Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 59
At last Thursday's Port of Whitman meeting, Debbie Snell, Port properties and development manager, relayed a report on demographics for 2018 which was presented at the annual Palouse Commercial Real Estate conference in Moscow. Their market review for 2018 depicted demographics for the Palouse area by surveying 4,154 units. In Whitman County, 2.4 percent of housing units are vacant, according to the review. The average rent for all units in Whitman County was $928, according to the market review. In Pullman, rental rates were $688 for one...
Port of Whitman commissioners June 20 approved the final alternative design for the dock replacement project at Boyer Park. The approved design includes replacing docks one and two and installing a headwalk to connect to other docks. The design would also include a pier that connects to an 80-foot ADA accessible ramp. The state's Recreational and Conservation Office grant the port intends to seek for the project has a $1 million ceiling. Costs of the option approved last week would be $400,000 m...
The LaCrosse Farmer’s Festival returns this weekend with food, events and contests for both kids and adults. Things rev up Friday, June 21, with barbecue 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bank of Eastern Washington. Festivities will commence Saturday with a breakfast served at the LaCrosse Café from 8 to 10 a.m. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. attendees can buy T-shirts, Italian sodas, snow cones and beverages on Main Street and at the city park. LaCrosse Community Pride will host a silent auction from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Store Building. All ages are we...
Reports from the past few years show Whitman County with high rates of food insecurity and poverty. To help combat those issues there are several food programs that help serve those struggling in the county. However, program managers have expressed the need for more volunteers from the community. Paige Collins, Whitman County Council on Aging (COA) executive director, said the two biggest problems with attracting residents to use their services is finding transportation to pantries and the stigma about people who use a food bank. She said...
Whitman County farmers this summer can use a selective weed spraying unit, WEEDit, to more effectively spray for weeds and drastically reduce the cost of chemicals. Brian Bell, Whitman conservation district manager, said WEEDit, a product which evolved from Netherlands-based research, uses infrared sensors and lasers to detect weeds in crop fields. The laser sensors detect chlorophyll found in plants, and direct nozzle sprays only at where plants are growing. Bell noted the machine can be used...
County commissioners and employees discussed recycling costs and improvement projects for Whitman County at a workshop session Monday morning. Commissioner Dean Kinzer reported an update from the recent Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting. He said it is now $100 a ton to move recycling items out of the county waste transfer station, and $15 a ton for cardboard. “Costs for recycling are basically upside down,” Kinzer said. Those using the transfer station to recycle will be the ones who will feel the rising costs, he said. “They're sayin...
St. John is expected to have another record-breaking year for boat participants during this season's kick-off event at Webb's Slough in St. John Saturday. This year 37 teams, including 11 new teams, have entered, according to Amanda Webb. Drivers and teams will travel from Australia, British Columbia, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Idaho and Washington to compete this weekend, she said. Gates open at 9 a.m. for the boat races Saturday and racing starts at 10 a.m. Tickets for Saturday are $25 for adults, $15 for kids ages six to 17 and free for kids...
Whitman County is the 22nd in the country for market value of grain products sold, according to the 2017 agricultural census conducted by the USDA National Statistics Service Whitman County was ranked number one for the market value of grains in the state, and number two for pigs, sheep and goats. The number of farms in Whitman County as of 2017 was 1,039, a decrease of 13 percent since 2012. Although the number of farms decreased, the average size of the farms increased by 16 percent. The average size of a farm being 1,240 acres, according to...
Whitman County commissioners discussed affordable housing in the county and new water quality standards with John Culton, Eastern Washington director for U.S. senator Patty Murray during a workshop session Monday morning. Commissioner Dean Kinzer reported there is $175 million in the Washington state Housing Trust Fund for the next biennium. He said the fund issues grants and loans to low-income families for home improvement projects. To qualify, the person needs to own the home, be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere and have an...
Three young sisters from Rosalia started selling manicure kits as a way to raise funds for their cousin, Malia, who was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was four years old. Caryn Bothman, the mother of the girls, said just 18 months after the young girls raised enough funds for their cousin from selling manicure and earbud sets, the three sisters created a "Tough As Nails" non-profit. "They were inspired by the fact they could make a difference," Bothman said. The three students, upcoming...
Port of Whitman commissioners and staff members discussed the potential of loaning funds to the City of Tekoa for its airport fueling system at the June 6 meeting. About a year ago, the Tekoa airport's credit card fuel supplier from Pullman decided he was no longer going to supply the airport. "This was not something advantageous for him," said Roy Schulz, Tekoa city council member who represented the airport at the meeting. He said they didn't have airplane fuel for awhile, so the city council...
The Whitman County Public Health Department and WSU recently formed a partnership to create a medical hub in Pullman in the event a major outbreak were to occur. Sarah Blatner, WSU emergency management coordinator, said the partnership was signed into effect in mid-May. If a major public health outbreak happened, like a large group of people with measles, the partnership would allow face masks, medicine and immunizations to be distributed. The measles outbreak in western Washington has been a concern for eastern Washington, but the medical hub...
Gavin Merritt, Rosalia high school senior, started his running career in middle school, but it wasn't until high school when he began to succeed. At the state track meet in Cheney last week, Merritt placed second in the 3200 and fifth in the 1600. Last fall he placed third at the state cross country meet. Merritt said his inspiration to run came from wanting to be better than his brother. "I wanted to be like my brother," he said. "I wanted to be fast." Merritt said his brother, Gage, competed t...
