Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 51 - 63 of 63
Dave Mahan has declared his write-in candidacy for Palouse mayor. Mahan said he is running to improve transparency in city matters, make for better audits and involve the Palouse Police more in the community. “I love the city, I don’t love the politics,” he said. The write-in candidacy will be a challenge to Mayor Michael Echanove who is unopposed on the ballot. Mahan said the events of last fall, when his 16-year-old son went missing and was found dead of a drug overdose, have partially lead...
Whitman County will conduct a hearing on granting a franchise to Palouse Wind to install an electrical transmission system along and across county roads. Palouse Wind is a subsidiary of Boston-based First Wind, created to develop a wind farm in Whitman County. Palouse Wind has received conditional permission from county planning officials to build a 9,000 acre, 65-turbine wind farm on Naff Ridge, Steam Shovel Hill and Granite Butte in north central Whitman County. Public Works Director Mark Storey explained the county is required to grant a...
Nearly 50 residents of Steptoe gathered in the community’s former grange hall Sunday night to dine on spaghetti and discuss the building’s future. The donation dinner raised $878, reported co-organizer Lavonne Hall, with donations continuing to come in through Tuesday. The money will be used to make repairs on the “Grand Old Girl.” Donations were made to the Steptoe Community Fund, which is planning to donate it to the Steptoe Grange for the repairs, taxes and utility bills. The grange hall has been the center of Steptoe’s social scene for...
The Palouse Community Center is taking shape on Main Street in Palouse. After groundbreaking in late July, the project has progressed as organizers hoped. The building structure is in place, with windows, masonry, sidewalks and ramps coming next. “It’s going great,” said Scott Beeson, president of the community center board. “We’re having very minor problems, the kind you’d have on any construction undertaking. It’s a very smooth-flowing project.” Organizers still have $20,000 to cover costs...
County officials want to hear from landowners and environmental groups on whether Whitman County should sign on to a new state environmental regulation program. Under a new state law, the county must protect its environmentally sensitive areas from farming activities. Whether it does that through a panel of interested parties or through zoning laws is the decision commissioners must make by Jan. 22, 2012. “The county commissioners have to make a decision. So we have to get all the affected parties together in order to inform their d...
A Dec. 19 trial date was set for Michael Assenberg Friday morning in superior court after he pleaded not guilty to four marijuana charges. Assenberg’s arraignment hearing was one of two court sessions Friday involving marijuana suspects who are expected to present medical marijuana defenses in court. Two demonstrators in front of the courthouse carried a “No More Drug War” sign. Before entering his pleas, Assenberg said he would like to ask why he has been charged. He suggested the equal rights provision of the state constitution would allow...
All candidates appearing on the ballot for port commissioner, Colfax mayor and council and Colfax school board have been invited to participate in the voter forum Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Colfax Branch of Whitman County Library. Pullman League of Women Voters, Whitman County Gazette and the Library are official sponsors. Port candidates are Tom Kammerzell of Colfax and Al Sorensen of Pullman. Candidates for Colfax Mayor are Todd Vanek and Carol Stueckle. All four qualified for the primary after finishing in the top two places in primary...
Last week’s caption on the former Wayne Kinsinger house on the Dry Creek Road incorrectly reported the present occupants inherited the house from the estate of Wayne Kinsinger. The house and other properties in the Kinsinger estate went to his surviving spouse, Ade Mae Kinsinger. The present occupants are purchasing the house from her....
LaCrosse School District is asking voters this November to approve nearly $2.2 million over six years to make major improvements to its campus. “Just like a homeowner would have to replace their heating unit after so many years of use... the age of our facilities are starting to show,” said Superintendent Gary Wargo. Buildings on the LaCrosse campus date back to 1960, and Wargo said they have seen some heavy wear and tear since being built. “Our schools are heavily used by kids. It’s not just mom and dad and the kids at home,” he said. “We...
Take a hay ride through Rosalia while sipping a cup of freshly-pressed apple cider during the town’s Fourth Annual Fall Festival Saturday. Events include the cider press at the town’s historic Texaco station, a craft fair at Smith’s Country Store and craft lessons at the Pinewood Cottage. Bruce Pritchett will be making balloon animals in front of Rosalia Coffee and More, and the Rosalia High School senior class will sell hot dogs and run games for the kids on Whitman Street. Hay rides will run up and down Whitman Street, leaving from the Texaco...
In the era of open choice for public schools, many students in the Colfax district attend schools outside the district while others come to Colfax. The district’s first monthly count for the 2011-12 school year was 7.5 students above district projections for full-time equivalent kids. The October count was up 13.21, for 626 full-time equivalent students. “Excellent news,” said Colfax Superintendent Michael Morgan. Usually there is a slight decrease or small increase from September to October. An...
Make it a record harvest... officially. The long, cool, wet spring resulted in the highest wheat yields ever produced in Washington state. The Washington field office of the Agricultural Statistics Service reported this week both winter and spring wheat set new records for average yields. Area grain brokers told the Gazette last week bumper crops reported by farmers across Whitman County with winter wheat reports exceeding triple digits and spring wheat yields hitting 70 bushels per acre. In the state report, Linda Simpson of the statistics...
“It looks like our biggest ever.” - Chamber President Kathy Mayer It’ll be guitars, drums, one-eyed jacks and Onecho chili. Add painted faces, fireman’s pancakes and crossed fingers for good weather and it adds up to the 2011 Colfax Hullabaloo. “We’re ready,” said Kathy Meyer, president of the Colfax Chamber of Commerce. “We hope the weather is ready. We’ve got lots of local people standing by with their tarps and tents,” she added. The name Hullabaloo means loud excitement and originates from...
