Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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FREEMAN BUS HIT
A 2011 International school bus was hit about noon Friday while it was parked in front of Niehenke Park on Mill Street. The driver of the bus, Eric Eden, had dropped off Freeman students for a field trip and was eating his lunch in a passenger seat when he felt something strike the front of the bus. A 1999 Suzuki was seen leaving the scene.
Officer Bryce Nebe said the driver of the Suzuki, Robert Warner, 19, Colfax, is believed to have struck the front of the bus while attempting a U-turn on Mill. He parked the car in the 500 block of Mill where he went into a residence.
FLOOK BOND AT $50,000
Bond for pre-trial release of Roger Flook, Jr., 31, Endicott resident who was among three suspects booked in jail over the weekend after investigation of credit card theft, was set at $50,000 during a first appearance in Whitman County superior court Monday. Flook, who was arrested Sunday in LaCrosse, had been released earlier after posting $10,000 bond on a 2011 charge involving theft at Safeway in Pullman.
Bail for Adrian Gaza, 21, Clarkston, who was booked Saturday on probable charges of possession of stolen property, was set at $20,000. Garza was also sought on arrest warrants out of Asotin County.
Brian Allery, 46, Pullman, the first suspect arrested in the case, was allowed release on his own recognizance. He was arrested on probable charges of theft and ID theft, early Saturday morning at a residence in Pullman.
The arrest report said Allery became a suspect when he was recognized on surveillance videos at Wal-Mart where he purchased items with the credit card which was believed stolen in Endicott.
Allery’s alleged purchases with the card totaled in excess of $2,500.
A report by Sheriff Brett Myers Monday said the investigation started when an Endicott resident reported he had been notified by his bank that his missing credit card has been used fraudulently and was no longer active. The victim reported his wallet was missing from his home.
FORMAL CHARGES FILED
Formal charges were filed against William P. McBride and Lenora Mae Adkins Friday in superior court. McBride was charged with delivery and possession of methamphetamine Oct. 17 and Adkins was charged with possession.
The formal charges were filed within the 72-hour limit to keep pre-trial release conditions, including bail, in effect. Bail for pre-trial release of McBride, who was sentenced to 25 months in prison as the result of a burglary investigation in the north part of the county in 2010, was set at $25,000, and bail for Adkins was set at $5,000.
They were booked into the jail here on probable charges after deputies conducted warrant searches of a residence and a vehicle in Garfield. They have remained in jail Tuesday morning in lieu of posting bond.
DEARY PASSENGER HURT
An ambulance crew responded to the scene of an accident at the intersection of Main and Stevens in Colfax Saturday at 9:48 a.m. Terrance Halseth, 42, Deary, complained of neck pain after the Geo Prism in which he was riding was struck in the rear by a 1994 Ford F-250 truck. The Colfax accident report said Judith Halseth of Deary, had stopped the Prism in a northbound lane of Main Street to allow a pedestrian to cross Main Street, and the driver of the pickup, Travis Letteer, 42, failed to stop in time to avoid hitting the car.
MR. Z’S MOTION DENIED
A motion for a partial summary judgment in the civil suit involving proceeds from Mr. Z’s Casino at Pullman has been denied by the court. Palouse Recreation LLC has filed a suit against Couvan Gaming, Inc., Kennewick, in a dispute involving the payment agreement signed with Couvan to operate the casino.
The partial summary judgment petition asked the court to rule on some of the alleged facts involved in the suit before the trial.
The court ruled the petition involved disputed facts which will have to be determined at trial. The motion had asked the court to rule the compensation agreement between the two sides included a provision for $36,000 to go to Palouse Recreation to cover utilities and other costs of the casino.
Court statements filed with the petition reported the two parties agreed to an overall graduated payout plan based on the volume of proceeds of the operation. Those involve proceeds when customers lose in bets against the house and on fees paid by customers when they play poker among themselves.
MEDICARE MONDAY SESSIONS
A series of programs at three library branches to help residents with Medicare and Medicare supplements began Monday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Colfax library. Gary Schmick, respresentative of SagePoint Financial in Colfax who has 20 years of experience in insurance and financial planning, will present the programs intended to help current Medicare recipients and people nearing retirement age. The format will consist of a 30 minute presentation with the remaining open to questions and review.
Programs are currently scheduled for the following dates and locations: Colfax Library and Nov. 19 from 3 to 5 p.m., St. John Oct. 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. and Tekoa Nov. 5 from 1 to 3 p.m.
ZONE SIGNS COME DOWN
Main Street Colfax officially emerged from construction zone status Friday morning when Northstar crews removed warning signs which have been posted before the work began on the eight-plus mile project.
Friday’s removal of the signs ends a 12-week construction period. An electronic sign was located along N. Main in the last week of July to alert motorists of the start of construction zone restrictions July 30. Preliminary work on the site began in the week before the posting.
