Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Candidate filing wraps up -Three races to be on August ballot Three Whitman County offices will be on the ballot for the Aug. 16 primary after the positions drew more than two candidates by last Friday’s candidate filing deadline. The District 3 Port of Whitman County commissioner spot drew four applicants, with Al Sorensen of Pullman, Alan Morgan of Colfax, Jeff Phelps of Pullman and Tom Kammerzell of Colfax filing. In Colfax, three candidates will vie for Mayor, a position being vacated by 22-year incumbent Norma Becker. Carol Stueckle, f...
Washington farm products set a record export pace from Oct. 1 to March 31, according to the state Department of Agriculture. Washington food exports totaled $1.91 billion in the last quarter of 2010, a figure matched in the first quarter of 2011. Each quarter set a record, beating the previous high of $1.89 billion, set in the third quarter of 2008, the department said. Contributing factors listed by the agency were large 2010 harvests and the low value of the dollar compared to other currencies, making U.S. commodities more competitive in the...
Christopher D. Kim, 22, Pullman, was sentenced to a year in jail with all but 30 days suspended Friday after he pleaded guilty to an assault charge. Kim was charged after Pullman Police March 26 responded to a report of a man being assaulted on Ruby Street in the College Hill area of town. He was charged with hitting a former roommate. The roommate told officers he and Kim had had disputes in the past. The victim sustained injuries to a tooth in the assault. Kim was credited with two days spent in jail after his arrest. He was ordered to pay...
Charletta Braziel, 33, one of the people convicted in May of 2008 for selling drugs in LaCrosse, was booked into the jail here June 8 after being arrested on a bench warrant. The arrest warrant alleged Braziel, who was allowed a drug offender sentencing option, had violated probation by using methamphetamines twice in April at Moses Lake. She was also charged with failing to report to a probation officer. The case against Braziel here started when she was convicted of selling drugs to an informant used by the Quad Cities Drug Task Force at...
The net for the tennis court in Schmuck Park was destroyed by vandals, possibly Sunday night. Parks Superintendent Steve Larkin discovered the inside of the net had been cut out and left in a pile. The top support cable and the end panels on the net remained in place. Value of the net was estimated at $200....
Three Pullman men escaped serious injury Saturday at about 8 p.m. when the 1999 Ford Explorer in which they were riding went off the North Palouse River Road and rolled into the river about two miles upstream from Colfax. A report by Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Chapman said when officers arrived they found three soaked males who said they had been in the Explorer. Deputies determined Adam Kerchner, 28, was the driver of the Explorer. Passengers were identified as Harrison Fleishman, 23, and Robert Bowell, 25. Kerchner and Fleishman were treated at t...
Three-year-old Ruby Bruya takes a close look at a newborn fawn she named “Bambi” found last Friday on the patio of Ruby’s great-grandparents Jim and Lynne Bruya. Lynne noticed the day-old fawn lying on the concrete patio, tucked between their house and air conditioning unit while hanging her sheets out to dry. Local Game Warden Bob Weaver said young fawns have been turning up all over Whitman County recently. Weaver suspected the fawn’s mother left him there while she went to find food. He advised anyone who finds a fawn not to touch it, as...
Three of the four open seats on the Colfax school board now have challengers. Barbara Morgan has filed against school board president Brian Becker, Eric Doering has filed against board member Rob Smith and Kirby Dailey has filed against board member Laura Johnson. Board member Kathy Wride is the only member running unopposed. Deadline to file for election was June 10. Both Morgan and Doering are related to teachers at the Colfax school district. Morgan is the mother of high school band teacher and football coach Mike Morgan, and Doering is the...
The permit process for a north county wind farm is headed to court. Roger Whitten, Oakesdale resident who has long voiced his opposition to First Wind’s proposed 9,000 acre wind farm, was set to file Wednesday an official appeal of the wind farm permit in Whitman County Superior Court. The company was granted a conditional use permit May 24 by Hearings Examiner Andrew Kottkamp, a Wenatchee land use attorney hired by the county to rule on the permit. First Wind, a Boston-based company, applied to put as many as 65 wind turbines, each of which co...
