Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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The gate leading to Steptoe Butte and Steptoe Butte state park is locked again. Whitman County Sheriff's Office responded April 13 to a report the lock had been cut. State parks department was notified and a new lock was placed at the gate which is just off Hume Road....
PULLMAN– On Thursday, April 16, Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson, Police Chief Gary Jenkins, City Administrator Adam Lincoln and Washington State University President Kirk Schulz hosted an online coronavirus town hall. The town hall addressed previously submitted questions in regards to business updates during COVID-19, police reports, upcoming summer events and WSU football. Mayor Johnson gave an update about the City of Pullman before COVID-19. He said before the coronavirus hit there were a lot of positives going for the city. Some of those p...
COLFAX–Four weeks after the original ending of Gov. Jay Inslee’s order to shutdown dine-in restaurants, eateries in Colfax are still limited to take out and delivery, but thanks to local support, they are staying afloat. Gov. Inslee announced March 16 that he was banning restaurants, bars and large gathering to combat the spread of COVID-19. At the time, the ban was for two weeks, set to expire March 31. A week after the first announcement he came out with the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order whi...
COLFAX – At the Thursday, April 16, Port of Whitman County meeting, Port Properties and Development Director Debbie Snell informed the port commissioners on a temporary lease by Veterinary Medical Research & Development at Henley Court in the Pullman Industrial Park. Senior Vice President of Products, Sam Srikanth said VMRD is working with a human diagnostics company to fill and package a molecular transport media that kills the SARS CoV-2 virus. He said this type of molecular transport media they are creating preserves the nucleic acids so i...
COLFAX – During the week of April 12, temperatures across the Palouse dipped below freezing, with some areas recording temperature in the nine to 12 degree range. These freezing conditions have impacted spring plantings and crops in the county and beyond. "We've seen significant injury in our county. We've had temperatures in the nine to 12-degree range and each morning is still below freezing or close to it," said Whitman County Extension Agent Steve Van Vleet. "These freezing conditions h...
Gov. Jay Inslee spoke Tuesday night about the state’s recovery plan. While virus cases are “likely declining” due to “difficult but necessary” steps the state had taken, many of the restrictions in place would not be lifted by May. Inslee stated the re-opening process would be a turning of a dial, not fliping a switch. The first measures would be allowing elective surgeries, outdoor recreation and limited construction, but he was waiting for data and modeling before going forward....
PULLMAN–Pullman police received a report Monday at about 11 a.m. that a baby duck had fallen into a sewer on the corner of Viento and Crestview. Mother and the other ducklings were still by the sewer at the time. Officers responded but someone else had already rescued the duckling....
COLFAX–Two new positive COVID-19 tests were announced last week. They are one female and one male, both in the 20-39 age range. Both are stable and isolating at home. This brings the total number of positive cases in the county to 15, 11 of which have recovered....
COLFAX–Whitman County food banks and food assistance programs have been awarded $26,000 in grant funding from the Innovia Foundation. Innovia announced 138 grants for entities on the front lines of the COVID-19 response in eastern Washington and North Idaho. Council on Aging and Human Services/COAST received $8,000 for senior meal delivery and food distribution. Another $3,000 went to small community pantries and food needs for Colfax and Garfield with outreach to Colton, Uniontown and Tekoa. Community Action Center was awarded $15,000 for p...
Colfax FFA members have a variety of plants available this year. There is also an assortment of bedding plants, along with tomato and pepper starts. The 2020 Colfax FFA plant sale will operate differently from previous years. Near the greenhouse will be a line where customers will be spaced six feet apart. FFA members will let customers into the sale area as individuals leave. Customers are asked to wait in your cars if there is a long line. The plant sale will operate each day 9 a.m. - 6 p.m....
COLFAX–On Wednesday, April 15, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers announced more than $65 million in grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration for eastern Washington airports that are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Port of Whitman Business Air Center has $20,000 available from this grant. Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport with $18,059,137 and Rosalia Municipal Airport with $1,000 were also included in grant opportunities. "We had just finished applying for a $...
COLFAX–While the Governor's order has Colfax City Hall doors closed to the public, business inside continues with plans for things to come and filing and updates that have been waiting in the wings. "A lot of work we couldn't get through before we're doing now," said Mayor Jim Retzer. Staff at city hall has been cut down to one or two, at most, with employees rotating who is in the office. Some are working from home. Staff and officials are able to stay connected via email and phone. "It's b...
COLFAX–While every industry wants to get back to work, hair stylists and barbers have started a petition to get them back behind their chairs and provide their services. "We were one of the first non-essential businesses to shut down," said Kelli Broeckel. Broeckel has been a stylist in Whitman County for more than 10 years, working at salons in Tekoa, Rosalia, St. John and LaCrosse. "It's quite frustrating for us right now," said Broeckel. She and other stylists have signed a petition to G...
