Articles from the May 14, 2020 edition
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 66
Good Old Days
8 years ago The Commoner May 17, 1895 The Colfax Dramatic Company has concluded to give the “Hick'ry Farm” at Pioneer Hall this evening. It was postponed from last Monday night on account of sickness in the family of one of the participants. The...
Mt. St. Helens blast 40 year anniversary
WHITMAN COUNTY – Kristal Krom Kirpes, then a freshman at Eastern Washington University, took a trip home to Dusty on the Walla Walla Highway for the weekend to celebrate her 20th birthday. What she d...
Rough year, but still strong
Forty-two banners were placed on Main Street light posts Saturday, May 9, to honor the Colfax 2020 graduating class. The two-sided color banners were installed by volunteers, including reach trucks...
Capitalizing on PNW sunshine increases wheat weight, yields
COLFAX – “Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey,” the song goes. But local researchers are finding it is the sun that is the Pacific Northwest’s most reliable and untapped asset in increasing wheat y...
Stripe rust presents in county wheat
WHITMAN COUNTY – Stripe rust has been discovered in varieties of winter wheat on the Palouse and actively producing spores. The rust was first spotted in Washington State University's experiment f...
Retzer honored, marks 30th
COLFAX – May 7 marked 30 years for Mayor Jim Retzer as a trooper with the Washington State Patrol. This came just two days after Retzer was announced as the recipient of the Chief Will Bachofner A...
Drop in lodging affects other businesses, more
COLFAX – What does the arts council fish fence, restaurants and state parks have in common? When lodgers don’t stay at local hotels, they all take a hit. Projects like arts council murals, the reg...
Property taxes come in strong
COLFAX – The first half of property taxes collected by the April 30 deadline in Whitman County taxing districts came out to more than $23 million. “We had a very successful tax season, even with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Whitman County Treas...
College of Engineering and Architecture:
PULLMAN – Former Colfax Mayor Todd Vanek was named as director of the Engineering Technology Management (ETM) and Online Learning Programs in Washington State University's Voiland College of E...
Windy weather
WHITMAN COUNTY – High winds were recorded across the county May 6 during storms. The highest speed was 49 miles per hour in Uniontown. A speed surpassing 80 mph was reported in Pullman, but the National Weather Service believes that to be an err...
Bee-ing a pollinator proponent
COLFAX – While not everyone wants or has the space for beehives, anyone can help support native pollinators and bees by providing feed, water and/or shelter. "What you do for the honeybees helps o...
Pullman Farmers Market set to open May 20
PULLMAN – The Pullman Farmers Market is returning for its 12th season to offer the community a mid-week farmers market. Farmers markets are considered essential businesses in the appendix of the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” Proclamation 20-25 under...
Animal complaints
PULLMAN – Pullman police received animal complaint calls about some non-domestic species May 6. One call came from an RP that had seen a red fox chasing a coyote at 9 a.m. and wanted it noted. Another was an RP reporting a big black bird in the b...
Round two of COVID Innovia grants open
PULLMAN – Innovia Foundation announced a second round of grant funding available to community-based organizations engaged in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Funding will be prioritized for o...
County candidate filing positions
COLFAX – On Monday, May 11, at 9 a.m. candidate filing for Washington state opened. For those interested in filing for candidacy, the deadline is Friday, May 15, at 4 p.m. In Whitman County, o...
Legislators urge Whitman County variance addition
WHITMAN COUNTY – Ninth District legislators have sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee to request he add Whitman County to the list of counties that may see a variance and reopen sooner than the rest of the state. "We would bet that if Whitman County is...
Crime Briefs:
STEPTOE – A man was booked into Whitman County Jail Saturday night after hitting speeds of 150 miles per hour and allegedly admitting to drug use. Saturday night at approximately 7:30 p.m., Deputy Tim Cox of the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office obs...
Crime Briefs:
The Whitman County Sheriff's office performed its annual marine patrol training May 7 on the Snake River. Deputies will patrol the river through the summer months starting in a few weeks. The Sheriff's Office responded to a report of an overturned...
Crime Briefs:
Donald Rohwer, 37, was booked into Whitman County Jail May 11 after a traffic stop lead to the discovery of methamphetamine in the vehicle he was driving. According to the arrest report, Whitman County Deputy Tyler Langerveld pulled Rohwer over on...
Crime Briefs:
James Olson, 28, Spokane, was arrested on a bench warrant and booked into the Whitman County Jail May 10. Olson was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine in May of 2019. He was allowed to attend Drug Treatment Court but failed to...
Define Voluntary
Voluntary must have a different meaning inside state government offices. On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee and other participants in his coronavirus press conference said participation in a statewide contac...
Keep the spirit of the fair
Next week the fair board will make its recommendation and then the county commissioners will decide whether or not there will be a Palouse Empire Fair. The outcome will basically be one of three...
COVID treatment
Suddenly, we have hope. Doctors are now able to treat severe cases of Covid, with no ventilators, in most cases, and no deaths so far, with the new method. (Report by NBC4 of Los Angeles area, May 6, 2020.) "I am 100 percent convinced that if we...
A fine man
It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of our longtime friend Ken Hames. For many years Ken and his lovely wife Veva Jean hosted the John Wayne Wagons and Riders on our stop in Rosalia celebrating Battle Days. They allowed us to camp...