Bulletin Column

These reports are from the previous three 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.

CABLE CUT HITS

N. COUNTY

Telephone and computer service which took a hit in the Moscow area last Thursday, May 23, also took a toll on towns in the north end of the Palouse. Informal reports indicate service was interrupted at Rosalia, Malden, Fairfield and Spangle.

The shutdown, which hit about 11 a.m., ended computer transactions, e-mail and fax connections.

Ray Bernard, manager of the Bank of Fairfield at Rosalia, said they had to post a “temporarily closed” sign on the door at about 1 p.m. because they were unable to transact business. He said the bank accommodated customers who wanted to leave a transaction, such as a deposit. The bank stacked the receipts with the hope of completing the transactions when service resumed.

Service was restored Friday morning and the bank was able to catch up with the prior day’s stalled business. Bernard said a check with Fairfield and Spangle indicated they were also knocked out of service.

The shutdown also meant debit and credit card transactions were knocked out at other businesses. Store purchases had to be made with cash or check.

Rosalia residents reported local telephone calls on landlines could be completed, but cell phone service on non-local calls were out during the shutdown. Rosalia school remained in service until the end of the school day. School parents in several instances opted to just show up at the school to complete their communications in person.

Reports from Moscow said outages were believed to be caused by a fiber line cut north of the city.

Whitcom staffers in Pullman encountered intermittent outages on some landline and cell phone calls to the center. Some backup measures were activated and the service was able to continue.

CROSSES PROJECT GOES AWRY

Despite hours of volunteer efforts in posting veterans’ flags and arranging for the Memorial Day observance at the cemetery, FFA advisor Brian Long made a point to apologize for one part of the observance which went awry. Long explained he had decided earlier to undertake a restoration of the veterans’ identification crosses which are posted with the flags. He said some of the crosses, which date back 23 years of posting at the cemetery, had become brittle over the years, and he decided they would rebuild the crosses for this year’s observance. The project didn’t advance as planned because of the condition of the metal so the crosses could not be posted this year.

Long vowed that all the crosses will be posted next year. The collection now totals 252 crosses. The flags posted at the cemetery are memorial flags which are included in funeral rites of veterans. The crosses, posted in front of the flags, include the name of the veteran and the branch of the service.

Names of the veterans were listed in the programs handed out by FFA members at the observance. Those who presented the program Monday included Lindsay Webber, Sarah Appel, Katie Largent, Jacee Thompson, Christopher Appel, Carolynn Knaack and Kelly Ward.

Webber sang the Star Spangled Banner, and Craig Willson sang America and played Taps.

ARREST ALLEGES

DRIVER PUNCH

Lane C. Glorfield, 18, was allowed release on his own recognizance last Wednesday after being arrested and booked in jail at Colfax on a probable charge of second degree assault. The arrest report said deputies received a report shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday night of an alleged assault on Glorfield Road north of Ewan off Highway 23. The alleged victim of the assault, Cole Crider, was taken to Whitman Hospital in Colfax where he was treated for a concussion.

According to the deputy’s arrest report, the alleged victim was driving a car with passengers on the road. The report said the suspect initially got the driver to stop, but the driver started the car moving again until it was stopped by a truck and trailer which had been backed across the road by the suspect’s father. The report alleges Lane Glorfield walked up to the car and punched the driver through an open window. A passenger in the car said the victim was knocked out and when he fell forward his foot hit the accelerator causing the car to go forward and hit the vehicle blocking the road.

STONER HEARING SET

County commissioners have scheduled a hearing for the proposed name change of Stoner Road in the Lamont area. The hearing will be June 17 at 11 a.m. in the commissioner’s room. The Public Work Department last March requested the commissioners slate a hearing for a name change because posted Stoner Road signs seem to have a short post life, probably because of the “stoner” term common in drug culture.

Public Works Director Mark Storey at the time noted replacing a sign costs the county between $50 and $100.

PERSONNEL BOOK CONTRADICTION

The city of Colfax personnel manual includes a contradiction with city policy, Councilman David Nails told the city council May 20. Nails said the contradiction is one of several flaws in the 2000 version of the manual.

Council members have been reviewing policy on sick leave and other employee issues outlined in the manual.

Nails noted the city has a long-standing resolution on the books which calls for the city council to approve all changes in the city’s personnel manual.

He said the 2000 edition of the manual empowers the mayor to approve all changes in personnel policy except matters dealing with salary and compensation.

Nails said he feels the council really needs to take a long look at the personnel handbook which he believes has been part of the city’s personnel problems in the past.

ASSENBERG RIDES ALONG

Micheal A. Assenberg of Colfax, who announced he plans to run for sheriff after the state decided to drop its marijuana case against him, received a ride-along tour in a sheriff’s car May 11. Assenberg said he applied for the ride-along tour of duty through normal channels. Applicants are required to sign a waiver before riding in a sheriff’s patrol car.

Assenberg said he rode on patrol for six hours with Deputy Sgt. Chris Chapman. He noted he has also applied to take a tour of the jail.

The Assenberg campaign for sheriff now has its own web site: http://www.adam4sheriff.org.

Palouse DRIVER HURT

Charlene Eagen, Palouse, was taken by ambulance to Whitman Hospital after sustaining a possible hip injury in a one-car accident at mile four of the Colfax-Palouse Highway May 22.

According to the Washington State Patrol report, she was driving a 2002 Ford Taurus westbound at 9 a.m. and the car slid sideways across the centerline and into the eastbound ditch where it struck an embankment.

A Colfax ambulance and rescue crew responded to the scene.

John A. Toland, Veneta, Ore., was unhurt May 22 when the 2012 Freightliner truck and trailer he was driving struck a deer 1.8 miles south of Colfax on Highway 195. The Washington State Patrol report said he was driving southbound at 9:50 a.m. when the deer ran into the roadway from the right.