Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Port of Whitman commissioners Dec. 5 approved resolution 19-19 that activates the port’s participation in the new Broadband LLC cooperative. The motion was passed on a 2-1 vote. Port Commissioners Kristine Meyer and John Love voted in favor of the resolution, and Commissioner Tom Kammerzell voted against. The official name of the Broadband LLC is NEWCO, LLC. The other five ports involved are Bellingham, Kalama, Pasco, Ridgefield and Skagit. In April 2000, the state legislature authorized port and public utility districts to build t...
Rick Wekenman, 19-year Palouse city council veteran, cast his last vote Tuesday night, capping one of the longest terms in the town's history. Appointed in the years after the flood of 1996, Wekenman saw a myriad of issues and acted as mayor pro-tem since his second year in office. He was appointed in 2000, after serving on the planning commission. "It's been a long haul, we've seen a lot of good things happen in those 19 years," said Wekenman, who retires at the same time as Michael Echanove,...
The Town of Garfield aims to call for bids in January for tear-down and removal of remaining mobile homes at its trailer park located across from the city park. Once cleared, the town will open an RV park at the site. The process began early last year after Mayor Jarrod Pfaff returned to office after four years away. The town bought the park, which now holds six trailers, for $45,000. "It's still in progress," Pfaff said. "Everybody is tired of looking at it. And it's become a bit of a drug...
Cliff Miller has been with Les Schwab Tire Center for 33 ½ years; he has been at the Colfax Les Schwab for 13 ½ years. Kathy Mayer, born and raised in Colfax, has been with Les Schwab in Colfax for 33 years. She became an employee one week before they opened in 1986. On Dec. 31, Mayer and Miller will be retiring and closing out their last day at Les Schwab. Miller recounted his first Les Schwab meeting. He and his wife sat at a table not knowing anyone when company founder Les...
Officers were called to the scene of this accident early Wednesday morning. The driver of a car transporter truck lost control on the curve at the top of Buck Canyon grade and went into the guardrail. Traffic on Cedar Street below the accident was blocked off as a precaution while crews worked to clear the precarious scene. A full report of the accident was not available at press time....
Drug charges filed Nov. 27 against Travis Gessler, 27, former Moscow resident, were dismissed because he was misidentified in the Nov. 19 arrest at Uniontown. Gessler had nothing to do with the incident, and the prosecutor's office agreed to drop the pending charges Tuesday, according to Pullman Attorney Michael Pettit, who represented Gessler after he was inappropriately charged....
Whitman County Public Health Department reminds the public that Engrossed House Bill 1074 goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020, when it will become illegal to sell tobacco and vapor products to anyone under 21. In 2018, one in five Washington 10th graders and one in three 12th graders reported using vapor products (Healthy Youth Survey). Similar rates were reported in Whitman County. Nearly all people who smoke begin doing so before age 21 when their brains are particularly vulnerable to the effects of nicotine―and most young people get tobacco and n...
A spout broke off which caused a grain spill near the pit of Chambers elevator, south of Pullman Monday. The truck driver was not able to stop the spill by himself. A repair crew from PNW Co-op responded to the scene....
On Friday, Dec. 6, Whitman Health and Rehabilitation Center hosted the grand opening for its new memory care unit. The unit is designed specifically for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia-related conditions. The space for this new unit was once previously used for physical therapy and managerial offices. Along with changing the space, the floors were redone from carpet to laminate wood and tile as well as walls being repainted. “Through people's visions and imagination we've been able to bring this to life through a truly amazing team,” said...
Cody Lord has returned to serve as clerk/treasurer for Garfield and Farmington, beginning the first week of November. Lord returned after living in Tampa, Fla., for two and a half years. He re-started his old job with new office hours. In Garfield, he is at town hall 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 3 - 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, along with Wednesdays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. In Farmington, the town has open Saturday hours, with Lord there 7 a.m. - noon. Monday through Friday, he works 6:30 - 8:30 p.m....
Innovia Foundation, in partnership with Washington nonprofits and Washington State Office of Financial Management, is seeking grant applications from community-based organizations to support events and programming that will encourage 2020 Census participation in Eastern Washington communities. A minimum of $200,000 will be distributed in the 10 Eastern Washington counties for education and outreach activities aimed at historically hard-to-count populations. The goal of the Eastern Washington Census 2020 Grant Program is to build awareness of...
