Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Nine months after receiving authorization to hire a finance director, Whitman County Auditor Eunice Coker has yet to do so. That prompted County Commissioner Pat O’Neill to ask Monday, “Do we really need that person?” “She said she needed somebody nine months ago, and got permission to hire, but she hasn’t done anything yet,” O’Neill said to his fellow commissioners in a workshop session. Coker was given the authority to hire a new employee to manage the county’s financial statements and budgeting in July, shortly after commissioners dissolved...
Roger Whitten of Oakesdale Tuesday continued his opposition to the proposed wind turbine project by appealing Whitman County’s study of the environmental impacts of First Wind’s proposed 65-turbine wind farm in north central Whitman County. Citing concerns over public health and decreased property values, Whitten over the past two years has claimed that the county is not sufficiently protecting public health from low frequency sound produced by the turbines. His appeal, filed in the county planning office Tuesday, repeated that assertion. “Whit...
The population of Colton rose by 32 people between 2000 to 2010, according to the results of the U.S. Census. Colton was only small town in Whitman County that marked a significant gain in population over the last 10 years. Pullman marked a 5,124 person gain over the decade for 20.8 percent growth. Colton’s increase of 32 amounted to an 8.3 percent population increase. The only other town in the county to gain population was Oakesale at two. How did Colton buck the trend of small town decline? Colton Mayor Jerry Weber believes a subdivision con...
Rising fuel prices and a weakening dollar are making it more expensive to eat - or grow - food. Prices on grocery store shelves are going up, in large part because of higher costs of transporting food to the market. “It all trickles down to the store,” said Shawn McAdams, manager of Rosauers in Colfax. “Fuel goes up and everything starts to go up.” McAdams said prices on high volume items like milk are the first to show the effects of higher diesel prices. The American Automotive Association said gas prices have risen 87 cents in the past ye... Full story
With a new Wal-Mart in town, Pullman booked a surge in retail activity for the last quarter of 2010, and Whitman County also benefited, the state Department of Revenue reported last week. Retail sales in Whitman County grew faster than any other county in Washington state when compared to 2009. More than $45.8 million worth of retail sales were made in Whitman County between October and December 2010, up 25 percent from the $36.7 million made during the same period of 2009. Treasurer Robert Lothspeich said Wal-Mart has been the top generator...
Hog Heaven at Dahmen Hog Heaven Big Band will play swing era tunes Saturday, April 23, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Dahmen Barn in Uniontown. Admission will be $8 for a couple, $5 for a single with children under 12 free. Complimentary dance lessons begin at 6 p.m. Red Cross training set today at CHS A Red Cross presentations on how to help humanitarian efforts around the world will be presented today, Thursday, April 14, from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Colfax High School Gym. The presentation will include a video and lecture on humanitarian law. The...
Oakesdale Oakesdale Junior High and High School students will present their annual ArtsFest night Thursday April 14, at the Empire Theater in Tekoa at 7 p.m. The night will include performances by students in music, theater, dance and poetry readings. Art work will be displayed. Bridge Club was last Thursday at The Feeding Station in Tekoa. Winning high prize was Julie Zimmerman, Second High Rosemary Henrickson, Traveling Wanda Brown and Bingo Patty Johnson. Donna Fisher will host it next on April 21 at the Hill Ray in Colfa...
These reports are from the previous four issues of the Daily Bulletin in Colfax. They are reprinted here for the benefit of Gazette readers who reside outside of Colfax. Some accounts have been updated. SULLIVAN SENTENCED TO THREE MONTHS Skyler C. Sullivan, 23, was sentenced to three months in jail and ordered to pay $2,800 in fines and fees after pleading guilty to an amended charge of possession of methamphetamine Friday in superior court. The charge dates back to a Nov. 8, 2009, arrest in Colfax when officers received a tip from an...
Colton and Garfield/Palouse booked big wins Tuesday in matchups for SE softball Those games went into the books in the 1B division. Tekoa/Oakesdale/Rosalia girls Tuesday sustained two loses on their home field at Tekoa to Asotin in the 2B division. COLTON pitchers Mikayla Nygreen and Taylor Nilson totally silenced Pirate bats at Pomeroy. The Wildcat bats went to work for two wins in five inning games. Colton took the opener 20-0 with 15 hits with Kaitlin Druffel and Savannah Chadwick each tagging two raps with a double. Nygreen struck out 11...
The second varsity eight race Saturday at Wawawai landing provided the closest competition for the women’s events. WSU women, closest to the camera, were making a move for the lead at the 500 mark just before the breakwater, main spectator point for he races. The Huskies fought back and finished with a win just under a half second. Times we were 6:49.66 for the Huskies and 6:50.13 for the Cougars. The UW crews swept all events in the Cougars lone home meet on the Wawawai course. Wawawai’s big day for rowing brought teams from the Uni... Full story
Colfax girls Tuesday bagged a win in a nine-team meet at Freeman. The Bulldogs finished with 153.83 points with Northwest Christian booking a 147.5. Six of the schools in the meet were from the Bi-County. On the boys side, Northwest Christian dominated with 170.5 points. The Bulldogs finished in fifth place with 66.5 points. Reagan Lowe took the 400 race with a 1:03.84, and Morgan Willson took the 3200 with a 47-second margin. Willson also placed second in the 1600 after a battle with NWC’s Anna Henry. Bailey Mackleit and Taylor Lange placed s... Full story
Colfax Wrestling Coach Dennis Gransbery won the Veterans C Division at the Veterans Folkstyle Wrestling Nationals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Gransbery, who competed in the 167.5 weight class, won the title with a 4-1 decision over Pat Thomas of North Dakota. More than 2,400 wrestlers from 37 states competed at the three-day tournament....
