Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Whitman County teachers and classified staff who were laid off in the past month could see their jobs back with the legislature Tuesday approving a tentative state education budget. School administrators expect it will take several days to process the new figures and determine how those figures will change local school budgets. Citing a tight state budget, school districts around the state issued scores of Reductions in Force notices to both teachers and classified employees in the past month. However, both superintendents and ESD 101... Full story
A ladybug sits on a blade of rust-speckled wheat on Bill Myers’ farm near Diamond. -photo by Bill Myers A cool, wet spring this year has created the perfect breeding ground for stripe rust, and WSU rust expert Xianming Chen is urging farmers to spray fungicide early to combat infestation. “Winter wheat fields should be checked immediately if they have not been sprayed,” Chen wrote in a rust update Friday. "If active rust infection (producing rust powder) is observed quite commonly throughout the field, spray should be done as soon as possible....
Boston-based First Wind was given permission to build a wind farm in north central Whitman County Monday afternoon. Hearings Examiner Andrew Kottkamp, a Wenatchee land use attorney, granted the firm a conditional use permit and denied the environmental appeals of 18 neighbors. The conditional use permit means First Wind can begin acquiring the number of state, local and federal permits required to build up to 65 of the 492-foot tall turbines on Naff Ridge, Granite Butte and Steam Shovel Hill northwest of Oakesdale. “It’s very exciting new...
Engineer Roger Oestmann prepares concrete for the cemetery’s new memorial rose garden. Roger Oestmann’s eyes get moist as he speaks about the veteran’s memorial he is building on the windy slopes of the Tekoa Goldenrod Cemetery. A Vietnam veteran, Oestmann’s voice gets a little quieter when he says he wants the sacrifices made by generations past to be remembered by visitors to the cemetery. “When they walk onto the site, I want them to feel a sense of reverence,” said the concrete artist/engineer out of Post Falls, Idaho. The Tekoa cemet... Full story
Meet Laura and Gary Blount, Mockenema When tragedy fell in Laura Blount’s life, she chose to find a way to turn her depression around. Her answer to the death of her eldest daughter and best friend was to find something that would benefit society. “Because that’s what she did,” Laura said. Her daughter was killed in an accident involving a drunk driver four days before her 30th birthday. For one year Laura sought sanctuary at her husband Gary’s family ranch in southern California. It was there Gary suggested she put recipes from her family in...
Leaders of the four counties in southeast Washington are considering the future of their economic development efforts after Duane Wollmuth left his post as director of the Southeast Washington Economic Development Association, or SEWEDA. Whitman County Commissioner Pat O’Neill reported to his fellow commissioners Monday Wollmuth had left to take a job in the wine industry around Walla Walla. Wollmuth had served as SEWEDA director since the fall of 2009. Prior to that he owned and operated the Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla. SEWEDA is f...
Volunteers box produce at Albion fire station. For the first time in recent memory, residents of Albion can walk down the street to purchase lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. Under the direction of coordinator Lenore Turman, the fire house has begun bringing in produce through the Bountiful Baskets food cooperative. At 10 a.m. every Saturday morning, a truck from Charley’s Produce in Spokane hauls down fruits and vegetables that have been pre-ordered on the internet. Orders are placed on the Bountiful Baskets web site by Tuesday and picked up a...
Whitman County officials decided not to accept a proposal to have Washington State University re-draw district and precinct boundaries to match 2010 census information. WSU had put out an $18,000 proposal to adjust those boundaries. The county and Pullman had considered splitting that cost. Pullman City Council, though, voted at its meeting last week to draw new lines themselves. City Supervisor John Sherman said the council decided the boundaries of its three wards were close enough to warrant saving the additional cost. County officials met M...
May 21 is supposedly the “rapture”; the day the world ends. Got any plans? (Note: these interviews were taken May 20) “I have no plans at all. I’m going to sleep in.” “I been hearing that for 85 years.” What are your plans? “If the world’s going to come to an end, maybe we’ll have a great big grand gathering when it happens.” “I know it’s coming, but Jesus said he didn’t know the date either. So I don’t know.” “My thoughts are maybe they should read the Bible because it says no one knows the day.” “Judging by the past couple weeks, I’ll probab...
The Underpants Report W. BRUCE CAMERON You know you’re going to have a bad day when you’re forced to put on your emergency underpants. Of course, I’m lucky I’m the sort of forward-thinker who even has emergency underpants — the typical man would probably be just left bare ... handed. A few years ago, I lost all of my underwear to a felony. I was not the only victim of the crime wave that stripped me of my dignity and boxers, either — a woman I know had the same thing happen to her. (At least, this is what she claimed. I didn’t attempt to ve... Full story
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. STUECKLE TO RUN FOR MAYOR Carol Stueckle Monday announced she has filed to run for mayor of Colfax. Stueckle served one term as mayor, from 1988 to 1992, and decided at that time not to seek another term. She said she now feels like she has more time to serve in office. A highlight of her term in office was the Codger Bowl in 1988 and the... Full story
Susan Lynch, eighth grade teacher at Endicott Middle School, was named Teacher of the Week Tuesday by the Washington State Employees Credit Union. Lynch is in her 21st year of teaching English, social studies, home economics and leadership classes to Endicott students. “I was in quite a state of disbelief. I thought it was a scam,” Lynch said Tuesday while helping set up the school’s dinner theater production of Annie. Suspecting an eighth grade prank, Lynch answered the call: “This is Sue Lynch. What do you want.” “I wasn’t very nice about it... Full story
Crossing flags I read with interest the “findings” on the intersection question here in Colfax. Just about three weeks ago I had a discussion with some very savvy high school students about doing something about the intersection crossings in our community. The young folks were attentive, listened and even nodded their heads when I suggested that something could be done to make the intersections safer here. Some of them asked some good questions and others listened. In essence I told them about an idea for safer crossings that I had seen in San...
