Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Representatives from the state’s Department of Archeology, Historic Preservation Commission, along with members of the Colfax Downtown Association and others, toured Main Street in downtown Colfax last Thursday. The group observed historic architecture, took pictures and videoes of historic buildings. They also checked out St. Ignatius Hospital. Colfax Mayor Todd Vanek and City Administrator Michael Rizzitiello, who is vice president of Colfax’s Downtown Association, accompanied the group. If...
Washington State University students presented six possible projects for the stone houses in LaCrosse to the town's Community Pride group last month. The students, from the fourth year Interior Design Community Studio, presented the projects in collaboration with LaCrosse Community Pride and community members in LaCrosse on re-purposing the historic rock houses on Main Street in LaCrosse. The six rock houses were built in LaCrosse in the 1920s soon after the town was incorporated in 1917. They...
Washington State University students in the Rural Communities Design Initiative class have designed Little Free Libraries for communities throughout Whitman County. The prototypes will be displayed in each community and residents will be able to vote on the designs. Construction by WSU students could begin in early April. Whitman County Library staff members and volunteers in each community would help to keep the libraries stocked. The prototypes will be displayed at the library in Colfax some...
LaCrosse is known as the "small town that could" and Selbu Lutheran Church, about 10 miles south of LaCrosse, is now known as the "small church that could." The church needed a new roof and, because of a faith-filled congregation, it's getting a lot more. On Sunday starting at 11 a.m. during a special service, the congregation of Selbu Lutheran Church will celebrate raising almost $150,000 in donations and pledges from 42 families to refurbish the building. Pastor John Cross said he didn't...
David Benscoter is getting to the core of Whitman County extinct apples. “I collected lots and lots of apples last fall,” Benscoter said who lives in Chatteroy. Benscoter will be at the Colfax Library March 7 to give a presentation about his apple research. The class is part of the Spokane Community College sponsored series. For the past seven years, Benscoter has researched apple varieties that were thought to be extinct in Whitman County in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Last fall Ben...
Whitman County issued 197 building permits for projects totaling $11,318,086 during 2014. The total marked a drop from 2013 with a decrease in ag structures and a reduced supply of rural housing sites around Pullman believed to be two of the causes. In 2013, 233 building permits were issued by the county and the total value was slightly more than $13 million, according to Dan Gladwill, county building inspector. Fees collected for 2014 totaled $115,548. “When wheat prices are up, there’s more business generally,” Gladwill said. He also said tha...
Eva Olsaker, senior manager with Government Finance Officers Association, reports on the county financial operations. Whitman County Administrative Director Gary Petrovich, left, and county Commissioner Michael Largent comment about the GFOA presentation Tuesday afternoon. County commissioners are pinning their hopes on advice from top financial advisors who might solve the county’s financial woes. After reporting several inefficiencies about how the county handles its finances during a T...
A place to get out of the fog might be Boyer Park and Marina. Although traffic at the park and marina is lighter than in the summer months, the Snake River Bar and Grill is open for lunch and dinner. Concessionaire Teri Haas said she and husband Leo considered closing the restaurant during January but decided they want to serve customers all year around. The Haas duo this month started their second year as concessionaires at Boyer. The restaurant is open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday for lunch and dinner, with reservations requested...
When Becky Hubner graduated from Oakesdale High School in 1971, she didn’t know she would write a book. “That wasn’t on my bucket list,” she said. Her brother is Rod Hubner of Oakesdale. But she and her husband, Tim Hattenburg, recently had their first book, “Death Ride, A Little Boy’s Night of Terror,” published. They will be signing their book at Main Street Books on Feb. 14, from 1 to 4 p.m. Tim, who was a Spokane Valley teacher, said a former student started researching a murder in eas...
The Walla Walla District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is upgrading the Lower Granite Lock and Dam Juvenile Fish Facility. “Fish facility improvements are an important part of the corps’ mission to save salmon and other endangered or threatened species,” said corps spokesman Bruce Henrickson. The overall upgrade includes “daylighting” the current below-ground juvenile fish transportation piping from the dam to the juvenile fish facility. “Adult fish migrate upstream via fish ladders to their spawning grounds,” Henrickson said. “Juveni...
Whitman County commissioners on Monday voted in a new chairman and vice chairman of the board. Replacing Chairman Art Swannack is Commissioner Dean Kinzer who, along with Swannack, is beginning his third year in office. Kinzer, who covers District II, and Swannack, who covers District I, were voted into office in the November 2012 election, replacing former commissioners Greg Partch and Pat O’Neill. Commissioner Michael Largent, who voters approved for a third term last November covers District III, is the vice chairman of the board. C...
The Art and Jill Swannack family believe that they won’t see one of their guard dogs again. Chase, one of the Swannacks’ three Anatolian Shepherd dogs, has been missing for almost three weeks. The dog vanished after a second wolf kill episode was sustained by the Swannacks’ sheep operation. Three dead sheep were discovered 10 days after the first dead sheep, determined a probable wolf kill, was found in the Dewey Road area in the northwest corner of the county. Jill Swannack said she has two t...
Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Center in Medical Lake will be open for one more year. After the Martin Hall board which represents eight counties approved a budget for the center a couple of weeks ago, the board met Dec. 18 to approve going forward under the original interlocal agreement, according to Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack who represents Whitman County on the board. Rates will be at $155 per bed per day, staying at the same rate. For non members, the rate increased from $185 per bed per day to $200 per bed per day. Whitman...
