Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Santa booked for many stops as season rings in. The holiday season will launch today at Colfax and other locations around the county on Saturday. Two parades, three fireworks displays and a lot of goodies have been booked for the Santa stops. Colfax Colfax will celebrate Winterfest today with Santa at the library from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and the Festival of Trees at The Center from 3 to 6 p.m. The lighted parade will start at 6 p.m. on Mill Street and loop around to Main Street and the fireworks display will follow. Endicott Endicott Community...
On Monday, Dec. 2, County Administrative Director Gary Petrovich presented the final 2020 county budget to the county commissioners. The final 2020 budget came out to $64,002,692. “The 2020 budget is a three percent increase from the 2019 adopted budget,” Petrovich said. “The 2019 adopted budget was $62,303,720.” When the preliminary budget was presented, Petrovich estimated that the revenues in the general fund would be $16,867,500. These revenues primarily come from general property tax, retail sales and use taxes, state grants and public...
Mayor Michael Echanove and Councilman Rick Wekenman will be hanging up their city government hats at the end of this year. Between them they have served the citizens of Palouse for 45 years. Mayor Echanove first served on the council from Jan. 1, 1994, until May 22, 2001. He was appointed as mayor May 23, 2001, and has been re-elected since, including the last four consecutive terms, for 26 consecutive years. Wekenman was appointed to city council May 9, 2000, and has been re-elected ever since, for 19 straight years. The City of Palouse will...
Brandon Kruger, Whitman County roads operation manager, reported to county commissioners Monday about a de-icing truck which turned over on Albion Road last Tuesday, Nov. 26, in the lead-up to the Thanksgiving travel weekend. Spreading de-icing magnesium chloride, the truck arrived at a continuously-shaded part of Albion Road, and the driver switched to a higher rate of dispersion for the de-icer. Instead, it dropped to a lower rate. While toggling the handle, trying to figure out what went wrong, the driver swerved, over-corrected and tipped...
The large Blue Spruce on the south side of P1FCU in the 500 block of South Main Street was decorated by volunteers Monday and lights were applied. Colfax FFA students, an Avista crew and others worked on decorating the tree along with bank staffers and volunteers. Westside Pizza provided 14 pizzas. Mike Damery of Damery Landscaping in Colfax reported Monday he planted the tree in 2003 as memorial to Garfield farmer Tom Pennell. The memorial project was launched by Pennell's wife, Jan Pennell, as...
Bill Grimes from SCJ Alliance Consulting Services in Spokane spoke to county commissioners Monday about a new study of the Palouse to Cascades Trail – formerly known as the John Wayne Iron Horse Trail. Following last spring's approval by the state legislature to fund $1.8 million of trail resurfacing work from Malden to Rosalia, and $1.7 million to repair and re-open the Tekoa trestle, Grimes' firm was hired by the Washington State Department of Commerce five weeks ago to evaluate what may c...
With precipitation recorded for just five days, November turned out to be a very dry month. Total precipitation for the month was .51 inches at the NRCS station in Colfax. That compares with an average of 2.68 inches of precipitation for the month. November is the second-highest average precipitation month of the year for Colfax NRCS charts. It is topped only by December which has a 2.71 precipitation average. Top reading for the month was .24 of an inch for the Nov. 18 reading which included the prior weekend. Other readings were .10 Nov. 13,...
Whitman County commissioners Monday approved the surplus sale of a waste oil trailer to the town of Endicott. The trailer was stored at the county shop near the Colfax Airport where Endicott Mayor Steve Salzman is a long-time senior shop mechanic. “We don't use it. We have one that we use and that's not it,” said Brandon Kruger, county road operations manager. Commissioners approved the price at “approximately $400” to allow for final negotiation....
