Bulletin column: August 17, 2017

Aug 17, 20170

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.

CEMETERY LEVY PASSES BY THREE VOTES

The Colfax Cemetery District's $250,000 special levy proposal officially passed by a margin of three yes votes. The district picked up nine more yes votes in the final count which was conducted Monday.

The measure had been believed to be in trouble because of a lack of the required turnout of voters after the second ballot count of the Aug. 1 returns.

State law requires a voter turnout of at least 40 percent of the turnout from the previous general election. The last general election was the November presidential election which usually draws the largest turnout in the four-year election cycle.

That meant a turnout of 823 votes was required for the Colfax cemetery district ballot measure. After a final count Monday, the district still lagged with 789 total votes, but the measure was approved because its count of yes votes topped 60 percent of the 823 required. It needed 493 yes votes, and it wound up with 496. The prior count had been 487, six short of the required yes number.

Other results of the final count showed Farmington voters approved two of its three special levy measures, but rejected the proposal for $12,000 in street repairs with only 56 percent yes votes. Approved were proposals for $20,000 to buy fire and other equipment and $8,000 to bolster the town's current expense fund.

Garfield's proposal for a $62,000 street levy failed with only 58.25 percent yes votes.

Garfield's mayoral race finished with 89 votes for Jarrod Pfaff and 74 for incumbent Ray McCown. Both will advance to the general election ballot.

Final counts for the two Pullman City Council races and the school board did not alter the lineup of nominees which will be on the general election ballot.

Final ballot count totaled 3,644 for a return of 20.98 percent of the 17,367 registered voters in the county.

CANVASS BOARD OKAYS 80 VOTES

The election canvass board Tuesday morning added 80 votes to the count after reviewing the ballots presented by the elections office. The count included 56 ballots with questionable signatures, 25 email or fax ballots, two unsigned and seven in the miscellaneous category.

A total of 31 ballots were rejected because of late postmarks, and 16 because of questionable signatures. A total of 1,496 ballots were returned by the post office as undeliverable.

LADDER TRUCK PASSES PUMP TEST

The Colfax Fire Department's ladder truck Monday passed a pump capacity test in a second round of testing at the Colfax Fire Station. The 1979 Maxim ladder truck was one of three fire rigs which passed the test after failing in the first round.

Failure of the ladder truck to pass the test in the first round was described as a surprise because the truck has normally been able to pass the test.

The truck Monday passed the test which requires pumping 1,500 gallons a minute and sustaining a pressure of 210 psi for a short duration.

Fire Capt. Tim Tingley said one of the suspected causes of the ladder truck's failure in the first round was the winter fuel blend in its tanks. Winter blend fuel caused the truck engine to heat up in the first test earlier this summer, reducing performance.

The city's ladder truck still needs to pass state Labor and Industries requirements for the support structure of its cab. A plan for repair of the cab support system has been submitted.

The first-round failure of the ladder truck had increased city concerns about a possible drop in fire ratings with just one truck certified. Possible repair of the engine or purchase of another truck were briefly discussed at the July 17 session of the city council.

The city's four-wheel drive truck has failed for years to pass the pump test, and the department has started a long-range plan to replace that truck.

Fire trucks from Endicott and Albion were also brought to Colfax and passed their tests Tuesday after failing to qualify in the first round of tests, Tingley reported.

CAMPUS GOP PRESIDENT RESIGNS

James Allsup, president of the WSU Republicans, has resigned because of campus reaction after he was known to have attended the Charlottesville demonstrations which evolved into a riot over the weekend. According to WSU's Monday Daily Evergreen, news of Allsup's trip to Charlottesville generated a "social media storm" on campus.

Allsup's departure was announced by the club's vice president, Amir Rezamand, who also said he has taken over as president of the campus group.

In his message reported in Monday's Evergreen, Rezamand points out Allsup was not representing WSU College Republicans in Charlottesville and has repeatedly and publicly disavowed any connection with Nazism.

Campus Republican National Committee chair Chandler Thornton Monday released a statement condemning in the "strongest way possible" acts committed by white supremacists in Charlottesville.

WSU President Kirk Schulz issued a statement which said the WSU senior leadership team strongly denounces racism and Nazism of any kind and condemns the violence that occurred in Charlottesville.

"Hate has no place at WSU," President Schulz said in his message.

CITY REPAIRS CHANNEL CRACKS

Two large cracks in the floor of the South Palouse Flood channel have been filled by city crews. The two patch jobs were on the upstream and downstream side of the S. Main Bridge.

The crack on downstream side of the bridge extended about 20 feet, and the crack in the upstream side was about 15 feet. The cracks were filled with a mortar mix to stop water infiltration which can lead to additional damage when pressure builds from freeze and thaw cycles in the colder weather.

Public Works Director Matt Hammer said other cracks are present in the channel and could undergo repairs. Work on repair of the two cracks took approximately 15 hours.

Hammer said an Army Corps of Engineers inspection of the channel is now underway. He noted the corps checks many factors related to the channel system. The inspection can extend back 15 feet from the actual channel and involves checks of culverts and other drains which feed into the system which includes the North Fork and the South Fork of the Palouse River.

‘ANNIE’

AUDITION

An Aug. 31 audition has been scheduled for "Annie", which will be the musical this fall at Colfax High School. Director Cary Cammack said the musical cast requires many third through sixth grade girls as well as many junior high and high school girls.

