Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Concern over new energy efficiency mandates in the state building code at the start of the year prompted a boost in new home construction in rural Whitman County at the end of 2010, according to Dan Gladwill, county building official. “We probably got two extra houses this year as a result of the fear of the new energy code,” Gladwill told county commissioners during their regular meeting Monday. Gladwill issued permits for five new houses and one new manufactured home in the final three months of last year. He had permitted five homes in the...
Several rulings on motions in the Scotts grass seed law suits were issued Friday in Whitman County Superior Court. Several other pre-trial disputes, which had been slated for a court hearing Friday, are now on track to be settled in the pre-trial process. Scotts is being sued for $8.5 million by Seeds Inc. of Tekoa and Dye Seed Ranch of Pomeroy who allege the company did not pay them contracts for Kentucky Bluegrass last year. Scotts contends grass growers overstated production volumes and gave the company low-quality seed. The two seed... Full story
As soon as weather permits, Whitman County Parks staffers will begin ripping cedar shingles off the shelter at Klemgard and laying down new roofing. “It’s leaking in a few spots. That roof is like 35 years old. That’s about how long those roofs last,” said Dave Mahan, park ranger for the county’s Klemgard park. Mahan ordered $4,500 in metal roofing supplies last month. They were delivered Jan. 11. “I’m waiting for a chance to get up there when it isn’t snowing or blowing 40 miles per hour winds,” Mahan said. He plans on bringing in park...
Washington State University and USDA Agricultural Research Service researchers will put on a free workshop on oilseed crop production at Hill Ray Plaza in Colfax next Thursday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. Growers, researchers and members of the oilseed industry will speak on the newest information about the advantages and challenges of farming and marketing oilseed crops. The workshop will include a hosted luncheon at noon. For more information, contact Dennis Roe, Karen Sowers or Bill... Full story
Wheat farmers in Washington state planted 1.75 million acres of winter wheat for harvest in 2011, the same amount as for the 2010 crop year. The Washington office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service last week released its report on winter wheat plantings. Nationally, wheat growers increased 2011 winter wheat plantings by 10 percent. The Statistics Service said wheat stocks in Washington as of Dec. 1 were 109 million bushels, eight percent more than the previous year. Barley stocks in Washington as of Dec. 1 were 1.1 million...
In response to what they called “word on the street” criticism about Whitman County’s new elections office on Main Street, Commissioner Greg Partch and Auditor Eunice Coker Tuesday sent an open letter to Gazette readers. “We have been asked to share some acccurate infomation concerning our remodeled county elections building as it seems some have questions and/or concerns about remodeling a building during theses difficult times,” they wrote. Crews are completing a remodel of the county-owned building at Main and Island streets that last hous... Full story
After spending four years in Cheney taking EWU to the top of the college football world, LaCrosse native Matt Martin returned home to a hero’s welcome. One week after taking the NCAA Football Championship Series trophy with a 20-19 win over Delaware in Frisco, Texas, Martin returned home to speak to an auditorium full of wide-eyed LaCrosse students. National champion Matt Martin speaks to LaCrosse students. “It’s kind of hard to believe, being back here, how big a deal it all actually is,” said Martin. “It still hasn’t quite set in yet.” Winni... Full story
An out-of-state communication company is launching high-speed Internet service in small towns in Whitman, Latah and Spokane counties over the next month. Frontier Communications is holding public promotion events for the service in Garfield, Oakesdale, Palouse, Rosalia, Tekoa, Thornton, Weippe, Rockford, Fairfield, Genesee and Latah. The national company bought all of Verizon’s assets in the Palouse region last July. Since July 1, Frontier has spent $1.2 million to lay down fiber optic cables to these 11 small towns. “It’s a game changer for t... Full story
Almost one year after they first appeared, chlorine tanker cars have returned for storage on the railroad siding track at Belmont. Cars disappeared for much of the fall, but have slowly been coming back during the winter months. Tom Bieker, whose front yard extends up to the fenced-off railroad track, counted more than 50 cars while looking out his window Tuesday. “They move every so often,” said Bieker. “But they always come back” The cars are being stored by Canexus, a Houston company that has a chlorine manufacturing plant in Vancouv... Full story
Rapidly rising water in the town of Palouse jumped past the 15-foot mark Monday, flooding the town park and several buildings downtown. Area waterways around the region of Palouse swelled past flood levels Monday as a pineapple express of rain and warm air melted snow on the Palouse and in the Idaho mountains. The flood toll, as usual, was worst in the low-lying areas of the town of Palouse. Waters surrounded homes in the flood plain and covered nearly all of Hayton Green Park on the west end of the town. Flood waters surround playground equipm...
NOTICE OF HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Whitman County Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on Monday, February 7, 2011 at 11:15 a.m. in their Chambers located in the Whitman County Courthouse, 400 N Main Street, Colfax, Washington. The purpose of the hearing is to receive public comment on proposed revisions to Whitman County Code Chapter 19 (SEPA) as follows: 19.03 (DEFINITIONS), 19.05 (ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT), 19.06 (BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT), 19.10 (AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT), 19.15 (NORTH PULLMAN MOSCOW CORRIDOR), 19.16...
Whitman County was named as an adjacent county in the USDA’s disaster declaration for 20 Washington counties made last Thursday, Jan. 13. The declaration means farmers will be able to request low-interest emergency loans and direct payments under the United States Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payment program. Disaster was declared because of the bad weather last spring, when excessive rain, frosts, freezes, unseasonably cold weather and high winds struck several parts of the state, Judy Olson, Farm Service Age...
