Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 48 of 48
COLFAX — The Chamber of Commerce is conducting a new event this month in an effort to generate some of the revenue lost when its annual beer and wine tasting and auction were canceled in April. Boos and Booze brings the party into homes with delivery of alcohol and food trays from Merry Cellars on Oct. 30. “So far, we’ve had a really good response,” Unified Executive Director Val Gregory said. The spring time auction generates the chamber’s yearly operating expense, about $20,000. Without those funds, the chamber has been looking for ways to k...
COLFAX — A second Colfax Mercantile is to open Oct. 10 on Main Street after a so-called "soft opening" Tuesday. Located in the former "Bully For You" building, 13 vendors will start it, to be named "The Lief" – after the giraffe that graced Bully For You. Val Gregory and Allie Cofer will run it as a private business, two of the instigaters of the Colfax Mercantile, which was started last summer as part of the Colfax Downtown Association. It separated from the association recently. The Lief, whi...
COLFAX — Outbreaks for COVID-19 have occurred at college housing, care facilities and a school in Whitman County so far. As of this morning, Whitman County has received 1,403 positive COVID-19 tests after adding 49 over the weekend and today. The new cases include 21 people in the 0-19 age range, 19 in the 20-39 age range, two in the 40-59 age range, four in the 60-79 age range and three 80 years old or older. There are currently two cases hospitalized, making the total hospitalizations for the county to date four. According to the county n...
COLFAX – Whitman County Administrative Services Director Jessica Jensema and county departments have begun the process to find $800,000 to cut from the original 2020 county budget as they work toward adopting a 2021 budget by the end of the year. Two weeks ago, county commissoners directed Jensema to meet with departments that had increases planned for next year, to find cuts to account for a $1.5 million difference in revenue vs. expenses in 2020, so far. The reductions are sought from last December's projected 2020 numbers – which does not ta...
COLFAX — Whitman County saw a 56% increase in July sales tax over the same month last year. The state sales tax distribution will be $99,000 more than the same period in 2019, for a total of $274,252 going to the county’s general fund. “It’s a nice surprise. It’s better than what we were fearing,” said Art Swannack, county commissioner. “On average, we’re about on par. I thought we might be down $500,000 when it looked like no WSU students may be coming back.” The July 2020 total is a 28% increase over June. “Because people are not traveling, t...
ENDICOTT – Endicott and Garfield have received a portion of $10.8 million from the state Department of Commerce for infrastructure projects. Commerce awarded 21 rural communities with community development block grants to help fund high-priority projects. The grants from Commerce fund about half the total sewer system improvement projects for both towns. Endicott was awarded $521,032 for sewer system improvements to address a Department of Ecology administrative order and $30,000 to cover the c...
GENESEE, Idaho –– The Genesee football team returned to action after a COVID-19 quarantine to win at home against Troy. Genesee was in a two week quarantine after a coach tested positive for COVID-19. The Bulldogs scored two late touchdowns to take the Whitepine League Division I game 64-52 on Oct. 2. Genesee (4-0) is set to play Friday at Kamiah followed by three Monday games, Oct. 12 against Clearwater Valley, Oct. 19 at Prairie and Oct. 26 against Lapwai. Genesee and Prairie are the two remaining unbeaten teams in the league. Prairie is the...
OLYMPIA — The state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s ban on target shooting on agency-managed lands in North-Central and Northeast Washington has been lifted. Some restrictions will remain in place in South-Central Washington, including a campfire ban through Oct. 15 at all agency-managed wildlife areas in Yakima and Kittitas counties, she said. A campfire ban also remains in place through Oct. 31 at the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area in Grant and Adams counties and Klickitat Wildlife Area in Klickitat County....
COLFAX — High school sports practices resumed around the county Monday, picking up time allowed from summer, which was cut off by new virus restrictions in July. The resumed summer practice period goes from Sept. 28 to Nov. 30. "These are local decisions made allowable by WIAA rules," Don Wilkins, WIAA District Nine director, said. In Oakesdale, the Nighthawks volleyball and girls and boys basketball teams practice in rotating schedules, in groups of 10 players in 1.5-hour practices. O...
COLFAX — Public Works Director Mark Storey recommended county commissioners lower speed limits on the first of a list of county roads in a meeting Monday morning, Oct. 5 . The suggestions came out of five speed zone studies on 50 mph roads. First would be a drop to a 35 mph limit on Sand Road, because of driveways and sight distance. Next, a new 40 mph limit on Becker Road and Cashup Flats Road - from U.S. Highway 195 to state Highway 23 - as well as a new 35 mph limit on part of Elberton Road and 30 mph on Draper-Brown Road. County E...
