Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 2119
COLFAX - The Perkins House aims for Phase Three of renovations to the 1886 structure. The organization is seeking $30,000 to create two drain fields to pull water away from the foundation of the house. Phase Three work is planned to take place next summer. Phase Two was completed in April. Mortar was upgraded around the house to secure loose and falling bricks. Phase One wood supports were replaced inside the basement with concrete work to lift the house and make it more level. Organizers...
COLFAX — A new Colfax Chamber of Commerce president started on Aug. 1. Molly Keogh, formerly of Sammamish, moved to town last year and was approached about the position by Suzy McNeilly, Whitman County director of Southeast Washington Economic Development Association (SEWEDA), and Nancy Cochran, a member of the Colfax Downtown Association. “One of my goals moving here was to help the community,” said Keogh, whose father, Jim Fitzgerald, is a longtime local landowner and has retired here. Keogh previously owned a corporate gift company in Olymp...
COLFAX — Concern about the condition of McDonald Park restrooms were brought to the Colfax city council by two people on Aug. 2. It led to assurances that it's being addressed by the city. Mayor Pro-Tem Jim Kackman said the input was welcome. "We thought they had some legitimate concerns and we'll get them addressed," Kackman said. Matt Hammer, city public works director, is talking to the maintenance contractor, who takes care of the restrooms during the April-October season. City parks s...
COLFAX - A new ordinance bans camping on Whitman County right-of-ways along a 27-mile stretch of the Snake River. Passed unanimously by county commissioners on Aug. 2. The move followed a public hearing with no testimony. Concerns from the county health department and Whitman County Fire District 12 about encampments along the river led to the decision. Camping is banned within 500 feet of the centerline of Wawawai Road along the designated stretch, except for places marked specifically for...
WEBB'S SLOUGH - A debut is in the making for the next sprint boat races in St. John on Aug. 28. Dangerous Curves is a team of locals, Mike Thomas and Clint O'Keefe, who formed last year and waited out the pandemic-canceled 2020 season. Then the night before the opening race at Webb's Slough in June, they put the boat in the water for a test run and it did not go as they hoped. "Catastrophic failure," said Thomas. The boat sucked in water, ruined two push-rods, and bent a valve. No racing for...
COLFAX - Weightlifting ends early because harvest started early. Colfax High School football players finish at 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday weights workouts this week, unless they are already lost to working in the fields. The team reconvenes on Aug. 18 for two-a-days practices. "I told them, as I do every year, get out of the truck, run to the top of the hill, do push-ups, do sit-ups, don't just sit out there," said Colfax Coach Mike Morgan. Once back on grass and out of the stubble,...
COLFAX - The Colfax School District board approved a 2021-22 budget on July 26, based on a projection of 534 students, up to five from last year. The total includes $8.6 million in the general fund, $1.2 million in debt service for bond payments, $500,000 in capital projects, $209, 674 for the associated student body fund, and $150,000 for the transportation fund. District Business Manager Reece Jenkin presented the numbers to the board. "You're going to see a reduction in our state revenue,"...
ROSALIA - "Where's my picture?" "How come it didn't get in?" "It better get in next week. Put it on the front page." Mike Day, of Rosalia, has been a contributor to the Whitman County Gazette since before the Warren Commission. Some weeks have been more satisfying than others. It started when he was a boy. His mother told him to come right home from St. Patrick's in Colfax after school to the apartment above the tavern on Main Street, where his father worked. He was to change clothes and go...
COLFAX - Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack was in a call with Gov. Jay Inslee on July 26 to promote COVID-19 vaccinations. The state Secretary of Health and 15-20 others joined as state officials seek suggestions for how to increase COVID-19 vaccinations in Eastern Washington. Representatives on the line were mainly from Whitman, Asotin, and Garfield counties. Swannack made two suggestions on the call. One was not to pester farmers too much at this time of year because of harvest, and...
COLFAX - Tri-County League youth swimming heads toward the 56th annual Jerry Cluckey Memorial championship meet on Aug. 7. St. John-Endicott-LaCrosse-Washtucna (SELW) is at the top of the standings (4-0). Pullman holds second at 3-1, followed by Colfax in third (2-2), Pomeroy (1-3), and Garfield-Palouse-Oakesdale-Plummer (GPOP) is in last (0-4). On July 27, SELW beat GPOP at Endicott. Kids with an individual first-place finish in a race include, for SELW, Ryan Anderson, Eliora Armstrong,...
COLFAX - Plans for the return of the Palouse Empire Fair are moving forward and is six weeks away. New features of the "Back in the Saddle" fair in its return from last year's cancelation are a concert, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeo on Thursday and Friday nights with mini-bull riding on Saturday night, and more. "Plans are going 100%, just like a regular fair," said Bill Tensfeld, fair director. "It's a good feeling, I'll tell you." New attractions include a 60-foot long...
COLFAX — Sixteen-year-old Corbin Burt won six swim races at the Tri-County Swim League meet on July 22 against Pullman. Burt races in the boys age 15-18 category. His first-place finishes included the 100 meter-freestyle, 50-meter freestyle, 50-meter butterfly, 100-meter individual medley, 50-meter breaststroke, and 50-meter backstroke. Haven Inman, 8, took first in two races for Colfax. She won the girls 8-under 25-meter butterfly and 8-under 25-meter breaststroke. Other Colfax finishers to w...
