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Articles from the December 9, 2015 edition


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  • Legals Dec. 10

    Dec 9, 2015

    NOTICE OF HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Whitman County Commissioners have set the date of Monday, December 21, 2015, at 10:20 a.m. in their Chambers, Courthouse, Colfax, WA, for proposed adoption of Whitman County Code Title 2, Chapter 2.07 related to Standards for the Delivery of Indigent Defense Services. Anyone may attend and speak for or against the proposed ordinance. Disabled accommodations are accessible by using the east entrance to the Courthouse. Upon 72 hours' advance notice the County will make arrangements to reasonably...

  • Commissioners, Pullman officials discuss tax sharing agreement

    Kara McMurray, Gazette Reporter|Dec 9, 2015

    Whitman County Commissioners met Tuesday night with the Pullman City Council with a full agenda. “It is the annual meeting with the Pullman City Council and Whitman County Commissioners to talk about topics of mutual interest,” said Commissioner Art Swannack. One of those topics included is the agreement to share retail tax revenue from new businesses in the area around Pullman. The agreement, which was in the works for approximately a decade, became effective July 1, 2015, and calls for the county and Pullman to split retail sales taxes 50/...

  • Good Old Days

    Dec 9, 2015

    8 years ago The Commoner Dec. 5, 1890 The courthouse is not only assuming a finished appearance outside, but it is getting finished inside. All the plastering is done, and men are at work putting in the floors, and fitting windows and putting on the wainscoting, casing, etc. The steel ceiling for the courtroom has arrived and workmen will soon be engaged upon it. The steam heater has been put in and works satisfactorily. The auditor has dispatched the order for the vault furniture to the contractors, Fenton Manufacturing company, of Jamestown...

  • Palouse CERB grant approved for sewer upgrade

    Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter|Dec 9, 2015

    The city of Palouse has received a $48,113 grant from the state's Community Economic Revitalization Board to help plan upgrades for the town's wastewater treatment plant. Mayor Michael Echanove and City Clerk/Treasurer Mike Bagott made a presentation in Olympia Nov. 19 to the board. The grant was approved later that day, and the town will put a 25 percent match on top of that. Palouse has an agreement with the state Department of Ecology to present a plan in December 2017 for how to meet new...

  • Savvy Senior: Pill Splitting Dos and Don’ts

    Dec 9, 2015

    Dear Savvy Senior, Is pill splitting safe? I have several friends who cut their pills in half in order to save money, but I have some concerns. What can you tell me? Cautious Kim Dear Kim, Pill splitting – literally cutting them in half – has become a popular way to save on pharmaceutical costs but you need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist first, because not all pills can be split. The reason pill splitting is such a money saver is because of a quirk in the way drugs are manufactured and priced. A pill that’s twice as strong as anoth...

  • Food distributions scheduled for December 16, 17 at local area food pantries

    Dec 9, 2015

    Locations for a state and federal emergency food distribution: Wednesday, Dec. 16: St. John Methodist Church, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Palouse Community Center, 1 to 3 p.m.; Rosalia United Methodist Church, 9 to 11 a.m.; and LaCrosse, 110 N. Main, 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17: Garfield Legion/Grange Hall, 2 to 6 p.m.; Oakesdale Baptist Church, 9:30 to 11 a.m.; Endicott Seventh Day Adventist Church, 6 to 7:30 p.m.; Tekoa City Hall, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Malden/Pine City, Town Hall, 8 to 10 a.m.; Colton-Uniontown, Uniontown Community Building,...

  • Menus

    Dec 9, 2015

    AT COLFAX SCHOOL: Monday: Chicken nuggets, rice, fresh veggies, fruit. Tuesday: Biscuit, gravy, egg patty, juice, fruit, hashbrown. Wednesday: Stuffwich, Caesar salad, fruit, Jell-O, BBQ beans. Thursday: Chicken alfredo, carrots, breadstick, fruit. Friday: Bulldog burger, cheese fries, fruit, cookie. AT OAKESDALE SCHOOL: Monday: Beef teriyaki dippers, WG roll, whipped potatoes, green salad, assorted veggies, grapes and mandarin oranges, milk. Tuesday: Cheese pizza, assorted veggies, strawberries and pears, cookie, milk. Wednesday: Cherry blosso...

  • Library calendar

    Dec 9, 2015

    Thursday, Dec. 10 Colfax, LaCrosse, Malden & Tekoa – Preschool Classes – Educational activities for children, ages 0 to 6. Check the online Events Calendar for times. Colfax – Yoga – Four different classes to meet your needs and fitness level. Check the online calendar or call 397-4366 for more information. Friday, Dec. 11 Colfax, Endicott, Malden, Palouse, St. John & Uniontown – Preschool learning is fun, teaching reading readiness for ages 0 to 6 and their caregivers. Check the calendar or call your library for times and program specifics. Co...

