Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 43 of 43
It is hot. And, it is going to be hot for a while longer. Forecasts indicate high temperatures will continue. Heat advisories have been periodically posted. They are a warning to take it easy and a reminder that this weather can be life threatening. The inside of closed vehicles on hot days can rise very quickly and reach as high as 140 degrees. There are always tragedies in hot spells like this one. Kids and pets are particularly vulnerable if left in vehicles. The inside of the family car can be a death trap. Recently, the father of a...
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. COURT REVERSES PERC RULING In a decision issued July 25 Superior Court Judge David Frazier reversed a decision by the state’s Public Employees Relations Commission and ruled in favor of Washington State University officials. The commission ruling on a labor practice dispute was made last Aug. 15 in favor of the Washington Federation of State E...
An old farm truck that doesn’t run any longer and has no use for the farm may become one answer to draw more people into LaCrosse. At a LaCrosse Marketing Committee meeting Monday afternoon, members discussed the truck project. They have a 1946 Chevrolet truck they’ve spoken for and are working on acquiring it for the project. The committee is part of the LaCrosse Community Pride project. They also discussed where to place the truck once they acquire it. Ideally members want it next to State Route 26 between the two exits that have signs alo...
Palouse Empire fair board members and superintendents rolled through a list of improvements and updates Monday in their July meeting at the community building at the fairground. The reports included updates on personnel changes. Fair board members approved naming Eric and Shannon Appel of Dusty and their family for the new Fair Family recognition. The Fair Family recognition was selected earlier this year after board members decided to drop the fair’s grand marshal recognition. The grand marshal honor dates back to the days when the fair c...
An eternal flame dedicated to fallen soldiers rode through Colfax Monday afternoon on its way to a final resting place. The flame sits on a trailer that is towed by one of the members of the Tribute to Fallen Soldiers Northwest, an Oregon-based volunteer organization dedicated to honoring soldiers killed in action in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Executive Director Warren Williamson said this is the second year of doing the long ride. The flame was lit in Eugene as the group began their trip and the flame stays lighted through the ride....
Residents of Pateros were scheduled to get a special delivery from Colfax this week, but the shipping date has been moved back to Aug. 20. Tammy Lewis, one of the organizers for the Colfax drive, said organizers in Pateros called Monday and requested the shipment be delayed because they are in the process of changing locations in Pateros. As the area in north central Washington was devastated by the Carlton Complex wildfire with an estimated 300 homes destroyed, residents are now only trying to...
A newly-formed five-member Oakesdale Board of Adjustment is expected to meet in the next two weeks regarding a request by a new building owner. Brad Sullivan of Coeur d’Alene bought a commercial building at 507 North First Street to store vehicles in and would like to be approved to stay there at times while he works on them. Since it is a commercial building, this will require approval. Sullivan bought the building in March. In May, he came to a city council meeting to ask about getting approval to stay in it for short durations. At O...
After giving unanimous approval on a conditional use permit for a Garfield resident to grow marijuana under the state’s I-502 law, the town’s Board of Adjustment met again last Tuesday, July 22, to determine the conditions to be listed on the permit. The two items attached to Debra Lantzy’s permit have to do with criminal activity and waste water. Voting unanimously again, the board deemed that if there are three police reports in one year’s time directly connected to criminal activity at the...
Approximately 100 items have been donated for the silent and live auctions arranged as a benefit for Konnor Stirling, 12-year-old son of Tom and Janel Stirling of Colfax. Konnor has been diagnosed with leukemia and now undergoes chemotherapy treatment in Spokane, usually five days a week. The auction will be part of a barbecue dinner which will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Colfax Golf Club next Friday, Aug. 8. Tickets for the dinner will be $5 per person or $25 for a family. The live auction, with Butch Booker as auctioneer, will begin at...
Whitman County is facing a state audit for 2013 and county officials are hoping that this one will go better than the previous one. The audit covers financial statements and federal grant compliance which the county already has passed, according to Auditor Eunice Coker. The state also does an accountability audit. The work on the 2013 audit begins after the audit of the county’s 2012 books ended with the state reporting they were unable to issue an opinion on the county’s financial standing. State auditors presented materials to the county com...
Colfax health officials and state Department of Ecology staffers are awaiting the results of laboratory tests on a water sample taken Monday from the North Fork of the Palouse River next to Schmuck Park. The sample was taken from the river after residents reported late last week that the water in the river had turned green. “It’s a pretty bright green,” said Elaine Snouwaert, a member of the water quality staff at the Department of Ecology in Spokane. Snouwaert Tuesday said she planned to send...
The world of competition drag racing was introduced to car fans at Colfax last week by the Royce Taylor Racing team which is based in St. John. Royce Taylor and son Justin Taylor, along with crew chief Mike Hall, brought their two dragsters to Colfax in the team’s 48-foot trailer. In addition to showing the cars the three team members actually did some work on the two cars in preparation for last weekend’s races at Woodburn, Ore. The crew usually competes in six to eight drag racing events per...
Some changes could be in the works for the state’s Legion baseball competition for next year. The changes could work to revive the local Legion scene which sustained a setback with the decision this year to suspend the local area’s Senior Legion team, the Pullman Patriots. The Patriots normally drew some of the top high school players from Pullman and other teams around the county. Local Legion action this summer was left to two Junior Legion teams, the Whitman Cougars, based in Pullman, and Posse which played their home games at McDonald Park...
The 30 paragliders who landed in St. John two weeks ago were part of a world competition which started in Chelan. The Chelan-St. John flight was one of a series required in the competition. Tom Schierman of St. John, one of the few residents who watched the paragliders land at the football field, said he became aware of the event by reading Facebook accounts and believes more St. John residents and others would have turned out for the landing if they were aware of the competition. St. John was actually a designated landing zone for the...
Swimmers from around the area are again expected to roll to Colfax Saturday for the all league meet for novice swimmers. The swim meet is expected to draw between 200 and 300 swimmers to compete in age divisions from eight and under through high school. This year’s edition of the giant meet is believed to be the 50-year edition of what has become the Knights of Columbus Jerry Cluckey Memorial Swim Meet. Mr. Cluckey, who died in 1974, was credited with starting summer swim competition in the county as a result of his employment with the W...
The severe thunderstorm that rolled through Whitman County on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 23, caused a lot of damage in a short amount of time mainly in the eastern part of the county. The National Weather Service in Spokane issued a severe thunderstorm warning that afternoon before the storm hit. Some parts of Colfax lost power during the storm. Reports indicate heaviest damage was in the Pullman-Colton area and even that was spotty. While one farm lost a crop, a neighboring farm didn’t. The worst storm damage was reported in the n...
The Town of Oakesdale, in accordance with National Flood Insurance Program regulation 65.7(b)(1), hereby gives notice,of the Town of Oakesdale intent to revise the floodway, generally located within the Town of OakesdaIe along McCoy Creek. Specifically, the floodway along McCoy Creek shall be revised - within the corporate limits of the Town of Oakesdale. As a result of the floodway revision, the floodway shall narrow with a maximum narrowing of 340 feet at a point approximately 100 feet upstream of the confluence with Spring Creek. The...
Music by the Palouse Subterranean Blues Band launched dancers Saturday at the Palouse Music Festival....
