Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 54
TEKOA—A 34-year-old man charged with third degree rape of a child submitted a plea of guilty July 24 in Whitman County Superior Court. Clayton Weaver was booked into Whitman County Jail May 30 for allegedly raping a teenage girl. Another charge of possession of methamphetamine was filed against him June 5. As part of the plea agreement, the possession charge is being dropped by the state. A sentencing hearing is set for Aug. 21. Standard sentencing range is 15 to 20 months, with the maximum term and fine five years and $10,0...
COLFAX—Superior Court jury trial is underway this week for Dillon Armstrong, 20, on charges of violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act. Armstrong was arrested in Sept. 2019 for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver after deputies found one-quarter pound of methamphetamine in the vehicle he was driving. Armstrong was stopped Sept. 11, 2019, for a traffic violation while driving a car on Stadium Way in Pullman. After the stop both he and a passenger appeared to be under the influence of narcotics use, and Armstrong a...
A horse was discovered running loose on Southview/Valleyview the morning of July 22. The painted equine was identified and returned to its home pasture east of Thorn Hill. Members of the animal kingdom made it on to the Pullman Police log July 23. An officer removed a raccoon from a window well on Linden Street and later an injured bunny was transported to WSU Veterinary Hospital....
Gov. Jay Inslee may order quarantines and business shutdowns, but he cannot enforce them. In agreeing with that argument — presented by attorneys for the governor — U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle ruled last Friday that Gov. Inslee cannot be sued for the “unconstitutional” quarantine of healthy residents, shutdown of otherwise viable businesses or mask mandates. According to the judge, state officials can only be sued if they are connected to enforcement of an allegedly unconst...
Several subscribers have complained in the paper that there is no state voters pamphlet. There is, but only on line. Those in the county without computer access are out of luck since our library system has had to be shut down. Given the importance of the voters pamphlet and the public’s expressed interest in having one, I submit the greatest service to county residents the Gazette could supply since the ownership change would be publication of the pamphlet in next week’s paper. This is your chance to validate your support of the 1st ame...
Truth to tell, there are some immigrants we would be much better off without; and I am not afraid to name them. They include Russian knapweed, field bindweed or morning glory, dogfennel, rush skeletonweed, kochia, Canada thistle (all natives of Eurasia); yellow star thistle and diffuse knapweed (Mediterranean area); canary grass and fanweed, to name a few. No matter how many we Roundup, they continue to proliferate. As for human immigration to North America, arguably the most destructive, in terms of disease importation, genocide, habitat...
Sending federal marshals into Portland, Chicago, and other cities will go down as one of the President’s biggest mistakes. It hurts him politically, it harms the already tarnished image of the police, and it works against the rule of law and order. Sending Homeland Security forces to quell the protests under the guise of protecting federal property creates a no-win situation for the President. If his troops clear the streets, he will be rightfully accused of denying the right of peaceful assembly. Any use of force will be countered by the c...
Okeydokes: New paint on Colfax Main Street. My body. My choice. NO mask. All the parking lot fixes done by local businesses. Pet Peeves: My body. My choice. Birth control. People who don’t mind their own business about others not wearing masks. Masks are a choice and some of us won’t be controlled by fear projected by our governor. New format of the Sheriff’s Log. The new county website is pretty, but I miss the old click on the calendar. Very important national election...Whitman County left without information on candidates for office. Compu...
It starts when it is hot and ends when it is cold. For 2020-21, it will start when it’s cold and end when it’s warm. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced July 21 a four-season sports schedule which moves football to the spring. The changes, to account for increasing COVID-19 cases, keep cross-country in the fall, and basketball and wrestling in a shortened season beginning after Christmas. Football and volleyball will run from March to early May with a fin...
The Garfield/Palouse Viking Crew will hold its annual 18-hole golf scramble Saturday, Aug. 8, at Colfax Country Club. Sign-in is at 8 a.m. for a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Entry fee is $140 for a team of four. Proceeds go to support student clubs, organizations and athletes of Gar/Pal High School. This year’s tournament will have an altered format due to COVID-19. Players must pre-register by Aug. 5 with Rochelle Pedersen by calling (509) 339-5323. No walk-ups will be accepted. A staggered check-in will take place on the east side of the country c...
COLFAX—There was no explanation of why Washington State Department of Transportation announced it planned to cut COAST’s funding last week and none when it pivoted on that decision Saturday to make no cuts at all. COAST was informed July 23 that all its funding from the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Public Transportation Division was being cut, a loss of $266,000. According to COAST Executive Director Paige Collins, WSDOT did not give a specific reason from the cuts other than...
