Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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The photography department of the fair usually brings in a lot of entries, and this year some changes are coming, Mary Davidson, multipurpose building superintendent, said. She said a class for black/white photos and one for color will be introduced. In addition, a new display technique will be applied in the hopes of drawing more attention to the photo section. The photography section, formerly along the side of the building will be centered. A display to showcase the fair theme and a display for special contests, like the people’s choice c...
Bunyard's Automotive in Colfax donated an ADA accessible van to Changing Lives ministry in Spokane July 24 after purchasing the vehicle from COAST transportation in Colfax. Changing Lives ministry at the Mosaic Center in Spokane is a group gathering to share experiences with depression, addiction, eating disorders and so on. The group meets every Saturday afternoon. Co-owner Jacob Bunyard said this isn't the first time their business has donated a vehicle. "We lend a hand to people who need a...
Whitman County Commissioners received a July 16 letter from David Gang, assistant director of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University, addressing concerns about the impact of emissions from cannabis plants in Whitman County. The letter requests the county’s six-month moratorium on any new marijuana-related production to be extended until research about the impact is complete. “Research is now underway that will take several months to conduct and analyze, but that should provide imp...
Port of Whitman commissioners and staff discussed selling a portion of their Pullman Industrial Park-West property to a housing developer and approved sponsorship for the annual fly-in at the Colfax Airport at their meeting July 18. Aspen Heights, an off-campus student housing development company based in Austin, Texas, has proposed to purchase about 23.26 acres from the port’s PIP-West property. The property is currently used to grow wheat. The area was annexed into the city of Pullman several years ago. The Port property, which totals 1...
Whitman County commissioners discussed funding for 2020 Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) and prioritized which projects were important to fund for the upcoming year during a workshop session Monday. The CIP committee ranked a list of county projects based on legal requirements, public health and safety concerns, public support and economic impact. The committee used a ranking system that goes from zero to four, with four being the most urgent. After the committee ranks the projects, county...
Kristin Kemak, Lewis-Clark Valley Chamber president, last Thursday reported to Port of Whitman commissioners and staff about the Eastern Washington Legislative Tour scheduled Sept. 15-17. It will include tours of schools, businesses and projects around Eastern Washington and part of Idaho. Kemak said this tour is modeled after the Idaho legislative tour which normally brings 70 legislators. Kemak said in 2016, Lewis-Clark Valley Chamber started to manage the tour with stops in Moscow, Lewiston,...
Dr. Peter Edminster will take the place as a family practitioner and OB for Dr. Anthony Lundberg, who has practiced in St. John for 19 years. Dr. Lundberg plans to move to St. George, Utah, where he will join the Veterans’ Administration program. Dr. Lungberg and wife Kelly have five children, and two of them, Wilson and Cooper, graduated from SJE while the family resided in St. John. Dr. Edminster is certified in family practice and OB. He has completed his residency with Family Medicine of Spokane with a rural training track at Colville. T...
Whitman County commissioners discussed funds for the Moscow-Pullman Airport runway project and received an update from the facilities director during a workshop session Monday, July 15. Commissioner Art Swannack said he talked informally with Tony Bean, Moscow-Pullman Airport executive director, about funding the last part of the airport runway construction project. The project recently received a $24 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Swannack reported the airport is about $900,000 short of the funding required for the...
Washington State Department of Ecology announced Whitman County will receive about two million dollars in grants for clean water projects. Jessica Self, Palouse Conservation District grants and development manager, said the Whitman County Conservation District received three grants totaling $1 million. She said $500,000 was awarded for direct seeding, a restoration process where farmers use a special drill to seed crops. “It is a ‘not-killing-the-ground’ option,” Self said. The grant is for a span of three years, and 12 landowners county-...
The National Weather Services advises to never leave a child or pet in a locked car during the summer because temperatures inside a car can increase to 140 degrees in a matter of minutes. According to the Animal Legal & Historical Center, a law enforcement officer who believes an animal is suffering can remove the animal if the owner is not present. Calling law enforcement or animal control is a first option, Colfax Officer Perry Tate wrote in an email. He also wrote if the owner is nearby try talking to them because “the fastest option is t...
Gracie Miller, owner of T.O.G. Boutique in St. John, will say farewell to her shop at the end of August as she moves on to retirement. The T.O.G. Boutique has provided St. John residents with clothing, jewelry and footwear for seven years. Before moving to St. John, Miller ran her boutique in Colfax at Grady's Corner. Miller said when the building sold in Colfax, she found the opportunity to move back to her hometown when a storefront was up for sale in St. John. She said she resides only seven...
Troy Henderson, Whitman County Public Health Director, reported a 17-year long solid waste issue was resolved at a Board of Health meeting Monday afternoon. Henderson said the first complaint about a property just off of Highway 27 between Oakesdale and Garfield came in 2002. Environmental Health Director Chris Skidmore said after a solid waste issue complaint is filed, a site visit is conducted to verify the complaint. An employee takes photos of the site, and a file is started for the property...
Nicole Heilsberg, a member of the Colfax High School class of 2003 opened the doors of her chiropractic office in April for the first time after running her business out of her home since 2015. "It's been a huge learning lesson," Heilsberg said. "The business aspect was not something we were taught in school, so I had to learn how to manage the business side." She is the only employee at Chiro Health Connection, located at 116 N. Main St. Her family helps with the business-side of the...
Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack proposed a counter offer in letter form for the Pullman District Court location Wednesday. The letter was sent to the Pullman City Council and Mayor Glenn Johnson to review. The city of Pullman’s offer was sent to commissioners June 21, and proposed the county pay for half the costs of possible roof and HVAC repairs, while remaining in the current Pullman city hall. The current district court was not included in Pullman’s plans to move their city hall to the former Encounter Ministries property whi...
Port of Whitman commissioners approved to execute a loan/grant agreement with the city of Tekoa to assist with the airport fueling station at their meeting Wednesday morning, July 3. In early June, Tekoa Councilman Roy Schultz requested funding from the port during a meeting. He explained the airport fueling provider wanted to sell his business, and the city did not have the funds to keep the fueling station in operation. The drafted agreement between Tekoa and the port said the port would grant Tekoa $9,000 and loan $9,000, that would be paid...
Washington State Auditor's Office released results from this year's audits for several Whitman County school districts and towns. Dates for the audit reports ranges from May 29 to June 20. Audits were released for the Colfax, Tekoa, Rosalia, Palouse, St. John, LaCrosse and Garfield school districts. The audits were for Sept. 2017 to Aug. 2018. The towns of Colton and Farmington also were audited for Jan. 2017 through Dec. 2018. All schools and towns that were audited received letters from the state auditor's office stating the audit did not...
The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board announced July 3 it will award almost $4 million to Whitman County for preservation of parks, forests and trails. The grants will go through 2020. The Washington Department of Natural Resources was awarded $1,238,510 to preserve Steptoe Butte. DeAnna Beck, Washington Recreation and Conservation Office outdoor grants manager, said the department plans to buy about 437 acres in the Steptoe Butte surrounding area from private landowners. She said the state plans to designate the purcha...
Whitman County commissioners Monday decided to send a counter offer on locating the District Court in Pullman. Specifics of the counter offer were not defined, but discussion Monday indicated the county favored keeping the court sessions in the present city hall. Pullman at the June 18 city council session approved a proposal to keep the court in the present city hall. They proposed to pay the county $400,000 a year for misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor filing fees in Pullman cases. The...
The Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program (WIC) is making a state-wide switch from paper checks to a credit card format starting at the end of the month. The new card system could reduce the number of locations where card holders can make purchases because not all stores will be able to install the technology required to process the cards. WIC in Whitman County Dianne Heaslet, Whitman County public health nurse, said WIC participants should receive their new card during their first scheduled appointment after July 22. To activate the...
Two Wheatland Arms Condominium residents admired the blooming roses and other flowers Monday morning as they sat on their porch. Life-long Whitman County resident Armeda Hayer has been one of the many caretakers for the Wheatland Arms rose garden since her arrival in 2007. Hayer said the garden has been around for years, and she put her touch on the garden by planting pink roses, which are in full bloom currently. Hayer has lived all her 94 years in Whitman County. She was born and raised on a...
The Conservation Reserve Program will conduct re-enrollment signups for farmers and ranchers who already have contracts until August 23. Signups have been available since June 3. The CRP program, signed into law in 1985, works with farmers and ranchers to conserve, “environmentally sensitive agricultural land,” according to the USDA website. Program participants must grow approved plant species to control, “soil erosion, improve the water quality and enhance wildlife habitat.” In exchange for a yearly payment, farmers refrain from farming...
The Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program (WIC) is making a state-wide switch from paper checks to a credit card format starting at the end of the month. The new card system could reduce the number of locations where card holders can make purchases because not all stores will be able to install the technology required to process the cards. WIC in Whitman County Dianne Heaslet, Whitman County public health nurse, said WIC participants should receive their new card during their first scheduled appointment after July 22. To activate the...
Whitman County commissioners met with County Planner Alan Thomson to discuss progress on an ordinance for marijuana operations during a workshop session Monday morning. Commissioners had previously placed a moratorium on any new or expansion of cannabis-related businesses after Selway Holdings LLC requested zoning for a marijuana processing facility on Country Club Road near Pullman and received backlash from residents. At Monday’s meeting, commissioners and Thomson, along with County Prosecutor Denis Tracy discussed the possibility of e...
About 40 representatives from several counties came together for an emergency management exercise Monday morning at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds. Hannah Kimball, Pullman Regional Hospital representative, said multiple counties and entities were able to attend the exercise including participants from Asotin, Columbia, Whitman and Garfield counties. They were presented with a given scenario that included a fully-loaded chemical semi-truck colliding with a school bus on the Central Ferry bridge....
Trinity Lutheran Church in Endicott and Peace Lutheran Church in Colfax welcomed Ian McMichael as the new pastor to lead Sunday services for the two churches this week. McMichael moved from Florida Monday with his wife, Corrin, and their seven-month-old son Hans. The McMichael family will stay in the Endicott parsonage. McMichael said he grew up in Hermiston, Ore. He graduated from seminary school in Columbus, Ohio, and will be ordained at Hermiston First United Methodist Church in Hermiston,...