COLFAX–Last month Garfield Meat Shop processed 10 pigs. In the past three weeks it has processed 10 to 19 pigs a week with more calls coming in every day. "It's pretty amazing," said owner and butcher Tom Tevlin. Tevlin has seen a sharp increase in requests for custom butchering since the COVID-19 crisis hit full swing. He has been working to find the animals to fill the demand while more people call his shop looking for product. In the past 10 days alone he has received three to four calls a d...
GARFIELD–Everett Johnson, 65, was booked into Whitman County Jail Saturday for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. According to the arrest report from Officer Joe Handley of the Garfield Police Department, he received a call that a woman had found a pouch containing a white crystal substance and glass pipe in her car after giving Johnson a ride home from the post office. Handley tested the substance and found it positive for meth. He also found another bag inside the pouch containing a crystal substance. The two bags w...
Gov. Jay Inslee had to know a showdown was coming with Eastern Washington. State law allocated him 30 days in which to operate under emergency authority, unless the Legislature convenes and passes a concurrent resolution. That didn't happen. And with his initial stay-home quarantine issued Feb. 29 due to the coronavirus outbreak, many east of the Cascades have been anxiously awaiting the governor's nod to return to work, to recreate and to shop. Without even a cautious nod, the tension has been...
Jerry Jones was a good guy and we will miss him so much. I really appreciate all the work he did for the Colfax Gazette. He did a lot of walking and did a good job taking pictures. He would come up to Rosalia for Battle Days, sports and other event to take pictures and cover the news. I really appreciate Jerry and all the people who worked with him; they did a good job. Jerry, we are going to miss you so much. Mike Day, Rosalia...
Since college days, I have always been in touch with the immigrant community in the United States, starting with my position as Major Chairman of International Forums at the University of Illinois. So, it has been a great surprise and revelation to me, and maybe to most of the readers, that we have so many articulate doctors – both Medical and Academic – from the immigrant community who are living and working in the United States. Either they themselves were born in other countries, or they are children of immigrants, as usually identified by...
REAL ESTATE Terry Finch to Virginia Zaske, Albion, house on S G St., Albion, $15,000, March 23. Yuyuan Lu and Fu Ming Zhu to Matin and Amber King, Pullman, house on NW Ventura Dr., Pullman, $308,000, March 23. Charles Burke to Elizabeth Lee, Pullman, house on SE Sunny Mead Way, Pullman, $123,197, March 24. Molly Mors to James and Kelli Roark, Spokane, house on E Valleyview Ave., Colfax, $287,000, March 24. Matthew Johnson and Tayler Nelson to Katie Swan, Colfax, house on SR 272, Colfax, $218,000, March 25. Allen Preger to Dawna Meredith,... Full story
As we get deeper into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are finding more Americans to thank. Until recently, truckers have been behind the scenes just doing their jobs, but as shoppers learn how groceries and necessities reappeared on shelves, they join the list of unsung heroes. Business Insider (BI) reported truckers are the reason America's grocery stores, online retailers, hospitals, gas stations, and even ATMs have remained stocked. They number 1.9 million. It’s estimated that grocery stores w...
PULLMAN – National Volunteer Week, April 19-25, is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to tackle society's greatest challenges, build stronger communities and be a force that transforms the world. The Pullman Police Department recognized three volunteers and is fortunate to have dedicated, professional volunteer personnel, who generously contribute their time and talents to ensure the safety and well-being of the Pullman community. Reserve O...
PULLMAN-The United Way of Whitman County received a personal gift of $20,000 from Ed and Beatriz Schweitzer to the United Way of Whitman County’s COVID-19 Recovery Fund. “We at the United Way are so grateful to all of our donors, but this gift from Dr. and Mrs. Schweitzer will make a significant difference in addressing the lives of our residents,” said Kris Finch, vice president of the United Way of Whitman County. “Due to the sheer volume of individuals affected by the coronavirus the requests are significant. We know that funds are still n...
Phyllis Rae (Fish) Miland, 88, passed away peacefully April 14, 2020, in Colfax, Wash. Phyllis was born at home on the farm in Oakesdale, Wash., February 21, 1932, to Frank & Alice Fish. She grew up in Oakesdale and liked to play basketball. She was her dad’s “boy”. Phyllis graduated from high school in 1949 and went on to attend college at Eastern Washington University for a year. She met Delbert E. Miland and they were married May 18, 1957. They made their home in Oakesdale for their entir... Full story