There is no energy panacea By 2025, the TransAlta energy facility in Centralia must replace coal with natural gas to generate electricity, but Washington has no gas to offer. Fortunately, we have neighbors with an abundance of gas - natural gas, that is - to ship to us. In Washington, three-quarters of our electricity comes from hydropower. But 14 percent of it comes from coal burned at the TransAlta facility, which employs 600 people in good family-wage jobs and provides heat and light for 1.23 million homes. We must replace that coal with...
Colton’s Wildcats, the two-time defending state champions, and Garfield/Palouse Vikings will travel back to Gateway Park in Yakima Friday for another bid and 1B softball trophies. The Wildcats and Vikings will enter the state show as the number-two and number-three teams respectively out of the double-district regional at Medical Lake Saturday. The state 1B playoff will have eight entrants. Colton is booked to start Friday against Highland Christian and Garfield/Palouse will face Wishkah Valley, Both games are at 1 p.m. Almi...
Amelie Bruya hands off to E.B Hatley on the way to a Colfax sweep in the relay events at Whitworth. Seventeen Colfax tracksters will head north to Cheney Friday and Saturday to compete in the state 2B track finals. The Cheney show will also include 1B and 1A teams over the two days with prelims booked for most of the first day. Fourteen Colfax girls qualified for state. They rolled up 192 points for a big team win in the NE qualifier last Thursday at the Whitworth track. Top three finishers collected state tickets. The Colfax girls swept the...
Warden’s Cougars came up with steady pitching, good defense and power bats to take the Spokane 2B regional round at Jackson Field in Shadle Park Saturday. Flash Hodges of TOR throws over Colfax runner Austin Getz for a Spartan double play in the first game at Jackson Saturday. The Cougars staked an early lead, fought off a Colfax rally and posted a 14-7 win in the title game. The loss ended the Colfax baseball run at 18-3 and a win short of making a return trip to the final four in Yakima. Colfax faced off against Warden in the last round a...
It’s almost like a Charlie Brown syndrome. Colfax softball players advanced right up to the brink of an NE title win Saturday night, but Kettle Falls came back with a three-run charge in the top of the seventh for a 6-4 win and the top NE ticket to the state show. Colfax, which finished 2-1 in the NE derby, takes the number-two ticket into the 16-team tournament at Gateway Park. Colfax starts at Yakima Friday against Liberty Bell, and Kettle will start against LaConner in the other bracket. Colfax senior Brooke Webber goes over the top to f... Full story
St. John/Endicott’s Schuster sisters sat third and fourth in the state B golf tournament after opening round action Tuesday on the par 72 Meadow Park Golf Course in Lakewood. Erin Schuster was three strokes off the lead with an opening round 88, with Michal Schuster one shot behind her at 89. Kimberley Brumfield of Ranier Christian led after Day One with an 85, followed by Kira Powell of Odessa at 86. Erin was grouped with Brumfield, Powell and Morgan Cadigan of Bear Creek, 89, for Wednesday’s final round, which got underway after the Gaz...
Protestor Chris Richmond sits outside the commissioners’ chambers after being told he could not speak at their meeting. An announced rally in support of medical marijuana Monday turned into an informal meeting between two people and County Commissioner Greg Partch. Michael Assenberg of Colfax had slated a rally in response to a Quad Cities Drug Task Force raid on what he describes as a medical marijuana supply in his South Colfax home. He planned to lodge a complaint against the task force and Sheriff Brett Myers before county commissioners. Dr...
Kenneth S. Crowston, 47, Spokane, was sentenced to 22 months in prison May 13 in superior court. Crowston pleaded guilty to a charge of burglarizing a shop in Thornton last May. He will be allowed to serve the 22 month term concurrently with a sentence ordered in Spokane County three days before his appearance here. He was charged with assault, theft and attempting to elude in Spokane County. Crowston was brought here May 11 after he was sentenced in the Spokane court.... Full story
Insurance options are available for farmers whose planting has been delayed by the cool and very wet weather experienced this spring. Dave Paul, director of USDA’s Risk Management Agency, Spokane Regional Office, is encouraging farmers dealing with delays to contact their insurance agents for help. Producers who are unable to plant an insured crop by the final planting date due to an insurable cause, such as excess moisture and flooding, have a number of options. Producers may plant the insured crop during the 25-day late planting period w...
In person candidate filing for local elections begins June 6 and ends June 10. Last week’s Gazette reported the wrong cutoff date. Mail-in and online filing deadline will also be June 10....
Four classified staff members were cut from the Colfax school district after the board Monday voted to reduce hours of service by classified employees. The board voted to notify two full-time teacher aides, one part-time teacher aide and one part-time kitchen assistant that their positions will be terminated at the end of the school year. Two of the teacher aides were on year-to-year contracts and those contracts were not renewed for the 2011- 2012 school year. In addition, the hours of one custodial worker were cut by two and a half hours a da...
Rosalia Budding Rose Art Gallery, a non-profit gallery for kids of all ages, will present the 12th annual Battle Days Rosalia School Student Art Show Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 pm and Sunday, June 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will feature a special art collection of local artist gone Hollywood, Jim Hanon, filmmaker and artist in residence of EGM Films. As film director and screenwriter, he is the creative force behind “Little Town of Bethlehem (2009), The Grandfathers (2009), Miss HIV (...