  • Obituaries Dec. 10

    Dec 9, 2015

    ETHEL MAY LORENTZEN A graveside service for Ethel May (Smith) Lorentzen, 84, will be Monday, Dec. 14, at 10 a.m. at the Greenwood Cemetery in Palouse with the Rev. Corey Laughary officiating. Mrs. Lorentzen died Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at the Whitman Health and Rehabilitation Center in Colfax. Born Dec. 27, 1930, in Palouse, to Arden and Mary Proctor Smith, she attended Palouse schools and graduated from Palouse High School in 1948. She worked as a waitress and retail sales clerk in several...

  • Etcetera

    Dec 9, 2015

    RTOP to premiere Truman Capote's 'Holiday Memories' Regional Theater of the Palouse's After Dark series will present Truman Capote’s “Holiday Memories” in an eastern Washington premiere Dec. 9, 10, 11 and 12 at 8:30 p.m. at the RTOP Theatre, 122 N. Grand Ave., Pullman. Based on two short stories by Capote, the play is set in rural, Depression-era Alabama. This play is directed by Anthony Luetkenhaus. This play of evocative memories follows Buddy (young Capote) and his elderly cousin (Miss Sook) as they deal with the school bully, make fruit...

  • Library seeks input on long range plan

    Dec 9, 2015

    Whitman County Library Board of Trustees is seeking input and comments from residents on a proposed long range plan for the library district. The recently updated plan can be found at the library's website at www.whitco.lib.wa.us or by visiting any of the district’s 14 library locations. The library has expanded its mission statement to read, “The mission of Whitman County Rural Library District is to be the community’s number one resource for education, information, recreation and discovery.” Prior versions did not include the word educati...

  • Hodges-Isaak vow date set

    Dec 9, 2015

    Flash Hodges, son of Brad and Teresa Hodges, Oakesdale, and Madeline Isaak, daughter of Brian and Corinne Isaak, Coulee City, have announced their engagement. A 2011 Rosalia High School graduate, Hodges will finish his bachelor of arts degree in strategic communications from Washington State University in December. He will begin working for Spokane Seed Co. as a field representative in January. Madeline, a 2012 Almira-Coulee-Hartline graduate, will graduate from Washington State University in...

  • WSU robotics club visits LaCrosse

    Debbie Casey, Gazette Correspondent|Dec 9, 2015

    Lacrosse The WSU Robotics Club "programmed" their way into LaCrosse for an open house Saturday. The students came with the aim of inspiring those who saw their demonstrations and projects. They had a vehicle that could climb stairs, and they offered chances to program a robot to move around a course, make 3D items, fly drones and learn programming. Kathleen Parker, one of the organizers of the event, said the visit lets the kids know that robotics is going to be in our life in one capacity or another for medical fields, engineering,...

  • Yule fest at Selbu

    Karen Broeckel, Gazette Correspondent|Dec 9, 2015

    Dusty Selbu Lutheran Church celebrated their Christmas Fest after regular worship services Sunday. The church Christmas tree was decorated and Sunday School children presented their Christmas program. Saturday, Linda Hennigar was the guest of Sharon McKeirnan at the Onecho Bible Church Ladies’ Christmas luncheon at the church....

  • Santa’s visit tops Endicott lighting

    Anne Lowe, Gazette Correspondent|Dec 9, 2015

    Endicott Endicott Community Club finished the last touches on the Christmas lights Friday with the help of the Endicott/St. John Middle School children. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the lights were turned on. By 5 p.m. ,the Japanese lanterns were launched into the skies over Endicott. The fireworks followed. Santa arrived in the back of the firetruck and went into Endicott Food Center to visit with each of the children, had pictures taken and gave them each a bag of candy. Community Club members served many varieties of Christmas cookies, candy,...

  • My Favorite Recipes

    Linda Marler|Dec 9, 2015

    Jerry Pugh poses with his new home colors, Bulldog blue and gold. Meet Jerry Pugh, Colfax Jerry Pugh and his family moved to Colfax this summer when he became Colfax School District’s superintendent of schools. A native of Butte, Mont., Jerry's education career has been in Washington. After graduating from high school in Butte, Jerry stayed home a year before serving his church mission in the Philippines. The small children he came to know there taught him to speak Tagalog. Following his two y...

