Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Rimbeys buy Hickman Building
Steve and Kari Rimbey have purchased the former Hickman building in downtown Colfax and plan to eventually open a coffee shop with baked goods and other items for sale. The Rimbeys are now in the process of remodeling an apartment in the upper part of the building for their daughter and son-in-law, Heather and Brenton Cammack. Both are concluding studies at Eastern Washington University.
Kari Rimbey said they hope to open the business late this fall or early next winter. Her daughter, who will receive an EWU degree in business management, will be a partner in the shop.
They are now making arrangements to offer items from Sage Bakery at Uniontown. The Rimbeys do not plan to offer on-site meal preparation because of the costs involved in installing sprinklers and meeting other fire code requirements for such a venture.
The Rimbeys have resided here for about 16 years. They also have two daughters now attending school at Colfax. Heidi is a CHS senior, and Holly is a seventh grader.
Steve Rimbey is an electrician with Harrison Electric.
Bob Hickman, a Colfax native, operated Hickman Boot & Saddlery in the building until he moved the operation to Stateline, Idaho.
Trial sought in jewelry case
Pullman attorney Howard Neill has filed notice of a May 7 court hearing to set a trial date in his efforts to recover jewelry for Harry Ritchies Jewelers, Inc., at Portland. Return of the jewelry is sought because the alleged buyers, Anthony and Alicia Napier of Colfax, failed to meet terms of a purchase contract. Filing for the trial date followed earlier court sessions in which the Napiers and three pawn shops were asked to appear in court and show cause why the jewelry should not be returned.
Also, the court Friday ordered Pawn 1 Loan, Inc., to maintain self-keeping over two pieces of jewelry which were allegedly pawned with the shop in November. The court denied Neill’s motion to order a return of the jewelry.
Neill said he anticipates a two-day trial.
Court date in gun theft
A May 14 arraignment for Cody A. Richardson, suspect in a gun theft last November from an unoccupied ranch house in the Winona area, was scheduled Friday when the defendant made a first appearance in Whitman County Superior Court. Richardson was arrested on a warrant April 16 and later released after posting a $10,000 bond.
He had been charged with taking a Mauser 8 mm rifle and a Savage 4M .22 rifle from the ranch house. The two guns were among several taken from the house at the ranch. The guns were discovered missing when a relative of the occupants went to the house while working at the ranch and discovered it had been entered.
Friday tanker security arrest
A Belmont man was arrested last Thursday, April 29, after an alleged dispute with the security company which has been hired for the chlorine tanker car storage site at Belmont. The deputy’s arrest report alleges Thomas A Bieker, 56, assaulted one of the security guards at their office at Belmont.
According to the arrest report, Bieker told deputies he has had an ongoing dispute with the security company because one of their lights shines into his residence and he has been unable to sleep. He said the light has been an ongoing problem with the security company, Northwest Protection Security Services, for the last three weeks.
Bieker said he went over to the office last Thursday to again complain about the light.
Guards at the site said they told Bieker he was on private property and told him to leave. They said during the confrontation Bieker pushed one of the guards back into the office.
Bieker allegedly admitted to the deputy that he unplugged the light when he departed the office. The two guards in the office said they heard noises in the area of the light and later discovered it had been disconnected.
Bieker made a first appearance in superior court on a probable charge of third degree assault Friday, April 30. After reading the arrest report, Judge David Frazier ruled the probable charge should be reduced to fourth degree because a third degree assault charge requires the state to prove the defendant assaulted a police officer and a private security officer would not qualify as a police officer.
Bieker was remanded to district court and allowed release on his own recognizance.
The tanker cars were moved to Belmont last year by Canexus which has fenced the site and hired the security company. They moved the tanker cars to Belmont as a security measure before the start of the winter Olympics.
Erroneous gunshot report
A Colfax ambulance crew was called out last Wednesday by report of a “gunshot” victim in Albion. The crew arrived at the scene and discovered the elderly resident was attempting to report he had been shocked, possibly by a pace maker. He apparently had attempted to make an emergency call using a speaker phone. The man was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital.
Union dues suit served on campus
Nine of 11 defendants listed in a civil suit for allegedly not paying union dues or fees were served notice of the suit on campus at WSU April 15, according to service reports filed last Thursday in superior court. The defendants were served by an employee of a Spokane company on behalf of Washington Federation of State Employees which is affiliated by AFL-CIO.
The union alleges the WSU employees have failed to pay dues or fees for being represented by the union. The notices allow them 20 days to respond. Total alleged due from the 11 defendants is $7,468.
Schaub, Rogers in jail
Michael Schaub, Jr. and Pamela Rogers, Pullman, were booked into the county jail April 28. Warrants had been issued for their arrest after they allegedly failed to meet court conditions during an assignment to a drug treatment facility in the Spokane Valley. The prosecutor’s office has petitioned the court to revoke the alternative sentences.
In a brief appearance in court last Thursday, ,Schaub and Rogers were ordered kept in jail without bond. Their next appearance in court has been slated for Friday.
Lamont man sentenced
Daniel F. Thomas, 26, Lamont, was sentenced to 90 days in jail April 23 after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of felony harassment. Thomas was allowed the option of serving the sentence with electric home monitoring.
Thomas entered an Alford plea under which a defendant does not admit a charge but concedes the state’s evidence would lead to a conviction if presented at trail.
The sentence dates back to Oct. 20 when deputies were called to Lamont by a report that Thomas had assaulted his live-in girlfriend. He was initially charged with domestic violence and assault. He was also charged with possessing a gun while being a convicted felon.
Thomas Friday was placed on 12 months of probation and will be subject to tests for drug and alcohol use.
Pickup truck vandalized
A pickup truck parked in the N 200 block of West Street in Colfax was vandalized April 28.\Chief Bill Hickman said owners of the truck brought it to the police station ]to report the incident. The truck was hit with some type of brown material which was on its roof, hood and both sides. Owners of the truck were advised to wash it and then check to see if any damage discoloration had been sustained on the truck’s paint.
Oppose stay in golf wage suit
Oliphant Golf Construction, Scottsdale, Ariz., has filed an objection to a motion by the state Department of Labor and Industries to stay its unfair wage suit in superior court. The L&I suit against Oliphant and WSU contends workers on the WSU Paradise Ridge Golf course project in 2006-2007 were underpaid by $592,814. The state also seeks a penalty of $120,062. The April 9 L&I motion asks the court to stay their suit pending the outcome of an administrative hearing on the matter.
The response by Oliphant contends any decision coming out of the administrative hearing will not resolve the suit before the court. It noted they plan to ask the court to drop the suit because of alleged failure of L&I to meet notice requirements for claims against retainage and payment and performance bonds. The response contends continued pending of the suit before the court affects Oliphant’s ability to obtain payment and performance bonds on other projects.
Co-defendant WSU filed notice it does not object to the L& I’s motion to stay the suit.
Reader Comments(0)