Whitman County Historical Society plans to host its 39th annual ice cream social June 26 at the Perkins House. The social again will feature the Snake River Six. Volunteers who want to help with the project can contact Steve Larkin. To donate a pie contact Loretta Paulson. Debbie Snell is again coordinating a fashion show. New among the displays this year will be a "Guess the Antique" which will be run by Mahlon Kriebel of Garfield....
A Palouse ag pilot was able to walk away from a crash Tuesday evening after striking a power line east of Fallon about four miles south of Palouse. Michael Meines, 23, was able to climb out of the wrecked Gruman ag plane and walk to a nearby residence where he was transported to Pullman Regional Hospital. Deputy Sgt. Rick McNannay said deputies received a report of the plane crash at about 7 p.m. When they arrived on the scene they found a large section of power line down across the Beeson Cut-off Road and the Viola Road. The 1984 Gruman 164B...
Crews for Wm. Winkler Contractors, Spokane, started work Monday on the ramps project on the S. Main Street Bridge in Colfax. The project is expected to extend for up to two weeks, according to Al Gilson, district DOT spokesman. Motorists are asked to be alert for workers on the site with the outside lanes blocked at different times during the construction period. Cooper Street is also expected to be blocked off at different times. Winkler was the successful bidder for the project at $32,897. The project adds ramps to the sidewalks on the...
Farmers' Fest to focus on building Under the theme “Building Dreams, Memories and Friendships,” LaCrosse will mark its annual Farmers’ Festival this weekend. To fit the “building” theme, LaCrosse Community Pride will showcase its efforts to remodel the grocery store and marketplace for western Whitman County. “The whole town will be there,” said Jerry Townsend, member of Community Pride. “What better chance to show them what we’re trying to do?” Members of the group will provide tours of the grocery store building, with plans for the futur...
School districts in Whitman County are now struggling to prepare their budgets for next year because the county’s transition to New World software has delayed school financial statements by three months. From Colton to Tekoa, school business managers have been unable to view their district’s end-of-month financial statements since the software was installed in early April. This has also delayed reporting the monthly figures to school boards and state education officials. “It’s very difficult now at this time when we are trying to prepare...
Funding cuts at Washington State University have local officials fearing dire impacts to the economy of Whitman County. The legislature appropriated $108 million less to WSU for the 2011-13 biennium than it did in the last two years. That’s a 26 percent reduction. While increased enrollment and 16 percent tuition raises will cover about half of the university’s funding shortage, the school will still have to come up with almost $50 million. Darin Watkins, director of WSU’s external communications, said cutting that funding will mean as many...
Tekoa’s Slippery Gulch festival this weekend, June 17-19, will mix in several new events. Melinda Wilkins, co-chair of the festival, said Monday she has her fingers crossed for good weather. The Fishing Derby on Hangman Creek runs all week. The adult dance will be at 9 p.m. Friday night at the Headley Building. Tekoa Chamber of Commerce breakfast will be Saturday at 7:30 a.m. at the high school and the Fun Run will start at the high school at 8 a.m. The grand parade will begin at 11 a.m. downtown, with the usual array of colorful, spirited entr...
Colfax Mayor Norma Becker said Monday she decided after 22 years of public service for the city it was time to step aside and let other people serve. Mayor Becker will conclude five terms as Colfax mayor when a newly elected mayor takes office at the start of next year. Becker served on the city council for two years prior to serving as mayor. “I really quite enjoyed it,” Becker commented. A resident of Colfax since 1952, Becker decided to seek a seat on the city council after she retired as manager of what was then the Colfax Washington Wat...
Kids angel for fisting fun at Gilchrist Pond Eager children cast their lines into Gilchrist Pond, as pictured above. The Kids Fishin’ Day at Gilchrist pond drew dozens of children who snagged fresh trout. Madyson Alvarez, 11, pictured at above, was among a team of volunteers who helped gut and clean the fish after they were caught. Private donors helped put on this year’s event after funding from the state was reduced....
#!*! Why is it OK to spread straw out and smell up a whole town for five months but not burn it for five days??? Send your Pet Peeves and Okeydokes to the Gazette P.O. Box 770 Colfax, WA 99111...
Battle Days finishers Quinn Lautenslager won the Battle Days Fun Run at Rosalia June 4 with a time of 1 hour, three minutes and 15.01 seconds. Heidi Perry came in second at 1:08:04.86. Joey Reed and Brandy Brown both finished with a time of 1:15:33.66 to tie for third place....
