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.

DRIVER

HOSPITALIZED

A Colfax ambulance crew Sunday at 6:45 p.m. was called to assist with a motorist who was reported to be confused and having trouble driving. The 89-year-old man told officers he was driving from Spokane to Weippe, Idaho. A 10-year-old boy was traveling with the driver and family members were called to come take custody of the boy.

CITY TABLES POT ORDINANCE

The proposed zoning ordinance for locating marijuana sites in Colfax was tabled at Monday night's city council session. The council delayed approval of the ordinance until a public hearing can be conducted and recorded on the city's books.

The ordinance was approved by the city's planning commission at its Oct. 9 session which was announced as a public meeting. Mayor Todd Vanek said he wasn't certain a formal hearing, as required for adding an ordinance, had been conducted. A formal hearing on the ordinance was slated for the next city council session Nov. 3.

City Administrator Michael Rizzitiello relayed the planning panel's determination that property along the S. Fork of the Palouse River below Lower A street could qualify for a marijuana manufacturing and processing site. A site along the Walla Walla Highway could one day qualify as a retail site, but not in its present mode because residences located along the river on the north side of the highway are in the zone. That means at present the city does not have a location where a retail store could operate.

The zones were determined after applying the state requirements for 1,000 foot space restrictions around schools, libraries and other public facilities.

Among conditions included in the zones will be a hold harmless wording to protect the city in the event applicants for marijuana sites at some point are challenged by federal law which bans marijuana.

Whitman County was allocated four retail sites by the state Liquor Control Board and just one has been started in Pullman.

CALIFORNIA

DRIVER HURT

George Wagner, Oakedale, Calif., sustained cuts and bruises Saturday morning in a two-car accident at the intersection of Highways 26 and 127 at Dusty. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Wagner was northbound on Highway 127 at 11:15 a.m. He stopped the 2014 Honda Accord he was driving at the sign at the intersection and then proceeded into the intersection into the path of a 2000 Honda Civic which was being driven eastbound on Highway 26 by Kari Miller of Kennewick.

HARASSMENT

VIOLATION ARREST

A $5,000 surety bond was posted Monday for the pre-trial release of Tara Lynn Line, 28, Pullman. Line was arrested Sunday and booked into jail on charges of violating a district court protection order in a harassment case. Pullman Police arrested her on a warrant issued by the court.

According to the arrest report, Line was arrested after officers reviewed video tapes of her conduct which were recorded by cameras that had been installed by her neighbors across the street from her residence on NW Clay Street in Pullman. The videos allegedly show the suspect taking cell phone pictures of the neighbors from the front of her residence and playing loud music.

A high pre-trial release bond was sought by the arresting officer who said he believed Line's behavior was escalating. The $5,000 surety bond, posted by the father of the suspect, was accepted by the court in lieu of a court requirement for a $20,000 appearance bond.

REPORT $30,000 DRUG BUST

Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers, commander of the Quad Cities Drug Task Force, Monday reported agents arrested two suspects on Friday in Moscow who are believed to have been supplying large amounts of heroin and methamphetamine in the area since January.

The task force conducted warrant searches of a residence in the 300 block of Susan Drive and an apartment in the 200 block of East C Street, both in Moscow. Arrested were Lee J. Thang, 42, and Jeanie L. Lee, 30, both of Moscow.

The searches led to alleged discovery of seven ounces of heroin and 13 ounces of methamphetamine. Estimated street value of the drugs was $30,000. The suspects face probable charges on 16 felony counts in Latah County, Myers said.

UNIONTOWN MAN SENTENCED

Ray D. Sinclair, 34, Uniontown, was sentenced to 10 days in jail Friday after entering an Alford plea to an amended charge of fourth degree assault. Sinclair was allowed to serve the 10 days on weekends.

The court ordered Sinclair to undergo evaluation and follow up with any recommended treatments. Under an Alford plea the defendant concedes the state's case would lead to a conviction but does not admit the charge.

An impact statement from the victim of the assault last April in Uniontown was presented to the court for review prior to sentencing.

LAST ROUND

IN Malden SUIT

Last round in a tort suit filed by Kathy Condon against the town of Malden was booked Friday when Superior Court Judge David Frazier rejected a motion by Condon to reverse an earlier judgment which dismissed the suit.

Judge Frazier granted a motion from Mayor Ted Maxwell and Malden for a summary judgment to dismiss the suit Sept. 11. Condon failed to appear at the hearing.

In a response to Condon's motion for reconsideration, Christensen told the court he twice delayed the hearing date on his motion to dismiss after Condon reported she was unable to attend the first two scheduled dates.

A tort claim alleging tortuous conduct and harassment was filed by Condon and Bart Blackwell against Mayor Ted Maxwell and Malden Jan. 6, 2014.

In his answer to the claim, Mayor Maxwell said he believed the claim stemmed from city action to enforce the town's 14-day limit for residing in a camper trailer on a site in Malden. Mayor Maxwell also said he later observed Blackwell driving a truck after the notice of enforcement was served, and Blackwell appeared to be making a pointing gesture which simulated the shooting of a pistol.

