Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Errors in last week’s Gazette article about the controversy surrounding fire protection in Lamont were brought to our attention this week. Fire Commissioner Chet Swift reported the department used two tanker trucks and four fire trucks to put out a shed fire at the John Courneya residence. The article mentioned only one tanker truck. Swift also said the district purchased its new pumper truck before receiving letters from Mayor Steve Lacy and the town’s attorney. The report said the truck was purchased after receipt of the let... Full story
Ross White, Spokane attorney who represented Ralph Walter in the Colfax Fire Chief’s appeal to get his job back, urged the city council Monday night to seek mediation for what could be claims against the city. "This is something that needs to be resolved," White said after listing grounds for potential claims. Responding to a question by Councilman Al Vorderbrueggen, White said the Walter episode engendered potential claims involving due process, civil rights, privacy violation, slander and defamation. The city has not received a claim to date.... Full story
Colfax Councilman David Nails, who attended the one day of testimony in the Walter appeal, described the civil service session "a farce of a hearing" at Monday night’s city council session and called for the resignations of City Administrator Carl Thompson and Mayor Norma Becker. Nails said he didn’t feel Thompson was qualified to do the job and didn’t feel the mayor kept him doing the job he was supposed to do. Nails said since he has been on the council he has received complaints from at least one employee in each city department about allege... Full story
A crowd of some 60 citizens packed the basement meeting room of the Colfax Library Tuesday night for the Pullman League of Women Voters’ ballot forum. Candidates for county auditor and state representative debated issues concerning those offices, while citizen advocates spoke for and against several of the state law measures on the November ballot. Candidates and advocates made statements on their issues before fielding questions submitted in writing by those in attendance. Karen Kiessling, moderator for the League of Women Voters, read the q...
NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that in accordance with an order heretofore entered on the 18th of October, 2010, by the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Whitman, State of Washington, directing sale of surplus property hereinafter described, the Whitman County Treasurer has directed Booker Auction to sell the items listed below at an auction to be held November 6, 2010, at the Booker Auction site, located at the intersection of US Highway 395 and Eltopia Road West, at Eltopia, Washington. ER&R Vehicles and Equipment: Equip....
"Put your hands on the ground! Put your hands on the ground right now!" barks a voice over the phone. This is the "scary" voice of Terry Snead, reserve officer for the Palouse Police Department and life-long stage and film actor. Snead, 59, is currently acting in the indie film, The River Sorrow, in Spokane. It’s his latest performance in a career that has spanned stage, film and commercial acting around the United States. In a phone interview from Metalline Falls Monday, Snead told the Gazette he and his wife Jennifer live part-time in M...
Endicott Librarian Caroline Morasch stopped scanning into her computer the new selection of children’s books just long enough to take down a bug-caked piece of flypaper from the doorway. "It’s just a constant battle with these flies," she said. "I keep the door open to help out, but they keep coming in." Officials in Endicott and with the Whitman County Library District are now teaming up to take on a remodeling of the library building. They will receive a special helping of aid from the Endicott Community Club, which has pledged to donate pro...
Horror and haunting will run rampant on the streets of Palouse this weekend when Haunted Palouse begins a four-night run. "We work hard to keep it all safe but really, really scary," said organizer Janet Barstow. A jaunt on the Haunted Hayride should get your blood curdling, following by a nice, safe walk through the Haunted Museum. Wrap this up with a visit to the old city fire station and you may not sleep for the rest of the night. "Anytime you go into a building that’s completely dark it’s going to be scary right off the bat," Barstow sai...
A candle-light vigil for Mike Carlton, long-time Palouse resident who slipped into unconsciousness Oct. 12, was held last Thursday in Palouse. He was taken off life support Saturday morning and switched to a "comfort care" mode, said Echanove. That comfort care means Carlton is being given medication to treat pain. Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove reported Wednesday that Carlton is still alive, but unconscious. More than 80 people gathered in downtown Palouse to remember a man who drove a school bus, started his own wind-energy company, and...
The two state liquor initiatives on this November’s ballot, if passed, would shift control of the liquor industry from the state into the hands of the private sector. Whitman county government and cities within the county both receive funds from the taxes and profits of liquor sales. Five locations in the county sell liquor; the state-run liquor store in Pullman, and four stores in Colfax, Rosalia, Tekoa, and St. John owned by small-business owners. The city of Colfax in the 2009 received $34,184 revenue off liquor sales. Of those funds, $...
A fortunate spike in the price of wheat has helped farmers get a step up on the looming shutdown of the Snake and Columbia River waterways. The Army Corps of Engineers is closing the river to barge traffic for 14 weeks beginning Dec. 10 as it performs in-depth maintenance on eight dams. The Dalles dam will be closed from Dec. 10 through March 18, preventing any shipments upstream on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. While the shutdown would have otherwise put a crimp in the ability of farmers to sell this year’s crop, worldwide events paved a p...
St. John/Endicott girls booked another team win Tuesday at Waitsburg in the last SE run before the state qualifier next week on the Pomeroy golf links. Waitsburg/Prescott runners took individual wins in the 3.1 mile course which includes parts of the Waitsburg Downs horse racing track and the cemetery. Isabella Benito won the girls race at 22:45, and Seth Deal won the boys run with a 17:11, 30 second ahead of Nick Lumetta of TCP. The Waitsburg race drew runners from all SE teams except Asotin. The boys race had 47 entrants, and the girls race h...