CHAMPAGNE, ILL. — Susannah Scaroni wasn’t even racing. She was pushing road miles in a wheelchair as a freshman and sophomore at Carroll College in Helena, Mont. Then her chemistry professor told her about a GPS-based website “Map My Run.” It turns out her little route was 22 miles. “I was just doing this because I liked it,” she said. Scaroni got a call inviting her to transfer to the University of Illinois to train in a wheelchair racing program. A coach connected to it knew of her through her...
COLFAX — Colfax Fire Chief Craig Corbeill resigned July 19 and named his successor, Michael Chapman. Speaking at the city council meeting, Corbeill said he needed to resign to spend time working at the Bruning Funeral Home. The company acquired a third operation in Dayton. “I feel like I’m letting the department down but I’m out of gas,” he said. As a volunteer fire chief, Corbeill has the jurisdiction to appoint a successor. He chose Chapman “with the full and unanimous support of the fire department.” Chapman was the assistant chief and he...
MALDEN — A fiber optic internet network is coming to Malden and Pine City. The Port of Whitman announced the award of $1.7 million from the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Economic Revitalization Board 9 (CERB) for the project. The design is to be complete by the end of the year with construction to start in early 2022 and finished by the late spring. The port commits $433,730 in local matching funds for the estimated total cost of $2.2 million. The work brings broadband int...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington spring wheat isn't doing well, according to the July 19 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Crop Progress report. The spring wheat condition is the percentage of kernels in Washington deemed "good" or "excellent." They did not register on the chart. "Very poor" spring wheat accounted for 45%, "poor" 43%, and "fair" 12%. "Looking around the countryside, I'd say that's pretty accurate," said Gary Bailey, a wheat grower west of St. John and board member of the Washin...
COLFAX — Critical race theory drew people to make comments at the Colfax School Board meeting on July 26. The district moved the meeting to the gym to accommodate about 80 people attending. In an interview the next day, Colfax School District Superintendent Jerry Pugh addressed references speakers made to critical race theory, and whether Colfax teachers had undergone training to use it. "There is nothing of critical race theory that we are contemplating, that we are promoting in the district,"...
COLFAX — About 80 people attended the Colfax School District board meeting to comment on mandatory mask-wearing, critical race theory, and more. The meeting was moved to the school auditorium on July 26. People spoke at a microphone using their three minutes of allotted time to express their opinions. "We're here to listen," said board President Terry Huber. Teacher Christopher Clausen spoke in support of the board and its "partnership" with the Colfax Education Association. He is the president....
COLFAX - Second-quarter construction in Whitman County returned to previous averages after a bump for the period in 2020. New Whitman County Building Inspector Ginny Rumiser reported on Monday to county commissioners. For second-quarter 2021, the county issued 65 building permits, with eight pending. A total of 36 final inspections were performed. Total construction values were $3.3 million and permit fees were $25,922. "I think it's getting back to the usual, the normal," said Rumiser. Last...
COLFAX — Concerns about a camp have Whitman County commissioners considering a camping ban along part of the Snake River. The county may ban camping within 500 feet of the centerline of Wawawai Road along a 27- mile stretch, except for places marked specifically for camping. An unauthorized camp with several vehicles and tents appeared near the Port of Wilma. The camp had two recent fires. One burned a camper and another damaged part of the inside of a van. Whitman County Public Health and Whitman County Fire District 12 concerns led c...
COLFAX - A new look takes shape for the Whitman County Council on Aging and Human Services and COAST Transportation offices on Main Street in Colfax. The work replaces a brown metal facade and cracked stucco sides. The new front of the building features an overhang in the dark green color of the department's logo. The agencies are using a $9,000 grant from the Colfax Downtown Association to pay for part of the work. Local contractor Andy Gylling began the project on July 5 and is working at...
ROSALIA - The Rolling Hills Rodeo took place in Rosalia on July 17-18. With rodeos in June, July, and August, the Rolling Hills Rodeo Association (RHRA) is only inviting members to compete this year due to starting the season under COVID-19 restrictions. Running only timed events, the schedule includes barrels, poles, goat-tying, breakaway roping, team roping, and calf tracking. The event includes steer daubing, a precursor to steer wrestling, and California stake, which is when a horse and ride...
COLFAX - St. Ignatius Hospital's transformation to an events center and hotel is underway. Owner Austin Storm plans to include a restaurant, artist studios, and classrooms. Storm is starting by raising money to repair room-size sections of floors damaged by a leak in the roof. The damage extends through four floors. "To stabilize it so it's not getting worse, that is the first quest," said Storm. "There's a column of damage in the building. It really is a rescue mission at this point." Water...
MALDEN - Candidates for Malden town council and mayor offices offered a wide assortment of information and answers from corruption to the way of life. The League of Women Voters organized the candidate forum on July 17 in the town park. Under a tent next to the temporary town library and food bank, the two-hour event featured questions and answers, and opening and closing statements. Council candidates include a woman who lost everything in the Labor Day 2020 fire, another whose 82-year-old...
COLFAX — Two new passing lanes on State Route 26, between Colfax and Dusty, have been delayed. Originally set for construction this summer, the start date was pushed to next year due to delays related to the pandemic, according to Ryan Overton, public information officer for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Construction is now scheduled to begin in the spring of 2022 with completion set for 2023. The date for the project to go to bid was moved from March to Nov. 15. In the spring of 2020 when pandemic restrictions hit,...