Bulletin Column

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.

RAILCARS WILL NOT RUN

A July 14 run for railcars out of the restored railroad depot at Potlatch has been called off because the related railcar tour for the area has been scratched. The Washington, Idaho & Montana Railway Preservation Group had scheduled the annual event as part of a fundraiser for the restoration of the depot at Potlatch.

In place of the railcar rides, the preservation group plans a multi-band concert and other events that evening as an alternate event at the depot.

After announcing the return of the railcar rides, the group learned the related tour by the railcar group had been called off because of scheduled maintenance on the lines by the railroad company. The railcar members, who visited Colfax earlier this spring for their annual tours to Hooper and Thornton, normally book a tour on the Potlatch area railroad lines and schedule the short rides at the depot in conjunction with their tours.

After learning the rails would not be available for their tour, the association had to cancel its visit to the area for that weekend, and that derailed plans for the short July 14 rides which were offered to the public to benefit the depot project.

S. MAIN BULB-OUT PROPOSAL

A preliminary proposal for a “bulb-out” curb to block off a northbound “right turn only” lane on S. Main Street was introduced at Monday night’s city council meeting. The proposal has been made in an attempt to reduce hazards to pedestrians who cross Main Street at Thorn.

The proposal has been sent to the city by Harold White, DOT engineer at the regional office in Spokane, and was relayed to the city council Monday by City Administrator Carl Thompson.

The concept has also been relayed to Darrel McCallum, chief engineer for the rebuilding and surfacing project between the south end of Main Street in Colfax and Babbitt Road on Highway 195. The project includes a rebuild of the segment of S. Main where the bulb out is being considered.

Preliminary plans call for the bulb to block off the “right turn only” lane which motorists face as they round the 195 curve northbound. The “right turn only” lane has been considered a hazard to pedestrians because motorists who pull into the lane often ignore the “right turn only” restrictions and continue northbound.

White noted the bulb out would reduce the distance pedestrians face in crossing the street by eliminating the lane.

In discussing the proposal Monday night, council members pointed out the crosswalk at the intersection is on the north side, between the Siesta Motel and Palouse Empire Pest Control.

Council members also questioned how the addition would impact traffic generated by the hospital and other facilities on the South Hill.

The contractor is expected to start work on the surfacing project in the third week of July.

TWO HURT IN COLLISION

Two passengers in a 1997 Toyota Corolla were hurt Saturday afternoon in a collision at the intersection of Highway 195 and the Old Wawawai Road a half mile west of Pullman. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Celena M. Scott, 21, Colfax, was driving the Toyota southbound on Highway 195 at 4:50 p.m. when Chao Miao, 25, Pullman, attempted to cross the highway in a 2001 Volkswagen Passat after stopping at the intersection. The Passat struck the front of the Toyota.

Listed with injuries were Angela Scott, 42, Colfax, and Courtenay Cook, 29, Endicott.

CHAMBER MOVES TO MAIN STREET

Colfax Chamber of Commerce has moved to its new location at 120 S. Main from its location on Wall Street. The chamber’s new site is in the front of what is now the Morgan office building which houses Palouse River Rock. The building was the former site of Brown Family Builders.

The chamber’s move was necessitated by expansion plans by Pacific Northwest Farm Cooperative. Chamber Secretary Kathy Clark said they appreciated the time they were located on Wall and wish PNW well on their expansion project.

The chamber is now in operation at its new site with the same office hours, 10 to 2, Monday through Friday. An open house for the new office is planned July 15 from 11 to 3. In conjunction with the Colfax Art Drive project, Colfax quilter Judy Imler will display her work in the office during the reception.

FISHER SENTENCE CHANGED

An order changing the sequence of the eight-month sentence of Doug Fisher of Oakesdale was issued in court Friday. Fisher’s defense attorney petitioned the court to modify the sentence which allows Fisher to serve alternating jail and electric home monitoring time. The time length for each mode was cut to 20 days.

The petition for a change alleged Fisher stood to loose social security benefits if he served 30-day jail stints which were originally ordered in the sentence.

The order also allowed Fisher leeway in reporting to 2nd Watch Monitoring, the company which applies home monitoring devices. Fisher, who has to drive to Spokane to have the monitor installed, was allowed to report on the company’s first business day in the event his 20-day jail stints end on a weekend or holiday.

Fisher, 58, was sentenced to eight months in jail June 8 after pleading guilty to residential burglary last December in Colfax. Fisher was charged after police investigated reports of burglaries at condominium units at Hill Ray in Colfax.

