Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Joseph Wagner Memorial service for Joseph Walker Wagner will be Saturday, Feb 6, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Colfax. Mr. Wagner, who was born in Farmington Jan. 4, 1922, died January 23, 2010. In 1940, his junior year of high school, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was posted to Hickam Field, Hawaii. After surviving the Pearl Harbor attack, he served in the Pacific Theatre with the 7th Air Force until the end of the war. He married Ruth Elaine Cloaninger in 1945. He continued to serve in the Air National Guard f... Full story
Foundation raises thousands Whitman Community Hospital Foundation raised about $20,000 Saturday evening at its 20th annual dinner and auction at Hill-Ray Plaza. About 100 people attended the event which began with a social hour and silent auction and progressed to a five course meal with a live auction. Jeff Geier was the master of ceremonies, and Butch Booker was the auctioneer. Al Kirkpatrick and Mark Vogler assisted with the auction. Auction items included vacations, quilts, dinners, collectibles and many other items donated by local... Full story
8 years ago February 6, 1885 Since writing an article on the question of school tax last week the editor for the Gazette has conversed on the subject with prominent citizens from different parts of the county and was agreeably surprised to find that, not withstanding the stringency of the times, the majority of the taxpayers are willing that the rate of taxation for school purposes should be raised to the highest figures allowed by law – six mills on the dollar. We cannot be too liberal in supplying the rising generation with schooling f...
Week of Feb. 8-12, 2010 At Colton School: Monday: Hoagie sandwiches, fries, fruit. Tuesday: Pizza, corn, yogurt cups, fruit. Wednesday: Chicken alfredo, rolls, green salad, fruit and brownies. Thursday: Pancakes, lil smokies, hashbrowns, applesauce. Friday: Hot dogs, cup of chili, fries, fruit. At Garfield/Palouse School: Monday: Chicken nuggets, potato wedges, carrots, pears. Tuesday: Pizza, tossed salad, fruit. Wednesday: Terri dippers, fried rice, fruit, vegetables, rolls. Thursday: Beef stroganoff, fruit salad, vegetable, pudding. Friday:...
Lamont Kay Dirks, a person who was raised and spent most of her life in the Lamont area, was made Citizen of the Year in Sprague at the Sprague Chamber of Commerce Banquet recently. Upon retirement from farming, she and her husband, Clinton, moved to Sprague. She taught in the Sprague Schools and when she retired from teaching, she served on the Sprague-Lamont School Board for some time. She was very active of the Lincoln County Habitat for Humanity, helped organize and maintain the community garden and is a member of the Red Hat Ladies. She...
Philip Melancthon, the great Reformation theologian, once said to his friend Martin Luther, “This day you and I will discuss the governance of the universe.” Martin Luther replied in an unexpected way, “This day you and I will go fishing and leave the governance of the universe to God.” Martin Luther had an incredible grasp of the sovereignty of God! King David in Psalm 103:1-18 praised God for His blessings and compassion as a loving and forgiving father for his children. In vs 19-33 David calls for praise but begins with God’s Sovereign...
Whitman Hospital announced their manager and employee of the year and honored other staff members at their annual luncheon held at Hill-Ray Plaza Jan. 27. Ronda Warren, was named manager of the year, and Robyn Tramposch was named employee of the year. Warren joined the hospital staff in 2000 as an RN and was promoted to manager of the medical/surgical and labor/delivery units in 2008. Tramposch, a physical therapist, has been at the hospital since 2007. She was credited with doing many extra services for patients outside of her regular job...