Auditions at the high school for the show will be at 6 p.m. for elementary/junior high students and 7 p.m. for high school students. Audition information is posted on Cammack’s webpage at csd300.com and will also be available during school registration.

First day of school at Colfax will be Aug. 29.

This will be the third time Cammack has directed "Annie" for the fall musical. It was the first musical Cammack directed after he arrived in Colfax.

SENTENCED FOR CYCLE CHASE

Jason Owens, 34, Onaway, Idaho, pleaded guilty in superior court Friday to a charge of attempting to elude. Owens was arrested July 18 after the 2006 Kawasaki motorcycle he was riding crashed at the Albion town limits. He was taken to Whitman Hospital for treatment.

Owens was encountered by Trooper Michael Murphy at 11:43 a.m. riding the motorcycle northbound on Highway 195 near the Carothers Road intersection. The motorcycle reportedly reached speeds of 80 mph before Owens turned onto Albion Road. The arrest report said the cycle traveled up to 77 mph while driving eastbound on Albion Road before Owens lost control and crashed.

With credit for days spent in jail prior to arraignment and for good time, Owens was eligible for release after entering his guilty plea. He has signed a waiver for extradition to Latah County.

The extradition petition filed Friday said Owens had been placed in mental health court after being convicted of burglary and disturbing the police. It said a warrant has been posted after he violated terms of mental health court.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau told the court Friday Owens did not have a record of felony convictions but had an extensive record of misdemeanors. Owens told the court he had suffered a relapse.

HAY BALE

COLLISION

A 2017 Hyundai Sonata driven by Camilo E. Depina, Renton, was damaged when it struck a hay bale on Highway 26 15 miles west of Colfax Saturday. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Depina was driving eastbound at 12:58 p.m. and struck the bale.

The hay bale had fallen off a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pickup which was being driven westbound by Elmer A. Bruns of Palouse.

No injuries were reported.

OSBORNE TRUSTEE TO VISIT

Bob Freedman of New York, a trustee of the Robert Osborne estate, is expected to meet with Colfax representatives this week to determine a course of action on what might be done in Colfax with items from the estate of the long-time host of Turner Classic Movies.

Whitman County Library Director Kristie Kirkpatrick said at this point they do not know what items from the estate, if any, could eventually land in Colfax. Freedman has been working with Mr. Osborne's two nieces who reside in the Spokane area.

Osborne spent his high school years in Colfax and worked at the Rose Theatre which was the site of the former Peak Fitness Center on Main Street. He died March 6 in New York City.

Colfax Mayor Todd Vanek at the Aug. 7 council session said the city will step back from any project and leave it up to the library, the Downtown Association and possibly other non-profits to determine a course of action.

Kirkpatrick said one thing she has learned from Freedman is that the Osborne collection does not include any movie playbill posters.

HEADLINE

TRIAL SET IN DRUG CASE

A Sept. 11 trial date was slated for Nelson Hunt, 31, Spokane, after he pleaded not guilty Friday in superior court to charges filed in connection with a Steptoe drug investigation.

Hunt pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of methamphetamine and heroin, both with with intent to deliver, and possession of oxycodone. He was arrested while walking northbound along Highway 195 after deputies confiscated the SUV he was driving while waiting for a search warrant. After getting the warrant, deputies searched the SUV and allegedly found drugs with an estimated street value of $10,000. Sheriff Brett Myers alleged 33 grams of heroin, 13 grams of methamphetamine, prescription pills and drug paraphernalia were found in the SUV during the warrant search.

HEADLINE

LAZCANO MOTION DENIED

The bulk of a motion filed by Daniel Lazcano, one of the brothers convicted for the Dec. 27, 2011, murder of Marcus Schur at Malden, was denied Friday in superior court. Filing from the state penitentiary at Walla Walla, Lazcano had petitioned the court to dismiss an order that he pay $5,474 restitution plus costs and fees when he was sentenced on convictions of first degree murder and unlawful disposal of human remains. He was sentenced in January of 2014 after being convicted by a jury.

Prosecutor Denis Tracy told the court the restitution order calls for Lazcano to pay for the costs of burial of his victim. Tracy said the restitution order is allowed under state law.

The prosecutor pointed out Lazcano should be able to obtain some type of inmate employment while he is serving his sentence in the state penitentiary at Walla Walla. Tracy said even if Lazcano gets paid at an inmate rate of five cents or 25 cents an hour, the sum should go for paying costs of his victim's burial.

Lazcano, now 26, was sentenced to 324 months in prison for fatally shooting Schur in an alley in Malden. Lazcano was found guilty of shooting Schur with a rifle after Schur fled a residence on Bluebird Street where he was reportedly attending a dinner gathering.

Mr. Schur, who had been reported as a missing person after he was last seen at the Malden residence, was found when his bound body was discovered in Bonnie Lake by a fisherman March 25, 2012.

Tracy said he estimates Lazcano still has about 25 years to serve out his sentence.

Judge Gary Libey denied Lazcano's petition related to the $5,474 burial costs for Schur, but he did dismiss the $800 fines and fees which were included in the sentence. He noted chances of Lazcano ever paying the sum were remote.

HEADLINE

OSB