Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Whitman County Humane Society was among 12 charities in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho to receive a grant from a $1.5 million fund left by a Sandpoint woman who died last year. The donor, who requested to remain anonymous, was reported to be a retired East Coast photographer who made her retirement home in Sandpoint. The fund was left in trust to Panhandle State Bank through the bank’s Community Focus Trust grant program. The Humane Society and the 11 other agencies are scheduled to receive grants over five years. The annual grant s...
THURSDAY A single whitetip female shark was blamed for at least three out of five attacks on tourists at a popular resort on the Red Sea in Egypt. Three Russians and a Ukrainian were attacked in the space of two days last week, and a 70-year-old German woman snorkeller died after a shark tore a piece out of her thigh and severed her forearm over the weekend. Former Doors singer Jim Morrison was pardoned by the Florida clemency board for exposing himself at a raucous concert in 1969, an act the late singer and many concert-goers denied ever took... Full story
MARRIAGE LICENSES Paul Shuerman, 33, Colfax, and Shelley Feldner, 32, Colfax, Dec. 1 Dustin Link, 23, Colfax, and Amanda Kramlich, 21, Colfax, Dec. 3 Mitchell Lucero, 23, Moscow, and Katherine Scott, 24, Moscow, Dec. 10 David Skeate, 20, Pullman, and Gabrielle De Vito, 21, Moscow, Dec. 13 COLFAX BUILDING PERMITS Larry Slate, gas furnace, $3,500, 703 S. Lake, Dec. 6 REAL ESTATE SALES Accredited REO Properties to Ricky Vick, Rosalia, house on W. 7th, Rosalia, $48,700, May 14. Neill-Gearhiser-Neill LLC to Michael Hunter and Fengjie Ma, Pullman,... Full story
A series of free workshops on oilseed crop production will be at three locations in eastern Washington next month. Registration begins Dec. 10 for three one-day workshops focusing on oilseed crop production in Washington State. Washington State University and USDA Agricultural Research Service researchers will offer sessions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Armory in Okanogan, Jan. 26 at the community building in Reardan, Wash.; and Jan. 27 at Hill Ray Plaza in Colfax. WSU professor of soil science Bill Pan said the workshops will supply... Full story
The long-standing picnic shelter at Klemgard park will get a new metal roof. Years of Palouse weather have worn out the cedar shingles of the shelter, said park ranger Dave Mahan. Now the roof leaks in several spots. “What we’re going to do is we’re going to get the metal roofing material and strip the old roofing material,” he said. He pointed out the wooden shingles are going on 30 years old. “I’d like to get it done before spring really hits,” he said. Schedule for replacing the roof this winter will largely depend on the ferocity of t...
Funding for the kid’s fishing day at Gilchrist Pond is still on the rocks. County officials are searching for sponsors of the popular children’s fishing day in the spring. The county’s annual children’s fishing day was notified in early October by the state they would lose approximately $2,500. Those funds usually come from the state, which partially funds the fishing day. County officials are knocking on doors for funding earlier this year in hopes of bridging the gap before the end of January. Program leaders are trying to seek out new, po... Full story
The Colfax City budget for 2011, which was approved at the last city council session, includes a parks budget which underwent a $15,000 cutback because nothing was included for capital expenses. Normally, the parks budget designates $15,000 for capital spending which can include upgrades, purchase of equipment or other expenses not related to maintenance and operation. The overall city budget for 2011 was approved with an estimated $25,927 in the black. Spending has been charted at $3,033,287 and revenues at $3,059,214. The parks budget has...
The Colfax School Board Monday night decided to sign a resolution in support of a lawsuit against the state of Washington based on education funding. They would not, though, commit funds. The Network for Excellence in Washington Schools, a group of schools and education organizations, sued the state last year, claiming it was not living up to the constitutional mandate that public education funding be paramount among state spending. “That’s the whole point of the suit,” said Colfax Supt. Michael Morgan. “To make the state make educati... Full story
Seeking a warmer climate, Steve Lacy, mayor of Lamont, announced he will resign the position next month to move nearer to family members living in Albuquerque, N. M. “It’s been fun, but it’s time to for me to move on,” Lacy told the Gazette Monday. Lacy’s tenure was not without controversy, but he credited the cooperation of the town council and his neighbors for helping with several improvements. Lacy said he has family in New Mexico and expects to find more work as a computer consultant in Albuquerque’s booming defense industry. “Certainly...
