Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 51 - 66 of 66
Brady Mooney slides into the plate last Thursday for the lone score for the Pullman Patriots Senior Legion game in their debut under the new field lights at McDonald Park. Bellevue Legion catcher Brent Berkey attempts to make the stop. Mooney booked the lone score for the Patriots in the Palouse Summer Series game. Bellevue posted a 10-1 win to shut the game down on the 8-run rule after five innings, almost before the new field lights were actually needed. Pullman Patriots’ bats, which cranked up in the weekend Summer series, ignited again M... Full story
Robert J. Clausen, 73, retired Rosalia area farmer, died June 24 in a tractor accident east of Rosalia near the intersection of Pandora and Waterman roads. Deputies were called to the scene at 9:40 p.m., but Mr. Clausen is believed to have died several hours before that time, according to a report by Count Coroner Pete Martin. According to the report by Deputy Sgt. Rick McNannay, Clausen had been spraying weeds along the bank of a creek when the utility tractor he was operating slid off the steep edge of the creek and overturned into the creek....
Port of Whitman County officials are going tree shopping thanks to a $10,000 endowment left by Lawrence Hickman, one of the agency’s founding members. “Mr. Hickman left a legacy of trying to enhance the entire county, and the port district especially,” said Debbie Snell, port properties and development manager. “We’re very much appreciative of his thoughtfulness.” Joe Poire, the port’s executive director, informed commissioners last month he had received a phone call from Mr. Hickman’s son, Larry, about the endowment. Mr. Hickman, a long...
The echo of hammering pings through the hillside pine forest above the flat part of Klemgard Park on Union Flat Creek. A half mile hike up the trail through the steamy, green undergrowth reveals county park ranger Dave Mahan working on a long, wooden bridge. Mahan and park volunteers have been packing supplies uphill for a half mile to repair this bridge for the past two weeks. Park ranger Dave Mahan drills in a hole on the new bridge at Klemgard, with the help of volunteer, Justin Juneau. Most supplies for the 24-foot bridge were hiked in....
THURSDAY President Barack Obama installed General David Patraeus as the commander of the Afghanistan War. Obama removed General Stanley McChrystal from command earlier in the week for remarks he made in an article printed in Rolling Stone magazine. On an 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court ordered released the names and addresses of the signers of a petition that would have outlawed gay marriage in Washington. Protect Marriage Washington had petitioned the court to block release of the names, arguing public disclosure could lead to threats,...
For the first time since 2003, Whitman County’s financial statement has been independently audited, and the results show the information on the books is unreliable. State auditors released last Thursday the results of their review of the county’s 2008 financial statement. Auditors blamed a number of factors, but said the core of the problems was the county’s decision to report finances on the more intricately detailed accrual basis instead of on a simpler cash basis. “The county’s internal controls do not make adequate allowance for the compl...
Braden Schaffer, CJ Hansen, Ben Schaffer, Abby Lobdell, left to right on the top row, and Gwyni Archer show off the shark hat craft they made while learning all about sharks at the “Make A Splash” summer reading program. Farmington library branch hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, both 2 to 6 p.m....
The position of Colfax school activities director may be split into two positions or redefined before the start of the next school year. After a classified staff employee was transferred last year, shifting duties eventually stretched hours thin for Mike Morgan, the current activities director. Morgan also serves as the director of instrumental music and head football coach. Superintendent Michael Morgan said the district was concerned they had actually “dumped too much” on Morgan’s plate when they shifted secretary Barb Strevy to the eleme... Full story
A tiny park with benches has opened on a quarter of a block in Oakesdale. The new site sits between the city hall office and Crossett’s Grocery Store. The new park has a few benches, grass and a street light lamp standing in the middle. “I wanted it to be simple and easily maintainable,” said Councilman Tom Crooks, who spearheaded the project. The council came up with the idea for the park back in February at a planning meeting and voted it through Feb. 16. Planted grass has yet to start growing in the two lawn plots now seeded. Yellow cauti...
Colfax swim pool, which has been scheduled to operate seven days a week, had to be closed Sunday because of too high chlorine levels. Pool Manager Connie Ellis said staffers after closing time Saturday injected a high level of chlorine into the pool to treat a murky water condition. They left pool covers off overnight in hopes the level of chlorine would dissipate, but the pool had a level 10 reading Sunday. Colfax operates the pool at chlorine reading of seven or lower. CLOSED FOR FOURTH: Colfax swim pool will not operate next Sunday, the... Full story
A survey of Colfax school employees showed while most are satisfied with the inner workings of the school, some found communication and trust between administration and staff lacking. Colfax’s five-member school board has had several weeks to digest results of the two surveys school staff took evaluating the district and now has plans for a public meeting to process that feedback. Results of the survey were given to the Gazette this week. Board members and the school administrators will meet next Wednesday, July 7, at 7 p.m. in the school b...
Reinforcements have been called in to help fight the war currently being fought against the extensive outbreak of the stripe rust fungus in Whitman County wheat fields. Fungicide curls around the wings of Brian Windsor’s crop duster as he sprays for rust in a field just north of Mockonema. Because of the advanced state of the development of wheat, the best theater for fighting off the rust invasion is from the air. Unfortunately, a combination of factors have limited the number of ag pilots available to buzz fungicide onto wheat fields. “In a n... Full story
The long-time goal of being able to watch local teams play under the lights at McDonald Park on a summer night was realized late last week. Pullman Patriots Senior Legion team, which includes players from Colfax and Colton, played Palouse Summer Series games Thursday and Friday with 7:45 p.m. start times. Friday, the lights were used to illuminate softball action when the Yankees and Bluejays, Colfax junior high softball teams, capped their seasons in an all-Colfax showdown starting at 7:30 p.m. Night lights for Colfax baseball vanished when... Full story
Fourth of July celebrants will again answer the call to a variety of attractions in many parts of the county. The first fireworks volley will be fired Saturday night at Boyer Marina, and action will pick up again Sunday with celebrations starting at Johnson and continuing on to Albion, Endicott and Pullman. ALBION Albion will burst to life at noon on the Fourth with a city parade, followed by a flag ceremony and lunch served by the Moose Lodge of Pullman at the community center. The parade is open to anyone. Pastor Bill Lyons and wife Arline ar... Full story
Whitman County Auditor Eunice Coker blames county commissioners for allowing the county’s finance department to devolve to the point it had to be dismantled. “Finance got like that because they have been under the county commissioners,” she told commissioners Pat O’Neill and Greg Partch during a workshop session Monday. Commissioners put too many conflicting tasks on the department, she said, without providing the resources needed to get the job done. Because of that, Coker told O’Neill and Partch she was taking over the finance department and...
WHITMAN COUNTY HARRISON BUILDING RENOVATION Section 00020 – INVITATION TO BID Separate sealed proposals and other items required under "Section 00100 – Instruction to Bidders" for the Combined Contract for Construction of the Whitman County Harrison Building Renovation located in Colfax, Washington and as described in, and in conformance with the Bid Documents will be received by Whitman County at the Whitman County Commissioners’ Office, Level 1, Whitman County Courthouse, 400 North Main Street, Colfax, Washington 99111, Until: August 2, 20...
