Good Old Days: Feb. 1, 2018

125 years ago

The Commoner

January 27, 1893

The McCowan boys and Champ Payne entered pleas of not guilty in Superior Court Tuesday to the charge of murder in the first degree for the killing of Langford Summers at Garfield. The attorneys for the defendants this morning asked the court to fix a time for hearing a motion for a change of venue and Feb. 13 was named.

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The Mask Social given by the Congregational Ladies' Aid Society at their church Monday evening was well attended. After unmasking, recitations and songs were rendered and the affair, besides resulting in netting a handsome sum for the church, was a delightful social success.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

January 25, 1918

A number of scarlet fever cases are reported at Steptoe. The cases reported are not considered serious, but the directors of the Steptoe school have decide to close the school in order that the disease will have no chance to spread. By order of the school board, the teachers closed the school last Monday but it is expected that an order opening the school will be issued in a few days.

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The big slide that occurred on the Buck Canyon grade late last week has been cleared away. The cleanup was done under the direction of the county engineer who ordered the workers not to attempt to clear away all of the slide, but just that portion that blocked the roadway. The slide occurred at the foot of the canyon and the blockade was discovered at once.

75 years ago

The Colfax Gazette-Commoner

January 22, 1943

Icy sidewalks under a heavy coating of snow made walking hazardous Thursday morning, and five Colfax women were hospitalized with broken bones.

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A trash and waste-oil fire in the alley east of Main Street, between Island and Upton streets, was brought quickly under control by firemen Saturday evening. Hot ashes were believed to have caused the fire.

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A stuck valve in the heating system in the engine room of the courthouse came so near putting out the furnace fire as to cause discomfort throughout the entire building Wednesday morning until the noon hour. Overflow from radiator pipes caused the furnace fire box to nearly fill with water and puddles to form near radiators in many of the offices.

50 years ago

The Colfax Gazette

January 25, 1968

Patrons of the St. John Cooperative Telephone & Telegraph Co. are being offered a new service by Manager Larry Dickerson and from all indications they are enjoying it. The latest is “Dial-a-History” and it is proving popular with both young and old on the St. John system. Dickerson rigged up a tape recorder to play a recording of the early history of St. John over the phone when a certain number is dialed, and each week a new installment is placed in the recorder. The history was compiled by local people and telephone subscribers are getting the “second installment” lasting about three minutes this week and the third installment will go on the line Saturday or Sunday.

25 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

January 28, 1993

A 20 degree jump in temperatures this week forced county and state road crews to make a fast change of modes, from frozen snow to water. The thaw this week has left some roads covered with water, with mudslides blocking segments of roads in the central part of the county. Crews have been working long shifts to keep up with the onslaught of water and mud.

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The county has posted county roads with weight restrictions due to the weather change this week. The county restricted gross allowable loads over 233 pounds-per-inch of tire surface or more than 19,560 pounds gross vehicle weight.

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Whitman County Parks Board voted unanimously to decline the proposed rail property abandonment of the former Union Pacific, Tekoa and Pleasant Valley lines at their meeting Tuesday night. Board members cast the vote after listening to objections from landowners who live along the abandoned right-of-way which had been proposed as a trail under federal rail banking legislation. The board reluctantly declined the offer, citing the burdens of cost to the county, the possible liabilities involved and the potential for negative impacts on other park operations.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

January 24, 2008

Winter snow and rain may prove beneficial to area farmers, but no matter how much moisture winter snow drops, little is occurring for local aquifers. Recent precipitation has some county residents optimistic about the end of the drought. Experts have stated that things are looking good, but that does not mean it will be the end.

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Whitman County is late in reporting its financial statements for fiscal year 2006 to the State Auditor's office. The office turned up the finding during its weekly status report Jan. 14. The auditor's office is currently performing its annual review of the county's financial statements.