In the Gazette's Nov. 7 and Nov. 14 editions, an advertisement ran for residents to register their family for the Firefighters' Christmas Toy Box Drive to benefit children in Whitman County. The registration deadline on the advertisement was Nov. 6. The actual deadline is Dec. 13 and families registering can complete the form at the Whitman County Health Department or email colfaxtoydrive@gmail.com....
Oakesdale's first "Ruck for the Fallen: March for the Heroes", a benefit 5K and 10K run/ruck, in which participants had the option to carry weighted rucksacks with pictures of late soldiers and first responders, was held Saturday, Nov. 30. An estimated 90 runners took part on the paved-road routes, which included people pushing strollers. "We'll have another one next year. We're gonna do Steptoe Butte, if we can," said event board member Sarah McKnight. Participants were asked to make a...
Whitman County Treasurer's annual sale of tax foreclosure properties will convert to an on-line format this year. The properties will be posted and a bid period will be opened from Dec. 13 until Dec. 16. Foreclosure sales have been done in a bid format which has been conducted in the county commissioners' chambers at the courthouse. Properties are listed for foreclosure when unpaid taxes extend back for three years. Six were listed. The sales this will be done through www.bid4assests.com....
P1FCU has been running their Season of Giving campaign from Nov. 1 and will end on Dec. 21. At the Colfax location, employees are wearing their Season of Giving shirts raising awareness for residents to donate this season. This year, P1FCU is asking residents to donate non-perishable food items, monetary donations, unwrapped toys or new or gently used coats. These items can be dropped off at any P1FCU branch location. All donations will go towards local charities and families. Along with donations that can be dropped off at different branch...
Wreaths Across America will hold its national event noon Saturday, Dec. 14, at Bethel Cemetery in Steptoe. Memorial wreaths will be placed for veterans buried at Bethel Cemetery. The mission of Wreaths Across Americais to remember fallen US veterans, honor those who serve and teach children the value of freedom. More than 1,640 cemeteries will be participating in Wreaths Across America on Dec. 14. Bethel Cemetery has veterans buried from the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, the...
REAL ESTATE SALES Erik Ostrum, Evelyn Martinez, and Marcella Ostrom, Richland, to Henry and Emi Evans, house on S.W. Summer, Pullman, $260,000, Nov. 25. Andre and Danielle Hamstra, Parker, Colo., to Shenghau Xu, house on S.W. Domonic Court, Pullman, $380,0900, Nov, 25. David Stratton, Olympia, to Jean and Craig Druffel, house on S.W. Fountain, Pullman, $225,000, Nov. 25. Karen Shaw, Colfax, to Dillon Aeschliman, house on Wilcox Road, Colfax, $150,000, Nov. 25. Karen Hendron, Kathleen, Ga., to Kathleen Houten, Tekoa, house on S. Broadway,... Full story
The Palouse city council has approved the sale of its riverfront Brownfields site, the Main Street lot which was the subject of a state and federal environmental cleanup of a former gas station. A group of six residents, three couples, got together two months ago to plan a proposal to include a new building for TLC Animal Care, office and living space for rent and a brewery. “I think the proposal met the spirit of the cleanup,” said Michael Echanove, Palouse mayor. “Integrating that site back...
Washington State University Press will host its 28th annual holiday book fair Thursday, Dec. 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Terrell Library Atrium on the Pullman campus. The fair highlights books published throughout the year. Festivities include discounts of 20 to 50 percent on all titles, drawings for free books and complimentary refreshments. The fair will feature new titles on a variety of subjects including WSU presidents, environmental issues in the American West, Joni Earl and Sound Transit’s amazing survival story, Seattle c...
The Tough as Nails group from Rosalia was in Colfax Wednesday, Dec. 4, to assemble folded origami paper swan kits which will be delivered to hospitals in the area for distribution to patients at the end of December. The goal is to send out 1,000 of the swan kits. Tough as Nails is comprised of the three Bothman sisters, Camie, Maicy and Leslie. They are the daughters of Brian and Caryn Bothman of Rosalia. The trio has a support group which includes Tori McLain, Chloe Place, Christina Ward and Elise and Clare Wilkins. Each kit includes a folded...