Lacrosse An exploratory meeting recently occurred in which an LLC for Lacrosse Community Pride was organized. The primary objective will be re-opening the grocery store for the community of Lacrosse. As the group moves forward they will be keeping the community informed through Gazette articles, local announcements and advisory meetings. There will be a LaCrosse Schools Student Art Show Friday, Feb. 5. Students from Preschool through 12th grade will have artwork on display from 3 to 9 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The date and time coincides... Full story
Oakesdale Oakesdale music department gave an African concert at the school Tuesday night. The music students have been learning about African music and learning to play the instruments during the past month. Bridge Club was held recently at the home of Wanda Brown. Winning high prize was June Crow, 2nd High Marvel Ebert, Traveling Darlene Rickett and Bingo Patty Johnson. June Crow will host it on Feb. 4 at her home. The Nighthawk cheerleaders will conduct a mini-hawk camp this week and the little kids will perform at the basketball game Saturda... Full story
Rosalia Lions Club members hosted the District 19E Governors annual visit and dinner meeting at Rosalia Coffee `n More January 20. Zone Chairman, Dennis Veltri, presented the Governor’s biography and formal introduction. District Governor Robert Ekler of Nordman, Idaho, reported the status of a number of current Lions programs, the District E Spring Conference and the 2011 Lions International Conference which will be in Seattle. Standing in back, left to right, are Ted Maxwell, Bob Hill, Don B... Full story
PCT starts logo contest Pullman Civic Theatre is conducting a logo design contest. The winning design will be displayed on their website and promotional materials. The winner will receive a T-shirt with their logo printed on it and season tickets. Two runners up will also be named. Contest deadline to submit entries electronically will be May 31. info@pullmancivictheatre.org Repps attend food show Randy and Debbi Repp of St. John recently attended the 2010 Fancy Food Show at Moscone Center in San Francisco. The show focuses on specialty gift...
Whitman Library director Kristie Kirkpatrick visited with legislators from the 9th District in Olympia last Friday to discuss Gov. Gregoire’s proposed budget for 2010. The budget proposal contains steep cuts to the Washington State Library that would impact many of the programs and services now offered by Whitman County Library, Kirkpatrick claims. Kirkpatrick said the proposed cut of 15 percent to the state library translates to an actual decrease of 30 percent because it is retroactive to July of 2009. These are the grant funds that W...
Meet Al and Randi Evans, Oakesdale After growing up in a large city and constantly waking to the sound of loud party music, Al and Randi Evans enjoy their quiet Oakesdale home where they wake up to the sound of passing fertilizer planes. “Every day we wake up and go, ‘Man, this is unbelievable’,” said Al. The Evans moved from Los Angeles to Oakesdale four years ago this month to be near their son. Their son and his family had moved to Spokane and the Evans wanted to be closer to the grandch... Full story
Dusty Basil Basil, the formerly missing dog, is back home again. While her owners, Mark and Kathy Vogler, were gone, she decided to check out life in the big city. She hitched a ride with a Gonzaga student first to Walla Walla and then to Spokane. She spent the weekend making friends with Gonzaga students, watched a Zags basketball game on TV, lived in an apartment for the first time, and got a bath. She even spent a short stint in the hoosegow (the pound) at Spokane when she decided on a little extra exploration and was apprehended. To get... Full story
Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq from March of 2007 to February of 2009 hosted a private meeting for students of the Garfield-Palouse High School’s senior Current World Issues class after his presentation at the University of Idaho’s SUB Ballroom. The students also attended his lecture, “Lessons from a Long War: Conflict and Engagement in the Broader Middle East.” Crocker, who calls Spokane his hometown, was a career senior diplomat and had also served as the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen. After his lecture Crocker met wit...
An unused former county rock quarry at Palouse will go on the auction block at the courthouse Feb. 19, after a Palouse resident asked Whitman County commissioners to put the county-owned land up for sale. Palouse resident John Eastburn asked the county to offer the land. Kathy Lemon, revenue officer in the treasurer’s office, said this particular site was acquired by the county in the 1930s thorough tax foreclosure. The county has used it as a rock quarry and never put the property up for bid, the normal process required when the county m...
