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Articles from the November 27, 2014 edition


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  • On the record

    Nov 27, 2014

    Real estate sales Helen L. Shaw, Mill City, Ore., to Whitman Group, LLC, Walla Walla, government lots on Frazen Road lying west of L.L. Daily Road in Palouse, $652,000, Nov. 14. Wayne and Maisie Roberson, Colfax, to Virgil L. Kellogg, Colfax, house on S. Meadow Street in Colfax, $148,000, Nov. 14. James A. and Nancy L. Gillespie, Pullman, to Christopher Coons Jr. and Danielle DeMartin, Colfax, house on NW Thomas Street in Pullman, $240,000, Nov. 14. Lynn Haney, Pullman, to Hao Peng and Ying Zhai, Pullman, house on NW Ventura Drive in Pullman,...

  • First taste of snow

    Nov 27, 2014

    Colfax Post Office worker Dave Enos takes on a dusting of snow Thursday morning, Nov. 20. The hint of winter did not last long as rain followed over the weekend....

  • Tree festival, poker run vendor on Saturday slate

    Nov 27, 2014

    Colfax Chamber of Commerce invites residents to participate in Small Business Saturday Nov. 29 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Among featured attractions will be the business-to-business poker run, the festival of trees and specialty vendors at the Center (Hamilton Drug). The poker run shoppers can pick up cards at Hen House Chicks, Abundant Faith Studio, Fonk’s Coffee House, Palouse Hyde Out, Colfax Eagles, Palouse River Quilts, Thrifty Grandmother’s Shop and Tick Klock Drug. The poker hands can be submitted at the Center. The festival of trees wil...

  • Rich Lowry

    Nov 27, 2014

    The epic search of the Greek philosopher Diogenes for an honest man is finally over. His name is Jonathan Gruber, an MIT economist once known as an intellectual architect of Obamacare, although his status is being rapidly downgraded by the law’s supporters with every one of his uncomfortably frank utterances about President Barack Obama’s signature initiative. Video surfaced of Gruber saying at a panel discussion at the University of Pennsylvania last year that the law was written in a deceptive, nontransparent way to exploit “the stupi...

  • Haunted Palouse generates $45,442

    Nov 27, 2014

    The 13th Haunted Palouse raised a total of $45,452 over the four-day event in October. Proceeds benefit the Palouse Community Center, Palouse Lions Club, Garfield-Palouse Athletic Club, Viking Crew, Gar-Pal FFA, Viola Community Club, Palouse Area Robotics Team, Palouse Museum and Palouse Chamber of Commerce. Over 13 years the Halloween event has generated a total of $415,004, according to Janet Barstow in a city report....

  • Don Brunell

    Nov 27, 2014

    Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends and give thanks for the blessings we enjoy. For others, it’s a time to volunteer at soup kitchens to help the less fortunate. For still others, it’s simply a chance to eat a huge meal and watch football. In reality, most Americans have no idea how fortunate we are. With the exception of military families, too few of us have fought to protect the freedoms we have. Few people alive today experienced the depravation of the Great Depression. A full one-third of our population was born aft...

  • Bob Franken

    Nov 27, 2014

    Mitch McConnell and John Boehner’s Republicans may control Congress now, but it’s an open question as to whether McConnell and Boehner control their own party caucuses. That’s an important consideration, because as they try to work out their deals with the White House, at some point they’ll have to convince President Barack Obama and the Democrats that they can deliver enough of their members. There are all sorts of indications that they will not be able to guarantee the votes needed after the give-and-take is done. You have Ted Cruz in the...

  • Bruce Cameron

    Nov 27, 2014

    Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2010. My father is a very active participant in passive television viewing. He watches a wide-ranging variety of primetime shows, such as “CSI,” “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: Las Vegas” and “CSI: Pre-School.” He watches the news, he watches historical dramas like “Band of Brothers,” he watches horror shows like “American Idol.” And then, just to drive me crazy, he watches this fishing show I call “Two Smelly Guys in a Boat.” The plot of the show concerns two men who have been left out in...