HAY—Friday night, July 24, at approximately 8 p.m., deputies from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office located William “Bill” Betcher near his home in Hay. Betcher, 81, had been missing for several days and had not returned from a trip to purchase a horse. Friends and neighbors of Betcher had contacted the Sheriff’s Office earlier in the week when he failed to return home from the trip. Deputies working the case put out an Attempt To Locate on July 22 as well as posting information on social media. That day deputies received tips that Betcher h...
The elections office has received about 3,000 primary ballots of the more then 23,000 it mailed out earlier this month. Primary Election Day in Aug. 4. Ballots must be postmarked on or before that date or deposited in elections drop boxes by the close of the day. Drop boxes are located at the front of Whitman County Elections Office with a drive-up box in the alley behind the office, SE Paradise Street just outside Heinrichs Trading Co. in Pullman and on the WSU campus, outside the west entrance to the CUB on Terrell Mall. The online voters...
COLFAX-The Colfax Mercantile received the Economic Vitality Award from the Washington State Main Street Program during a virtual ceremony July 20. The Colfax Mercantile was first imagined by a committee of the Colfax Downtown Association which began researching other successful business incubator programs to incorporate best practices into its planning. With financial support from Whitman County's .09 fund, the venture launched in Aug. 2019. The Mercantile houses seven businesses offering...
SPOKANE -- The National Weather Service is projecting temperatures to reach well into the high 90s and even low triple digits this week. According to a July 27news release, the high temperatures could be coupled with low humidity and breezy conditions -- a recipe that could lead to increased fire danger in central and eastern Washington. Temperatures in the Columbia Basin should exceed 100 degrees all week, with high 90s forecast for Eastern Washington and Spokane -- touching 100 degrees on...
PULLMAN — Ten high school seniors are competing to represent the state of Washington in the 2021 America's Distinguished Young Women Program. Participants include Ruth Bresee of Coulee City, Molly Williams of Clarkston, Kari Largent of Colfax; Josie Schultheis of Colfax, Tanya Alvarado-Castro of Ellensburg, Tovah Brantner of Palouse, Ava Saint John of Ritzville, Emma Anderson-Johnsen of Mattawa, Lauren Tolley of Moses Lake and Kelsi Benton of Pullman. Due to coronavirus regulations, the public w...
OLYMPIA — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal last week suspended implementation of the controversial new "inclusive" sexual education requirements, at least for the fall. In a July 21 bulletin to schools officials statewide, Reykdal cited Referendum 90 qualifying for the Nov. 3 general election for the suspension. "At this time, districts are not required to implement the new requirements outlined in S.B. 5395 for the 2020–21 school year," he wrote. Referendum 90 will app...
Law enforcement officers from the Whitman County Sheriff's Office, Pullman Police Department and Washington State University Police Department responded to the report of an abduction and stabbing near the intersection of Whelan and Kitzmiller roads at approximately 2:20 a.m. Saturday morning. Upon arrival officers located and provided aid to an injured female who appeared to have been stabbed numerous times. The suspect, who was still in the area when officers arrived, was immediately...
Primary election ballots are due today. For those who have not already submitted their ballots, for your vote to be counted, ballots must be postmarked today or dropped of in a designated ballot box or with the elections office. A ballot deposit box is located in the Whitman County Elections Center and in the alley behind the elections center for drive-by drop-off. Until 8 p.m. today, replacement ballots, accessible voting equipment and ballot boxes are available in the elections center until 8 p.m. That is also the deadline for drop boxes....
There will be no fruit for sale at Warm Springs Ranch this year. According to Bryan Jones manager of the orchard, a late frost around Mother's Day killed off the crop. Temperatures hit 28 degrees. Jones said he can't remember ever losing the whole crop before. The orchard has lost some of its yield in the past, but never to point it won't open. Warm Springs Ranch is a remnant of the many orchards that use to grow along the Snake River in the Penawawa area. Penawawa was one of the communities...
CHENEY — Eastern Washington University President Mary Cullinan has announced she is retiring from her position, effective immediately. The university's Board of Trustees has named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs David May to serve as interim president. The announcement came at a virtual board of trustees meeting this morning, Aug. 4. "I have been honored to serve as Eastern Washington University's first female president," Cullinan said in a news release. "EWU is a valuable a...