Lana and Roger Myers, founders of W.H.E.A.T. - We Honor Every American Troop, a nonprofit in LaCrosse which sends care packages to troops overseas, plans to send 25 packages this month for the holiday season. Roger Myers, president of W.H.E.A.T., said that they have assembled a board of directors consisting of diverse members of the community. The board of directors consists of Roger Myers, Kathleen Parker, Jody Carter, Georgia Wells and Terry Miller. On Nov. 19, the IRS issued W.H.E.A.T. its employer identification number. With this EIN all...
Colfax Bulldog girls posted an early lead, faded in the second quarter and then won a race in the second half to pull out a 50-46 win over Colton Tuesday on the Wildcats’ home court. The game was a season opener for both teams. Colton hosted Colfax as the defending champions from last year’s 1B campaign, but Coach Clark Vining and crew are starting the season after five members of the title team departed last spring with diplomas. Colfax opened with a 16-7 lead in the first quarter, but the Wildcats came charging back in the second frame and...
Oakesdale opened its four-game home stand to start the 2019-20 basketball season with a 59-33 win over Asotin. Coach Seth Paine and the 2B Panthers arrived with a younger group – losing eight seniors from last year's team – and Oakesdale held sway. Matt Hockett led the Nighthawks with 14 points and nine rebounds while Kit Hockett added 13 points and Tyler Bober 11. Ryan Henning had five assists. "For the first game of the year, it was very pleasantly surprising," said sixth-year Oakesdale coa...
Oakesdale girls opened the season with a 15-3 first quarter over Asotin Tuesday at Oakesdale. The Nighthawks kept up the pace for the duration of the game and finished with a 17-2 run in the last quarter for a 56-20 win. Lizzy Perry scored 14 for the Nighthawks, and LouEllen Reed hit 13. The hosts led 33-13 at the half. Other scorers for Oakesdale were Jessie Reed 8, Bree Rawls 2, Marilla Hockett 3, Julie Baljo 6, Lauryn Rawls 5, and Kaylee Hinnenkamp 5. The Nighthawks hit 23 from the field and... Full story
The St. John/Endicott/LaCrosse boys basketball team is back on the floor for 2019-20 but something is different. They return three seniors, including T.J. Harder, who missed almost all of last year with a foot injury. New coach Mike Stubbs takes over after being an assistant last year. But that’s not it. Kameron Greenhalgh, the Eagles’ 6’7” junior center is not in uniform. “He will not dress tonight,” said Coach Stubbs before the team’s first game Tuesday against Dayton/Waitsburg. “He has been...
Garfield/Palouse teams booked a split Tuesday when they headed over the border to play Potlatch to open their season. The Gar/Pal girls banked a 41-28 win, and the Potlatch boys took their side of the matchup 61-37. The Viking girls were led by 20 points from Kenzi Pedersen who hit six from the field and 8-for-14 from the toss line. Garfield/Palouse staked a 25-18 edge at the half and then held the Loggers to two points in the third quarter. Other scorers for the Viking girls were Lexi Brantner 3, Rielee Renne 4, Paige Collier 4, Makenzie...
Both SJEL teams posted solid wins Tuesday in their season openers at home with Dayton-Waitsburg on the guest list. The Eagle girls posted a 30-point win, 58-28, with Brooklyn Bailey hitting 15 and Olivia Kjack 13. Other scorers were were Kyra Holt 4, Hailee Marty 2, Zoe Bailey 9, Drew Curtis-Brewer 7, Ellie Tollett 6 and Bailey Brown 2. Kjack also had nine rebounds and five assists in the big win. Megan Forney led DW with 10 points. Eagle boys rolled out a 59-48 win with Ty Harder hitting 22. The guests scored 20 points in the first quarter,...