  • Letters

    Nov 27, 2014

    Mail call As the holidays roll around I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge all the wonderful post office employees. As the catalogs in my mailbox multiply I think of all the sorters separating them and the carriers hauling them around. Of course all this comes about with unpredictable weather. Driving or walking through rain, fog, snow, and ice is a daily challenge. Let’s not forgot the eager dogs awaiting the arrival of the mail or the straying cattle, chickens, deer, or tumbleweeds along the road. I have always looked f...

  • Gordon Forgey

    Nov 27, 2014

    It was the day after Thanksgiving a number of years ago. My son wanted to outfit his new college apartment. After a long icy drive, our Black Friday expedition started with us standing in line about a quarter of a mile from the store doors. It was still dark, and the wind, rain and sleet had everybody bundled up. Like horses, we all had our backs to the weather. Some of those standing in line optimistically recounted their plans to get items they wanted. One even had a hand-drawn map of the store layout showing her route from item to item....

  • Garfield-Palouse season ends at Pasco, 62-20

    Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter|Nov 27, 2014

    The Garfield-Palouse football season ended last Saturday in a place they haven’t been since 1988. Playing Liberty Christian in a state quarterfinal game at Pasco, the Vikings lost 62-20. "A lot of kids weren’t ready for basketball yet," said senior lineman Gabe Cocking of Gar-Pal’s playoff run, the last of four brothers to play football for the Vikings. "My team didn’t quit on me." The game at Edgar Brown Stadium began with a quick 16-0 lead for Liberty Christian before quarterback Hunter...

  • Colfax's McNannay kicks 64 points on EWU title run

    Nov 27, 2014

    An extension of the football season will be available for Colfax football fans who have been following the career of Tyler McNannay, a 2011 Colfax graduates who is now a key part of the Eastern Washington Eagles team, winners of the Big Sky Conference Title again this year. The Eagles have been seeded number four in the Football Championship division playoff. McNannay, who served as a kicker on two Colfax state football teams, has been the kicker for the Eagles this fall in their campaign to the conference title. He and other members of the...

  • For adjoining property owners: Policy change would allow motorized access on trails

    Nov 27, 2014

    A policy change which would allow use of motorized vehicles by adjacent property owners on the state’s long distance trails has been scheduled to go before the state’s Parks and Recreation Commission at the Jan. 20 meeting. The proposal would apply in this area to the John Wayne Trail on the former Milwaukee right-of-way across the north part of Whitman County and the Columbia Plateau Trail on the former SP&S right-of-way through the Lamont area and bordering the west side of the county down to Hooper. A draft of the proposal policy and fee...

  • Sen. Schoessler attends CHS classes

    Nov 27, 2014

    Washington state senator Mark Schoessler (R-Ninth District) answers questions in Kathryn Vogler’s chemistry class at Colfax High School Monday. The senator visited as part of an effort by the National Board of Certified Teachers to further acquaint legislators with what takes place in classrooms. Questions asked in this particular class period regarded Schoessler’s opinion on raising the minimum wage, how many bills might pass in a given legislative session and whether a representative can sta...

  • New $4 million solid waste station said to be 60 percent finished

    Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter|Nov 27, 2014

    A new Whitman County Solid Waste Transfer Station is taking shape on the landfill road between Colfax and Pullman. The $4 million project, being built by Halme Builders of Davenport, will replace the existing transfer station, which was installed in the early 1990s. At about 60 percent complete, the new gravity-style drop-in system will more than double the capacity for residents and commercial operations to drop off municipal solid waste. The old facility will be revitalized as a recycling cent...

  • Collision on SR-27 injures both drivers

    Nov 27, 2014

    Drivers of both vehicles were injured in a car-truck collision Sunday on Highway 27 about four miles north of Palouse. Garfield Marshal D. Joe Merry sustained an injured arm, and Geoffery Curry-Keene sustained head and neck injuries. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Curry-Keene was driving a 1995 Plymouth Neon southbound at 4:50 p.m., went off the roadway and struck a guardrail on the southbound side of the highway. The Neon went back across the highway and collided with a 2004 Dodge Durango which was being driven northbound by...

