Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 43 of 43
THE SPOILERS – Almira/Coulee/Hartline sophomore Gabi Isaak secures a rebound in the first half of the Warriors’ state semifinal win over Colton as the Wildcats’ Abby Kelly looks on. Was it the two-point third quarter? Was it 16 Colton fouls called to nine for Almira/Coulee/Hartline? Was it two Mosers enrolled at University of Washington and none at Colton High School? Was it no one to drive the lane when their three-pointers were not falling? Was it just a strange afternoon in Spokane? The Col...
A recurring problem with items clogging the sewer lift station in Palouse happened again in February as the city Public Works Department cleaned out the lift station. The cause is items that should not be flushed, including wipes of any kind, labeled as “flushable” or otherwise, feminine hygiene products, condoms, diapers, hair and more. These items all need to be put in the trash. Last fall, a clog of non-flushable items burned a motor at the lift station, which cost $4,800 to replace. At the Feb. 28 Palouse City Council meeting, rep...
Daylight Saving Time will begin Sunday, March 12, at 2 a.m. by knocking an hour off the clock. The 2 a.m. hour will automatically jump to 3 a.m. Smartphone and computer clocks are likely to automatically jump ahead, but wall clocks, car clocks and other manual clocks will need to be set forward manually. The shift in clocks will add an hour of daylight to the evening. Daylight Saving Time will end on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2 a.m. The extra hour of daylight will shift to the morning at that time....
Plans are underway at the Palouse Fire Department to buy a new, used fire truck. Aiming to stick with its 30-year replacement schedule for vehicles, the department looks to supplant its 1987 Pierce pumper tanker unit, which it bought used in 2008. On Feb. 28, the Palouse city council approved a shift of $50,000 from the fire reserve fund to the department's regular fund so Chief Mike Bagott may make a purchase. “We are actively looking, but we're not in dire straits or anything,” Bagott said. “W...
Endicott residents will see a change to their water and sewer bills. The town council recently voted to up the rates, and the increases went into effect March 1. “It hasn't been raised in quite a while,” said Town Clerk Laura Jones. “We raised it to keep up with current times and to cover all expenses.” The council unanimously passed the hikes last year, and a notification was sent to residents at that time. It took a few months to have the rate increases ready, said Jones. “We had decided to raise them on January 1st, but we didn't have the...
A workshop meeting with the Board of County Commissioners, Auditor Eunice Coker, Finance Director Sharron Cunningham and County Administrator Gary Petrovich is wrapped up in the commissioner's chambers Tuesday morning. County Commissioner Michael Largent is ready to see the county have a clean audit. “I'm getting weary in my 10th year as a commissioner,” Largent said Tuesday at a meeting to address the progress toward meeting objectives set by the state auditor's office and the Government Fin...
The Palouse skate park, known as Tony Kettel Skate Gardens, may be finished this summer. Organizers hope the park with an accompanying garden area will be finished by mid to late summer, lead volunteer Aaron Flansburg reported to Palouse City Council Feb. 28. He told the council the skate park committee has brought in $51,000 since February 2016. That includes a $15,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation. Hired labor mixed with volunteer work designed and poured the concrete skate bowls in September 2015. Last year, volunteers continued work...
The Town of LaCrosse is examining an ordinance which requires all weeds, grass and other uncultivated vegetation to be cut and disposed of at least once per month from April through September. The town is considering allowing sheep and goats in town to help with the grazing efforts. “It was an issue that came up last year,” said Mayor Randy Camp. “We allowed it in one instance last year, and we got a lot of input.” A public meeting is scheduled for tonight, Thursday, March 9, at 7 p.m. at the LaCrosse Town Hall for the purpose of discuss...
The Town of St. John at its Feb. 27 town council meeting passed an ordinance regarding water use restrictions during emergencies. The ordinance reads that the council may declare a water emergency in the event of severe drought, extended pipeline or equipment malfunction, or any other condition which significantly reduces the town's ability to supply water in order to protect the public health, safety or welfare or to preserve the water supply. Town Clerk Linda Hayes said the ordinance was part of the town's effort to update its water system...
