Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 49 of 49
Pox I couldn’t help but notice that in his partisan blast at the House of Representatives in last week’s Letter to the Editor, Norm Luther from Spokane (whom the internet shows to be the past Democrat State Committeeman from Skamania County) used the term “executive action” rather than “Executive Order” for President Obama’s illegal, illegal immigrant amnesty charade. That shows Mr. Luther knows that in spite of all the hype about an Executive Order on not deporting illegal aliens, and the stage show production about the President sig...
“Sir, this is Patton talking ... You have just got to make up Your mind whose side You’re on. You must come to my assistance, so that I may dispatch the entire German Army as a birthday present to your Prince of Peace ...” — Prayer of Gen. George S. Patton, Dec. 23, 1944 It is with Patton’s plea to the Ultimate Commanding General that Stanley Weintraub opens his book, “11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944.” It’s the tale of the worst Christmas for American soldiers since Valley Forge. The Allied breakout from Normandy after...
There have been so many times when we’ve been looking at issues in the wrong way. This is one of them. When Republican representatives, led by Paul Broun (Never-Heard-of-Him from Georgia), demanded that President Barack Obama be denied an invitation to make a State of the Union address in January, it was viewed by many as a petulant reaction to the president’s sweeping immigration executive order. That’s probably because it was. Broun also was derided as just another conservative who simply can’t get it into his head that Mr. Obama legitim...
It has been a bloody week. In Pakistan, 132 school kids were killed by Taliban murderers, shouting God is Great. In Sydney, Australia, a coffee shop was taken over by a crazed man resulting in a hostage situation and standoff with police. Three including the gunman were killed. Then, in America, a father killed six members of his ex-wife’s family before he killed himself. The hatchet attacks in New York, the vehicular assault and attack on Parliament in Canada and the furor over police shootings in this country all paint a gruesome picture o...
It started in Monte Morgan’s garage. After a weightlifting session with a new town resident, the idea of putting Christmas lights across the Tekoa trestle came up. “I always wanted to do that,” Morgan said. “Well let’s do it,” said Ted Blaszak, who moved to Tekoa in August with his wife and two young sons. A plan was made and on Dec. 1, Morgan, Blaszak, John Miller, Ivan Mercer and one more resident — who didn’t want to be named — met at the old train bridge at 9 a.m. Blaszak brought strands o... Full story
A charge of possession of stolen property filed against Jacob D. Merrick was ordered dismissed Dec. 11 in Whitman County Superior Court. Merrick was arrested by Pullman Police at the Theta Chi fraternity where he had been visiting. He was not a member of the fraternity. The Pullman arrest came after police in Moses Lake advised Pullman officers Nov. 19 to be on the lookout for Merrick who was suspected of taking his grandparents’ 1995 Acura Integra and driving to Pullman. The motion for dismissal from the prosecutor’s office noted Mer...
Whitman County Public Works Department awarded the Hatley Bridge reconstruction project Monday, accepting a bid of $720,300 from Harry Johnson Plumbing and Excavation. The Walla Walla company has done projects for the county before, including the construction of two new bridges in the past five years; the Neel Bridge and the Aune Bridge. The Hatley Bridge project, on Pullman-Wawawai Road, is a partial rebuilding of the span to be paid for by Federal Surface Transportation funds which are generated from gas taxes. No county funds will be used.... Full story
Four of six properties were sold Friday morning in the county’s annual tax foreclosure sale conducted by Treasurer Robert Lothspeich. The annual tax sale is conducted under a court order on properties with unpaid taxes going back three years or more. Lone item to attract competitive bids was a Tekoa house in the 600 Block of S. Crosby which was the top priced item on the sale roster, listed at $6,779 for back taxes, fees, and utility charges due the City of Tekoa. The property attracted competitive bids which went up in $100 increments and e...
