Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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COLFAX — County commissioners will decide whether to hold a ribbon-cutting for the newly expanded moderate waste recycling building at the county landfill south of the city. The tentative date would be March 9. County Public Works Director Mark Storey said he could go either way. “It would be kind of fun to stand at a large distance, with caution tape all over and cut a ribbon,” Commissioner Art Swannack added. “I don’t mind a little pomp and circumstance,” Commissioner Tom Handy said. “Things are pretty bleak everywhere else.” A decision was...
COLFAX--Whitman County Commissioner Dean Kinzer has taken a slim lead over challenger Tom Handy with 2,000 more ballots counted last night, Nov. 5. Kinzer added 881 votes and Handy 814, bringing them to 7,564 and 7,560, respectively. Kinzer has claimed more votes from every precinct in the county except Albion and Pullman; all of Pullman’s 28 rural and city precincts favor Handy. There are 69 precincts in the county. An estimated 3,500 ballots remain to be counted with the next count scheduled for Monday evening. A mandatory recount will be c...
ROSALIA - The 2020 Bridge Day celebration is going virtual this year. It is set for Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. The fourth annual presentation of local railroad heritage and local history and which has in the past included a history hike on the former Milwaukee Road grade over the iconic Rosalia Concrete Arch Bridges will be virtual. The grade is now part of Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. Mark Borleske will open the evening with a short retrospective in pictures of the towns of Pine City and Malden and the Manning Bridge. Although Malden and Pine...
PULLMAN –– The ballot issues forum hosted by the Pullman League of Women Voters and Pullman Chamber of Commerce is tonight at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The link is available via the league's website lwvpullman.org. Issues include Senate Joint Resolution 8212, a constitutional amendment on investment of public funds; Referendum 90 regarding comprehensive sexual health education for students, and four advisory measure. Questions can only be submitted prior to the forum. Questions can be emailed to lwvpullman@yahoo.com, include “issue question” in the sub...
UNIONTOWN—A mini excavator and trailer were stolen from the Uniontown city shop Thursday, and Whitman County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in the matter. The 2004 Cat 305CR mini excavator was removed from the shop chained to a black and color 2008 C&B model trailer with wood deck and sides. All attachments were on the mini excavator, including a blade and arm with scoop bucket. License plate on the trailer is 47603D. The equipment is co-owned by the towns of Colton and Uniontown. Anyone with information on the theft is asked...
COLFAX—The word “interim” is no longer part of the title for the head of the Colfax Police Department. Bruce Blood was confirmed as Chief of Police at the Sept. 8 City Council meeting. According to city officials, Blood was the only qualified candidate to apply for the position. Blood was appointed interim police chief in May of this year by Mayor Jim Rezter. The city began the hiring process to fill the position in July. Blood has served in the Air Force, Washington State Patrol and Disney parking division. He was a trooper for WSP for 23 ye...
COLFAX--Shortly after 1 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Whitman County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to Huber Action Freight after reports of an individual at that location trying to wave down passing motorists. When Deputy Randy Miller arrived on scene he confronted a subject, identified as Jarrett Lynn Reedy, 31, of Spokane, in the parking lot of the business. According to to the arrest report, Reedy told Deputy Miller he was trying to get home. As Deputy Miller spoke with Reedy he noticed the handle of a firearm sticking out of the pocket of h...
COLFAX--Washington State Patrol responded to two collisions earlier this week, both which involved rear-ending. A collision involving three cars occurred at 11:11 a.m. Sept. 28 on Highway 195 at the intersection with Prune Orchard Road. The three vehicles were all traveling northbound. A 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup driven by Luke Short of Bellingham and a 2014 Dodge Pro Van driven by Jonathan Buri of Colfax slowed for another vehicle turning left onto Prune Orchard Road. A 2007 Workhorse van driven by Quentin Neumann of Palouse struck the Pro...
COLFAX-The Whitman County Public Health Department has updates its recommendation for in-person classes. The department announced Thursday it now supports hybrid or in-person learning for all schools and grades within Whitman County expect Pullman and Tekoa. Previously, Public Health had recommend all middle and high school classes be hybrid for county schools, including Colfax. Colfax elementary students began the school year with in-person classes while middle and high school students have been all on-line. Colfax school families should recei...
UNIONTOWN—A mini excavator and trailer were stolen from the Uniontown city shop Thursday, and Whitman County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in the matter. The 2004 Cat 305CR mini excavator was removed from the shop chained to a black and color 2008 C&B model trailer with wood deck and sides. All attachments were on the mini excavator, including a blade and arm with scoop bucket. License plate on the trailer is 47603D. The equipment is co-owned by the towns of Colton and Uniontown. Anyone with information on the theft is asked t...
Donations have been pouring in to locations throughout the county, some being overwhelmed by the outpouring. According to Deanne Noel of Rosalia who is coordinating local efforts, the greatest need at this time is toiletries including vitamins, emergency packets, razors, shaving cream, deodorant and hairbrushes (there is no need for toothbrushes), half gallons of milk, butter, baking and pancake mixes, cheese, hoodies, baby socks, practical shoes (no high heels), duffel bags, small suitcases, totes, paper products, some baby and toddler food,...
COLFAX--The Manning Fire is now 25% contained with control line in place and fire crews focusing on hot spots. The fire destroyed three single family homes, the Manning Covered Bridge and one other structure, according to the Southeast Washington Type 3 Inter-Agency Team which is managing the fires. The train car which was moved out to the Manning area this spring has been reported as okay. The fire burned 3,063 acres stretching from the Green Hollow Road area to Endicott Road....
