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Articles from the July 27, 2017 edition


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  • Frank Watson: Who Appointed Government as My Savior?

    Jul 27, 2017

    Some of you young folks may not believe this but my whole generation grew up without hand sanitizer, and we rode our bicycles without helmets! Men who rode motorcycles looked cool in black leather jackets with wavy hair blowing in the breeze. I can’t imagine James Dean in a helmet? I think riding a motorcycle is dangerous under the best conditions, so I choose not to do so. But for those who like the danger and the exhilarating feeling of freedom should have the right to assume the risk. If I rode a racing bicycle at 30 miles an hour, I would w...

  • Letters: July 27, 2017

    Jul 27, 2017

    Uniontown call Citizens of Uniontown, people who pay property taxes in this city deserve due diligence. You have invested in our community. Protect your investment. Three council positions plus the mayor's spot are open - all as write-ins for those positions. City council meetings are on the second Wednesday of the month at city hall. Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. Ray Heitstuman, Uniontown Honest cartoon Thank you for the first honest political cartoon that I have seen in any news. Ninety-nine percent of newspapers in America would not have run...

  • Rich Lowry: No, China Isn't Going to Lead

    Jul 27, 2017

    The world has had its delusions about China over the years, but none quite as fantastical as the notion of Beijing assuming the mantle of global leadership. Ever since Donald Trump's election, it has been a journalistic trope to speculate that China is about to take the lead on globalization, climate change and international diplomacy. Knowing his audience, President Xi Jinping has stoked this tripe by mouthing all the right cliches in front of the right audiences. He gave a speech at Davos heavy on the theme of openness and promised to help...

  • Bob Franken: Trump's Russian Comedy

    Jul 27, 2017

    I can tell you what the cast members of "Saturday Night Live" are doing during their off-season: They are practicing their Russian accents. It would take pretty much the entire "SNL" group to do a bit on the meeting between Don Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort and the gang from the Kremlin. There were altogether at least eight people at that infamous get-together that we now know was called to dish some dirt on Hillary Clinton. "SNL" already has been feasting on the Trumpsters to the point that this season it gathered 22 Emmy...

  • DUIE

    Jul 27, 2017

    Autonomous vehicles will soon be on the roads. At least, that is the prediction. Some are already being tested. These cars can drive themselves, negotiate traffic, follow a circuitous route to their destination and react to traffic signals and changing road conditions. The “driver” will have nothing to do. The responsibility of the “driver” may only be to make sure there is gas in the tank or a charge in the battery. Autonomous vehicles are coming, but they are not ready for widespread use. The problem is that many drivers think they already...

  • Bulletin: July 27, 2017

    Jul 27, 2017

    ­­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. HARVEST - SO FAR, SO GOOD Colfax elevators received the first delivery of the new harvest Tuesday. Harvest has stretched from the southwestern portions of the county and reached Almota, Mockonema and Ewartsville. Pine City was expected to open Wednesday. Endicott expects to hit peak harvest next week. Elevators report “so far, so good” on ha...

  • Malden Market raising funds for new roof

    Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    Malden's first new business in a quarter of a century is in need of some repairs. Malden Market owner Karena Wilcox has started a crowdfunding page on YouCaring to raise money to fix the ceiling, which has dry rot and is caving in. “I'm not here to make a fortune, just fix up our little town,” Wilcox stated. Currently, Wilcox has plastic on the roof and inside the ceiling after the previous ceiling collapsed before the store was opened in May. Since that time, the leaky roof has caused some dama...

  • Pedestrian hit in crosswalk

    Jul 27, 2017

    A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in the crosswalk at the intersection and Main and Wall streets. The pedestrian appeared to have been crossing the street while the motorist was attempting a left turn from Wall to Main Street. The unidentified victim was transported to Whitman Hospital and Medical Center. Colfax police and ambulance responded to the scene, which drew onlookers from several Main Street businesses and briefly halted traffic. No details were available at press...