Whitman County commissioners discussed public works projects coming up in the future at a workshop session Monday morning in Colfax. Mark Storey, Whitman County Public Works director, said the Public Works department began the repair planning process for parts of the Public Service Building. The Geo-technology report showed a pocket of uncompacted fill underneath a portion of the building that has been settling since at least 1974. Storey said they are still in the process of planning the repair. Brandy Dean, Whitman County facilities manager,...
With the school year coming to a close, Palouse Empire Fair staff members remind students to keep their school projects to enter into this year’s fair. “Your imagination is the limit for what kids can enter,” Janel Goebel, fair manager, said. Kids can enter the fair through FFA, 4H or open class. Adults are free to enter in, too. Art in several mediums like charcoal, crayon, ballpoint pen, colored pencil and watercolor can be entered for the still life category. “You could potentially do the same picture in a different form, and all those a...
Rosalia will celebrate the 50th edition of Battle Days with a wide variety of events this weekend. To kickoff the weekend, members of the Rosalia Float committee will host a talent show in the Rosalia High School gym at 7 p.m. Friday. Saturday’s festivities will commence at 7 a.m. with a breakfast sponsored by the Rosalia Boy Scouts, which will be at the Fire Station until 9:30 a.m. The Battle Days 5k/10k Fun Run will start at 8 a.m. Participants will be required to sign in at the fire station. A kids parade will begin at 10 a.m. with the t...
Over the next two weekends, high schools in Whitman County will hold commencement ceremonies to mark the graduation of 329 students. This year’s class of 2019 totals 10 students less than last year. Other numbers from past years include 299 in 2017, 287 in 2016 and 306 in 2015. Four schools – Oakesdale, LaCrosse, Pullman and St. John/ Endicott – increased their senior enrollment numbers by a total of 16 students compared to last year. Rosalia, Colfax and Garfield/Palouse saw their number of graduating seniors decrease by 26 since last year. Gra...
St. John School District board of directors at a special meeting last Thursday approved a funding measure to replace roofing at the school, using a special non-voted bond. In 2018, St. John voters approved a two-year capital levy for the school with $250,000 to be collected in 2019 and again 2020. Because contractors will need to be paid sooner than 2020, the board approved a $480,000 bond that will be paid off as the levy money is collected, according to Dana Crider, district business manager....
One Rosalia community member saw the need and stepped in to continue the Rosalia royalty program. Tanya Charles, USPS employee and long-time Whitman County resident, in Nov. 2016 created a nonprofit called the Rosalia Community Float and Royalty Association. The Rosalia Chamber of Commerce had sponsored the program before, but in 2016 the coordinator went on maternity leave and was unable to lead it. "I saw the need; someone had to do it," she said. Charles said the nonprofit continued the...
County commissioners discussed Graphic Informational Systems in Whitman County and heard an update about the Hawkins development Tuesday morning at their workshop session. Whitman County will work throughout the summer to update GIS in the county, Public Works Director Mark Storey said. GIS is a data mapping system that is used to map out fire hydrants, school zones, town and city limits and election zones, Lance Bishop, Whitman County IT Director, said. Storey added GIS also collects data on roads and bridges. Bishop said GIS is very precise...
The Washington State Board of Education honored several Whitman County schools for the 2017-2018 school year. In the first phase of the school recognition system, 216 schools across Washington were recognized for three different categories: closing gaps, growth and achievement. “This is a new recognition program,” Jake Dingman, Oakesdale superintendent and principal, said. “They haven’t done this before.” Dingman said Oakesdale was recognized because the large amount of ninth graders on track to graduate, high attendance records and the schoo...
Whitman County residents should expect to hear from Avista about installing a new smart meter in their home. Paul Kimmell, Avista Palouse regional manager, said smart meters are an advanced metering technology. They provide more information to Avista and the customers. Kimmell said installation of smart meters started in Spokane, and crews are now working in Zone 7, which includes Spangle, St. John, Endicott and all the way down past Pullman. Customers can see instantaneously how much power they are using that day, he said. Smart meters...
The Port of Whitman is taking the next step in improving roads and the drainage system at the Port of Whitman Air Center. The Flightline Drive Realignment/Drainage Improvement Project would include paving existing airport access roads and installing a new drainage infrastructure, said Debbie Snell, Port of Whitman properties and development manager. This project has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. Snell said based on estimates from engineers, the total project is expected to cost in the $550,000 range. The port is in the...
The blood-feeding parasites known as ticks are showing up at a rapid pace as the weather warms up. Dusty farmer Kimberley Gustafson said she noticed tick infestations were heavy along the Alkali Creek and a large number were found on her cattle and and horses. Gustafson said their cattle prevention technique was successful this year. They use a skin treatment that they pour over their cattle, and it goes throughout the cattle’s system before the tick season picks up. She said area ticks are most active at the end of March, through early May. ...
A National Weather Service meteorologist last week reported their radars did not catch the rain storm that led to flooding of N. Grand Street in Pullman. Warning Coordination Meteorologist Andy Brown told the Whitman County Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) the weather radar in Spokane was not working properly during the flood. The forecast showed the rain would lighten up when it hit Pullman, but the radar was actually scanning above rain clouds which delivered the blow to north Pullman....