The judge Friday ruled Condon failed to offer any argument of why the summary judgment should be reversed. Christensen, who represented the town's insurer in the suit, participated in Friday's hearing by telephone.

Judge Frazier Friday told Condon her only alternative at this point would be to file an appeal.

ROOFING CREW ON

WAITE BUILDING

Work started Friday on repairing the roof of the building which housed the former Hunter's Furniture store which is located in the 200 Block of N. Main of Colfax. A crew from Clark's roofing in Pullman Friday began the preliminary work of removing material from the roof of the building.

Removal of metal sheathing from the building several years ago revealed the 1893 Waite Building designation on the structure. Restoration of a glass facade included lettering for "The Fair," a long-ago department store which was once located in the building.

Issuance of a building permit on the project is pending a determination of the extent of work which will have to be done on the roof.

TRIAL SET IN COCAINE CASE

A Dec. 15 trial date has been scheduled Friday for Andrew Rega, 21, the WSU student who was arrested Oct. 10 after members of the Quad Cities Drug Task Force conducted a warrant search of the defendant's apartment in the 400 block of NE Maple. The search allegedly turned up seven ounces of cocaine, narcotic medications and cash.

Rega Friday pleaded not guilty to six charges which have been filed against him. They include two charges of delivery of cocaine, one of delivery of clonazepam, and three charges of possession of the same drugs with intent to deliver.

According to the arrest report the investigation evolved from purchases of cocaine from Rega by an undercover informant.

DEER HIT NEAR UNIONTOWN

Suzanne R. Ross, Pullman, was unhurt in a car-deer collision Sunday at 6:30 p.m. south of Uniontown on Highway 195. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Ross was driving a 2002 Toyota Camry southbound when a deer ran onto the highway eight tenths of a mile south of Uniontown and she was unable to avoid striking the animal.

FIRE DAMAGES APARTMENT

An estimated $10,000 to $15,000 in damage was sustained by an apartment complex at 685 NE Terre View in Pullman Saturday. The fire was caused by a pot which had been left on a stove in the kitchen, according to report from Glenn Johnson, department public information officer.

A Pullman fire crew responded at 2:30 p.m. and found an automatic sprinkler system in the apartment complex had extinguished the blaze.

The stove and overhead cabinets were damaged, but most of the overall damage to the apartment structure was sustained when water from the sprinkler system descended from the third floor apartment to units on the second and first floors.

BALLOT MAIL TOTALS 19,932

Total count of Whitman County ballots which went out in the mail Friday morning was 19,932. The elections office processed a surge of ballots in the last few days.

Ballots are sorted for mailing, and they were picked up by post office staff members Friday morning.

Today's election ballot is 1,129 less than the 21,061 mailed out before the presidential general election in 2012.

In this year’s Aug. 5 primary, the total number of voters registered for the election was 20,219, and the total number of ballots cast was 6,895.

The general election ballot for Whitman County actually contains only three local contested races. They are the US Fifth District Representative race between Republican incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Democrat Joe Pakootas, the County Assessors race between incumbent Joe Reynolds and challenger Jim Hawkes, both listed as Republicans, and Sheriff Brett Myers and challenger Adam Assenberg.

State representatives Joe Schmick and Susan Fagan are unchallenged along with Commissioner Michael Largent and candidates for six county offices.

Two state supreme court races also have two candidates.

Voters in Colton, Endicott, Farmington, LaCrosse, Oakesdale, Palouse, St. John and Tekoa will face special levy propositions.

TRIAL DATE SET

FOR RAY

A Dec. 15 trial date was scheduled for O'Ryan P. Ray Friday morning in Whitman County Superior Court after he pleaded not guilty to charges of resisting arrest and assault of a child. The formal charges were filed in court this week after Ray was arrested Friday in Pullman after he ran away from Colfax Officer Chris Olin.

Olin's report said he had gone to Pullman after receiving a tip that Ray was at the bus station at Dissmore's with the intent of leaving the area for Nevada. The police department at that time had been informed that the prosecutor was close to filing a charge of child assault against Ray.

In a first appearance in court this week, bail for pre-trial release on Ray was set at $25,000. Friday he asked the court to be allowed release inside the jail so that he can do work for credit hours.

County Defense Attorney Steve Martonick was appointed to represent Ray.

SPRING VALLEY LIGHTS REPORT

A resident of the Spring Valley neighborhood, located in Spokane County between Waverly and Rosalia, reported seeing unusual lights hovering near the horizon. The resident said she observed the lights at about 4 a.m. Friday while looking south in the direction of the red lights which are on top of the wind turbines along Naff Ridge. She said at one point the white lights appeared to go over the horizon and then return.

The woman said her dog at one point during the observation starting growling at the objects. She said she saw four independent lights which were hovering in different modes. She said she observed the lights over a period of about 45 minutes.

FIRST OCTOBER RAIN

Rainfall reading for Oct. 16 at the NRCS station on the south hill at Colfax was .21 inches. The reading was the first recorded precipitation for October. It is also the largest single-day reading since the station booked a .21 for the last day in September.

Rainfall normal for October is 1.20 inches at the Colfax station. Rainfall total for September was just under half of the normal with .36 of a inch total compared to a normal of .73 for the month.