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Articles from the May 20, 2010 edition


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  • Senior jazz musicians say farewell

    May 20, 2010

    Eleven seniors gave the traditional farewell at the CHS Jazz Band concert Monday night. Pianist Allison Vorderbrueggen, left, the last senior to speak, presented the seniors’ gift, a bullhorn, to Band Director Mike Morgan. Also ending their jazz band careers were, from the left, Alex Mackleit and Megan Pearson, bass players; Ben May, trumpet; Kelli Largent, piano and flute; Carmen Hall, alto saxophone; Heidi Rimbey, tenor saxophone; Kayleigh Maltone, alto saxophone; Jance Mathia, drums; Sam Mellor, trombone and Stetson Steiger, t...

  • Penny drive reward at Hatley day care

    May 20, 2010

    Youngsters in Vicki Hatley’s day care were honored with an ice cream party with the library’s Reading Bear Thursday for being the winner of the Whitman County Library penny drive for the fifth year in a row. They raised more than $500 this year and a total of $1,181 over the last five years. Vicki credits parents of all the kids who attend her day care along with friends and family who also contributed to the drive. The library makes weekly visits to the day care with stories, songs and finger-plays focusing on early educational skills. The...

  • Cancel food distribution for Colton-Uniontown

    May 20, 2010

    State and federal emergency food distribution set May 28 in the Colton-Uniontown area has been cancelled due to road construction on Highway 195. Next distribution date will be in June....

  • Courthouse holdouts switch to 9 a.m. start

    May 20, 2010

    Whitman County commissioners Monday unanimously voted to move opening time of three courthouse offices back to 9 a.m. The change means public opening time for all offices in the courthouse will be at the same time. The county’s human resources, juvenile justice and commissioners offices will now be open one hour later. The three offices were the only courthouse offices to continue to be open at 8 a.m. Other offices had moved back to a 9 a.m. opening to allow employees time to catch up with records and other tasks....

  • One of 141 in nation: Moser receives Presidential Scholarship

    Jeslyn Lemke|May 20, 2010

    Colton’s Kelsey Moser is among 141 seniors in the nation to be awarded a presidential scholarship this year. The award provides an all-expenses paid trip this summer to Washington D.C. Presidential scholars do not receive monetary awards, but the honor puts them in good stead for landing other scholarships and awards. Students are selected by their SAT and ACT test scores, classroom achievements, and their success in the arts. In an interview with the Gazette May 14, Moser said her success might just be because she is an excellent test-taker. ...

  • Giant Palouse Earthworms: They are alive, but are they endangered?

    Joe Smillie|May 20, 2010

    Discovery of live Giant Palouse Earthworms caught the attention of the national media last month. The worm was featured in the New York Times, dozens of regional publications and was defended on the Comedy Central series “The Colbert Report.” The discovery may also lead to more movement in the efforts to have the worm listed as an endangered species. “Now that there’s new information, there’s definitely the potential for a new petition to be filed,” said Gary Macfarlane with Friends of the Clearwater, one of several local conservatio...

  • Civil war chess

    May 20, 2010

    Dressed in full soldier garb, Terry Mourning of Spokan displays a handmade Civil War chess piece to middle school students in Endicott last Friday. Three members of the Washington Civil War Association spoke to Endicott/St. John and Garfield/Palouse students about the lives of Civil War soldiers....

  • Word on the Street - May 20, 2010

    May 20, 2010

    Where were you when Mount St. Helens blew its top? Mark Truitt, Washtucna Ranger Station “I was in Port Townsend, actually, working at Fort Warden State Park.” Did you get much ash up there? “We didn’t get any ash. We did get like three – shock waves, sonic booms, I don’t know what you’d call them. But it felt like somebody throwing a ball against the wall of our house.” Del Coi, Colfax “I was working at Snyders on the dayshift. All of a sudden everything got dark and I thought I was back on the graveyard shift.” Gary Behymer, Colfax “I...

  • W. BRUCE CAMERON - Lost in the Baby Shower

    May 20, 2010

    You’d think I’d enjoy a baby shower — after all, I like to see babies (I even was a baby once), and I like to take showers. But I’ve always elected to avoid them because no one has ever invited me. That all changed when a former co-worker asked a bunch of us over to celebrate her former pregnancy. She now had a little 6-month-old girl she named Andie and wanted to throw a coed baby shower so all of the men would feel stupid. See, baby showers have their own rules and their own vocabulary. You can’t just open a few beers, put on the basketbal...