  • Dissolution process underway for Tekoa Medical Foundation

    Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    Shareholders for the Tekoa Medical Foundation, Inc., are seeking any claims to it before they dissolve the group, which was formed in 1968 to build the Tekoa Care Center and Retirement Apartments. The facility was sold two years ago. In April, a shareholders' meeting was called to vote on whether to dissolve. A total of 157 people voted to do so, by unanimous count. “They haven't operated in a couple years and feel it is prudent to dissolve at this time,” said Timothy Esser, attorney for the cor...

  • Rock Lake continues to offer up large steelhead

    Starla Meighan|Jul 27, 2017

    Spokane anglers Jun (above) and Chet (right) pull matching rainbow trout from Rock Lake near the boat ramp last week. The steelhead were biting earlier in the day. Gazette Staff Rock Lake, at more than 2,000 acres, is the largest natural lake in eastern Washington. Although the fishery has limited public access for launching watercraft and for shore fishing and a reputation for its windy and often dangerous boating conditions, it has an abundant and healthy fish population, with anglers enjoying...

  • SELW swimmers win Endicott meet

    Jul 27, 2017

    Dominic Treis of SELW finishes a win in the senior butterfly race. Kennedy Schmidt of Colfax makes the turn for the backstroke on the way to a win in the 14 & under individual medley. St. John/Endicott/ LaCrosse/Washtucna swimmers won Thursday's Tri-County league meet at the Endicott pool by 83 points. Team totals for the meet were SELW 544, Colfax 461 and Dayton 257. Avery Anderson of SELW booked a sweep of races in the junior division class for 10 & under boys, and Lucy Trump of Dayton booked...

  • Posse stay alive in state Legion ball

    Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    It is late July in Walla Walla and the dust kicked up at Borleske Stadium is from teams playing for the American Legion state AA baseball title. The rosters, made up of high school players juggling time with jobs, other off-season sports and more, round up summer on the diamonds with this. If things go right, they may win a championship before dropping the mitts and stepping up into a harvest truck or reaching for a football helmet. The Pullman Posse is in the thick of state tournament contentio...

  • Ontario-based company to acquire Avista power

    Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    Avista Utilities announced July 19 that it will be purchased by Canadian business Hydro One. Hydro One, based out of Toronto, Ontario, is Canada’s largest electricity transmission and distribution provider. The deal is estimated to close in the second half of 2018. The geographic service territory of the combined company will be larger than the country of France. Assets will be in excess of $25.4 billion with more than two million customers. The acquisition will make Hydro One one of the top 2...

  • 2017 county budget reported to be on track

    Kara McMurray, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    County Administrator Gary Petrovich recently presented the county’s second quarter budget report to the Board of County Commissioners, telling them the county is currently on track to stay within the budget. “We’re doing pretty well,” said Petrovich. Petrovich presented the budget with personnel and operations expenses for each department. The budget this year was broken down for each department with these categories to keep them separate items. He reported that most departments had spent 50 percent or less of their yearly budgets through...

  • New store in Tekoa

    Jul 27, 2017

    Owner Richard Kelly opened Kelly Motorsports on Tekoa’s Crosby Street in May, selling parts, apparel and accessories for motorcycles and ATVs....

  • Commissioners join challenge against state's ballot box bill

    Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    Passage of Senate Bill 5472, known as the Ballot Box Bill, has officials throughout Washington up in arms, including Whitman County commissioners. “This (bill) robs services from our people,” said Commissioner Michael Largent, who described himself as foaming at the mouth over this legislation. Commissioners July 17 signed an order pledging support of efforts to challenge the bill. The order authorized “investigating participating in a joint effort with other counties, including a possi...

  • White farm recognized for 60 years of tours

    Jul 27, 2017

    Gil White of Lamont, right, receives an award for 60 years of crop tours on his family’s farm from Steve Van Vleet, left, regional extension specialist of agriculture and natural resources at the WSU extension office in Colfax and tour organizer, during a July 6 crop tour. The White farm has participated in the crop tours since 1957, two years after Gil’s parents, Curtis and Lorraine, were married. Gil’s grandfather, Roy Cook, and Curtis began letting the WSU wheat breeders use a small porti...

