Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 51 - 65 of 65
Whitman County’s rural library district is asking voters to decide on a number of propositions in the Nov. 3 election. Voters in all but six county towns are asked to increase the library’s levy rate to $.50 per $1,000 to raise a total of $646,700 in property tax revenue next year. That amounts to an estimated 11 percent increase over the $581,542 in property taxes collected by the library this year. The measure has to go before voters under restrictions of Initiative 747, which limits property tax revenue increases to one percent per year unl...
The county elections office Tuesday reported 4,753 general election ballots have been mailed back from voters, which represents nearly one-fourth of ballots sent out. A total of 19,438 ballots were mailed out, including ballots that were re-issued because they were either lost in the mail or sent to a wrong address. Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed last week predicted a statewide voter response of 51 percent. In addition to state measures and political offices, eight towns or districts are asking residents to approve tax measures to fund...
The Palouse planning commission is updating its comprehensive city plan and considering some zoning changes for segments of land along Highway 27 as it departs south toward Pullman. For example, a small parcel of land along Highway 27 within the Palouse city limits could be a great place for businesses if zoned commercial, said Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove. He added the planning commission’s work updating the city plan has been outstanding. Extending the city’s commercial zoning would open up chances to bring in more businesses, and more rev...
A Garfield election day tradition, the Ladies Aid Bazaar which was a part of the election day scene in Garfield for decades, will return this year, just at a later date. The event will be Nov. 7 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Garfield Christian Church. Sandy Souders, president of the Ladies Aid, said the bazaar has been absent the last few years with the county’ s conversion to all-mail balloting. The change eliminated polling places around the county on election day. The polling places brought people into town and that provided more customers f...
A 3 kings excavator digs up contaminated soil Excavation crews from 3 Kings of Battleground have been called in to clean up soil under the Sterling Savings parking lot in Colfax. The soil was contaminated with oil by a service station that used to be on the bank site. The soil appears to have been contaminated by a pair of gas tanks that were filled in and left underground when the service station shut down. An 8,000-gallon tank sits beneath the south foundation of the building. Because of its location, the tank will not be removed. Workers...
Chances the Port of Whitman County will receive funding to link Pullman and Spokane via fiber optic line increased last week, when Gov. Chris Gregoire endorsed a package of telecommunications projects for federal stimulus funding. The port project is included in a $93 million package of projects from the Northwest Open Access Network. The package was one of 10 recommended by the governor’s office to receive funding through the federal government. “Now it’s simply speculation as to what happens next,” said JoAnne Todd, communications directo... Full story
Daniel F. Thomas, 25, Lamont, was allowed release on his own recognizance after being jailed Tuesday morning on probable charges of assault, malicious mischief, unlawful possession of a firearm and harassment. The arrest report filed with the court said deputies responded to a residence in Lamont in the early morning hours Tuesday after receiving a report that Thomas had assaulted his girlfriend in an argument. The report said Thomas also destroyed a DVD player when he threw it against a wall during the argument. The report said while Thomas...
The Palouse area has dropped its 2008 water usage by 5.2 percent from the previous year. Pumping figures for 2008 were released Oct. 23 by the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee (PBAC). The 2008 year was considerably cooler and wetter than the previous year, said PBAC executive manager Steve Robischon. The increase in water and decrease in evaporation naturally offset the ratio of people’s water usage. This is one source of the 5.2 percent drop, he said. Plus, Robischon said, the city of Moscow in 2007 imposed a restriction on people’s out...
Thrown out remnants of decades of afternoon snacks are a common sight on the roadways of Whitman County. A stray apple tree provides a burst of color against the stark steel-and-wood trestle of the old Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad at Tekoa. Thanks in part to these bygone litterbugs, Whitman County residents every October are treated to a dazzling display of reds, yellows and oranges, as the blossoms of antique apple trees mature into full-blown fruit. Many point to railroad crews and passengers as the biggest culprits of spreading...
School superintendents have decided to prepare a report to protest possible legislation that would combine administration among school districts in eastern Washington. The notion of sharing superintendents or business managers among small districts was suggested by Gov. Chris Gregoire as a cost-saving measure in a speech last February. While her comment never became a bill presented to the legislature, the state went ahead and ordered an audit review of school costs in relation to district size. Twenty-seven superintendents, including many... Full story
The bottom of the tape for sales of Red Tail Ridge sites along the North Palouse River totaled more than $1.8 million dollars, according to real estate excise tax records in the county treasurer’s office. Washington Land & Ranches of Prescott, Ariz., developed and marketed the lots in the new Colfax rural residential zone. Land & Ranches bought the property after it was moved out of the county and into the city’s newly created rural residential zone which was much less restrictive than county requirements. City officials pushed for the ann...
A new hospital administrator out of Greenville, Ill., will soon take over for retiring administrator Jon Davis. David Womack and his wife Julie are in Colfax today and tomorrow, scouting out a house for their move here in early December. Womack has been the CEO of a small-town regional hospital, Greenville Regional Hospital, for the past four years. “Our house is up for sale. We’ve even traded cars getting ready to come out there,” Womack said. Womack was officially named last Wednesday after his earlier selection was approved by offic...
Rosalia youngsters Mitchell Billings, Wesley Castanon and Riley Castanon squeeze apples through a press to make a batch of cider in front of the Texaco Station in Rosalia during the town’s second fall festival Saturday. More photos from the Fall Fetival are printed on page 10.... Full story
~~~SEE ELECTION LEGAL ON PAGE B6 IN THE WEEKLY PAPER SECTION~~~ NOTICE OF ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the dirt portion of the following Whitman County roads are closed to vehicular traffic effective November 15, 2009 through March 15, 2010 pursuant to R.C.W.47.48.010, unless a permit is obtained from the office of the Whitman County Engineer: ROAD NO. NAME 0015 Waterman Road 0030 Merritt Road 0050 St. John Road 0060 Wilhelm Road 0100 Russell Road 0115 Carter Road 0190 Bourne Road 0310 Catholic Cemetery Rd 0410 Fairbanks North Road... Full story
ROSALIA Rosalia veterans will conduct a Veteran’s Day observance Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial in Rosalia. The memorial is located behind the historic Texaco Service Station. Pastor Mike Cooper will give the invocation. Father and son Iraq War veterans, SFC Allen and Sgt. Ben Ashworth will be the guest speakers. Ben Ashworth has served two tours of duty in Iraq, while father Allen has served one. Both recently returned from the Persian Gulf and are based out of Fairchild Air...