Warm temperatures and rain prompted Whitman County to post load restrictions on its more than 1,500 miles of roads throughout the county last Thursday. Public Works Director Mark Storey said the roads have become so soft they could crumble under heavy traffic. To prevent damage, loads weighing more than 19,560 pounds gross vehicle weight are forbidden on posted roads. Freezing temperatures “puff up” the roads, explained Storey. When they thaw, and with the recent heavy rain, the roads turn to soup. “Just some time without heavy loads allows the...
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced last week delays in the fabrication of the new lock gate for The Dalles dam will extend the closure of the Snake and Columbia rivers transportation system four more days. Originally set to re-open March 19, the locks upstream of the Dalles will now remain closed through March 23. The river system has been shut to freight traffic since Dec. 10, while the corps replaces lock gates at the Dalles and John Day dams on the Columbia River and at Lower Monumental on the Snake River. Farmers have delayed...
The county environmental health office has filled two health specialist positions after the prior health specialists left. New environmental health specialist-two Killian Condon and new environmental health specialist-one Phil Hagihara began their new jobs this month in the environmental offices of the Public Health Building. Former environmental specialist Bruce Koliba left the position because his spouse took an out-of-state job. The other former specialist, Cinnamon Brown, transferred to the county public health department. Condon moved to...
THURSDAY An Alaska animal shelter was packed beyond capacity after 157 starving dogs, mostly huskies, were removed from the lot of breeder Frank Rich, who was arrested and charged with 50 counts of animal cruelty. Twenty dogs were found dead at the site. A wounded fox shot its would-be killer in Belarus by pulling the trigger on the hunter’s gun as the pair scuffled after the man tried to finish the animal off with the butt of the rifle. Actor Peter Fonda, best known as the star of 1969’s “Easy Rider,” discovered a 50-year-old dead man slumped... Full story
Palouse mayor Michael Echanove was awarded the Excellence in Local Government Award by the local Avista office at a council meeting Jan. 18. “I’m so humbled. It’s really my honor to be the mayor of Palouse. I’m just lucky- that’s all. Palouse is so awesome,” Echanove later told the Gazette. Echanove received the 2010 plaque in front of the city council, staff and Palouse citizens. Paul Kimmel, Regional Business Manager for Avista, gave it to him and spoke to those in the room on the meaning of the award. Avista picked two elected officials f... Full story
System worked In the January 13th edition of this paper there appeared an article on the Lamont Town Council’s selection of a new mayor and council member. In that article were any number of unfounded comments from local residents about the process itself and that somehow unfair hurdles or barriers were being placed in front of various candidates. In fact, the Council cast a broad net to include as many potential candidates as possible and even extended the time frame for consideration to allow various individuals to have an appropriate period... Full story
I recently upgraded my cell phone, a process that was as easy and painless as dental school. My old phone had a key go dead. When I was texting, I could no longer use the letter “p,” which doesn’t sound like it would be so difficult, but in my oinion is retty hard. I had to laugh at some of the names of the cell phones out there, like “Interceptor” and “Penetrator.” Do they think that just because I’m a guy I’m going to want a phone with an aggressive name? I picked up the “Attack 2000 Widowmaker.” It has a lot of features I need, like...
State Auditor Brian Sonntag reports that our workers’ compensation system is unsustainable – that huge premium increases are needed to keep the program solvent. But those increases, which must be paid mainly by employers, will cripple our ability to recover from the recession. In the midst of our nation’s $1.4 trillion deficit and crushing unemployment, the issue of workers’ compensation might not seem all that important. It is. Abuses and expanded benefits are draining employers of money they could otherwise use to create jobs. They also impac... Full story
#!*! Gary’s fiance: Give him another chance. ++++ Keep trying Gary. She will come back. Send your Pet Peeves and Okeydokes to the Gazette P.O. Box 770 Colfax, Wa 99111...
The state of the union address by President Barack Obama next week may have a different look. It is said that some Democrats and Republicans will break with tradition and sit together. Although no rule requires it, members of each respective party traditionally sit in blocks across the center aisle from each other. This year members may, in fact, commingle. The seating arrangements of Congress at this year’s address may give a hint of the success of Congress as it tackles dramatic problems and rigid ideological differences. If most of the m... Full story
It was American astronomer, astrophysicist and author Carl Sagan who made the following sage observation: “The fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.” If you’re like the average American woman, you will eat 4 to 6 pounds of lipstick during your lifetime. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Alaska is the most northern and western state in the Union, but...
1. GEOGRAPHY: In what body of water are the Seychelles Islands located? 2. MOVIES: Who directed the movies “Stagecoach” and “The Grapes of Wrath”? 3. CHEMISTRY: What element’s symbol is C? 4. MUSIC: What rock ‘n’ roll band included members Marty Balin and Paul Kantner? 5. HISTORY: What Union general captured Vicksburg, Miss., after a 40-day siege? 6. SCIENCE FICTION: What fictional character had a flying lab called Sky Queen? 7. LITERATURE: Who wrote “Riders of the Purple Sage”? 8. MYTHOLOGY: Hera was the sister and the wife of which Greek go... Full story
Actors play out a scene on Main Street in Colfax where a Japanese man is attacked by an angry American after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in this Gazette file photo. The former Sandbagger Tavern building is decorated to represent a Japanese-owned grocery store. The Tokyo Broadcasting System’s mini-series on Japanese Americans, which included scenes shot in downtown Colfax last May, had a U.S. debut before an audience of 250 Saturday at the Nisei Veterans Hall in Seattle. Showings are scheduled to continue in Seattle and Los Angeles f...