Former Pullman Mayor Karen Kiessling has been appointed to the Washington State Council on Aging by Governor Jay Inslee. Kiessling served as Pullman's mayor from the 1976 to 1980. The council advises the governor and state agencies on the needs of seniors in the state and works to achieve funding for those services. The appointment began Oct. 21 and will expire Sept. 15, 2022. Kiessling has also served on numerous blue ribbon panels, boards, committees and commissions for four Washington governors. “I believe it is important for the citizens of...
The Port of Whitman has been working with Pacific Northwest Waterways Association on a river communication effort to support the dams along the Snake River. At Thursday's port meeting, Brenda Stav, port communications director, said the port is working with PNWA on its 2020 river communications plan. The main push thus far with the plan is the “Faces of the Snake River” initiative. PNWA is a collaboration of ports, businesses, public agencies and individuals who combine their economic and political efforts in support of navigation, energy, tra...
Bank of Eastern Washington has announced its school mascot debit card program in association with Colfax High School. “This program is a great way for local Bulldog parents, fans and students to show support for Colfax high school and it demonstrates the bank’s commitment to helping local communities prosper through a robust activities program. We encourage everyone to sign up for this mascot card supporting their school, as five cents per transaction adds up,” said Gary Propheter, EVP and chief operations officer. Initiated in September 2013,...
Colfax fire crews responded to a grass and brush fire along Almota Road past the hospital Dec. 3 at 1:43 p.m. A Rural District 11 pumper and a city pumper responded to the scene. Members of a department ambulance crew who had completed a run to the hospital also assisted at the scene. No structures were threatened by the fire....
Scientists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture and Washington State University are collaborating to survey the soil health of seven specialty crops grown in our state. The project is funded through the WSDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program. Researchers will assess the baseline soil health and develop a state-specific soil health index. They are seeking participation from farmers growing potatoes, onion, sweet corn, pulses, tree fruit, wine grapes and hops during the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons. Eligible participants will...
Residents have begun a neighborhood watch program in Oakesdale after a series of thefts of gas and tools over the past year. After an increase in October, a group organized by Michelle Wright of the Wright Place service station went to the town council in early November to inform the town of their endeavor. The next week, Wright hosted a meeting at the shop, also the the site of several thefts. Eight people attended. The group has since put flyers in windows around town and taken drives around late at night. “There's been a rash of theft of (...
With a new lineup of starters on the court, Colfax boys proved up in a big way over the weekend with two big wins. Friday, Colfax rolled south and clubbed Pomeroy 74-39, and Saturday they opened their home hoop run with a 73-64 win over the Lakeside Eagles from Nine Mile, an A division team. The win over the Eagles came with an attack which included 13 three-point shots. John Lustig and Layne Gingerich each plunked five three-pointers against the Eagles. A sophomore, Lustig also plunked 9-9...
Trentin Ensley of Colfax works for win over Luke Martin of Post Falls in the 170 class at the Potlatch Invitational tournament Saturday. The Colfax team finished with 28 team points in the big meet. Kellogg won team honors with 168 points....
Bulldog girls will face another big-school test Friday when Colfax hosts Columbia of Burbank. The Bulldogs will host after extending their record to 2-1 on the season with split results last weekend. In their home opener Saturday, Colfax stacked a runaway win over the Lakeside Eagles. They posted an early lead and cruised to a 54-40 win. The win over the A division Eagles came after Colfax was defeated Friday at Pomeroy. The Pirates came up with solid defense to drop Colfax 44-23 in their...
The Jones boys return to stalk the gyms of southeast Washington. Blake, a senior forward, and Austin, the junior point guard at Garfield/Palouse, start together for the third year, returning after last year ended at Spokane Arena with an opening round loss at the state 1B tournament. The team graduated eight seniors, known for their size and brawn, including all-league forward Tanner Anderson. Back this year is junior post Jacob Anderson, Tanner’s brother, who began last season on the J.V. and w...
This will be sacrilege to "Never Trumpers," but Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump share some similarities. It is true that Bloomberg's charitable foundation actually does good work, while Donald Trump had to pay a $2 million fine for basically using his for self-promotion. And it is true that Bloomberg has financed gun control efforts, while Trump, as president, has groveled before the National Rifle Association. It is also true that Donald now calls himself a Republican -- in fact, he's taken over the party -- but he has switched between...
Is a train-a-comin' from Oakesdale? They lost four starters from last year but is it time nonetheless to reinforce the walls of gyms around the Southeast 1B league? At 3-0 to start the year, with two wins over 2B schools, the even-handed Nighthawks have suggested more is to come. "The biggest thing is the consistency with which we've played, in competing on both ends of the floor," said Oakesdale Coach Carl Crider, following a Tuesday night home win over Lind/Ritzville/Sprague. "The way we're...