Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Gordon Forgey, publisher of the Whitman County Gazette and Colfax Daily Bulletin, has announced the sale of the papers to Free Press Publishing based in Cheney. Forgey, publisher since 1985 and owner since 2001, said the new owners will take over operations on March 1. Roger Harnack, publisher, and Bill Ifft are the owners of the Free Press group. Forgey encourages support for the new owners and predicts an easy transition. “They know the region and the people,” he said. “Most important, they know the value of local, independent news.” “Despit...
On Feb. 18, the county commissioners held an afternoon workshop to discuss possible financing scenarios for upgrades and replacements coming to the courthouse and jail. The main purpose of the meeting was to see how much cash from the general fund would be used to fund the upgrades and replacements at the courthouse and jail, upon approval of the commissioners. Gary Petrovich, county administrative director, presented, as of the week prior, the general fund held approximately $8.6 million, the restrict reserve fund held $1.6 million and the...
The Oakesdale vs. Gar/Pal boys basketball rivalry culminated in a 47-43 overtime win for the Nighthawks Feb. 21 in Walla Walla for the district title. See story and photos from that tournament and others in the Sports Section....
County Commissioner Dean Kinzer reported to the commissioners Monday morning on a 2020 Census session he attended this past week. He said this session covered details related to the upcoming census and the importance of the numbers collected. “It is constitutional and required every 10 years,” Kinzer said. “About $675 billion are distributed to schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs such as WIC and SNAP based on Census numbers.” Kinzer added this is why this is so important everybody gets counted as this could mean th...
On the calendar since 1954, the Uniontown Sausage Feed returns Sunday, March 1, a benefit for the community center which serves plates of sausage, applesauce, mashed potatoes, green beans and sauerkraut. Pie completes the meal, beginning 10 a.m. Sunday and running until 5 p.m., or when last of the line is served. Volunteer Ken Oenning is in charge for the 17th year. “I hate to tell you that, but yes,” he said, with a laugh. The event has lately brought in $9,000-$11,000 each year, its proceeds going to maintenance and upkeep of the com...
Ring in March with a little luck by participating in the Chamber of Commerce First Thursday celebration of shopping local with the chance to win. Titled Leprechaun Luck, March’s First Thursday will give participants the chance to win $500 in cash by shopping in Colfax. Each purchase will be entered individually into the drawing. To qualify, shop in downtown Colfax between Monday, March 2, to Thursday, March 5, collecting shamrocks or holding onto receipts from businesses in town. Shamrocks will have a space to be filled out with information f...
The Whitman County Planning Commission’s work on a proposed new code for marijuana is nearing a home stretch, with a proposed ordinance under SEPA review (State Environmental Policy Act) in Olympia with a public comment period to begin Feb. 27, running through March 12. The ordinance will also be the subject of a planning commission public hearing March 18 in Colfax. New rules in the proposal include a conditional use permit required – approved by county commissioners – for any new marijuana-related business. At present, growing marij...
These reports are from the previous four issues of the Daily Bulletin in Colfax. They are reprinted here for the benefit of Gazette readers who reside outside of Colfax. Some accounts have been updated. SEPA CLEARS PROPOSED MARIJUANA ORDINANCE The Whitman County Planning Commission has received a Determination of Non-significance (DNS) in a SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) review, for a proposed new zoning ordinance to regulate marijuana production, processing and retailing. The SEPA office in Olympia issued the ruling Tuesday, stating...
The Whitman County Sheriff's Office has officially rolled out its newest tactical vehicle, designed to provide increased safety for the community, and SWAT team members, when responding to high risk situations. The Sheriff's Office applied for the vehicle through the 1033 LESO Program (Government Surplus) as a replacement to its current aging armored personnel vehicle, a 1978 Peacekeeper. The Sheriff's Office was awarded the vehicle, a 2010 MRAP in July, and has been customizing it for the...
Whitman County Commissioner Michael Largent presented to the rest of the board at its Monday morning workshop that the Colfax Arts Council is interested in putting a mural on the side of the Public Service Building on Main Street next to Jim's Service Center. "We are working through getting permission with different building owners in the downtown area," said Debbie Snell, Colfax Arts Council. "We have three to four different walls planned out right now to get started with adequate planning."...
The plant store in Colfax is moving. A Modern Plantsman, which opened on Canyon Street last March, is expected to re-open again in the coming week at a new corner spot on Main Street and Wall, the former site of Colfax Computer. “We just needed more space,” said owner Dominic Villareal Plans include more workshops, more inventory and added room to make ceramic pottery. Villareal is also in the midst of expanding the Plantsman business to Spokane, to become a seller inside Boulevard Mer...
The Friends of Whitman County Library meetings have been changed to the first Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. in the Norma McGregor meeting room at Whitman County Library. This temporary change runs through May 5, after which the group will return to a meeting time of 11 a.m. Friends of the Library meetings are open to the public and community members are invited to come learn more about the library and support the great programs and projects countywide. For more information, contact Shirley Cornelius at 509-397-4366....
