Bulletin column - Nov. 26, 2009

Bus goes into field

A bus driven by Akeem R. Akhi Gbade, 49, Pullman, came to a halt in a field just west of Pullman during the snow conditions Sunday morning. According to the Washington State Patrol report, he was driving westbound on the Highway 270 toward the N. Pullman bypass when he lost control. The bus crossed the centerline, went down a steep bank and came to a halt in a field.

Eugenia Dominguez, 20, Bridgeport, sustained possible neck and head injuries in a two-car collision Monday morning on Highway 270 about 3.4 miles east of Pullman. She was driving a 1999 Sentra eastbound at 8:37 a.m. and lost control of the car when she attempted to stop for the traffic light at the airport intersection. The Sentra slid on the wet surface of the highway and struck the back of a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am driven by Greg C. Early, 51, Deer Park. Early, who has unhurt, had been stopped in the left turn lane at the intersection.

Sunday snow takes toll

Washington State Patrol troopers in the Colfax detachment received 16 accident reports Sunday when snow and rain hit the area. The reports included seven accidents with reportable damage and 11 with non-reportable damage.

Driving was particularly hazardous on the east side of the county where several inches of snow accumulated.

Lorena Lynch, 44, Oakesdale, was unhurt when she lost control of a 1999 Plymouth Voyager van on Highway 27 three miles north of Garfield Sunday. She was driving southbound at 11:12 a.m. in the snow when she lost control in a curve. The van crossed the oncoming lane and went down a steep bank on the east side of the highway.

Jannie Lundberg, 44, Lake Forest Park, was unhurt Sunday when she lost control of a 2006 Ford F 150 pickup 14.2 miles north of Colfax on Highway 195. The WSP report said she was driving south at 9:50 a.m. and lost control of the truck in the snow and went into the ditch on the opposite side of the road.

Tolan faces five charges

A Jan. 19 trial has been scheduled for Darlo Tolan, 22, Moscow, after he pleaded not guilty to five charges Friday in Whitman County Superior Court. A $50,000 bond for pre-trial release has been set on Tolan and he remains in jail.

Initially charged with one count of second degree assault, Tolan now faces five charges in an amended complaint filed Friday. Three counts of fourth degree assault and one count of vehicle prowling were added.

The charges stem from a Nov. 16 arrest at an apartment in Pullman. The Pullman police report alleges the assaults evolved from an argument about money between Tolan and his girlfriend. The alleged victim in the second-degree assault charge is Tolan’s sister, Carli.

City contests FEMA mandate

Colfax has sent out letters of objection to a mandate from FEMA to hire an engineer’s survey of the flood control channel. The city has been ordered to obtain the survey because plans for the channel, which was constructed in 1964-65, did not include a certified engineer’s official stamp.

The plans were prepared by the Army Corps of Engineers who also monitored construction of the channels.

City Administrator Carl Thompson told the city council Nov. 16 the latest cost estimate for the survey was $56,000. The cost of the survey would probably have to come out of the city’s flood channel fund. Each year, Colfax attempts to put $30,000 of its revenue into a fund to clean the channel. Normal practice is to let the fund build for three years and then hire a contractor to remove soil deposits which are left at the downstream end of the channel.

Mayor Norma Becker, noting the FEMA’s request was another example of a federal mandate without funding, reported the city sent letters to state and US representatives objecting to the FEMA request. To date, Rep. Don Cox has sent the lone response.

Coroner issues findings

Whitman County Coroner Peter Martin determined the Nov. 10 death of Aurora Rose Orlandi, 8 months, Colfax, was caused by positional asphyxia. The baby had wrapped a sleeping blanket around her head and became wedged in a corner of a playpen. Manner of death was ruled accidental.

The Oct. 25 death of Raymond Brendla, 52, Pullman, was determined to have been caused by pyrogenic bacterial pneumonia. Manner of death was ruled natural.

Martin Monday reported the Nov. 20 death of Lucas Pearson, 22, WSU student from Pullman, was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Manner of death was determined to be suicide.

Potlatch driver hurt

Glenn G. Wade, 62, Potlatch, sustained possible head injuries early Friday morning in a one-car accident on Highway 195 north of Colfax. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Wade fell asleep while driving a 2002 Toyota 4Runner south at 6:15 a.m. The Toyota crossed the highway and rolled on its side in a field at mile 51.3.

Clear title for Garfield church

A judgment to quiet a title dispute on two lots in Garfield was issued Thursday in Whitman County Superior Court. The court also issued an order of default after the defendants civil action failed to respond. A summons by publication was used to notify the former owners, David and Mary Holz and the Garfield Women’s Club.

The court determined the church purchased the north 30 feet of the two lots from David and Mary Holz in 1958 and the south 70 feet of the lots from the Garfield Women’s Club two years earlier. A condition of sale limited the used of the lot for a church or parsonage.

The court found since 1983 the property’s use has been adverse to the conditions of the sale but ruled the title should be cleared because the former owners had never opposed the use.

Artists begin banner work

Colfax Arts Council conducted a workshop session Nov. 14 for artists who will create street banners for downtown Colfax. The artists received the actual banners and some of them transferred their sketch designs onto the banners for painting. Banners are expected to be finished by Jan. 15 and are expected to be mounted on downtown light standards in February.

Local artists who will turn out their first banner this year are Mae Claypool and Emily Adams. Kelan Becker, JES third grader, will be a new artist in the youth division. Brianna Reynolds, who designed a banner last year, has also submitted one for this year.

Colfax artists Debi Anderson, Dick Gebhardt and Jerry Jones will also do banners for another year.

Out-of-town artists who also submitted banner designs include Craig Whitcomb of Lewiston who has participated in the program for two years. Sarah Moore of Pullman and Jim Fitzgerald of Colfax and Olympia will also design banners. Fitzgerald’s wife, Betty Jo Fitzgerald, designed one of the banners last year.