COLFAX – Thirty-year Tekoa resident Karl Webber was appointed as the new Port of Whitman County District No. 1 commissioner after he and three others interviewed for the seat in a socially distanced format. Webber works in consulting/manufacturing in process improvement and organizational development. "I go out and make friends and figure out how to help them," he said. On the side, he runs a hobby business making custom fly rods. He now joins commissioners Tom Kammerzell and Kristine Meyer f...
PULLMAN — The Whitman County Health Department said Tuesday afternoon in a press release that a previously confirmed coronavirus case has died of complications from COVID-19. The deceased was a female between the ages of 60-79 with other underlying health conditions. This is the first COVID-19 related death reported in Whitman County. “We extend our condolences to the family and friends of this individual during this difficult time,” the health department stated in the release. “Honoring their need for privacy and the importance of confide...
PULLMAN — Two candidate forums are planned for Whitman County Commissioner and State Representative candidates and an issues forum. The forums are being hosted by the League of Women Voters of Pullman with Pullman Chamber of Commerce as co-sponsor. The issues forum is set for Monday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Senate Joint Resolution 8212 is a constitutional amendment on investment of public funds. Referendum 90 addressed Senate Bill 5395 (ESSB5395) regarding comprehensive sexual health education for all students unless a parent requests that his/her s...
COLFAX—Charges on a nine-time convicted felon arrested Sept. 30 for vehicle prowl were reduced to unlawful possession of a firearm and theft of a firearm at his arraignment Oct. 2. Shortly after 1 a.m. on Sept. 30, Whitman County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to Huber Action Freight after reports of an individual at that location trying to wave down passing motorists. When Deputy Randy Miller arrived on scene he confronted a subject, identified as Jarrett Lynn Reedy, 31, of Spokane, in the parking lot of the business. According to to the arr...
ROSALIA – Retired Washington State University architecture professor Ken Carper took second place in the Historic Bridges division in the 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers photography contest with this picture of the Old Milwaukee Road rail bridge. The image will adorn the month of April in the 2021 ASCE Bridges Calendar, which features spans from around the world. Carper also won first place in the general category for a picture of the footbridge at Multnomah Falls in winter. It will a...
RENTON — More tweaks have come to the benchmarks for playing high school sports, as the WIAA updated its return-to-play guidelines Oct. 6 following new guidance given by Gov. Jay Inslee. Sports have been grouped into three categories based on the “risk level” they provide in regard to possible transmission of COVID-19: low-risk, moderate-risk and high-risk. Various sports can return based on their risk level compared to COVID-19 transmission within their community. Local COVID-19 activity will also be measured in three categories: high, moder...
OLYMPIA — Republic Police Chief Loren Culp came out swinging and kept incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee on the defensive during their only planned gubernatorial debate Wednesday night, Oct. 7. Culp, R-Republic, blasted Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, for mismanaging state agencies, violating state and constitutional rights, and a lack of leadership. "What we have right here in Washington is a leadership crisis," Culp said as the one-hour debate kicked off. Rather than defend his record in his opening s...
PULLMAN –– The ballot issues forum hosted by the Pullman League of Women Voters and Pullman Chamber of Commerce is tonight at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The link is available via the league's website lwvpullman.org. Issues include Senate Joint Resolution 8212, a constitutional amendment on investment of public funds; Referendum 90 regarding comprehensive sexual health education for students, and four advisory measure. Questions can only be submitted prior to the forum. Questions can be emailed to lwvpullman@yahoo.com, include “issue question” in the sub...
EASTERN WASHINGTON -- A cold front moving through the region beginning Monday night is expected to bring more rain and windy conditions to the area Tuesday. Rain is expected in the morning, with winds picking up through the afternoon and into the evening. Forecasters at the National Weather service are predicting potentially damaging wind gusts from 40 --60 mph peaking between 4 -- 8 p.m., with 60 mph gusts possible locally. A High Wind Watch has been issued for Tuesday afternoon and evening from the Wenatchee area east through the Columbia...
COLFAX – City of Colfax Public Works Director Matt Hammer has proposed changing the city’s monthly storm drain fee from $2.30 to $5 to pay for the replacement of a 10X15, 8-inch thick concrete slab at the river by Jennings Elementary School. The estimated $30,000 section is the first of what Hammer expects to be more cracking in the river channel. The city last replaced one of the sections in 1985, after the 1964 original encasing of the river. “There’s already more (cracks) that are starting to pop up,” Hammer said. “But it’s held up reall...