  • Port eyes sale of former office

    May 20, 2010

    Port of Whitman commissioners Monday approved hiring of Gem Valley Appraisal Service, Moscow, to determine the value of the former port building on west Island Street in Colfax. The building had been leased to the late Ronald Webster for his law office. The lease was negotiated prior to the purchase of the Webster law office on Mill Street by the Port three years ago. Colfax attorney Teresa Keene, who had also practiced out of the Island Street office, has moved to Spring Street. The Island Street office building originally was part of the...

  • Elberton road to close for bridge replacement

    Joe Smillie|May 20, 2010

    The Elberton Road off Dry Creek Road will be closed next month while county road crews replace the Curtis Bridge at the top of the grade which drops down to the North Fork of the Palouse River and Elberton. The bridge spans a drainage ditch on a hairpin curve. Because of the location of the bridge on the steep hill, a detour route around the construction site is not possible. Public Works Director Mark Storey said the county will replace the bridge with a culvert and gravel deck. The 50-year-old Curtis Bridge has a wood plank deck. County commi...

  • Letters - May 20, 2010

    May 20, 2010

    Parking lot The parking lot at Schmuck Park needs attention. It is so dirty that it is hard to tell that it is asphalt. This is the second year that the lot has been ignored. Anybody driving there causes a dust storm. Schmuck Park is the city’s premiere park and is used by residents and travelers alike. The city should show more pride in it. It is embarrassing the way it is. Bruce Davidson, Colfax Oops An article in the Gazette of May 6, 2010 (Japanese TV crews giving Palouse WWII makeover) would seem to be attempting a makeover of our n...

  • Don Brunell - Income tax would hurt Washington entrepreneurs

    May 20, 2010

    Each year, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) publishes a list of the best to worst state tax systems for entrepreneurship and small business. It pulls together 16 different tax measures and combines those into one tax score that compares tax burdens in the 50 states and District of Columbia. Among the taxes included are income, capital gains, property, death/inheritance, unemployment and various consumption-based taxes, including state gas and diesel taxes. The overriding advantage for the states with the best tax...

  • Adele Ferguson - Tracking down specialty brew might get tougher

    May 20, 2010

    A BILL MOVING through Congress has some wine lovers worried they won’t be able to get their specialty wine in the mail any more, according to the newspapers. The Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Act of 2010, introduced in the U.S. House earlier this month, is meant to strengthen state control of alcohol distribution. It is supported so far by the National Beer Wholesalers Association, the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America and 31 Democrats and Republicans, but some wine lovers believe the bill will limit their ability to get the b...

  • Opinion - The cause of our own undoing

    May 20, 2010

    The unpronounceable volcano in Iceland is still spewing ash. Although not the biggest eruption ever, it may have the largest impact of any in history. International air travel has been affected. Entire airports have been shut down for fear of the danger of the airborne ash to airplanes. At one point, virtually all of Europe’s air traffic was grounded. The volcano is a natural phenomenon. Humans will have to adapt and adjust. As with other such natural events, the negative environmental impact may not be long lasting. A case in point is the r...

  • SE tracksters seek state tickets

    May 20, 2010

    Southeast District tracksters will roll to Clarkston today and Friday for the final qualification rounds for tickets to the state 2B meet. Top three finishers at the SE finals in Clarkston will advance to the state show next week at Cheney. The SE booked a first qualification round last Wednesday at Martin Field in Walla Walla. Top eight finishers at Martin advanced to the two-day SE show which begins today at Clarkston High School. St. John/Endicott-LaCrosse/Washtucna again took the 4 X 400 relay with a 3:36.5. Warren Miller, Cody Siegel, Dyla...

  • Salmon run misses mark

    May 20, 2010

    Chinook fishing on the Snake River will end after Friday, more than a month ahead of the original closing date, state fish and wildlife officials announced Tuesday. Game agent John Whalen said mid-season run numbers through the Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day dams on the Columbia showed a much smaller Chinook run than anticipated. Game officials originally forecast a run of 470,000 salmon. The actual run is now expected to be 340,000. Washington Fish and Wildlife opened four new fishing areas on the Snake River this year. The season opened...

  • Jr. wranglers compete at Colfax

    May 20, 2010

    Tony Martinez looks for the handle in Saturday's steer wrestling session at the fairground arena. Junior high and high school wranglers made a stop at Mockonema over the weekend for the last round of competition prior to the state finals. The state meet will be next week at the Grant County Fairground in Moses Lake. Competitors went through two full rounds of events which was organized by the local Drovers for the show at the Palouse Empire Fairground. Top high school finishers are listed as follows: BOYS EVENTS Saturday Bareback-1. Garrett Hod...