Erik Binks is not quite two years old and is fighting for his life. Last April he was diagnosed with a deadly cancer, neuroblastoma. His mother, Cheryl Binks, said she noticed that Erik was trying to walk, but he stumbled. He had a fever and was not eating or drinking. At first doctors thought it was pneumonia, but they said it could also be a tumor. After taking Erik to Seattle, tests revealed that a rare form of childhood cancer was attacking his body, and doctors believe it might have been in...
Whitman County farmers and landowners are taking proactive approaches to manage water quality. Two recent workshops, one in LaCrosse and one in Pullman, were in response to Department of Ecology meetings, letters and visits on land last spring. The first workshop, organized by Dennis and Jan Moore of Hay, was Dec. 5. Presentations included Steve Van Vleet, WSU Extension Agent, and Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers. Van Vleet said he emphasized landowners and producers having documentation of conservation practices, water quality and health of... Full story
The third marijuana producer and processor and producer license has been approved by the state. Whitman County commissioners on Monday reviewed the license for DP Farms, 13301 Pine City-Malden Road, St. John. Commissioners did not comment on the license. The license has been approved for marijuana producer tier 2 and marijuana processor, and is valid through Dec. 31, 2015. This license allows the producer a maximum of 5,325 square feet of marijuana for sale at wholesale to marijuana processor licensees and to other marijuana producer... Full story
Port of Whitman County commissioners Dec. 4 approved buying back a lot in their industrial park at Pullman from Schweitzer Engnineering Laboratories. The lot had been purchased from the port by SEL in 2006. Last August, Jana Schultheis of SEL asked the port to consider buying back the lot. She said the lot had become a wetland and could not be used for a building. Port President John Love at that time asked Port Manager Joe Poire to investigate buying back the lot. SEL paid $55,000 for the lot. Port officials hired an expert to check out the...
About mid-day on Friday, as Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack was guiding the family’s sheep herd to a pasture with a tractor loaded with alfalfa hay. His wife, Jill, followed the herd with a four-wheeler, Jill saw a wolf. An ice storm had brought down an electric fence that surrounded the field the day before. As Jill, who is a veterinarian, herded the sheep with the Kawasaki Mule, a four-wheeler with a canopy, the wolf kept coming. At first she thought it was a big coyote, but as it g...
St. John Santa will be arriving for an early visit to many communities this weekend. Several events are set for the 22nd Annual St. John Winterfest, a St. John tradition, on Saturday and Sunday. Santa Claus will listen carefully to young wishers at Primeland from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pictures will also be taken with the Jolly Old Elf. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. a poker walk will be held. Buy $5 game cards at Empire Foods and Moments Spa. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. a craft fair will be held at the fire station. Vote for your Favorite Snowman decorated by... Full story
Port of Whitman County commissioners reviewed the 2015 budget Nov. 6 and officially adopted the budget on Nov. 20. Port accountant Teri Heilsberg said on Dec. 1 the port will submit the budget to Whitman County. Heilsberg said the biggest change in the 2015 budget from 2014 is the $2 million for the Colfax airport runway project. In the fall of 2013, a Federal Aviation Administration engineer told the port board that the runway at the Port of Whitman County Business Air Center must be rebuilt to be in compliance with federal standards....
Local organizations disguised as Santa’s elves are gearing up to make the holiday season brighter for people who need a little help. Most report that there’s more of a demand for these services because of the economy. Firefighter’s Toy Box The Firefighter’s Toy Box Drive serves not only Colfax children but kids all over the county, with the exception of Pullman which is taken care of by the Toys for Tots program sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps. Firefighters report that donations are needed...
Whitman County commissioners Monday adopted a budget for Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Center. Rates for next year will be the same, $155 per bed per day. For non members, the rate increased from $185 per bed per day to $200 per bed per day. Commissioner Art Swannack, who represents Whitman County on the Martin Hall board, said the number of juveniles has decreased since the summer, but he anticipates the numbers will increase the next couple of months as they have in the past. Adams, Asotin, Douglas, Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens and...
Tick Klock Drug has been named Pharmacy of the Year by the Spokane Pharmacy Association, much to the surprise and delight of the owners. “It was a total surprise,” Mark Johnson said. Mark and Robyn Johnson are the second generation owners of the downtown Colfax drug store. The pharmacy was nominated for the regional award by a professor at the Washington State University School of Pharmacy. Johnson said the pharmacy has hosted several interns throughout the years. Their son Nathan is in his fir... Full story
A case report on the alleged illegal shooting of a wolf last month near Pullman will be forwarded to the Whitman County prosecutor’s office for a decision on what charge, if any, will be filed, according to Steve Crown, enforcement chief for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Crown told the Gazette Friday that DNA test results from UCLA were reported and showed the animal which was shot was 100 percent wolf. Crown said the case report will be sent to Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy this week. WDFW officials received r...
Whitman County commissioners Monday signed a letter of support for COAST transportation service. “We are glad to honor your request for support as COAST is a vital part of the county’s transportation infrastructure,” the letter said. The letter also acknowledges that COAST is requesting to continue special needs transportation services and wants to purchase a replacement bus. “These special needs services include COAST’s demand responsive and route deviation van transportation services and volunteer services primarily for Whitman County re... Full story
