Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Compared with President Barack Obama, even Jimmy Carter is John McCain. The former president practically synonymous with American weakness and retreat thinks Obama was too slow to act against ISIS and gives his current strategy only “a possibility of success,” provided it involves (unspecified) ground troops. When you are too passive for Jimmy Carter, it’s time for some soul-searching in the Situation Room. The late-1970s are calling and want their foreign policy back. The war against ISIS so far is desultory and occasional, a campaign of un... Full story
Given his low standing in the polls and the growing list of friends and foes alike who say he is too aloof and lacks the fire needed for leadership, do not be at all surprised if we suddenly see Barack Obama throw a temper tantrum in some very public place. There was a time when being described as “No Drama Obama” was a plus for him, as he very carefully cultivated an image of being the coolest guy on the planet. He was perceived as being above it all, not covered in the muck that defines politics. He was the Democrats’ rock-star candidate and...
For a while, Steve McGehee was living in Mexico. Now, he is back in Palouse. His return has marked new assaults on the Palouse City Council and, in particular, Mayor Michael Echanove. For years McGehee has been a thorn in the side of the city. He is his own version of Haunted Palouse. The crux of his complaints has been to question the mayor’s credibility with charges of corruption and mismanagement. Not having a local newspaper as a forum anymore, he has taken to driving around town in a truck with signs attacking the mayor. McGehee sees h... Full story
A Positivity Campaign for Malden will be officially launched this evening at the annual Harvest Dinner and Bazaar Oct. 23, 2014, and is scheduled to continue through a new annual event, Malden Appreciation Day, which has tentatively been scheduled for May 16. A Facebook page has been launched where people can read “the best of the story and the rest of the story,” according to Colleen Cross, administrator of the campaign. A resident of Malden since December of 2012, Cross introduced the proposal at the September meeting of the Malden City Cou... Full story
Retail marijuana has arrived in Whitman County with a location in Pullman now three weeks into its existence. M.J.’s Pot Shop opened on Bishop Boulevard next to Higginson’s Ding and Dent on Oct. 4. The owner is Mary Jane Smith, who has owned For Art’s Sake, a framing shop on Grand Avenue, for the past 25 years. “It’s different, I’ll tell you, than any other business I have,” she said. “Everyone’s been fumbling through, trying to figure it out. It just keeps you on your toes.” The law, f...
A free parenting class, Guiding Good Choices, will run for five Wednesdays beginning Nov. 3. at the Tekoa Library from 6 to 8 p.m. Participants are required to register prior to the first class. The evidence-based class is being taught across the state by coalitions working to increase parents’ skills and decrease children’s risks of trouble. It will be taught by trained facilitators John Giudice and Leanne Wicklund. Anyone interested in attending can call Tekoa Grade School or Diane Harp, coordinator for Healthy Tekoa Coalition, at (509) 284... Full story
There’s some Funky Junk from St. John in the Nostalgia store in Colfax. Nostalgia has a collection of antiques and art so collections from Funky Junk fit in, said owner Renee Ray, who is pictured with some of the collection. Funky Junk’s original store, operated by Angel Colyar, is in St. John. Space in a back room of Nostalgia is filled with all kinds of collections including everything from Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls to stirrups. “I think she wants to spread her wings a bit and try Colfa...
—Photo contributed by county emergency management At least 14 people were known to have participated in a Washington Great ShakeOut earthquake drill Thursday morning in Colfax. The state drill was officially set for 10:16 a.m. Thursday which was Oct. 16. The 14 people who took part in the drill “live” were present for a meeting of the local Emergency Planning Committee in the Public Service Building. The drill called for participants to Drop, Cover and Hold On. Attendees at the meeting, inclu... Full story
A team of fast, experienced Gorilla gridders put a 20-point shock job on the Bulldogs Friday night to end the Colfax win streak and put an extra edge on the Northeast League run for the final two rounds. The Gorillas fought off a Colfax comeback attempt in the second half and left town with a 48-19 win, their first win over the Bulldogs after seven years of NE league action. The Davenport win and a 7-6 win by Lind/Ritzville/Sprague over Reardan put the Broncos on top of the league with a 7-0...
Colfax Bulldogs rolled out two more match wins in the NE league this week to advance their league string to 8-0 with two NE rounds left. Colfax netters are slated to travel to Liberty tonight and then host Shadle Park, which will mark a rare visit to the Colfax court by a Greater Spokane League team. Last league round for the Bulldogs will be next Tuesday against Davenport, one of the pre-league picks for a strong run in the NE, The Gorillas who will play at Colfax, were rolling on a 6-1 league record at the start of this week. Tuesday at...
The St. John-Endicott Eagles picked up their second win of the season playing at Dayton Oct. 17, while Colton picked up their third loss. Garfield-Palouse (3-2, 2-2) had a bye, in preparation to meet Pomeroy (4-3, 4-2) at home Friday. Touchet’s win over Colton continued their unbeaten streak in the Southeast 1B league. The Wildcats are now 3-3 (2-3 in league) heading into their Homecoming game Friday vs. Liberty Christian at 3 p.m. St. John-Endicott will play Touchet (6-0, 5-0) at St. John F...
St. John/Endicott racers will begin the countdown to the state cross country finals Saturday with the SE league run at Beachfront Park in Clarkston. The SE district meet will not eliminate runners from the state countdown, but it will give runners an idea of their chances in the big regional round next week. Eagle Coach Andrea Miller notes Asotin and Tri Cities Prep are the SE powers. In the regional meet at Pasco, the SE runners will mix it up on the Big Cross course in an elimination round with NE runners from District 7. That means the...