RITE SET FOR HUNTER
A funeral service for William Hagan, 72, Poulsbo, has been scheduled for today, Thursday, at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent. Mr. Hagan died Sunday while hunting near the Shawnee Road. A Navy veteran, he was a long-time Cougar supporter and owned a house in Colfax where the family stayed while hunting and attending WSU sports events.
His death was investigated by the coroner, and he was taken to Bruning’s Funeral Home where arrangements were made to return him to Poulsbo.
Coroner Peter Martin said Mr. Hagan, who had a history of heart problems, died as the result of a cardiac event. He had been hunting with his son, and they decided he would sit and wait in a field after he became ill. His son went to get their truck. Mr. Hagan was unresponsive when the son returned with the truck, Martin said. Deputies and EMTs were called to the scene.
TREE FALLS REPORTED
The sheriff’s log for Oct. 16 when strong winds hit the area included a report of a tree down on the Green Hollow Road at 12:37 p.m. and a tree down on the Elberton Road at 3:54 p.m.
The sheriff also received a report of a ladder on Highway 195 at 6:02 p.m.
BALLOT COUNT UP 8.6 PERCENT
Last Thursday’s tally of 21,061 ballots for the general election mailout marks an increase of more than 8.6 percent in the electorate for the general election. The county mailed out 1,685 more ballots than it did for the primary election. Mail tally July 20 was 19,376.
The elections office has also installed a curbside drop box in the alley behind their office. The box is located on the east side of the alley which runs between Island and Upton Streets. Two drop boxes have also been installed in Pullman to allow voters to return ballots 24-7.
Postmark deadline for the return of ballots will be Nov. 6. The drop boxes will be locked as of 8 p.m. Nov. 6 to conform with the election poll deadline.
This year’s presidential election is expected to net a strong response with national, state and two hotly contested county commissioner races on the ballot. Hooper said they anticipate a mailout of additional ballots when would-be voters discover they did not get a ballot because they failed to report a change of address after moving since the last election.
STERLING SHRED DAY
Colfax Sterling Savings branch on N. Main St. will offer a free community shred day next Friday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents are encouraged to shred documents that have personal information such as Social Security numbers, account numbers, signatures, names, and addresses. A shredding truck will be on site. Sterling also will provide hot dogs, chips, cookies and beverages. Residents also can drop off computer recyclables at Computer Cowboys, LLC.
WATER HITS GRANDMAS’ SHOP
The book section of the Thrifty Grandmothers shop on Main Street sustained minor damage from flooding Wednesday night. The water originated from the failure of a water heater tank for an apartment unit above the shop.
Club members and others used shop vacuums to remove the water which had hit books and the floor rug. The grandmas planned to be open during their normal hours Friday, but keep; the book section closed.
STORM DRAIN FAILS
Return of rain early last week led to discovery of a faulty city storm drain at the southeast corner of Thorn and Main streets in Colfax. . Water began to back up at the drain Tuesday morning. The drain failure is believed to be related to the summer’s construction project, Public Works Supervisor Andy Rogers said.
State and city crews used a mirror and lights to check out the cause of the failure. Rogers said they determined the drain line was damaged and also installed too high, to allow proper flow. The storm drain line carries water to Spring Flat Creek channel which crosses under Main Street at the intersection.
Rogers said construction crews will have to return to the site and do more cutting on the new pavement to make a repair at the site. The state DOT has also provided the city with “water over the road” warning signs to use in the event the problem isn’t corrected before the next round of fall rain which is predicted this week.
CURB, SIDEWALKS APPEAR
Winkler Construction crews from Spokane returned to Colfax last Wednesday to finish up work on the Highway 195 construction project at the south end of Main Street. The crew poured a new sidewalk segment in front of Eddy’s Restaurant. The former sidewalk at the corner of W. Thorn and S. Main sustained damage when crews excavated Highway 195 last summer to install new base rock for the highway. The sidewalk sustained severe cracks.
Also, the concrete contractor poured a curb segment on the east side of the highway where the unused railroad crossing was removed during the construction project.
The railroad right-of-way segment was surfaced by pavement after the rails were removed, and the street side of the pavement was left at an angle to allow potential entry into the parking area of River View Arm apartments.
The curb was installed yesterday because the entry over the newly paved area from the highway was determined to be illegal.
Residents of the apartment can still get access to parking spaces in front of the structure via the alley and a lane between the south end of the building and the remaining railroad tracks.
HUNTING ZONE APPROVED
A resolution to allow hunting in the Colfax Rural Residential Zone was approved Oct. 15 by the city council. Authorization to hunt in the zone is required from the city each year for the rural zone which is the property annexed to the city along the North Palouse River Road.
The rural residential zone was created when the property was annexed to the city.
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