  • Palouse close to update on animals-in-town law

    Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter|Nov 27, 2014

    The City of Palouse is closer to a new set of rules regarding keeping animals within city limits. In continued discussion at the Nov. 11 city council meeting, members of the public gave input and council members reviewed Title 6 of the Palouse Municipal Code. In the end, the matter of how many chickens will be allowed was left undecided, accounting for a grandfather clause with input from City Attorney Stephen Bishop. “When it comes back from the attorney, we’ll see how it sits,” said Echan...

  • Direct Seeders to meet Dec. 10

    Nov 27, 2014

    Colfax Palouse Direct Seeders will meet at the Colfax Methodist Church at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10. A hosted breakfast sponsored by Cross Slot Drill Co. of Pullman will be served by the Top Notch Café. Dr. Tai Maaz of WSU will discuss nitrogen use in crops in the area. The meeting will adjourn at 9 a.m. Certified Crop Advisor credits have been applied for and all are invited to attend. For more information, contact Dennis Roe at Colfax or Dan Harwood of the Palouse Rock Lake Conservation District....

  • Frozen river

    Nov 27, 2014

    This was the scene on the North Fork of the Palouse River near Glenwood last week when temperatures dipped into the single digits and the wind chill dropped temperatures below zero. Forecasts call for snow this weekend....

  • Fair board meets canceled

    Nov 27, 2014

    The November Palouse Empire fair board meeting was canceled because of Thanksgiving week. The December meeting has also been canceled, and the next fair board meeting will be Jan. 26. Two weeks ago the fair mailed out 4,357 premium checks to fair entrants. The checks were paid out at the rate of eight cents per point awarded for fair exhibits. Some of the checks have already been returned because of incorrect addresses....

  • Farmington water test leads to disinfection

    Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter|Nov 27, 2014

    A positive test for total coliform bacteria in Farmington’s drinking water resulted in the disinfection of the system, followed by clean tests. The cause of the September spike is unknown. Farmington Water Operator Todd Lobdell ruled out common causes such as a service connection or disconnection, an excavation or a water main break. “The drinking water during this episode never presented a public health threat,” said Carolyn Cox, Public Information Officer for the Washington state Division of E...

  • Garfield medical clinic to close

    Nov 27, 2014

    Whitman Medical Group’s Garfield clinic will close at the end of this year, Dec. 31. Citing a lack of patient volume, administrator Jennifer Broeckel said the clinic’s doctor, Tony Lundberg, will now spend two days per week at Tekoa instead. His main office is the Whitman Medical Group’s St. John clinic. Dr. Lundberg had been in Garfield for two days per week. Whitman Medical Group leases the Garfield clinic space from the Garfield Hospital District. The decision to close the Garfield clinic was made Wednesday night, Nov. 19, by the group...

  • Santa's elves launch projects to extend the joy of Christmas to county families

    Sally Ousley, Gazette Reporter|Nov 27, 2014

    Local organizations disguised as Santa’s elves are gearing up to make the holiday season brighter for people who need a little help. Most report that there’s more of a demand for these services because of the economy. Firefighter’s Toy Box The Firefighter’s Toy Box Drive serves not only Colfax children but kids all over the county, with the exception of Pullman which is taken care of by the Toys for Tots program sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps. Firefighters report that donations are needed...

  • O Christmas tree

    Nov 27, 2014

    The first Festival of Trees display is being held at the Whitman County Library’s Center, the former Hamilton Drug Store building. The trees will be on display from Nov. 29 until Dec. 13. The public is invited to view the trees and vote for their favorite. Voting can be done online or at the library. On Tuesday evening, Cozy Lueck, left, and Sue Klinke, representing the Bank of Fairfield, decorate this tree. About 13 trees will be displayed at the Center....

  • Legals

    Nov 27, 2014

    NOTICE OF HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Whitman County Commissioners have set the date of Monday, December 1, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. in their Chambers, Courthouse, Colfax, WA, for a proposed amendment to the 2014 Whitman County budget. At that time, it is requested all department heads/elected officials requesting an amendment be present. The total amount of the proposed amended budget is approximately $58,230,933. Copies of the proposed amendment will be available November 24, 2014 by calling 397-5240. Disabled accommodations are...