Tekloa/Rosalia Timberwolvces Tuesday defeated St. George’s with a sweep on the road in the NE campaign. The line score was 28-26 25-14 and 25-23 with Olivia Pakootas rapping four kills and getting three digs Gensen Merrtit hit two aces. Maddie Bogenreif and Maggie Herefore were each credited with 17 assists. The Tuesday win came after the Timberwolvles were swept by Northwest Christian 25-16 25-15 25-16 in the league round last Thursday at Colbert Groom hit four kills in that match and she and Pakootas each had seven digs.... Full story
Jake Straughan, a three-sport standout at Colton who is now attending the University of Idaho on a basketball scholarship, received the Male Athlete of the Year Award at the annual High School Awards Banquet sponsored by the Warrior Athletic Association at at the Lewis-Clark State College Activity Center Oct. 15. Straughan was an All-League quarterback and defensive back at Colton and threw for 2,500 yards. He broke his leg in a state playoff game, and when it healed, he helped the Colton boys’ basketball team capture their first state c...
With two more league rounds on the books, Pomeroy's Pirates closed in on the top spot in the SE league this week with two more match wins, both booked on three-game sweeps. The Pirates are now 11-1 in the league race and out of range of the pursuit team. Tuesday they dropped the visiting LWK Tigercats 25-14 25-6 and 25-13 with Skylar Smith hitting seven kills. Ireland Mayfield put up 27 assists. The Pirates posted Tuesday's sweep after topping the SJE Eagles in a showdown in the league round last Thursday Oakesdale Tuesday stopped the Eagles...
Seven Whitman County towns have propositions on the Nov. 3 ballot. Also seeking voters’ approval will be four parks and recreation districts and two cemetery districts. Colton is asking voters to approve additional taxes for collection in 2015 of approximately $1.20 per $1,000 of assessed value to raise $30,000 for general operations, improvements of town streets and the water and sewer systems. Endicott voters will decide on two propositions. Proposition No. 1 asks voters to approve a special tax levy to be collected in 2015 of $20,000, an est...
If voters approve Initiative 1351, Pullman School District might have to add another elementary school. Whitman County Commissioner and Pullman School Board member Dean Kinzer said if this initiative is approved, Pullman would have to add at least one more elementary school to provide more classrooms. Pullman voters just approved a bond to replace a school building. According to the Washington State Voters’ Pamphlet, if approved, the measure would direct the Legislature to allocate funds to reduce class sizes and increase staffing support f...
A big shoe dropped during the voters’ forum in Colfax Tuesday night. County Assessor Joe Reynolds said that if he is re-elected he is not going to resign as has been rumored throughout his campaign. In fact, that’s the main reason his challenger, Jim Hawkes, said he is running. Hawkes admitted in his introduction during the Pullman League of Women Voters forum that he challenged his boss because of a reliable rumor that Reynolds was going to resign after two years and appoint a replacement. But throughout their mild debate, as they com...
Two gun initiatives are on the November ballot. Both claim to protect individual rights for gun owners. Initiative 591, according to the Washington Voters’ Pamphlet, “protects against illegal search and seizure, preventing politicians and bureaucrats driven by an anti-rights agenda from depriving citizens of their property without due process.” The statement in the pamphlet also emphasizes that I-591 protects background check uniformity. The argument against this initiative states it will “make it easier for guns to fall into the wrong hands b...
A cellular phone tower that was to be built on the top of Steptoe Butte has hit some snags. According to Washington State Parks Service Communications Director Virginia Painter, the project that was supposed to be built last spring is being redesigned. “Apparently the project was deemed an ‘area of interest’ by the Spokane Indian Tribe under Federal Communications Commission guideline/Rule 04-222,” Painter wrote in an email. “What we have been told is that instead of a 140-foot tower, Verizon can build a 100-foot tower.” The tower project had...
More than 60,000 people from Spokane to Boise will have meals thanks to some Moscow school children and local volunteers. Homestead Ministries, begun less than three months ago by Tom Riedner of Genesee and Greg Nolan of Colfax, organized the food distribution with Logos Christian School in Moscow Oct. 16. Riedner formerly worked for Storehouse which also distributed food, but decided to begin his own organization. Students from kindergarten through 12th grade filled the school’s gym in the f...
Avista Tuesday announced plans for a 10-hour cut in electrical service Friday starting at 8 p.m and ending Saturday at 6 a.m. Scheduled for the outage are LaCrosse, Endicott, Thornton and Steptoe. Rural areas surrounding the four locations will also be cut....
The city of Palouse has been the subject of protests in recent weeks tied to a long-running dispute over water, sewer and other matters. Residents Jim Farr and Steve McGehee have taken turns driving a pickup with signs on it around town before city council meetings. They have also parked it next to Highway 27 at the turn toward Pullman. The signs read, “Crooked Mayor Meeting Tonight at City Hall,” and on the other side of Farr’s 1-ton pickup, “Why Does Your Mayor Lie?” During the time they have...
A warrant of commitment for Richard J. DeVaney, 42, to the state Department of Corrections was filed Oct. 15 in Whitman County Superior Court. DeVaney was sentenced to 123 months in prison for rape of a child in the first degree. The date of the crime was Nov. 7, 2012....
NOTICE OF A PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING A public hearing will be held by the Whitman County Planning Commission to decide on a recommendation to expand the cluster residential opportunity zone to include an area owned by the Evangelical Free Church on the Pullman Airport Road on November 5, 2014, in the Auditorium, first floor of the Whitman County Public Service Building, at 7:00 PM. Interested persons may submit written comments on the proposed zoning action decision by 5.00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5, 2014, to the County Planning... Full story
