Good Old Days March 23

125 years ago

The Commoner

March 18, 1892

C. C. Cosand was in Colfax Monday securing data and other information for the Palouse Historical Co., which will issue sometime this year an illustrated history of the Palouse country. The company has its headquarters at Pullman. The book will be compiled by Maj. W. S. Walker, and when complete will be the most elaborate and elegant piece of historical literature ever published in the state. The book will be profuse with fine engravings of pioneers and prominent men, and public and private buildings. It will make a handsome souvenir of the Palouse country.

***

H. T. Brown, a stockholder of the Palouse Gazette Publishing company, and for several months manager of the paper, has withdrawn from the enterprise, and will return with his family to his former home in Spokane.

It is understood that he was thoroughly displeased with the editorial antics of the paper and tired of an unprofitable venture.

Howard Bramwell, late foreman of the Gazette office, is now acting in the capacity of manager.

Mr. Brown was too independent for the ring and the ring was too dictatorial for Mr. Brown.

The latter’s ultimatum demanded that either the balance of the stock be sold to him, or the purchase of his interest be made, without delay.

The ringsters couldn’t afford to see their organ leave their control, and they raised sufficient money to pay back to Mr. Brown the exact sum he originally invested in the Gazette.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

March 23, 1917

The pupils and teachers of the Winona schools have formed a bird club for the purpose of promoting an interest in the protection and care of all the song and insectiferous birds and also to see that all who are guilty of shooting of birds of economic value are brought to justice.

***

Fred Terry of Rosalia received the highest price paid for hogs this year when he sold a carload to the Spokane market for $15.25 per hundred pounds. The hogs were sold Wednesday and were purchased for the farmers around Warden.

***

Mayor W. E. Weinberg recommended to the members of the city council Monday night that steps be taken to repeal the curfew law which has been a dead law in this city for several years. This action was brought about through the efforts of a number of residents of the city who visited the mayor’s home and insisted that the curfew law be enforced.

Mayor Weinberg stated that the ordinance had been passed many years ago and that no effort had been made to enforce this ordinance in this city for many years past. The Mayor stated that the ladies of the W. C. T. U. were interested in the enforcement of the law and that he had assured the ladies that the law would be enforced until such time as it could be repealed.

“The city is not anxious to assume any parental duties which properly belong to the home,” said Mayor Weinberg, “and for this reason I recommend that this law be repealed.”

One of the members of the council stated that there were many other freak ordinances on the books that were in much the same class as the curfew law and it was suggested that all ordinances that were not enforced be repealed. A committee consisting of the judiciary committee with the city attorney acting as chairman was appointed and instructed to search out all dead and antiquated ordinances and to bring in a report at the next meeting.

It is stated that more than 490 ordinances have been passed by the city councils of this city since the time that the city became a corporation and that very few of these ordinances are being enforced and many of them are forgotten. The work of the committee is to bring to light these forgotten laws so that they may be repealed.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

March 20, 1942

Concluding a series of public hearings on school district reorganizations, which have been held throughout the county since January 20, was the one at Lamont Tuesday afternoon.

Within those two months five districts have vigorously protested the threatened loss of their high schools, but how successfully, members of the county reorganization committee have declined to say.

If carried out as proposed, the reorganization plan will eliminate the Farmington, Albion, Uniontown, Hay and Ewan high school districts and give to the remaining high school districts the five named and 40 rural districts.

But the county committee was almost convinced as the hearings progressed that there are several third class districts impossible of inclusion in high school districts because of transportation problems and distance. These are mostly along the Snake river and the only alternative to keeping their present identity would be the formation of a joint district with others on the opposite side of the river, according to one committee member.

A meeting of the committee has been called at the courthouse here next Monday at 10 a.m., when consideration will be given as to the course to pursue in the future.

“It is not the intent of the state reorganization law to hurry matters,” said R. R. Maxwell, committee secretary, “and it is quite probable that by the time new district lines can be fixed, maps drawn, debts and liabilities adjudged, state committee approval be given and elections held, it will be too late to effect many changes before the beginning of the next school year, July 1.”

***

An ordinance relating to air raid and blackout warnings, copied in many respects from the Spokane ordinance, was adopted Monday evening by the city council.