Cody Evans, right, Colfax senior who was stopped by injuries before the state qualification rounds, received the inspirational award, and Kevin Nellis, left, also a senior, was named outstanding wrestler at the end of the season. Evans had the most pins on the season with 16. He was also named team captain. Nellis topped the takedown charts with 32 on the season. Evan Lord, center, was named most improved. All four received letter awards.... Full story
* On April 25, 1719, Daniel Defoe’s fictional work “The Life and Strange Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” is published. The book, about a shipwrecked sailor who spends 28 years on a deserted island, is based on the experiences of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who spent four years on a small island off the coast of South America in the early 1700s. * On April 29, 1854, the Ashmun Institute, the first college founded solely for black students, is officially chartered in southeastern Pennsylvania. Renamed Lincoln University after the Civil...
Bulldog golfers take third at Colville Colfax boys golf team placed third in an 11-team meet Monday at Dominion Meadows in Colville with a 471 team score. Kettle Falls won the team honors with a 444, and Lind/Ritzville placed second at 464. Kyle Johnson booked a 10-over 82 for the third best individual score. Other scorers for Colfax were Tyler Stevenson 85, Corey Maltone 97, Dalton McNeilly 103, Ryan Christopherson 104 and Bryce Kramlich 111. Paige Mackleit tied for second lowest girls score at 95, 12 back of state champ Kira Powell of Odessa....
Colton shortstop Josh Straughan goes over Dayton's Wyatt Frame at second base Saturday in the first inning at Colton. Colton, St. John/Endicott and Tekoa/Oakesdale/Rosalia Tuesday booked double wins as the weather cleared off for baseball action. Colton’s trip to Pomeroy went down as wins in the 1B competition after the Wildcats battled 2B clubs earlier in the week. Colton opened Tuesday with an 11-6 win over the Pirates with Josh Straughan fanning 11 Pirates over six innings. Jake Straughan finished. The Wildcats led 7-2 after five frames a...
THURSDAY A six-square-mile fire that destroyed four houses in Oklahoma City was likely sparked by a brush hog tractor mower that struck metal. Twenty-two fire departments were called to help fight the blaze. Firefighters and a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter raced to at least a dozen different fires that reignited from the menacing blaze of the previous day. Maine lawmakers made it legal for people with one arm to carry switchblade knives. The bill is designed to prevent amputees from having to open knives with their mouths in an emergency.... Full story
Whitman County Red Cross chapter is encouraging residents and businesses to launch their own fund-raiser for the relief efforts in Japan. So far, roughly $1,500 has been donated at the Red Cross office in Pullman. Two grass-root fund-raisers in Whitman County have successfully been completed since a massive earthquake and tsunami struck off the northeast coast of Japan March 11. The most recent was a benefit concert at the Belltower in Pullman last week, which featured four college-age bands or soloists. The April 7 concert which drew crowds... Full story
The last “listening post” for public comment on Highway 195 will be today in Colfax. The Department of Transportation has held three other forums in towns along the highway this week. The department is asking for citizen suggestions on the highway’s safety, in order to put together a comprehensive collision study. A main complaint from the 15 or so visitors to the Pullman post Tuesday was the need for passing lanes, according to Dave Dean, route development engineer with the DOT. “I’d advocate for passing lanes, especially Pullman to Lewiston,...
Spring cleanup dumping rates started Monday and will continue until April 23 for residential loads at the Whitman County landfill. The dumping rate has been dropped to $35 per ton for residents with a $15 minimum. Normal rate at the landfill is $99. The landfill reduces the rate to encourage residents to clean up home and yard debris. Landfill hours are 9 to 5, Monday through Saturday. The discount is not available to commercial haulers....
Contestants and parents Sunday night received a report on a review of the Colfax Distinguished Young Women competition which has been in dispute since the day after the March 26 event. Connie Ellis, co-chair of the event, said Monday the Colfax competition, which involved 14 girls, was reviewed by officers of the Washington state event, and those officers contacted the national DYW before making their recommendation. Ellis said the local committee recognized that the interview segment, which takes place in advance of the evening competition,...
Colfax school district’s athletic director Mike Morgan turned in a letter of resignation Monday, stating the work load had become too much in tandem with his two other jobs at the school. “I’ve been juggling three jobs the last nine years. It’s just been hard on me. What I would like to do is get back to focusing a little more on my music and a little more on my football and get back to the regular classroom,” Mike Morgan said. Morgan, who directs the school’s bands and coaches the football team, told the Gazette Tuesday his change of status ... Full story
Whitman Hospital will host a session on preparing advance directives and other papers that designate a person’s preferences in the event of a medical emergency. The session will be at the hospital’s administrative annex Saturday, April 16, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. A Medstar helicopter and staff of the regional tissue and organ donation organization, Lifecenter, will be present. Tours of the helicopter will be available. The event is in observance of National Healthcare Decisions Day. “You need to start thinking about those decisions as you go throu...
A Spokane contractor April 7 began boarding up windows and other openings at the former St. Ignatius Manor on South Mill on the south hill of Colfax. The large, vacant four-story building over the years has become an attraction for youths with the last reported incident March 12 when a group of Pullman teens reportedly were seen entering the building and several officers were called out to check the structure. The teens were never located inside the building, but a Ford Explorer which was left outside the building was impounded and later... Full story
Sophie Klaveano, 8, happily bottle feeds her pet lamb, three-week-old Tess. The births of young lambs and calves across Whitman County have given residents a sure sign of spring’s arrival. Sophie’s uncle, Nate Klaveano, owns 25 Suffolk ewes on the family’s ranch along Hume Road. Fifty-one lambs have been added to the Klaveano flock so far this spring.... Full story