--Chris Kerr photo The first official day of spring is March 20, and with warmer temperatures on the horizon winter may be taking its final toll on the Palouse this week. This winter sunset was captured in the review mirror of a car traveling south on Highway 195 toward Pullman on Monday, March 6. Snow that day failed to stick to the rolling hills and roads, with most of it melted off by midday....
February precipitation finished with a 3.28 of an inch total at the NRCS gauge at Colfax. The total was 1.39 inches over the 1.99 average for February at Colfax. Top reading was 1.05 of an inch Feb. 21 which was the reading after the Presidents’ Day weekend. Other readings were .43 on Feb. 5 and again Feb. 9, .50 Feb. 16, .54 Feb. 17, .25 Feb. 22, and .08 Feb. 28. February’s 1.39 plus bumps the crop year precipitation up to 2.36 inches above normal since Oct. 1. The crop year started with bonus 5.42 inches total for October for a big sur...
Nearly 13 years ago, Julie Roberts, then a proprietor of the Dusty Café, said she and her family were humbled by an outpouring of community support when her daughter, Soni Broeckel, and Soni's cousin, Shyla Smith, were in a car accident that left them both seriously injured. “This community absolutely pulled together and raised money and did silent auctions,” said Roberts. Soni, then 14, and Shyla, then 13, were airlifted by Medstar helicopters to Sacred Heart in Spokane after both were ejected from a 1983 GMC truck on the Hay-LaCrosse Road...
The 64th Uniontown Sausage Feed brought in a count of 1,474 patrons last Sunday, March 5. Total money raised for the Uniontown Community Center has not been tabulated. The annual event went smoothly after a threat of snow the night before....
St. John is gearing up for its annual Taco Trauma event this weekend. The event began 28 years ago as a fundraiser for the St. John Community Club. Jim Van Lith got together with then Rialto Tavern owners Jerry and Vera Parrish with the idea. “He approached them with an idea for a taco feed, and they started a taco feed,” said Amanda Webb, one of the coordinators for the event. A lot has changed in the 28 years since Taco Trauma first made its debut in St. John. The location is one change, with the event having moved from the Rialto Tavern to t...
The doors have closed on the Dusty Country Store, and it is now for sale. Proprietor Randy Scheideman of LaCrosse said he hopes to find a new operator as soon as possible. “We’ve been there 12 years, and it was just time to move on,” he said. Scheideman opened the store at the junction of Highways 26 and 127, and he said the spot was a good one with motorists traveling on both highways. “It’s been good business,” he commented. Scheideman said the building had been in his family for a long time prior to its days as the Dusty Country Store. “I r...
With the death of longtime Port Commissioner Dan Boone Thursday, March 2, the Port of Whitman County is now seeking a commissioner to fill the remainder of Boone’s term. The two remaining commissioners are expected to make the appointment. Boone, 89, had served on the Port commission since 2000, and he was in the final year of his third six-year term. He also served two four-year terms as a county commissioner from 1980-1988. At their regular monthly Port meeting the morning of Boone’s death, Port commissioners and staff made note of his pas...
Oakesdale coach Ken Lindgren hugs seniors Jacey Johnson, left, and Lindsey Lindgren, near the end of the Nighthawks' final win for fourth-place at the state 1B basketball tournament in Spokane. Junior Anne Hockett is at far left. The Colton Wildcat girls, who were stopped in their bid for their ninth straight title in the semi-finals, finished in third place with a win over Sunnyside Christian in the Saturday finals....
When Whitman County Auditor Eunice Coker received a call from the Shelton Police Department two weeks ago and was informed that former county Finance Director Cinnamon Brown had been arrested in Shelton on embezzlement charges, she was both surprised and nervous. “At first, I wasn’t real calm,” said Coker. Coker Tuesday advised county commissioners an internal audit investigation has been launched here to see if any fraud was committed here during Brown’s three-year stint as finance director. So far they have not found anything, the auditor...