Published elsewhere in this issue of the Gazette-Commoner, the ordinance states what shall constitute a warning and all-clear signal, regulates traffic during the emergency period, provides for the handling of street, home and building lights, defines emergency duties, prohibits street crowds of five or more persons, and established penalties for non-compliance.

Although the city and individuals performing official duties under the ordinance are relieved of liabilities in damage suits arising from accidents, City Attorney O. H. Horton expressed the opinion that the city would be liable in case of a trial blackout not authorized by military authorities. He believed that was the reason why Spokane has not held a test blackout.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

March 23, 1967

Directors of the Malden school district decided to ask for a 50-mill special levy – one of the largest in the county’s history – at a special election to be held April 4, one week later than the special elections being held in 13 districts next Tuesday.

The 50-mill levy would raise $11,500, and compares to a 19.18 mill levy currently being collected to raise about $4,500.

A second vote on consolidation of the Malden and Rosalia districts is also under consideration in the Malden district and new petitions are being circulated, the Gazette was told this week. Consolidation with Rosalia was beaten by only four votes earlier this year.

***

Whitman County farmers will probably harvest the largest wheat crop in 15 years – and possibly the largest in county history – next fall, barring a natural disaster.

H. E. “Tony” Smick, county ASC office manager, estimated this week that approximately 460,000 acres would be planted to wheat for harvest in 1967 – compared to around 300,000 acres last year.

By last Thursday noon, 1,612 farmers had signed up to participate in the 1967 farm program, with a total wheat allotment of 387,974 acres, compared to 1,546 farmer signups a year ago and an allotment of about 292,000 acres.

Smick added that 1,022 farmers requested a barley base totaling 118,409 acres, all of which could be used for substitute planting of wheat – but Smick estimated that slightly more than half of the barley base would go to wheat. “We have a potential of over 500,000 acres that could be planted to wheat, but I’ll stick to my estimate of about 460,000 acres,” he said.

The farm program signup ended last Friday with more farmers committed to participation than ever before.

Reviewing last year’s farm program expenditures in Whitman County, Smick said farmers received over $9 million in payments of various forms in 1966 as compared to less than $7 million for the previous year.

Last year’s total included $8,689,166 in wheat certificates to 1,509 farmers: $294,414 to 547 farmers participating in the barley program; $95,774 to farmers in the agricultural conservation program; $31,417 under the wool program and $64,990 to farmers with conservation reserve (soil bank).

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

March 19, 1992

The county won’t know the value of the 69 miles of abandoned Union Pacific track until the state Department of Revenue tells them next year, according to Joe Reynolds, deputy assessor.

The tax income loss shouldn’t be too much because the company already has abandoned so many lines in the county, Reynolds explained.

Union Pacific’s total assessed value in the county was $13.3 million last year, he said.

The company ranks as the fourth largest taxpayer in the county, Reynolds added. Their taxes are 1.32 percent of the county’s total tax collection.

(Burlington Northern has $7.99 million in assessed and their taxes account for 0.79 percent of the county’s total.)

The county’s three largest taxpayers are Washington Water Power, Pacific Gas Transmission, General Telephone and Union Pacific.

Union Pacific received permission in October to abandon 69 miles of track between Colfax and Seltice and Tekoa and Fairfield. The Port of Whitman County led an unsuccessful two-year fight to save the lines.

***

Geo Hanson, a veteran of 17 years in the retail shoe business, has joined Colfax food stores in offering evening hours for shoppers. Hanson’s new store, Colfax Discount Shoes, is now operating weekdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The store, located next to the Whitman Mall, marked its grand opening last week. So far, response to the store has been excellent, Hanson said.

“A lot of times people come home from work and if they decide to go and get shoes I want to be open,” he said, noting the Colfax retailers are in competition with stores in Pullman and Moscow which have evening hours.

“Colfax area people really do want to shop at home when they can do it,” Hanson commented.

Hanson, who was raised in Mobridge, S. D., has spent most of his career in Minneapolis. He came to this area about a year ago and was with Payless Shoes in Moscow before starting his business.

His Colfax store, which is open Saturdays from 10 to 7 and Sundays from 12 to 6, marked its grand opening last week.

