Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 49 of 49
The shooting at the Republican legislative baseball team practice June 14 shocked the nation. The team was practicing for their fund-raising game against the Democratic legislators the next night. Immediately, Democrats came to the support of the Republicans. The violence made members of both parties realize how important each was to the other. It was called a wakeup call. Despite political differences, these were all colleagues charged with running the country. They had a common purpose. Countless declarations proclaimed that the rife between...
This group of girls from St. John won their Hoopfest bracket last weekend in Spokane. Left to right are Olivia Kjack, Ashlynn Archer, Brooklyn Bailey and Kyra Holt. All are students at Endicott-St. John Middle School. The team played in the youth division for seventh and eighth graders. They won two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday to claim the championship for their division. They went into overtime in their third game but took the win to advance to the title game. Teams in the bracket...
Pullman Posse, which was scheduled to play two league games Wednesday at Chewelah, added two wins to their Spokane AA Legion win streak. Posse today is scheduled to play league rounds against teams on the league's north end, Chewelah and Colville. After that they will take a two-week break from league action while they play in the Spokane Wooden Bat tournament and the Palouse Under-17 series before playing their last league game July 11 at Colfax against Gonzaga Prep. Posse is now 9-0 in the Spokane AA Legion league. Monday night under...
One-time Colfax football coach Sid Otton was among those named to the 2017 Hall of Fame for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Friday. Otton, who coached at Colfax for four years, went on to coach for 43 years at Tumwater before he retired after the quarterfinal round last season. He has been recognized as the winningest coach in Washington state football history. His overall record is 394 wins and 131 losses. Otton-led teams made 27 state playoff appearances and won six state titles, with the win by the 1971 Colfax team as... Full story
Above, Pampa Pond, located on Highway 26 near LaCrosse, is a long-time favorite youth fishing locale. Below, Lasz Pond in Garfield is specifically designated as a fishing location for children 14 and younger. Gazette Staff Finding a local Whitman County fishing pond for the kids isn't as easy as it once was, with the stories of the “ponds that were” becoming more common than those of ponds still fishable. However, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks ponds on public lands aro...
ELECTEDS WILL GET C.O.L.A. HIKE The county’s commission on salaries for elected officials has approved a cost of living increase which will go into effect at the start of next year. They will receive a 2.5 percent hike on present salaries, according to a report issued by County Auditor Eunice Coker. The commission at its May 16 meeting determined the amount of the 2018 hike by utilizing the average C.O.L.A. for six county employee groups over the past several years and the costs measured by the Consumer Price Index, according to Coker’s rep...
Ticks collected from humans can be sent to the state DOH to be identified for disease monitoring. When most people pick a tick off their body, the initial reaction is to make it suffer a quick and untimely death. But Whitman County health officials would rather those ticks be bottled and dropped off to assist in the state’s tick surveillance program which monitors tick species to determine the risk of tick-borne diseases. According to the Department of Health, different ticks transmit d...
Colfax School Board met Monday night and approved new curriculum additions, hiring of two teachers and the Jennings Elementary annual fall trip to Camp Grizzly. At the start of the meeting, Superintendent Jerry Pugh introduced English/Language Arts teacher Kelli Cox who will come to Colfax after six years at Lincoln Middle School in Pullman. Pugh also reported Michael Heitstuman of Pasco will be the district’s new agriculture teacher, replacing Rainey McKiernan, who submitted her resignation in... Full story
Top left: Gracie Schwartz expertly handles the pink tractor pulling 4-H Club members at the head of the parade. Top right: Representatives from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Posse, Jeff Whitman riding Stormy and Barb Kinzer riding her horse Skittles, take a tour down the parade route as folks begin to gather along the sidewalks. Center: One of the four-legged and festive parade entrants accompanying the Whitman County Democrats for a walk down Main Street. Center lower: Soulstice bringing c...
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. DRUG LAB IN ‘94 MUSTANG? Two suspects arrested late Sunday morning on the Garfield/Farmington Road have been jailed after deputies and a special state team from Olympia have determined they had components for a "fully capable" meth lab in a 1994 Ford Mustang. In a first appearance in court Monday afternoon, Jesse A. Reyes, 63, Nine Mile F...
Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was the Port of Whitman County’s fiber optics network. But years of study, planning and installing fiber has molded the Port into a state leader in fiber infrastructure. “For 17 years we’ve been building fiber,” said Joe Poire, Port executive director. The Port first started looking at fiber in 1996, mostly because of the set up of dial-up internet at the time. “Dial-up internet was a big thing in 1996,” Poire noted. One of the biggest problems with accessing the...
