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Articles from the November 21, 2024 edition


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  • Margaret Vietri

    Margaret Vietri

    Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    Margaret (Chunyk) Vietri, born in 1941 in Villa Park, Ill., and raised in Islip, N.Y., passed away peacefully on November 9, 2024, surrounded by family. She was the cherished daughter of Florence and Wally Chunyk and shared a close bond with her beloved younger brother, Bob Chunyk, who preceded her in death in August 2024. Shortly after graduating high school, Marge pursued a nursing degree in New York, embarking on a life dedicated to caring for others. Shortly after completing the nursing...

  • Lillian Barbara Clark

    Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    Lillian Barbara (Stern) Clark, passed away on November 15, 2024 in Colfax, Wash. She was 100 years old. Lillian was born on August 9, 1924 in Elberton, Wash., to Edward and Martha (Van Schoonhoven) Stern. She graduated from Garfield High School. A year after graduating high school, she married Ray Edward Clark in Reno, Nev., on May 29, 1943 and together they made their home in Colfax. They welcomed their one and only child, Randy in 1951. They stayed married over 40 years before he passed away at age 70. Over the years, Lillian worked at variou...

  • Susan Melody Maley

    Susan Melody Maley

    Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    Susie was born on March 16, 1952, to Olga (Koch) Maley and Leslie William Maley. She died in her group home on October 25, 2024, of respiratory failure. She was raised on a farm near Thornton, Washington, where she lived until she was 20. Because of a fall Olga had during pregnancy, Susie was born with a learning disability. Thanks mainly to Olga's love and commitment and to the efforts of many wonderful caregivers, however, Susie lived a full life. Susie took memorable trips, like the one to a...

  • Colfax places 8th at State volleyball

    Matthew Strissel, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    YAKIMA, Wash. - The Colfax Bulldogs are bringing home some hardware as they took eighth place at the WIAA 2B State volleyball tournament on Thursday, Nov. 14. The Bulldogs went 2-2 at the tournament and exceeded expectations as they entered the tournament as the 13th seed. They finished the season with an 11-14 record. "Wow, what a season," said Colfax coach Megan Dorman. "They surpassed all my hopes for them and I have loved every minute of it. They are an enjoyable group to coach." Colfax open...

  • Pullman places 5th at State

    Matthew Strissel, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    YAKIMA, Wash. — The Pullman Greyhounds hoisted the WIAA 2A State volleyball fifth-place trophy to end the 2024 season on Saturday, Nov. 16. The Greyhounds had to fight their way through four opponents in two days to secure the hardware, all of which were higher-ranked teams. Pullman entered the State tournament as the No. 9 seed and took on No. 8 Washington Patriots (18-4 record) on Friday, Nov. 15. The Greyhounds handily defeated the Patriots, 3-0, with set scores of 25-16, 25-16, 25-15. The Greyhounds went on to play the No. 1-seeded team a...

  • Greyhounds fall out of State soccer tourney

    Matthew Strissel, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Pullman Greyhounds girls soccer team fell out of the WIAA 2A State tournament on Thursday, Nov. 14. The 13th-seeded Greyhounds were shut out by the fourth-ranked Bellingham Bayhawks, 3-0, at Civic Stadium in Bellingham. The Bayhawks (20-3 record) scored two goals in the first half and one in the second. Individual statistics were not available at press time....

  • Colfax hosts NCAA DI West Regional XC meet

    Matthew Strissel, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    COLFAX - The Colfax Golf Course and Country Club hosted the NCAA Division I West Regional cross country meet on Friday, Nov. 15. Runners from 39 collegiate teams across the country gathered in Colfax and attempted to win a spot at the NCAA DI National Championships, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Saturday, Nov. 23. The top-two, seven-person teams from each Regional automatically qualify for Nationals, along with 38 individuals selected through an automatic qualifier and at-larg...