The sparkly sign of Tekoa’s newest coffee shop says it all; come here to get jazzed on caffeine. Inside, couches covered with Zebra patterns, a shiny metal counter and bright hanging bulbs light up the shiny interior for willing coffee connoisseurs. “I wanted it to be retro and a little bit funky. It just kind of came together,” said Melinda Wilkins. The name derives from the combined names of Melinda and Rob Wilkins’ daughters. Located along Tekoa’s Crosby Street, the business opened Nov. 9. It offers traditional caffeine fixings such as m... Full story
Comments both in support and opposition of the draft environmental impact statement of First Wind’s proposed wind farm on Naff Ridge west of Oakesdale have been flowing into the office of County Planner Alan Thomson. The six-inch thick statement, released last month, was prepared by the CH2M Hill engineering firm. It includes information about the potential environmental and economic impacts the area might see from the installation of 55 wind turbines along the ridge. Naff Ridge runs west of Oakesdale north of Trestle Creek Road and angles nort...
Uniontown passed a slashed 2011 budget Monday night in the wake of a month of staff resignations. A crowded city hall watched as the five-member council passed the budget and made a plan for a private audit of the town’s finances. The town’s current expense budget is $297,894 for 2011. The overall budget, including water, sewer, reserves and capital improvement funds totals $997,699. The town currently has no police and no full-time city clerk. In the midst of a heated struggle over balancing the 2011 budget, city clerk/treasurer Cheryl Wal...
Whitman County’s $55 million 2011 budget took a half-million drop into the red Tuesday after corrected figures worked by Commissioner Michael Largent revealed several miscalculations. Largent’s figures revealed a $629,146 gap between projected spending and revenues; a gap $557,233 wider than the $71,913 deficit in Auditor Eunice Coker’s preliminary budget. The deficit is in the county’s $12,297,066 current expense operating budget and accounts for more than 5.1 percent of the spending plan. “We’re going to have to come up with some magic ideas... Full story
The dog was sleeping in a wet culvert every night, scrounging food scraps around Oakesdale and suffering from an ear infection. Pete and Margaret Leonard, proprietors of Oakesdale’s The Country Attic, diligently put out food for the hungry stray for most of this year, even though the dog wouldn’t let the two near him. Then winter hit. Pete took one look at the snow pounding in over the Palouse and put his foot down. “We knew he wouldn’t make it another winter out there on his own,” Leonard told the Gazette in an interview Dec. 10. Leonard d... Full story
NOTICE OF HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Whitman County Commissioners have set the date of Monday, December 27, 2010, at 10:15 a.m. in their Chambers, Courthouse, Colfax, WA, for a proposed amendment to the 2010 Whitman County budget. At that time, it is requested all department heads/elected officials requesting an amendment be present. The total amount of the proposed amended budget is approximately $55,000,000.00. Copies of the proposed amendment will be available December 20, 2010 by calling 397-5240. Disabled accommodations are...
A ceremony honoring American service men and women will be Dec. 18 in Oakesdale. A color guard from the Fairchild Air Force base in Spokane will be present at 2 p.m. in front of the home of Marcie and Jack Fanning at 308 W. Pearl Street in Oakesdale. Marcie Fanning said she believes American troops are deserving of more recognition this Christmas season. The national anthem will be played followed by a reading from the book “Silent Night, Holy Night”. A moment of silence for the troops overseas will be observed....
