Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Dear Savvy Senior, What tips or resources can you recommend to help seniors with the high cost of prescription eyeglasses? I used to have vision insurance through my work, but lost it when I retired. Need New Specs Dear Specs, There’s no doubt that new eyeglasses can be expensive. You can easily spend $200 for a basic pair, and if you spring for add-ons like anti-glare lenses or designer frames the price can double. If you’re like most retirees, and are paying full out-of-pocket prices every time you get a new pair of glasses, here are a few...
The county may be considering getting rid of its expensive and recently activated New World accounting system. The proper response to this is, “Say, what! We just got it working.” The New World system initially cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it quickly became a nightmare of problems for nearly everyone involved. And, the costs kept soaring. Total cost of buying the software, getting customized patches, getting it on line, staff trauma and turnover and training comes to nearly $1 million. Now, it has been discovered tha...
Katie Bailey has called western Whitman County home since grade school. Katie and Steve live in LaCrosse, and she teaches in Endicott, where she began in 1999. Leann Bafus was her master teacher when she did her student teaching in LaCrosse. The second of five children, Katie is closest to Rachel, who lives in Silverdale. Katie really enjoys her second/third grade combination class which keeps her very busy. Looping with the children for a second year allows her to observe their growth over the course of two years. In the combination...
An AARP driver class will be in Colfax Oct. 1 and 2 from 1 to 5 p.m. each day in the Public Service Building at Colfax. Pre-registration is required. The fee for materials is $12 for AARP members of $14 for non-members. The eight hour refresher course is for experienced drivers 50 and older. The course addresses the age-related changes that can affect driving ability and behavior, and ways to compensate. The curriculum is designed to remind drivers of skills and techniques once learned and update them on the rules of the road. Most insurance...
Dusty The Rev. Floyd and Judy Overstreet have officially retired from serving the Country Bible Church. They have served the congregation for 14 years. Interim pastors will fill in for the time being. Remember the Dusty Gals Yard Sale on the grounds of the Dusty Country Store Saturday, Sept. 22. The fun begins at 9 a.m. Those who want to participate are asked to bring their own table. Kim and Cindy Pitts spent an extended weekend at the home of their daughter’s family, Jen, Ryan, Kellen, Becket and Willa Hammons, in Boise. They helped Becket c...
Lacrosse LaCrosse fifth and sixth graders hiked to the summit of Kamiak Butte Sept. 13. They have been studying topographical maps and elevation in social studies. They found an elevation marker pounded into a boulder. They also found a geo-cache with a stamp of Chief Kamiaken and a booklet where they wrote their names. Julie Roberts and Kara Harder hiked with the class and saw many interesting trees and rocks....
Hooper Many of the Hooper youth attended the Palouse Empire Fair with their cattle projects. Lane Hannas’ steer won the purple ribbon in his market weight class and competed in the FFA Market finals class, where he placed sixth overall. Lane was awarded the FFA Champion junior/senior division and the overall FFA Fitting and Showing Champion. Abby McGregor’s steer placed second in his weight class. Genevieve McGregor’s weanling heifer placed first in her age class and won Reserve Champion 4H Female. Abby and Genevieve both competed in 4H fitti...
Wylie, Wild West book Tekoa return Western music star Wylie Gustafson and his band will return to the Empire Theater in Tekoa next Friday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. Gustafson is now based in Montana near where he grew up. A former Dusty resident, he retains a fondness for Whitman County, and the Empire continues to be one of the group’s favorite concert stops. “The magic always seems to happen there. We’re happy to come back with some new music from our new CDs,” stated Gustafson. Wylie’s list of credits is as impressive as they come. He has perfo...
Twenty-six kids enjoyed the new School’s Out Wednesday program at the St. John Library on Wednesday, Sept. 12. The outdoor reading garden was full of young artists exploring the media of paint. On Wednesday, Sept. 26, “Sculpture in different forms” is the theme for students in grades 1 – 5 to explore. This series of programs meets Wednesdays at 12:30 when school is dismissed early....
William H. (Bill) Burns, former Colfax mayor and businessman, died Sept. 2 in Spokane at age 90, according to the Neptune Society in Spokane. Mr. Burns was the proprietor of Burns Auto Parts, a business founded in Colfax by his father, Dave Burns. He served as mayor of Colfax in the late 1960s during the time of the installation of the flood control channel. He later sold the auto parts business here and moved to Spokane to pursue a career in commercial development. Mr. Burns is survived by his wife, Marlys, and a daughter, Lynette. He was...
Sales closing dates for purchasing crop insurance with winter coverage for fall-planted wheat, barley, dry peas and lentils is Oct. 1. Dave Paul, regional director for USDA Risk Management Agency, urged farmers to make their federal crop insurance decisions before the closing date. For barley and wheat there are three basic coverage choices: Yield protection based on the projected price, revenue protection based on the higher of either the projected or harvest price and then revenue projection with harvest price exclusion which is based on the...
MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel • On Oct. 6, 1847, “Jane Eyre,” a book about the struggles of an orphan girl who grows up to become a governess, is published. Charlotte Bronte, the book’s author, wrote of her experiences at being sent to a boarding school at the age of 5. • On Oct. 1, 1920, Scientific American magazine reports that the rapidly developing medium of radio soon would be used to broadcast music: “Experimental concerts are at present being conducted every Friday evening from 8:30 to 11:00 by the Radio Laboratory of the Bureau...