  • Shooting suspects caught, will return to Idaho

    Jul 27, 2017

    Last week’s hunt for two suspects in the fatal shooting in Troy, Idaho, ended on Friday, July 21, when the two teenagers were arrested without incident in Curlew, Wash., 10 miles from the Canadian border. Keagan Tennant, 17, and Matthew McKetta, 18, are suspected in the shooting of 18-year-old Pullman High School student Tim Reeves, who is believed to have been killed Monday, July 17. His body was discovered in the woods near Troy July 19. He is believed to have died from a single gunshot wound to the head. The suspects waived extradition M...

  • Passing lane construction starts

    Kara McMurray, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    The slew of Whitman County road construction projects will continue next week as the long-anticipated passing lane work on Highway 195 begins on Monday, July 31. Al Gilson, communications director for the eastern region of WSDOT, told the Gazette Tuesday that he is unsure of the full slate of work at this time but will know more by the end of the week. “Yes, work starts on Monday,” he said. “I do not know the exact work that will start though.” He said he is unsure of exactly where construction workers will be early next week and what, if any,...

  • Beetle infestation down after spring weather

    Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    Above: Beetles are revealed under the bark of a tree. Far left: Beetle traps are set up around Colfax to get a sense of the beetle emergence which is consideraby less than last year. The scourge of beetles that afflicted Colfax area pines last year is considerably less this year, thanks to the moisture and cooler temperatures this spring. “The weather has helped with the beetles this year,” said Steve Van Vleet, regional extension specialist of agriculture and natural resources at the WSU ext...

  • Rosalia moving forward with infrastructure improvements

    Starla Meighan|Jul 27, 2017

    Gazette Staff Sam Mineer, engineer with JUB Engineers, Inc., shares plans for Rosalia sewer improvements at the Rosalia Ice Cream Social July 20. On July 20, the Town of Rosalia hosted an ice cream social and town discussion at the Community Center so residents could hear the latest on town infrastructure projects. Mayor Nan Konishi, town clerk/treasurer Jenna McDonald, members of the town council, town employees and J-U-B engineers were available to give an overview of upcoming work and to...

  • Fire claims combine

    Jul 27, 2017

    -Michael Hubert photo Fire crews responded to a combine and field fire Monday at 6:45 p.m. at the Craig Gilchrist place in the Union Flat area. Colfax responded with two trucks, Steptoe with two trucks, Diamond with one and Albion with four. For unknown reasons a fire started in the John Deere combine which was completely destroyed by the blaze. The fire spread to some of the surrounding standing grain, but a tractor circling and tilling the ground helped keep it from spreading. It was the...

  • U-town sidewalk job awaits state okay

    Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    Uniontown’s sidewalk-extension project, expected to be started by August, has been placed on hold as Washington Department of Transportation forms are filled out and returned by the town. Funding is expected to come from a $306,000 grant from Washington’s Transportation Improvement Board and $60,000 from Palouse Regional Transportation Organization. The concrete sidewalks will be located within the existing right-of-way of Highway 195. Total length of new sidewalks will be .5401 mile. “Th...

  • Palouse Music Festival Saturday

    Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    Sunlight through leaves, the flowing river at the edges of grass and music from the flatbed trailer: the annual Palouse Music Festival is set to return to Hayton Green Park Saturday. This year’s lineup features a range of styles culminating in the rhythm and blues of Heather and the Soul Motions in the 7 p.m. hour singing Stax Records and Motown. “We try to end the day with something funky that people can dance to,” said Paul Smith of the Palouse Arts Council, which organizes the event with...

  • Pullman residents ask for oversight of Aug. 1 election

    Kara McMurray, Gazette Reporter|Jul 27, 2017

    Following the latest ballot error in Whitman County, some Pullman residents sent a letter to the Secretary of State office this week requesting state oversight of the Aug. 1 primary election next week. The letter, written by Elizabeth Siler, notes the error that came to light when ballots were sent out to Pullman voters for city council races. The error involved 812 ballots. Some Pullman Ward 1 voters were incorrectly mailed to voters in Ward 3. The ballots went to voters in precinct 253, which had been split off from Ward 1 last year and are n...