  • Vikings upset Tigers, move to quarterfinals

    Matthew Strissel, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    WENATCHEE, Wash. — The 10th-seeded Garfield-Palouse (Gar-Pal) Vikings rallied in the second and third quarters to beat the 7th-seeded Entiat Tigers, 62-34, in the opening round of the WIAA 1B football playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Apple Bowl. The Tigers were previously undefeated on the season and finished with a record of 9-2, while the Vikings moved to a record of 6-5 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Entiat scored the lone touchdown in the first quarter on a 1-yard run by quarterback Ethan Fogelstrom. Gar-Pal answered in the second...

  • Gar-Pal volleyball defies the odds at State

    Matthew Strissel, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    YAKIMA, Wash. - Heading into the WIAA 1B State tournament as the No. 18 seed, the Garfield-Palouse (Gar-Pal) Vikings put up a fight, but fell short of bringing home some hardware. The Vikings defeated No. 15 Naselle Comets in the opening round and took the eventual State champions, the Wilbur-Creston-Keller Wildcats, to five sets and only lost by three points. Gar-Pal finished its season with a loss to the No. 7 seed Waterville-Mansfield. In their first match of the State tournament on...

  • Oakesdale volleyball takes 2nd at State

    Matthew Strissel, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    YAKIMA, Wash. - Sporting no seniors, one junior and a single sophomore, the Oakesdale Nighthawks finished the regular season undefeated and made it all the way to the State 1B volleyball championship match. Having defeated the Wilbur-Creston-Keller Wildcats, 3-1, in the last match of the regular season, the Wildcats were able to defeat the Nighthawks, 3-1, in the WIAA 1B State championship to win the State title and hand the Nighthawks their first and only loss of the season. "I love this team,...

  • Mission trip deadline looms

    Justin Slatyon, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    COLFAX –– The deadline to join in on one of two mission trips to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, and Costa Rica is less than a month away, with a deadline of Dec. 15. Local Colfax pastor Michael Birnbaum is the director of Well Child International and founder of International Service Learning, who will be taking mission trip participants to the locations to assist in a variety of community projects, with a host of fun activities to experience. The organizations often seek health professionals to assist with neighborhood clinics, door-to-door com...

  • Women's guild awards nonprofits $10,000 in grants

    Teresa Simpson, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    PULLMAN — The Pullman Regional Hospital Women’s Leadership Guild is hosted its annual grant award celebration Tuesday, Nov. 19, awarded $2,000 grants to five non-profits. During the Grant Award Celebration at the Lewis Alumni Center on the WSU Campus, the guild is distributing $10,000 in grant awards to five regional nonprofits that empower women’s and children’s health and wellness. The evening included a special presentation by Pullman Regional Hospital Auxiliary President Sharon Hall who shared about the Auxiliary’s continued funding success...

  • P1FCU hosts chamber mixer

    Teresa Simpson, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    COLFAX - The P1FCU Credit Union Colfax branch hosted the Colfax Chamber of Commerce November Mixer, Thursday, Nov. 14 with Thanksgiving Bingo and the chance to socialize. P1FCU branch manager Anne McCrae said she was privileged to hold the event for the Chamber. The event catered by Serfes had a variety of appetizers, refreshments and conversation. "We are excited to bring new exciting things for 2025 and looking forward to everything going on," said Colfax Chamber of Commerce Vice President...

  • Honoring heroes

    Teresa Simpson, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

  • Rae of Change officially launches

    Teresa Simpson, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    COLFAX - The official launch event for nonprofit organization Rae of Change Lucy's Legacy brought the community together to talk about addiction, mental health and overdoses. The organization had several speakers and awarded a $1,000 scholarship and donated $2,000 to the Union Gospel Mission. Rae of Change Executive Assistant Sharon Herridge introduced speakers and opened as Emcee. Change is to help people find their purpose, build upon their strengths and ultimately foster hope for a bright...

  • The View From Here: Blessings Great and Small

    Dana Clemens, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    PALOUSE –– One way people can be categorized is by the way they track the seasons—some depend on the calendar, others by sport schedules, and still others, by the weather. My tracker of choice is the frequency of truck traffic on Route 27. Another year of crops have been harvested and transported to their storage units, and all is now relatively quiet. The 3 a.m. 18-wheelers that signaled the beginning of another work day are now gone and have left silence in their wake. Truck traffic, along with field planting and harvest are all segme...