  • Fireworks team lights up Endicott skies

    Kara McMurray, Gazette Reporter|Dec 9, 2015

    The firework display over Endicott Saturday night welcomed Santa Claus to town for the Endicott holiday celebrations. The fireworks were shot in the lot across the street from the Endicott Food Center by Jon Langston and Tony Anderson with the assistance of David Nelson, Joseph Nelson and Dave Wingo. Every Fourth of July and Christmas-time, fireworks light up the night sky in Endicott, and it is largely thanks to the contributions of two Endicott residents. Tony Anderson, who pays for the cost...

  • Santa for the dogs

    Dec 9, 2015

    Four Star Supply in Colfax plans to host two Santa visits strictly for dogs next week. Santa will be at Four Star next Wednesday and Friday, Dec. 16 and 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. each day to visit with the canines and pose for pictures....

  • Coroner’s case load: December death toll already surpassing average

    Kara McMurray, Gazette Reporter|Dec 9, 2015

    Whitman County Coroner Pete Martin went before the Board of Whitman County Commissioners about one month ago to request additional funding for the year, because the department was seeing a higher-than-normal case load. Martin told the commissioners that he had seen a 40 percent increase in cases in 2015, necessitating a $24,730 budget amendment to bring his total 2015 budget to $162,568. He said his office usually sees an average of 70 cases per year. As of Nov. 20, Martin reported to the Gazette that he had 102 cases. That number changed from...

  • On the record Dec. 10

    Dec 9, 2015

    MARRIAGE LICENSES Gregory Forrest Brabeck, 29, and Kaylan Brae Petrie, 29, both Pullman, Nov. 25. Christopher Jeremy Young, 42, and Danielle Lynn Garrison, 40, both Colfax, Nov. 30. Dennis Mumanyi Butti, 32, and Amanda Ramato Kayioni, 25, both Pullman, Nov. 30. Yibo Yao, 29, and Zhan Shi, 27, both Pullman, Nov. 30. COLFAX BUILDING PERMITS Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative, gas/electric HVAC unit at 204 N. Mill, $16,827, Nov. 16, plumbing permit, $18,700, Nov. 18. Zak-Ack LLC, single family residence, Ackerman Lane in River Point addition,...

  • Don C. Brunell: Abundant Salmon Runs are Early Christmas Present

    Dec 9, 2015

    Pacific Northwest fishermen have good and very good news this Christmas. The good news is timely releases of stored water from reservoirs like Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam kept stream levels up and water temperatures down. That helped young salmon migrate to the ocean and adults return home to spawn. Overall, 2.3 million mature salmon passed through Bonneville Dam, making it the second-strongest year on record for the entire Columbia Basin. The return numbers were positive upstream as well. According to the East Oregonian, Pendleton,...

  • Rich Lowry: They Hate What We Hold Dear

    Dec 9, 2015

    The Paris attacks have occasioned a wide-ranging debate about what they mean and how to respond, involving Islam and its role, military strategy and, oddly enough, how Muslims in New Jersey reacted to Sept. 11 (thanks, Donald Trump). It's all very interesting and, for the most part, quite important. At bottom, though, the import of the Paris attacks is not complicated: ISIS terrorists are enemies of our civilization. In Paris, they chose their target well. They assaulted a city that dates back thousands of years and has been a leading Western...

  • Bob Franken: Inauguration Nightmare

    Dec 9, 2015

    He had already kept one of his campaign promises: Donald Trump had demanded a wall along the U.S./Mexican border, and even insisted that the Mexican government would build it. Sure enough, the moment Trump was elected president, hordes of Americans decided it was time to live elsewhere. Millions believed that the bitter cold made Canada uninhabitable, and they decided, instead, to head south. Suddenly, the border was flooded with "los ilegales" fleeing the United States. The Mexican government had no choice but to build a wall. Construction...

  • Another look at 195

    Dec 9, 2015

    Two deaths occurred on area roads recently. Both of the deceased were Washington State University students. One died on Highway 26 outside of Dusty, the other on Highway 195 north of Rosalia. Both accidents involved a vehicle crossing the center line. As a result of these tragedies, an effort has started to demand that the two-lane highways be made safer. Unlike the calls by this newspaper in the past, these are being originated from out of the area. WSU parents are involved. They are using all avenues, especially social media, to make sure...

  • Bulletin Column Dec. 10

    Dec 9, 2015

    The Horn School Rest Stop south of Rosalia was closed Dec. 4 as sheriff’s deputies investigated the death of Curtis Lee Johnson. See story below. These reports are from the previous four issues of the Daily Bulletin in Colfax. They are reprinted here for the benefit of Gazette readers who reside outside of Colfax. Some accounts have been updated. **************** BUDGET INCLUDES RATE HIKE A 4.5 percent increase in city utility bills was approved by the Colfax City Council Monday night as part o...

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