in custody since officers seized the plants in a search of the Assenberg home on S. Mill Street in May of 2011. Assenberg collected the packages after Superior Cou...
NOTICE OF HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of County Commissioners of Whitman County, Washington will meet in its office in the Whitman County Commissioners’ Chambers, in the Courthouse in Colfax, Washington on Tuesday, the 19th day of February 2013, at the hour of 11:00 a.m. for the purpose of considering an Amendment to Whitman County’s Six-Year Road Program (2013 – 2018), at which time and place any taxpayer may appear and be heard for or against said program. Handicap access for the Whitman County Courthouse is available at th...