MALDEN — The Babb/Malden Fire is now credited with burning 17,781 acres, 1,000 of which were in Spokane County. Crews are performing their final assessments of the Malden and Pine City communities. The current tally from the Southeast Washington Type 3 Inter-Agency Team is 121 single-family homes destroyed, four single-family homes damaged, eight commercial and governmental properties - including Malden City Hall, library, post office, convenience store and Masonic Lodge No. 188 destroyed - a...
As the Colfax Police Department works through the process of hiring two more officers, the three-man force has expanded its coverage time to include nights, which has quelled evening nuisance calls, according to Interim Chief Bruce Blood. Officer Perry Tate has been covering the night shift, patrolling town and talking with people on the street. Blood noted the drop in night time calls shows the effectiveness of officer presence. Meanwhile, the hiring process for two new officers and a chief is underway. Blood said 15 candidates showed up for...
COLFAX—Charges of unlawful hunting of big game in the second degree were filed Aug. 4 in District Court against four men. Department of Fish and Wildlife referred charges June 11, 2020, on nine people from the area for their alleged roles in the illegal take of at least three elk. Five charges were dismissed. According to WDFW, an investigation by WDFW Police officers, along with a Whitman County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, allegedly showed that the men illegally used vehicles to chase, corral and prevent the escape of a large herd of elk nea...
PULLMAN--A “Back to the League” meeting of the Pullman League of Women Voters is set for tonight, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The topic of the meeting will be COVID-19. Two guest speakers are scheduled: Professor Bonnie Gunn, virologist with the Paul Allen School of Global Animal Health, and Troy Henderson, Public Health Director. Gunn will speak on general information about viruses, why and how it gets transferred and the prospects for treatment of vaccine. Henderson will present demographic data, current COVID status and the Whitman Cou...
PULLMAN – A rural mobile medical clinic that visited county towns earlier this year is now parked in Pullman as part of an increased effort in COVID testing by Washington State University. The William A. Crosetto Mobile Health Care Unit visited rural towns at the beginning of the year providing comprehensive primary care and preventive health services. It is now parked by WSU President Todd Schultz’s house to test the influx of students who are believed to be responsible for the massive surge of COVID cases. The Army National Guard unit tha...
ROSALIA—Three men were booked into Whitman County Jail Monday morning after Whitman County Deputies responded to calls of a fight in Rosalia. Christopher Thornton, 20, and Shawn Thornton, 51, were both booked for assault fourth degree. Bobby Robbins, 34, of Malden, was booked on charges of assault second degree, attempted assault second degree and assault fourth degree. According to documents filed in Superior Court, Robbins was under the influence of alcohol when he and the other two men stopped at the home of his ex-girlfriend and c...
WHITMAN COUNTY—A thick stand of dry wheat along with dry, windy conditions Saturday have set the stage for a potentially massive fire in Whitman County. “If something gets going, it (has) potential for a catastrophic event,” said Bill Tensfeld, Rosalia Fire Chief and Whitman County Emergency Management Director. The National Weather Service has elevated Saturday to Critical Fire Weather Conditions. Fires will be able to spread rapidly during Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning, according to NWS. This year’s bumper crop has increased the den...
COLFAX--Jennings Elementary officials have released more information for parents about the start of the upcoming school year. Many areas will be status quo with school days, times, bus routes and PE, music, band, library times the same as usual. In addition to mask wearing on buses and in the school building, students will have their temperatures taken. The school asks parents to do their best to take the temperatures of their students prior to getting onto the bus. Nurses will take each student’s temperature on the first day of school. S...
COLFAX—Census takers were set to begin follow-up work Aug. 9 with households that had not responded to the 2020 Census. Whitman County is one of 20 eastern Washington counties being impacted by the work and is one of the counties with the lowest response rate. Washington state is tied for fourth best-responding state in the nation at 68.9%. Whitman County is on the lower end of the response spectrum with 59% returns. Ferry County is the lowest in eastern Washington with 39.4% while Benton is the best-responding of the east side with 72.7%. T...
A Camano Island man was booked into Whitman County Jail after Pullman Police arrested him at a collision scene Monday evening. According to the police report, Officer Josh Bray 7:00 p.m. at North Grand Avenue and Whitman Street came upon a rear-end collision as it was being reported. When he approached the first vehicle, the driver door was open and the driver had one foot on the ground, the other inside. Bray observed an unopened can of an alcoholic beverage on the floorboard. The driver also exhibited slow, slurred speech and droopy eyes....
The Port of Whitman County will host an informational session today, Aug. 13, at 7 p.m. which will share background about the Port and the roles and responsibilities of a Port Commissioner. While the session is primarily for those interested in applying for the vacant District 1 Commissioner seat, anyone interested in learning more about the Port and what it does may participate. Port district boundaries are the same as county commissioner boundaries. District 1 encompasses part of Pullman, the eastern side of the county north of Pullman and...
COLFAX--A burn ban was issued by Colfax Fire Department Aug. 3 due to dry conditions and high heat advisories. The ban is regularly put in place during the months of August and September which prohibits all open burning. The ban will remain in place until further notice, likely extending beyond traditional parameters to help minimize contact with the public. Residents wishing to dispose of yard waste can haul it to the Whitman County Transfer Station on Carothers Road or Colfax Public Works drop site. Yard waste disposal is free at both...
WHITMAN COUNTY--Tom Handy, the challenger for the Whitman County Commissioner District 2 seat, widened his lead over incumbent Dean Kinzer in the subsequent ballot count. The county elections office added 1,802 ballots to the election night count, bringing the total rate of return to 31.18% with 6,946 so far. The extra ballots gave Handy 162 more votes and Kinzer 155. The two are now at 653 and 615, respectively, of the 2,534 votes cast in that race. Dist. 9 Representative incumbent Republican Mary Dye widened her lead over challenger...