  • Three dogs to swing for state crown

    May 20, 2010

    Caleb Bravard, Kyle Johnson and Tyler Stevenson will swing for Colfax at the state B golf championships next week at the Tri-Cities Country Club in Kennewick. The trio punched their tickets to state after finishing in the top 18 at the District 7 championships on the par-72 Deer Park links Monday afternoon. Bravard turned in an 81 Monday. Combined with his sub-district 80 from the previous week, his 161 was good for fifth place. Johnson led the ‘dog duffers Monday with a 77. His two-round score of 166 was good for sixth. Stevenson shot 83 M...

  • Nighthawks stop Asotin

    May 20, 2010

    Tekoa/Oakesdale/ Rosalia girls advanced to the next SE round Tuesday when they hammered Asotin 23-8 at the Panthers’ field. The `hawks put down 16 hits in the offensive barrage with McKenzie Reddish rapping a pair of doubles. Katelyn and Briann Maley each added a double. Briann Maley allowed the Panthers 14 hits and struck out three. Asotin had 13 errors in the TOR book. The Nighthawks will go to the TRAC complex at Kennewick Friday and face SE number-one DeSales. Garfield/Palouse girls were rained out of a first-round game at Dayton T...

  • Cardinals stop Spartans

    May 20, 2010

    Tekoa/Oakesdale/Rosalia Spartans came to the end of the baseball road Saturday in the SE qualifier at Borleske Stadium in Walla Walla. The Spartans were stopped 4-2 by Waitsburg/Prescott. Card pitcher Joe Purdin threw a seven hitter at TOR. Asotin finished second in the Borleske show after bowing 2-5 to DeSales in the first round and then edging WP 7-6. The split puts the Panthers in the lineup for the regional at Shadle Park Saturday. They face LaSalle in the 10 a.m. opener. Winner of that round will go up against the Colfax-Soap Lake game...

  • Five head to state golf tournament

    May 20, 2010

    A pair of Gaines, two Schusters and a Brown will carry the Whitman County golf torch into next week’s state B championships at the Tri-Cities Country Club in Kennewick. St. John/Endicott’s Schuster sisters will try and earn state hardware, while three boys seek top state finishes. Erin Schuster finished one stroke behind district champ Samantha Peagram of Tri-Cities Prep after shooting a 103 on Tuesday for a total score of 195. Peagram shot 95 Tuesday to win the tourney with a 194 at Columbia Point. Michal Schuster booked the five spot to sta...

  • Hoadley perfecto tops Colfax NE crunch jobs

    May 20, 2010

    Colfax senior Brandon Hoadley pitched a perfect game, and the Colfax offense hammered out two crunching wins Tuesday at Avista Stadium in Spokane to take the NE district title. The wins put the undefeated Bulldogs back into the field of 16 finalists for the regional state round Saturday at Shadle Park. The Bulldogs will go up against Soap Lake in the first round of the regionals which will qualify one team for the state show the next week in Yakima. In the first game Tuesday at Avista in Spokane, Hoadley retired 15 St. George’s batters in a r...

  • Wildcats lock up return to title defense

    May 20, 2010

    Dusty Bafus of the Eagles puts the tag on Erin Weber of the Wildcats in the playoff game last Thursday at Colton. Colton girls Friday defeated Touchet in the eighth inning in a playoff at Washtucna to guarantee a return to Yakima to defend the 1B title they won last year. The Wildcats finished in the number-one SE slot after defeating Touchet 3-2 at Washtucna. Both Colton and Touchet advance to a SE-NE playoff Saturday at Medical Lake. They will join four NE teams to compete for four state berths out of the regional. Colton will have a bye in t...

  • Wildcats, Eagles advance on high drama SE wins

    May 20, 2010

    Colton sophomore Bricyn Abdul cranks it up for the Wildcats. Colton and St. John/ Endicott baseball teams booked dramatic wins at Colfax Saturday to stay in the campaign for the state 1B finals. The two county teams will travel to Eisenhower High in Yakima Saturday for a four team set which will send one team to the state title game at Parker Field in Yakima next week. Colton, the SE champs, will play Lummi at 10 a.m. SJE will play Lake Quinault at 1 p.m. Winners will match up for the state ticket at 4 p.m. Colton goes into the Eisenhower...

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