Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 55
It has been a long time coming. Whitman County received word about its latest state audit, and the news was good. Over the years the county has been plagued with unsatisfactory audit reports and even audits that couldn’t be completed because of faulty and missing records. The problems have stretched the confidence of county leaders as well as the public. From those dark times to now, the results have dramatically changed. The state auditors have recommended procedural changes that will further advance the improvements of the county’s financial...
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. CITY BUYS FIRE TRUCK Colfax Fire Department has purchased a 1994 Pierce fire truck from the City of Keizer, Ore. Chief Craig Corbeill reported to the city council Monday night that the truck has already been placed on duty. The truck replaces the 1980 four-wheel drive truck which has been the city's backup truck. That truck has failed to meet... Full story
Colfax Fire Chief Craig Corbeill and firefighter David Buckley stand next to the 1994 Pierce fire truck which the city bought from Keizer, Ore. The fire department's new addition is painted in CHS Bulldog colors....
Two new realtors who have joined Windermere Real Estate are Justin Shahan and Annah Moen. Both are licensed in Washington State. Shahan was raised in Colfax and graduated from high school here with the class of 1993. He also graduated from WSU with a degree in agri-business. Moen, who resides in Colfax, received her realtor certification this month. A gradate of South Eugene High School in Oregon, she enjoys road trips, reading, camping and fishing....
Melvin Mundell, 80, of Elberton died Tuesday morning in a one-car accident south of Tekoa on the Tekoa/Farmington Road. Undersheriff Ron Rockness reported a witness called 911 at 9:25 a.m. to report a vehicle was upside down in Hangman Creek which runs along the Tekoa/Farmington Road south of Tekoa. Deputies determined Mundell had been driving northbound in a 2014 Jeep Patriot, failed to negotiate a corner and left the roadway. The Jeep rolled upside down in the creek. The site was approximately a quarter mile south of Tekoa. The coroner will... Full story
A trampoline park, called Planet 3 Extreme Air Park, opened earlier this week in the former Staples building in Moscow. It features more than 10,000 square feet of interconnected floor level padded trampolines, an open jump area, a trampoline dodgeball stadium, basketball dunk centers, Olympic foam pits for aerial jumping, an innovative slack line and a multi-lane ninja warrior course. “Trampoline parks are currently becoming one of the hottest venues across the nation,” Operations Manager Mo Haretuku said through a press release. The bus...
Charges against the second suspect in a June mobile meth lab arrest east of Garfield were dismissed Sept. 11 on a motion by the state. Jesse A. Reyes, 53, had been scheduled for trial Sept., 11 on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. Reyes has been in jail since his arrest June 25. His bail for pre-trial release had been set at $50,000. He was ordered to be released immediately from jail after the charges were dismissed Monday. The state opted to drop the charges against Reyes after...
Garfield/Palouse center Chad Hansen waits to snap the ball to quarterback Evan Weagraff for a two-point conversion in the first quarter against Lakeside Sept. 15. The Vikings won 50-12. With space in the bleachers due to Palouse Days activities getting underway on Main Street Sept. 15, the fans on hand for Garfield/Palouse vs. Lakeside saw dominance. The Vikings (2-0) had the game in hand early, with senior quarterback Evan Weagraff scoring three of six touchdowns before halftime, leaving the...
Coach Ken Gering’s St. John/Endicott/LaCrosse football team made their home debut Sept. 15 against Selkirk and went down 58-26. Staying with the non-league opponent for the first half, the Eagles trailed 36-20 in the third quarter before Selkirk took control for good. Five St. John/Endicott penalties in the fourth quarter played a role. “We ran out of steam,” said Gering, who will work this week on adjusting his lineup to play less two-way players. Eagles quarterback Trey Fleming threw for four...
Colfax Police Officers Association plans to sponsor a “Paint the Town Pink Golf Tournament” Sept. 30 at the Colfax Golf Club. All proceeds will go to the Whitman Hospital Foundation program for mammograms for women in need. The tourney entry fee will be $150 for a foursome or $37.50 for an individual for 18 holes of golf and lunch. Play will begin with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. Raffle prizes, 50/50 drawings, and prizes for first-place finishers will be included. Contact Colfax Officer Cory Alcantar to reserve a spot: paintt... Full story
Colfax volleyball players swept the Okanogan tournament with a string of two-game wins Saturday to run their early season record to 9-1. The Bulldogs finished with an early season title round against the Toutle Lake Ducks, one of the usual foes when state tournament action launches at the SunDome. Colfax stopped the Ducks in two games 25-16 and 25-19 for the title. This was the 10th straight year Colfax has topped the Okanogan test. Last year they also collided with Toutle Lake in the championship round. The Bulldogs and Ducks matched up Saturd...