Photographer’s view The uniqueness of the Palouse brings photographers from around the world to capture its beauty each and every year. The rolling hills, green and golden crops, red barns, lone trees, canola fields, bluest skies and wonderful puffy clouds are truly every photographer’s dream. As one of those photographers who is entranced by the magnificence each time I have visited, I wanted to say how I appreciate all the farmers, hired hands, truck drivers, equipment makers, suppliers and every other support group for all the hard work the...
If I were to submit my 16-week-old puppy to an IQ test, I’m pretty sure this is how it would turn out. Question One: Your owner screams “No!” whenever you squat and urinate on the carpet. He picks you up in mid-stream (literally) and races out the door with you. When you recover from the trauma of it all and squat in the grass, he praises you and gives you a treat. He takes you for long walks, the whole point of which seems to be for you to squat in the grass. What can you conclude from this bizarre behavior? Puppy Answer: He wants me to pee o... Full story
Both Washingtons are in a financial bind. In our nation’s capital, President Obama and Congress are running trillion-dollar budget deficits, and our national debt will soon exceed $14 trillion. How much is that? To pay back $14 trillion, you’d have to spend $1 each second for the next 448,000 years. Meanwhile our state’s budget deficit is expected to exceed $1 billion for the current two-year budget cycle. It is expected to grow to more than $6 billion by the time Gov. Gregoire and the Legislature write the 2011-13 spending plan. Two years...
NEWS OF THE DEATH the other day at 91 of former Sen. Jeannette Hayner of Walla Walla brought back memories of a day in Olympia never to be forgotten. It was obvious when the Senate Republicans came out of their caucus on that May day in 1979 that something was very wrong. Floor leader George Clarke of Seattle, a ruddy-faced, gray haired man, slumped in his seat, white and shaken, staring at the wall. Leader Jim Matson of Yakima and caucus chair Charles Newschwander of Tacoma were conspicuous by their absence. Word passed swiftly that the three... Full story
#!*! People who do not shovel the sidewalks or driveways in front of their business or home. ???? Shouldn’t the Pet Peeves submitted about the Thrifty Grandmothers be brought up at one of their meetings? Send your Pet Peeves and Okeydokes to the Gazette P.O. Box 770 211 N. Main St Colfax, Wa 99111...
1. ARCHITECTURE: What did ancient Roman aqueducts carry? 2. COMPUTERS: What does DPI measure? 3. GEOGRAPHY: Where does the Albemarle Sound lie? 4. MOVIES: Which well-known film director had planned as a teenager to enter the Roman Catholic priesthood? 5. GOVERNMENT: When was the Federal Communications Commission established? 6. LITERATURE: In poetry, what is an enjambment? 7. MUSIC: Which jazz musician and composer recorded “Giant Steps” in 1960? 8. FOOD & DRINK: What is another common name for corn? 9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Who is considered the...
It was prolific British author G.K. Chesterton who gave the following sage bit of advice: “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.” When Richard Nixon first ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (which he won in 1946), he funded his campaign largely with money he won playing poker while serving as a lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II. From 1863 until 1945, the city of Vicksburg, Miss., didn’t celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. This is because during the Civil War, the Confederate...
Jolly old St. Nicholas may be leaning his ear to these letters from a class of Palouse kindergarteners. Eighteen students in Mrs. Bofenkamp’s class at Palouse Elementary School came up with their very own lists of Christmas wishes. Older students then wrote out the student letters. These letters are not edited. Dear Santa, My name is Ava. I would like a toy unicorn pillow pet and a Barbie. My brother would like a frog Pillow pet and an easy bake oven. Is it cold in the North Pole? Do you like where you live? How are your elves doing making toys...
After being dropped for a 20-point loss at Freeman Friday, Colfax girls will try to take their game up a notch Friday when the Lakeside Eagles, another non-league foe from the A ranks, arrives in town. Colfax Coach Corey Baerlocher said the 50-30 loss at Freeman was a jolt. The Bulldogs had a tough time keeping control of the ball and getting off shots. Colfax booked 19 turnovers in the first half and launched just 13 shots. The Bulldogs hit just 10 field goals for the game and shot under 26 percent. “It’s tough to compete when you’re putting u...