The 10X16 shed arrives earlier in June at the Dahmen Barn in Uniontown. It now contains kilns and supplies for clay classes. The loafing shed at the Dahmen Barn has been open for close to a year; it may be considered finished this week. With the 3,600-square foot shed’s opening last July, the Dahmen Barn started to offer pottery classes, moving in three kilns with six clay wheels donated by Colton School after its recent remodeling and expansion. People signed up quickly. “Classes have been so w... Full story
Whitman County commissioners issued a letter June 19 to department heads to outline the 2018 budget calendar, goals and priorities. Department heads are asked to have their preliminary budgets filed with the auditor by Aug. 14. According to the letter issued by commissioners, the general fund is expected to “remain somewhat stable” to produce $15 million revenue. Recent past years have produced good sales tax revenue, farm and construction revenue, and the construction trend is expected to con...
Colfax Fire Chief Steven Thime has resigned and plans to return to Colorado. Mayor Todd Vanek said Thime submitted a verbal resignation June 19 and the paperwork for his departure was completed June 21. Thime was officially hired Dec. 5, 2016, and joined the department here in early January just prior to the big East Street apartment fire Jan. 15. Mayor Vanek credited Thime with starting some reforms in the fire department, but the new chief had generated some controversy during the six months he headed the department. Vanek acknowledged there...
Whitman County Commissioners posted a letter to elected officials and department heads Monday in preparation of the possible state shutdown. Commissioners hoped a settlement to the state budget would be reached by week’s end, but felt they had a responsibility to prepare for that situation. Commissioner Art Swannack noted the county does not have the finances to cover the state’s share of local services it currently pays. From conversations with elected officials and department heads, a short-term shutdown could be managed with minor imp...
Cami Fisher began work as Garfield’s clerk/treasurer May 23 to take the position vacated by Cody Lord. She worked with Lord for two weeks before he departed June 12 for a new job in Tampa, Fla. Fisher previously worked as clerk/treasurer in Farmington from 1996 until 2001. Prior to that she served eight years as a financial coordinator for Whitman County District Court. A graduate in business education at Eastern Washington University, Fisher began her career as a teacher in Rosalia. She grew up in Oakesdale. Fisher plans to be in the office a...
A new law coming out of the legislature, labeled the ballot box bill, has local officials wondering and could leave the county with an added $62,000 expense. County Auditor Eunice Coker described it as “very bad legislation.” Officially marked as Senate Bill 5472, it was introduced by Sen. Kirk Pearson, King County Republican. The new law requires a ballot box be available in all incorporated towns and cities. The aim is to reduce the need for voters to pay the cost of a stamp in order to cas...
Last Friday's grand opening festivities at Colfax Computer/Colfax Phone next door to Palouse Hills Computing in Colfax brought a response from the latter, which has been in business at the Main Street location since 1997....
The giant Brotherton seed-cleaning building in Tekoa is being torn down. Bought by Larry Heaton a year ago from Brotherton Seed of Moses Lake, Heaton hired Butch Drott of Tensed to take down the original 10,000 square foot, three-story building at the west edge of downtown. The early 1900s building was used until 2005. “It’s a hazard,” said Heaton. “It’s good for nothing now, not operable.” While the main building will be taken out, with its myriad of wood beams salvaged, two flat houses at e... Full story
The recently opened Malden Market will host a Show and Shine car show and swap meet Saturday, July 1, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. “We are having a fundraiser to revitalize the building and to get the necessary permits to carry perishable foods,” said Karena Wilcox, Malden Market owner. Funds will go toward fixing the roof. Wilcox has lost product due to the leaky roof, faulty hot water heater and three-compartment sink, among other things. Wilcox anticipates more than 100 vehicles will show up to the...
The evening glow highlighted this great horned owl, seen during the third week of June on a fence post off Parvin Rd. Hunting has been good, as there is a vole in its talons. Those tufts on the head are neither horns nor ears, just feathers. —Sharon Lindsay photo...
Whitman County Commissioners have set a hearing for Monday on two proposed zoning changes dealing with ag cluster zones. At issue are notices about applications for cluster residential districts and height requirements for building houses on hills. These rules would be for unincorporated areas of the county. The hearing will be Monday, July 3, at 11:15 a.m. in the commissioners’ room at the courthouse. Whitman County Code for cluster residential districts now requires living spaces of d... Full story
Skies and smiles will light up Tuesday around the county for July 4 festivities. Albion, Endicott, Johnson and Pullman offer showings of parades, food, games, friends and, of course, fireworks. Albion The Albion Fourth of July starts before the noon hour when parade entries line up on Third Street alongside the Albion park. The parade starts to roll at 12 p.m. going two blocks up Third Street, turning right on Main Street, then onto Front Street and G Street to make a loop, ending back at the park. The welcome-to-all parade will feature the... Full story
The LaCrosse High School Class of 1967 livened up the 2017 LaCrosse Farmer’s Festival parade with Beach Boys and beach balls. For more Farmer’s Fest coverage, see page 3B....