Morgan Willson, Colfax, Tuesday clocked 18:14 on the mostly flat Davenport course to notch another win on the cross country season. She finished three minutes ahead of the rest of a field of runners from five schools who took part in the pickup race as a tuner for the state qualifier at Plante’s Ferry in the Spokane Valley Oct. 29. NE coaches penciled in Tuesday’s Davenport race after a cross district qualifier washed off the schedule last week. Katie Largent clocked 27:02 in the girls race. Tim Cornelius added another junior high win with a 9...
Colton’s Kelsey Moser was one of the overall winners named during the fourth annual Warrior Athletic Association’s high school awards banquet at the Lewis-Clark State College activity center Oct. 6. A crowd of around 250 honored outstanding high school athletes, teams, and boosters for the 2009-10 academic school year. Moser was an all-SE district selection in volleyball, basketball and softball, and a first-team all-state pick in basketball. She played a big part in Colton’s campaign to state basketball and softball championships. In baske... Full story
Taking advantage of stellar field position earned by their defense, the Nighthawks of Tekoa/Oakesdale/Rosalia posted a 37-6 win over league punching bag Dayton Friday night at Oakesdale. LEAGUE STANDINGS Waits./Pres. 3-0 7-0 185 62 DeSales 2-1 4-2 220 137 Asotin 2-1 3-2 170 202 Tek/Oak/Ros 1-2 3-3 123 109 Dayton 1-2 1-5 28 167 Tri Cit. Prep 0-3 2-4 86 183 "We just took what they gave us," said Nighthawk Coach Ken Lindgren. "Fortunately they gave us some opportunities up close." The five touchdowns scored by TOR came on just 269 yards of total... Full story
Colfax Bulldogs surfaced alone atop the NE Big B standings this week after derailing the Broncs at Ritzville 32-9 with a defensive stand Friday night. The loss was the first stop for the Bronco club which ran into a solid Colfax defense. The win advanced Colfax to 4-0 in the league and 6-0 overall. Colfax now hosts Springdale in the first of two games which will wrap up the league season. After the Chargers come on Friday, the Bulldogs will finish the league by hosting Kettle Falls in a homecoming game Oct. 29. The undefeated Colfax run to... Full story
Tekoa/Oakesdale Nighthawks Tuesday night took out Pomeroy in four games to win the SE showdown as the league run enters its final week. The league leaders have nailed one of the bye slots in the SE District qualifier which starts at Colfax Nov. 3. They have a chance to win one of the three SE state tickets with one win. The top two clubs will get a bye and then match up with first round winners. TEKOA/OAKESDALE Tuesday took the first two games in the showdown at Pomeroy, lost the third one, but came back to win the fourth. Coach Brandy Brown...
THURSDAY U.N. Undersecretary-General for Management Angela Kane said the United States owes $1.2 billion in back dues to the United Nations. Kane said only 13 of the United Nations’ 192 member states were paid in full. Underground dungeons at Rome’s Colosseum, considered to be one of the great feats of Roman architecture and where gladiators once locked in mortal combat, will open to the public for the first time next week. Court officers in eastern Russia seized a piglet from a woman who owes a bank 13,000 roubles ($432) and put it up for sal... Full story
Four Whitman County residents came down with rare, communicable diseases within the past two weeks. County health officials dedicated a large amount of staff time tracing possible sources and contacting anyone who might have come in contact with the patients. Health Department Director Fran Martin said the four people are now back home and no one with whom they have come in contact has shown symptoms. None of the four cases are linked. Martin said they have not found the source of any of the illnesses. Whooping cough, Nicerian pneumonia (a...
The county public health department hiked all in-office fees now under $10 to a base fee of $10 at a meeting with county commissioners Monday, Oct. 18. Health Director Fran Martin said all fees at the public health office are on a sliding fee scale based on a visitor’s family income. Before Monday’s meeting, a visitor could have been charged less than $10 for a particular fee, according to their income on the sliding scale. Now all fees that used to cost under $10 will now cost $10. Martin said the move would help compensate their office, alt...
Married couples working for Whitman County can now combine health insurance benefits to cover their family on the same plan. Each employee receives $653 a month from the county for insurance coverage. County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to allow that contribution to be used on a single plan that covers both employees, but classifies one as a dependent. Partch said sharp increases in insurance premiums for county employees this year made the decision easier. "Maybe this gives you enough leverage and enough leeway that you can (insure... Full story
Tack another $479,726 to Whitman County’s 2010 spending deficit. Maybe. County commissioners Monday approved on a 2-0 vote the fourth amendment to the county’s yearly spending plan. Commissioner Pat O’Neill was not present after having his knee replaced last week. The amendment means the county now figures to spend $827,866 more than it collects in revenue this budget year. Commissioner Greg Partch questioned the numbers, seeing the deficit grow much steeper than he expected. "Something is wrong here," he said several times Monday while revie...
The counter space is filling up with cans of food at the county treasurer’s office, where staff are conducting their second annual food drive for the FISH Food pantry in Colfax. Staff members are asking for non-perishable food items from people bringing in the second half of their tax payments to the county office at the courthouse. "We’ll have several thousand people walk through the door," said County Treasurer Bob Lothspeich of the days before the Oct. 31 deadline for second half taxes. The food drive last year raised 600 pounds of food and...
A pair of statewide measures on the ballot would take control of liquor sales from the state and would allow retailers to sell spirits. Do you think that’s a good idea?...
Highway 27 will reopen to traffic between Oakesdale and Tekoa today, Thursday. The highway has been closed since the beginning of September as crews from Thompson Bros. Excavating of Vancouver rebuilt the road approaches to the new Pine Creek Bridge under a contract with the state Department of Transportation. DOT spokesman Al Gilson said local and state dignitaries will cut a ribbon at 11:30 a.m. to officially open the highway. The road will be open to traffic later that afternoon, upon completion of the ceremony and removal of detour signs. T...