SCOUTS EARN 30 BADGES

Twelve Colfax scouts in Troop 595 returned from Camp Grizzly Saturday. The scouts completed work on 30 merit badges during their week at the camp. During the camp game sessions Friday, Tyson Rogers won the quadrathon event which included swimming, running, riding mountain bikes and shooting shotguns. Scouts were allowed a 30-second discount on their total time for each target hit with the shotgun blasts.

Nick McAdams placed third in the event. McAdams, Cody Miller, Michael Clinton and Daniel Thomas are serving on the camp staff this week. Larry Jensen, who has already served on the camp staff, and Austin Neu will be on the staff later in the camp’s five-week run.

REID FILES CLAIM AGAINST

PULLMAN

Christopher Jack Reid, the former porn film actor who was one of the defendants in the 2007 case involving entries in WSU sororities and an assault on one of the women who was sleeping there, has filed a claim for costs and an award as provided by law against the City of Pullman. Reid contends that Pullman has violated the Public Records Act and Preservation and Destruction of Public Records Act in relation to his requests for records in his case.

Reid, then 26, was convicted in October of 2008 of second degree rape and three counts of burglary in connection with the case and sentenced to nine years in prison.

Laura McAloon, Spokane attorney representing Pullman, Friday filed a response which contended Reid in his claim failed to acknowledge that he was provided with all the Pullman documents in the case in response to his original public records requests. On another point, she said Reid’s claim that Pullman officers destroyed an interview recording from September of 2007 is invalid because the police officer never made the recording.

HIGHWAY

PROJECT SET

Start of the Highway 195 project from the south end of Colfax to Babbitt Road is scheduled to start the third week of July. The contract start date has been set for July 20, but that could be moved up four to five days, depending on how the pre-work preparations evolve.

Colfax officials Wednesday attended a pre-construction meeting in Spokane with representatives of the Department of Transportation and contractor, Central Washington Asphalt, Inc., of Moses Lake. They have been contracted for the job on a bid of $1,961,182.

Work in Colfax will include excavation of the highway base down two feet. Ballast rock and top layers of gravel will be applied.

According to Tom Brash, assistant engineer for DOT, the highway surface south to Babbitt Road will be removed by grinding and new asphalt applied. The final layer of asphalt will go down in Colfax when the last layer is applied to the balance of the project.

The project will extend from south of the Babbitt Road intersection at mile 28.8 and end at the Cooper Street intersection in Colfax, mile 37.5.

The contract allows for 34 work days. Motorists can expect one-way traffic with pilot cars which will be set up where crews are working on particular days.

That puts the close of the job at the end of August. One of the keys for a start on the project is approval of the contractor’s plan for the asphalt mix. If that proceeds well the start could be closer to July 16 and that would mean an earlier finish.

KBG GROWERS JOIN SEEDS, INC.

Kentucky Bluegrass growers have sided with Seeds, Inc., of Tekoa in the court dispute involving damage claims resulting from failures by Scotts to pay on seed production contracts. The Seeds motion was filed last week by their attorney, Tim Esser of Pullman. His motion included declarations from growers and figures from Seeds alleging the losses which were sustained because of actions of Scotts officials in failing to pay under terms of the contracts.

Spokane Attorney Richard Kuhling said the growers, who are plaintiffs in the suit, joined in the Seeds, Inc., motion. He pointed out Scotts last year asked the court to disqualify the damage claims, and its motion was denied last August. He said Scotts’ attempts to again have the damage allegations, made under the Consumer Protection Act, disqualified by the court lacked any merit.

STATE TO ERASE ASKHAM FILE

An order to remove records of the conviction of Leonard Askham, Pullman, from the court records was issued by the court Thursday, June 28. Askham, now 74, was convicted in 1999 on four of five charges involving harassment of a WSU official with the use of false computer postings.

The record will be expunged under a state law which provides for defendants to clear the record 10 years after the conviction if they have faced no additional charges. The court record noted Askham completed sentencing requirements in May of 2006.

ALLEGES

HARASSMENT

AT JAIL

Wyatt Butler, 30, Colfax, has been summoned to court July 13 to answer a charge of harassment. The charge alleges Butler made calls to a corrections officer at the Whitman County jail in the early morning hours of Nov. 21. The charge alleges the calls made by Butler interfered with the ability of the corrections officer to carry out other duties while working his shift.

LAUNDROMAT TAKES HIT

A burglary and theft of cash from the Colfax laundromat was reported to Colfax Police Wednesday morning, June 27. Interim Chief Dave Szambelan said the theft was discovered about 7 a.m. Wednesday when the owner checked the business.

Cash and coins were missing from the change dispensing machine in the laundromat. A large type of pry instrument was used to force open the machine to get access to the money inside.

Also, a door to the equipment room in the back of the laundromat was forced open and items in the room, including a television surveillance camera, were damaged.