Emmy Gregg raps one for the Vikings with Avery McFarling of the Timberwolves going up for the block in the match Thursday at Palouse. Oakesdale Tuesday downed Garfield/Palouse in three straight, 25-12 25-14 and 25-9. Logan Reed had 14 kills against the Vikings, and Madison Shrope put up 22 assists and hit four aces, Payson Griner had four kills and five blocks for the Vikings. Saturday the Nighthawks advanced as far as the semi-final round of the SunDome tourney in Yakima before they bowed to... Full story
Tucker Gleason of Colfax stretches for a tip Friday in the Colfax game against the Wildcats. Riley Wuestney puts on the pressure at right. Ben Ahmann starts up field on a long punt return against the Wildcats. Gabe Ahmann is at left, and Augie Allenbach is at right. Colfax football offense, which scored a total of nine points over the first two league rounds, detonated Friday on the home field for 47 points in the first half against the guests from Wilbur/Creston. The Bulldogs scored 34 of those... Full story
Total admission revenue for the Palouse Empire Fair was approximately $46,000 over the four days. The fair sustained a setback Thursday when most schools opted not to send students for third grade day. However, because the third graders are only charged $1 admission, the financial impact from the poor air quality was limited.... Full story
Colfax American Legion has donated 30 new U.S. flags to be mounted on light standards along Main Street. The donation was marked with a formal presentation Monday night at the city council session with Roy Lord representing the Legion. Mayor Todd Vanek and Lord reported the Legion now plans to donate additional flags to completely replace the lineup of flags that are mounted along Main Street....
A&R Construction is on site at the county Waste Transfer Station this week, pulling damaged concrete panels today off the station’s original building. The project is to repair damage caused when a Pullman Disposal truck ran into it. In 2015, during construction on the new waste transfer building, the truck collided with a clearance wall on the old building. The company’s insurance agreed to cover the loss. “Pullman Disposal has been very easy to work with on this,” said Mark Storey, Whitman County public works director. A&R Constru...
The Uniontown sidewalk-extension project has been approved and pushed back to next year. Originally planned for this summer, the work to extend sidewalks to each end of the town limits was approved Sept. 13 by the Washington State Department of Transportation. With its approval, the state designated a change to the planned pedestrian lighting which calls for narrowing the focus of the LED fixtures. Uniontown and its engineer, Munir Daud, will now go out to bid Nov. 1 for work next spring. The... Full story
The Steptoe Canyon Road bridge work south of Colton moves forward toward completion as a deadline nears of Oct. 15 on the permit from the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife. Brandon Kruger, Whitman County maintenance operations manager, reported to county commissioners Monday that the new bridge’s pilings have been driven and steel caps installed for girders to be attached. Delivery of the 34-foot span concrete girders is now being coordinated along with scheduling a crane. County P...
Whitman County Commissioners approved Monday the extension of the Southeast Washington Economic Development Association’s (SEWEDA) managing director, keeping the position full-time into the future. The approval amounts to $10,000 for the rest of 2017 from county .09 funds and $20,000 each subsequent year. Sarah McKnight, SEWEDA’s Whitman County managing director, appeared before county commissioners at their regular meeting. She noted she is working with 80 clients with 20 new business sta...
Crews from Sandry Construction, Big Fork, Mont., work on pouring curbs along South Whitman Street in Rosalia last week. The project extends from Josephine to the Eighth Street intersections. The new curbs and sidewalks were in place at the start of this week, and crews were working on handicap access ramps. Pavement is expected to go down on the project Oct. 8. Rosalia received state TIB funding for the project....
Tours of the closed St. Ignatius Hospital in Colfax will begin again Thursday, Sept. 21, and run through the end of October. The new owner of the building plans to renovate it this spring. The hospital, built in 1893, is purported to be haunted. It served as a hospital until 1968, before being used as housing for the developmentally disabled in the lower floors until the building was shuttered 14 years ago. Cost will be $35 for a two-hour tour, $45 for a three-hour option. Age limit will be 12 and over. www.colfaxhauntedhosp... Full story
A Tekoa candidates forum has been set for next Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. at the Empire Theatre. Candidates will be given three minutes to introduce themselves. The moderator will relay questions from the audience. Segments will include 15 minutes for school board candidates, 15 minutes for the park board and 20 minutes for city council. School board candidates are Brandon VanDalesen, who was appointed to the school board this year, and Fran Martin. City candidates are Alyssa Heagy, position 3 incumbent, and challenger Jason Fletcher, and... Full story
The cover of “Mara” was painted by Spangle artist Nona Hengen. Copies of the book are available in Spokane, Colfax and Rosalia. Beverly Mader Wilson A book which was started during harvest in the Clear Creek area more than 60 years ago has finally gone to press. Beverly Mader Wilson came across the first draft during a cleaning operation at her place between Rosalia and Spangle and decided to have it published earlier this year. The book “Mara” is a historical novel which gives a young woman’s... Full story
The city of Palouse may get more time to decide on a plan for its wastewater treatment plant after a change in requirements from the Washington State Department of Ecology. Informed at a meeting in Spokane Aug. 23 at the DOE’s Eastern Region office, the city has been given a new target for reducing discharge of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB), a group of 209 man-made compounds used in manufacturing. The change comes three months before Palouse’s deadline to set a plan by Dec. 31 to address nit...
Colfax and Wilbur/Creston teams marked an observance in support of Freeman High School Friday in advance of the football game at Colfax. Both teams stood behind the banner noting support for Freeman. The banner was painted by Colfax cheerleader advisor Connie Ellis. Also, the “Freeman Strong” motto was printed on the bottom of Friday’s football game program. Freeman’s Scotties opted to go ahead with their football game Friday and defeated Medical Lake. School at Freeman resumed Monday, with pa...