Thinking of college for yourself or a family member but unsure where to start? Spokane Falls Community College has partnered with Neill Public Library to offer free how-to workshops for getting a college education. The Pullman campus of Spokane Falls Community College has scheduled three hour-long workshops at Neill Public Library. Get Ready for College – 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14, for high school completion programs and adult basic education to prepare for college. How to Start Strong – 1 p.m. Saturday, April 11, FAFSA (Free application for...
At the Monday morning commissioners workshop, Mark Storey, Whitman County public works director, brought before the commissioners the idea of purchasing an automated flagger for this summer's road construction season. An automated flagger is a temporary traffic control device that has high visibility signage and can be operated either through radio control or cable from a remote location. “We are looking at purchasing one or two of these automated flagger stations,” Storey said. “They are $32,000 - $34,000.” There are two different models...
The high school robotics season nears its start again for 2020, with teams around the northwest – and the world – preparing for first competitions, to begin this weekend. The Palouse Area Robotics Team, the Sciborgs, made up of kids from Colfax, Pullman, Moscow, Colton and Uniontown, will begin its ninth year Saturday with a scrimmage in the West Valley High School cafeteria in Spokane, going against West Valley, Coeur d'Alene and Kettle Falls. Each team builds a robot to compete in the sea...
Last week the Whitman County Historical Society enjoyed the hospitality and vintage surroundings of the Perkins House for its board meeting. One highlight of the meeting was the introduction of Jill Gfeller, newest docent and new outreach coordinator for Perkins House. She and Nancy Rothwell dressed in reproduced vintage dresses which are new to the house and which the community will see more of at future events. Gfeller's enthusiasm and love of the Perkins House is most welcome to all. Stay...
At Thursday's Port of Whitman County meeting, future building plans were discussed at the Port of Whitman Business Air Center. The reason behind new buildings at POWBAC came from an anonymous local company that was interested in space at POWBAC. There currently is no space available in any existing port buildings or as a sublease from existing tenants. The port staff presented to the commissioner two possible approaches to future building development at POWBAC. Presented were a short term and a long term plan. The short term plan is primarily...
Sandy Jamison Whitman County Auditor Why is Washington State holding a presidential primary on March 10, 2020? Back in March of 2019, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed legislation that would move the presidential primary in 2020 to March rather than August. It’s a move designed to make Washington, a frequently overlooked state with just 12 electoral votes, more relevant in the nominating process. Washington voters need their votes to actually “count” with regard to determining the top presidential candidate “vote-getter” in each part...
Was it the only open shot of the fourth quarter? It wasn't even the fourth quarter anymore, it was overtime. In a fierce fight in Walla Walla Friday night, Feb. 21, Oakesdale's Tyler Bober caught a pass in the rarity of open space – on the wing, under a minute left, in front of the Oakesdale crowd. The junior guard took the shot. All net, it decided the game, after a defensive stop, 47-43 Oakesdale, for the Nighthawks' second consecutive District Nine 1B championship – finishing a thr...
Regional round basketball games will be played around the state Saturday with five county teams still alive. The 2B Colfax boys are the no. 9 seed, set to meet no. 16 Oroville at University High School in Spokane for an elimination game at 2 p.m. At stake is a berth in state at Spokane Arena. For the 2B Colfax girls, the no. 12 seed, plays no. 13 Brewster at University High School at 12 p.m. The winner advances to state, another elimination game. The Colfax boys beat Kettle Falls last Saturday i...
At the Mat Classic XXXII at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 21-22, Colfax High's Caden Noha took second place in the state 1B/2B ranks at 182 pounds. Noha, a junior, started with a bye, then pinned his first opponent in 36 seconds, followed by a pin in the semifinals, in the match's second round. For the final, Noha met Lucas Ashley of Adna, a senior and defending state champion. Late in the match, Noha, down 6-5, tilted Ashley to his back and held him, for nearly two counts. "But the guy rolled through,...
The Pomeroy girls and their long-missing star guard Emma Severs beat Oakesdale 50-39 last last Friday in Walla Walla to take the District Nine title and advance to regionals. Oakesdale, which split with the Pirates in the regular season – the only team yet to beat Pomeroy – trailed by eight points at halftime. Severs entered the game in the second quarter, with the game tied 19-19. She soon hit a corner three-pointer. Pomeroy junior McKenzie Watko hit another, with a foul and the Pirates (21...
What if a basketball team made it to state 13 years in a row? What if they won the championship eight times in row? What if they lost in the semifinals the next year and then won the championship two more times back-to-back? If it was true, it would be the Colton High School girls basketball team from 2007-20. What if the team at one point had a 79-win streak across three years? It was all true and the Colton girls’ in-residence at Spokane’s Washington State 1B basketball tournament ended in...