  • Get ready to pay price of I-2117 failure

    Todd Myers, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    The cost of a gallon of fuel may increase by 45 cents per gallon in the wake of the I-2117 failure. The CO2 tax already jumped; it is set at auctions and on private markets when organizations covered by the law purchase allowances covering their emissions. Immediately after voters decided to keep Washington’s tax on CO2 emissions, allowance prices on the private market jumped by more than 10% to about $57 per metric ton of CO2, according to the cCarbon dashboard of Washington Carbon Allowances. This capped off an increase of more than $20/MT d...

  • Civility is Essential to Governing America

    Don C. Brunell, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    After years of odious political behavior, it is time for elected officials to focus on governing our nation with civility and respect. It is time to go back to acting for the common good. Enough is enough! Our country needs leaders, irrespective of party affiliation, to set aside differences and unite---not demagogue and jockey for power. America is weakened by the continual onslaught of character assassinations, false accusations, misinformation, and bitterness which has been pervasive over the last dozen years. We do not know who to trust or...

  • Whooping cough cases rise to 63

    The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    PULLMAN — Whitman County has reported 15 more whooping cough cases this month, bringing the total to 63 since the outbreak began earlier this fall. Whitman County Public Health is urging residents to take precautions to help curb the spread of the illness, also known as pertussis. Officials recommend covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing, staying home if sick, washing hands frequently and ensuring vaccinations are up to date. Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can be especially dangerous for infants and t...

  • WSP addresses background check delays

    Olivia Harnack, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    COLFAX — The Washington State Patrol (WSP) has resumed firearms background checks after a two-week suspension caused by security concerns with the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) data systems. The WSP’s Secure Automated Firearms E-Check (SAFE) system regained connectivity with the AOC data repository on Sunday, Nov. 17, allowing delayed checks to resume. During the outage, WSP processed non-AOC-related requests to minimize disruptions. On average, the agency receives 700 background check requests daily. Once service was restored, per...

  • Washington State University to increase tuition

    Olivia Harnack, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    PULLMAN — The Washington State University (WSU) Board of Regents voted 8-1 on Friday, Nov. 15, to raise tuition by the maximum amount allowed under state law for the 2025-2026 academic year. The 3% increase marks the ninth consecutive year of tuition hikes at WSU, raising annual in-state undergraduate tuition by $339 to $11,644. The increase is tied to the growth in Washington’s median hourly wage, as mandated by state law, and is expected to generate an additional $3 million for the university. Regents were presented with reports pro...

  • Lower Snake River Dam removal study

    Teresa Simpson, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) started an online open house Friday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Dec. 6, for the Lower Snake River Dams Transportation Study. The online study is of road and rail transportation impacts and needs if the Lower Snake River dams were removed and if barges could no longer be used. The first of four phases of the Lower Snake River Dam Transportation Study began in April 2024 in which WSDOT started gathering and analyzing information about the movement of goods on barges, trucks and t...

  • Tekoa fire fighters raise funds

    Olivia Harnack, The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

  • WSU $3 million grant to bolster campus security

    The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    PULLMAN—Washington State University (WSU) has secured a $3 million federal grant to enhance safety and security measures on its Pullman campus. The funding, awarded through the 2024 Office of Community Oriented Policing Services’ Technology and Equipment Program, represents the largest award received by any agency in Washington state. Nationwide, the program distributed over $240 million. The grant will fund the WSU Pullman Safety Enhancement Project, which includes the installation of 120 new security cameras, increasing the campus total to...

  • County Updates Election Results with 2,500 More Ballots Counted

    The Whitman County Gazette|Nov 21, 2024

    COLFAX — The Whitman County Auditor’s Office has processed approximately 2,500 additional vote-by-mail ballots from this month’s general election. Most small taxing district levies across the county are on track to pass. However, several measures, including the Endicott parks levy, Rosalia’s streets and parks levies, Uniontown’s parks levy, Tekoa’s parks levy and Garfield’s cemetery levy, are still failing. These measures require a super majority for approval. The Auditor’s Office reports about 300 ballots remain to be counted. The next update...

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