Commissioners on the Whitman Hospital board are lobbying state legislators for a bill on Medicaid that would allow rural hospitals more access to more federal compensation for Medicaid. Hospital administrator Dave Womack sent a letter to state legislators Susan Fagan, Mark Schoesler and Joe Schmick asking for their support of the bill. The bill essentially provides a financing tool that certain hospitals could use to tax themselves and be matched for those funds by the federal government. They do this by taking advantage of a temporarily... Full story
The national spotlight has landed on Colfax girl’s basketball coach Corey Baerlocher, who made the list for the top 50 high school girls basketball coaches for the 2009 school year. Baerlocher was nominated by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) for the 2009 school year. Each state association selects one coach per sport for a state award. The 50 nominees from 50 states are placed on the top 50 list for the National Federation of State High School Associations Baerlocher has led the Colfax High School girl’s bas...
The amount of unpaid property taxes in Whitman County rose to $859,413 in 2009. That number was about $250,000 higher than the unpaid figure from 2008. Treasurer Robert Lothspeich attributed the higher level of unpaid taxes this year to a higher level of mortgage defaults. In total, Lothspeich’s office collected 97.46 percent of property taxes for a total of $33,003,951, according to a report submitted Monday to county commissioners by Kathy Lemon, revenue officer for the office. In total, the county is owed $1,186,269 in unpaid taxes from p...
Motions to dismiss two court petitions against the county’s new wind turbine ordinance were filed Wednesday in superior court by Prosecutor Denis Tracy. The motions ask the court to dismiss the petitions of Carolyn Kiesz of Thornton and Roger Whitten of Oakesdale which were filed before the ordinance was approved last November. Both petitions contest a ruling by the county planner, prior to the adoption of the ordinance, that the draft proposal of the ordinance did not require an environmental impact statement under the State Environmental P... Full story
Impress me with your funniest knock knock joke. Anie Hansen, Colfax “Knock knock.” Who’s there? “Cow go.” Cow go who? “No, cow go moo!” Dave Potter, LaCrosse “Knock knock.” Who’s there? “Banana.” Banana who? “Banana.” Banana who? “Knock knock.” Who’s there? “Orange.” Orange who? “Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?” Loretta Kissler, Colfax “I can’t think of one.” Okay, I’ll tell one. Knock knock. “Who’s there?” Little old lady. “Little old lady who?” Look, I got you yodeling. Richard Lockhart, Colfax “I just don’t have anything....
I saw an ad recently that said, “Get Paid to Lose Weight” — but when I called and told them I had lost 10 pounds, they refused to send me a check. So I gained the weight back. Determined to make dieting a source of income, I’ve now started a weight-loss blog, where thousands of people will come every day and read about what I’ve been eating and then buy T-shirts, hats and candy bars. If I sell a thousand T-shirts at $200 each, well, you do the math. Day 1: Started my diet with a healthy salad and iced tea. Please click on the link to buy a T-s...
Performers are now being sought for the annual benefit talent and variety show presented by the Colfax High School choir. The show will be Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. Director Cary Cammack said they are looking for piano players, dancers, instrumentalists and singers. People of all ages can participate. Those interested are urged to contact Cammack at Jennings School by Feb. 12....
Worker constructs Belmont siding security fence which will enclose chlorine storage rail cars. Work crews for the Washington and Idaho Railway began constructing a six-foot fence around the Belmont siding last week. The site will be home to 45,000 tons of liquid chlorine that will be stored in tanker cars on the siding track. The railroad is storing the chlorine tankers for Vancouver-based chemical company Canexus. The tanks are expected to arrive this week or next, as Canexus secures its North Vancouver manufacturing plant for the 2010 Winter... Full story
The 2006 Dodge Charger operated by WSP Trooper Bruce Blood was struck from behind by a 2005 Ford Focus driven by Makenzie L. Swift, Spokane, early Sunday afternoon on Highway 26. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Blood was driving eastbound on Highway 26 at 12:29 p.m., slowed down and signaled to turn left off the highway and onto the Endicott Road 3.5 miles west of Colfax. Swift applied the brakes on the Focus, but was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the rear of the Charger patrol car. Trooper Blood was checked out for...
