Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 46 of 46
CLARKSTON - A local man is being held in the Whitman County Jail on $75,000 bail after attempting to elude law enforcement last week. Steven K. Young, 35, is facing charges of felony eluding, possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine, possession of a control substance-heroin and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was booked into the Whitman County Jail on Friday, Jan. 8. According to a Whitman County Sheriff's Office report, deputies attempted a traffic stop at the intersection of...
OAKESDALE — An autopsy determined that resident Chester David Hathaway’s death was the result of suicide. Whitman County Coroner Annie Pillers released the autopsy findings in Hathaway’s death Thursday, Jan. 7. Hathaway, 82, died Dec. 26 at the home he shared with his wife after an attempted murder-suicide, according to initial reports. Hathaway shot his wife, Irene Louise Hathaway, 83, and then himself at about 1:04 p.m. “The cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the coroner wrote...
COLFAX — An inmate found dead in the Whitman County Jail died of “cloth ligature hanging.” On Thursday, Jan. 7, Whitman County Coroner Annie Pillers released her findings in the Dec. 26 death of Jose Noe Chagollan Flores, 35 of Pullman. He was found unresponsive in the county jail. “The manner of his death was suicide,” the coroner wrote in concluding her findings in the death. At the time of his death, Flores was being held in the jail on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and three counts of assault. He was booked into the jail Aug....
PULLMAN — The Palouse River Rollers roller derby league will show how much they care about officials with their annual Zebra Love event. This year, the event will be online due to coronavirus shutdown. Zebra Love is designed to retain and grow the number of regional roller derby officials while also increasing their knowledge and skills for higher quality officiating, league representatives said. While the event is geared towards new and veteran officials, it is open to everyone wanting to become involved with roller derby as a referee. R...
COLFAX — Michael Dorman has been appointed interim Colfax High School girls basketball coach. Colfax High School Principal David Gibb announced the appointment of Dorman, a social studies teacher in his second year at the junior-senior high school. Gibb said the district wanted to tap someone “in the building” to coach the girls in the event of a season, then make a permanent hiring decision after this year. The announcement was made Jan. 4, when the current Washington Interscholastic Activities Association plan was to have winter sports begin...
RENTON - The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Executive Board voted to amend its season schedule Jan. 6, moving traditional fall sports to the 2020-21 Season 1 while choosing to review Seasons 2 and 3 at its Jan. 19 meeting. WIAA Season 1 will span seven weeks in length, beginning with pre-competition practices on Feb. 1 and ending March 20. The sports scheduled for this season include cross country, football, golf (alternate) and volleyball. The change comes after Gov....
COLFAX — Whitman County commissioners Monday discussed plans for the county’s public health director job and the interim position of Chris Skidmore. A proposal from Gov. Jay Inslee may revamp health districts into one regional director with local offices for that director. Because of that, Commissioner Art Swannack, suggested the county might hold back on a search for a permanent head of public health, since it is unclear how long this position may last. Commissioner Michael Largent pointed out that the governor’s plan, if it goes throu...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Both Eastern Washington representatives in Congress voted last week to uphold the Electoral College vote after protesters entered the Capitol last Wednesday, Jan. 6. Republican Reps. Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside and Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane voted in favor of certifying several states with questionable election results. Prior to the protest in the nation’s Capitol, McMorris Rodgers had said she would oppose several states’ Electoral College certifications. “We must have a peaceful transfer of power,” McMorris Rodgers s...
COLFAX — Whitman County commissioners confirmed committee assignments Jan. 4 in their first meeting of the year. New commissioner, Tom Handy, was sworn in Dec. 22, replacing Dean Kinzer on a list of committees and assignments, with the addition of the Palouse Basin Acquifer Committee, which had previously been the responsibility of Commissioner Art Swannack. Each commissioner has a list of about 20 areas he covers, with some overlap. In addition, Commission Chairman Art Swannack attends the county Canvassing and Hearings Examiner boards, and t...
MOSCOW, Idaho — The National Weather Service reported a sharp rise in Paradise Creek late Tuesday night. The rising water hit 6.46 feet at the University of Idaho, the weather service said. The creek was expected to continue to rise in the Palouse today....
RITZVILLE - Republican Sen. Mark Schoesler was sworn in Friday, Jan. 8, in the Adams County Courthouse for his fifth term representing the Ninth Legislative District in the state Senate. Adams County District Court Judge Carolyn Benzel administered the oath of office. Schoesler said this was his first and only time taking the oath in his hometown - and assuming things go back to "normal." The ability to take the oath here came as Gov. Jay Inslee continued to shutdown the state, citing the...
PALOUSE - A small airplane overturned after touching down at 2:05 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, at a private airstrip two miles east of town. Two people - a flight instructor and presumed student pilot - were aboard the Cessna 170 at the time of the crash at Schoepflin Airport, 801 Ringo Road, the Whitman County Sheriff's Office reported. At press time, The Gazette was still awaiting the release of the names of the flight instructor and student pilot. A spokesman at the airport said the plane was at the...
COLFAX — Schools Superintendent Jerry Pugh said Monday he intends for all students to be back for daily, in-person learning Feb. 1. Addressing the School Board – which will need to formally approve of the idea at its Jan. 25 meeting – Pugh noted the district's experience with elementary students this fall, in-person full-time, new research and available data, discussions with interim County Health Director Chris Skidmore, the teachers union and more, all of which have led him to bringing all stu...
COLTON - High winds early Wednesday morning knocked out power to hundreds of Avista Utilities customers across the Palouse region and much of Eastern Washington. At press time, the Spokane-based utility was reporting 355 customers were without power from Colton to Johnson. A second outage was reported south of Palouse, with 329 customers affected. In town, another 26 homes were without power. "Crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to assess damage," the utility said in a press...
Dylan A. Doneen, 28, was given a $250 fine Friday morning in District Court for hunting, collecting wildlife parts on another’s property – along with a $43 crime conviction fee and $50 public defender recoup. Judge Patrick Johnson ruled it a six-month deferred prosecution, meaning if Doneen pays his full legal obligations and has no further criminal law violations during this period, the case will be dismissed. Doneen will be responsible for contacting the court to request the dismissal....
Statistics are out for wheat seedings for the 2021 crop in the United States. Washington winter wheat growers seeded an estimated 1.75 million acres of winter wheat for harvest in 2021. This is down three percent from what was seeded last year but unchanged from 2019, according to the USDA's Agricultural Statistics Service. Idaho growers seeded 740,000 acres of winter wheat for the 2021 crop, up three percent from 2020, and one percent above the 2019 crop. Oregon farmers planted 710,000 acres,...
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...