Nita Geissler is manager of the Colfax store with Daria Whitmore, Susan Santos and Melissa Blankenship on the staff.

Hanson, who resides in Palouse, started his operation with Family Discount Shoes in Pullman. He plans to open Kids Discount Shoes in Moscow in about two weeks.

***

The county’s current expense fund will get a monthly credit line of up to $500,000 to help ease cash flow problems, the county commissioners said Monday.

It will help pay claims and meet payroll during those months when tax collections do not meet expenses, the commissioners explained. September and March, which precede tax payment deadlines, are especially bad months for the county to stretch out its cash, they said.

Commissioner Bill Schmick of Endicott said the arrangement probably would need to be long term.

“It depends on how low our reserves get,” Schmick said. “When we had large cash reserves, we did not need to do this.”

The county has been balancing its budget by tapping reserves, he noted.

As the county weans itself from using the reserves, it could lead to serious cash flow problems in some months, Schmick added.

The county reduced its dependence on reserves from $518,000 last year to $300,000 in the 1992 budget.

The county’s cash reserves now stand at about $800,000, according to Finance Director Dick Brown. Last year they were over $1 million. Most of the reserves are sunk into investments and the county’s access to cash is limited.

The money will come from the Equipment Rental and Rehabilitation, administered by the county public works department. The fund charges rent for the use of equipment by the public works department. It is set up under law as a means of building a fund for replacing equipment and other capital needs. It has about $2.5 million invested.

The money must be repaid every month plus interest equal to that earned by the state investment pool, Brown said.

“We have no long term debt, but we need somewhere to borrow,” added commissioner Nora Mae Keifer.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

March 22, 2007

Downtown Colfax will gain a takeout pizza business, Westside Pizza, which will be operated by Rodney Nelson and Aaron Olson from Colville.

The Colfax business will be the 12th Westside Pizza outlet in the state. The franchise was founded by Jason West of Colville.

Nelson and Olson used to hang out at West’s pizzeria in Colville when they were in high school.

“This (Colfax) was the first place I looked at,” said Nelson. He added they checked out eight different locations in Colfax before deciding on their location which will be in the former barber shop just south of the Top Notch Café.

After residing on the west side of the state for six years where he was an employee with the Department of Defense, Nelson said he is ready to get back to small town life and looks forward to opening the pizza place in Colfax.

“It’s a big job change going from working on nuclear reactors to making pizza every day,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to work for myself.”

Olson, who has been employed as a welder, also wanted to pursue the option of starting of a Westside franchise.

Nelson has been commuting to Colfax from Spokane while he works to get the building ready and all the equipment, including ovens, installed.

Olson has been training with West in Colville. By the time they open in Colfax, Olson will have approximately two months experience in running the business. They have not yet pegged a date for the Colfax opening.

“The sooner the better, but we don’t want to cut corners to do that,” Nelson said.

Westside Pizza specializes in take-out and delivery. Nelson said they will also sell pizza by the slice. Delivery will be free, within a set radius.

***

The fate of the Palouse Community Center and its entities has taken another turn. A decision has been made to sell the building to Sam and Heidi Kite, proprietors of Open Eye Consignment Shop, for $40,000. According to board member Paula Echanove, two offers were made for the building and the board took the best of the offers.

“I think everybody is happy,” said Echanove.

Heidi Kite said she intends to move her store into the former community center. She chose the building because it was one of the few in town that was for sale and she wanted to own her own building.

She rents her present space.

Repairs on the building are already being done.

“Actually, we were working on it today,” Kite said Tuesday.

Programs at the community center were discontinued after the December heating bill topped $500. The community center’s store, Needful Things, and on-line bookstore were moved to a rented apartment in downtown Palouse.

When word spread around town that the board was considering tearing the building down, a new group stepped forward to collect signatures to keep the building operational until a new one could be built.

The board hopes to use the sale proceeds and other funds as the base to build a new building on a lot adjacent to the present building.

“I hope we can keep the momentum going and get it built,” Echanove expressed.

At their February meeting, the community center board reorganized. Among new members were part of the group to save the center’s programs. According to Echanove, the sale is being finalized through an attorney.