Congratulations, Palouse Empire. You are the most caffeinated area on the county fair circuit. Barbara Brouner of Chelan, owner of the Coffee Caravan, reported her stand at this year’s Palouse Empire Fair set the high mark in one-day sales for the almost 20 years she has been in business. She said more than $5,000 worth of coffee and juices sold during Saturday morning and through the afternoon sun. “We were definitely busy,” said Brouner, reporting what her employees told her. “They said the place was lined up as far as you could see.” T...
Captains of the Garfield/Palouse Vikings and Genesee Bulldogs meet for the coin flip Friday evening in the Kibbie Dome. The game was moved to the dome because of smoke-filled air which covered the Palouse late last week. Coach Scott Thompson noted the Vikings welcomed the chance to play in the dome which has been off the GP grid schedule for years. The pre-game ceremony took place beneath the Kibbie press box named in honor of the late Bob Curtis, the long-time voice of the Vandals and a Garfield High School graduate....
An order of commitment for 54 months to the state department of corrections was filed in superior court following the conviction of Charles A. Sanders, 46, Pomeroy, on a charge of felony drunken driving. Sanders was arrested May 28 on the Walla Walla Highway after deputies received a report of a vehicle crossing lanes and a beer can being thrown from the vehicle. Sanders was assigned an offender score of six with four prior convictions for drunken driving going back to 2005. All were in Garfield County, according to the court report. A second...
Karen D. Thomas, 43, Colfax, was sentenced to 10 days in jail Sept. 7 after she pleaded guilty to attempted forgery, third degree theft and contempt of court. She was sentenced to 364 days in jail with all but 10 days suspended on each of the three charges. They were served concurrently. The charges related to a small claims court verdict against Thomas last fall. The plaintiff in the small claims action reported to the sheriff’s office that she had not actually received proceeds from one of two canceled checks which had been filed in d...
Seven weeks after he was quickly removed from Tekoa and jailed in Colfax following the death of three men in his bar at Tekoa, Milford “Curley” Gardner walked out of Whitman superior court a free man. A jury of 12 men ruled his was not guilty of killing a harvest hand by hitting him with a pistol. The early morning fight at Curley’s in Tekoa Aug. 24, 1912, had led to an emergency meeting of the Tekoa City council, a decision to revoke Curley’s bar license and then the shooting deaths of three more men when the civic delegation was greeted...
Important job In time of need, we surely realize just how important our volunteer firefighters and emergency personnel are here in rural Whitman County. The response to successfully fighting our Elberton fire on Saturday was a cooperative effort of the Colfax, Garfield, Palouse, Albion, and Steptoe crews. They kept the fire from moving into the timber and saved the nearby homes and county park ground. In our rural towns, the numbers of volunteers for our fire and medical personnel are dwindling. We encourage people to consider training for thes...
The Writer’s Lack of Support Group W. Bruce Cameron Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2007. As a professional writer, I will do anything to improve my craft, as long as it doesn’t involve work. One of my favorite methods is to participate in a writer’s support group, wherein a bunch of dedicated and focused authors get together once a week to discuss baseball. We each bring samples of our current writing projects to the meetings, and occasionally someone will interrupt the flow of baseball talk to remind us that...
Seattle City Councilman Bruce Harrell is proposing a new law that would prohibit employers from “discriminating” against convicted felons. The law would prevent any employer, whether they are a hospital, school or merchant, from looking at an applicant’s criminal record until late in the hiring process and, with few exceptions, would not allow them to reject applicants solely on their criminal history. Harrell believes convicted felons are less likely to reoffend if they have more employment opportunities. He told a television reporter, “Reci...
I HAD LUNCH with retiring Congressman Norm Dicks the other day which was a bit unusual since we haven’t exactly been buddies his whole 36 years in office. No, it wasn’t anything I wrote, although I have mentioned that when you’re talking to Norm he’s usually looking over your shoulder to see if somebody more important is coming along. But I have never questioned his ability and his dedication to his district. He’s smart, he works hard and he is much respected by his constituents and his peers. He has succeeded admirably in bringing home the bac...
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. LAZCANO TRIALS RESCHEDULED Trials of Frank and Daniel Lazcano, brothers charged with first degree murder of Marcus Schur of Rosalia last Dec. 27, have been moved to February. The trials had been set for the third week in October. Trial for Frank Lazcano, 24, Pine City, has now been slated for Feb. 11, and the trial for Daniel Lazcano, 21,...
TRIVIA TEST 1. LITERATURE: Who was England’s first, unofficial poet laureate? 2. MUSIC: Which musical group had a hit with “Penny Lane”? 3. MEASUREMENTS: How many meters are in an “are,” a unit of land measurement? 4. INVENTIONS: Who invented frozen food in 1923? 5. GEOGRAPHY: Which countries share the region of Patagonia? 6. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What is the traditional birthstone associated with July? 7. ASTRONOMY: The moon called Titan orbits which planet in our solar system? 8. HISTORY: In what year did Ohio’s National Guard kill four war pr...
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF WHITMAN WHITMAN COUNTY, a political subdivision of the State of Washington, Plaintiff, No. 12-2-00205-1 vs. COMPLAINT AND SUMMONS NOTICE FOR APPLICATION FOR JUDGEMENT FORECLOSURE Kathryn D. Anderson, Wesley A. Clark, Joyce L. Clark, Horizon Credit Union, Margie E. Kahat, United States Attorney General, Washington State Department of Revenue, Washington State Emplo- ment Security Department, Department of the Treasury. Ron Donaldson, Farmington State Bank, Norman A....