Colfax Police Department is now in the process of hiring two new officers. Officer John Lybbert, who has been a member of the department for the past three years, has resigned to go into private business. Lybbert’s last day of duty was Dec. 16. The department has also been in the process of adding a staff member for the position which has been supported with funds from Whitman Hospital for around-the-clock coverage. Oral examinations have been conducted for that position. Lybbert joined the department here after four years of service as a d... Full story
Whitman County Library has received a $50,000 “Technology Made Easy” grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Washington State Library. It is designed to improve the computer and internet skills of residents with a variety of informative workshops and individual appointments at the library’s 14 locations. The grant will provide learning stations for classes in Albion, Colfax, Palouse, Rosalia, St. John, Tekoa and Uniontown. According to Project Manager Clancy Pool the grant provides an opportunity to make substantial upgra...
Four of six properties were sold Friday morning in the county’s annual tax foreclosure sale conducted by Treasurer Robert Lothspeich. The annual tax sale is conducted under a court order on properties with unpaid taxes going back three years or more. Lone item to attract competitive bids was a Tekoa house in the 600 Block of S. Crosby which was the top priced item on the sale roster, listed at $6,779 for back taxes, fees, and utility charges due the City of Tekoa. The property attracted competitive bids which went up in $100 increments and e... Full story
The Thrifty Grandmothers Club of Colfax held a special event Dec. 10 when they invited children to come into the store to shop for their families. Each child was given five dollars in credit. No parents were allowed. Club members helped the children shop and select gifts. The children signed in and signed out when they were matched with waiting parents. According to the women, some kids immediately took to the idea and quickly filled their shopping baskets. Others were in the store for hours,... Full story
Living up to pre-season predictions of being the power team in the NE, Liberty’s Lancers put down a 73-43 win over the visiting Colfax Bulldogs Tuesday night to extend their win string to five games. Led by 6’-6” Match Burnham who hit 31 points, the Lancers took control early in the first quarter and won going away. Colfax cracked a four-point lead in the early seconds of the game, but the Lancers went on a 13-point run to take control. They led 43-25 at the half with Burnham already stacking 26...
The Vikings extended their record to 5-0 with another dominant win Tuesday night in Potlatch 61-24. Senior guard Tyler Thurman led the team with 32 points while Matt Holbrook added 10 points and five steals. On defense, Gar-Pal forced 25 turnovers in a game which the Vikings led 24-2 at the end of the first quarter. Grangeville 51, Colton 33 Grant Kinzer led Colton with 10 points in a loss at Grangeville Tuesday night. Grangeville outscored Colton 27-10 in the second half to build their record to 5-1 on the season. Colton dropped to 2-3...
Colfax-Garfield/Palouse wrestlers placed third out of the 14 teams wrestling tournament just behind Hanford and St. Maries at the Liberty Invitational tournament Saturday. Trapper Askins of Garfield/Palouse won the 132-pound class, and Reggie Jones of Colfax won the 152 pound class. Eight members of the team competed in the big tournament at the Liberty gym. Results are as follows: 132 - Trapper Askins placed first beating David Graham from Hanford 12 to 4. 132 - Travis Knauff tied for third...
The Colton girls extended their win streak to 47 games with a 63-59 win over an Australian traveling team Dec. 12. The Wildcats hit 16 three-pointers in a game which stayed close except for a short-lived 10-point Colton lead in the third quarter. Zoe Moser led the team with 21 points and nine assists while Savannah Chadwick had 17 points and six rebounds. Haley Meyer scored 15 points. It was the first loss in six games on the trip so far for the Australians. Potlatch 57, Gar-Pal 32 Payson Griner led the Vikings with 11 points in a loss at...
The Timberwolves’ Olivia Pakootas scored a game-high 19 points as Tekoa-Rosalia fell short at Ritzville Tuesday night, 71-59. After leading in the third quarter, the Timberwolves (4-2, 1-2) couldn’t withstand a 20-12 Broncos run in the fourth. Tommi Swannack led L-R-S (5-0, 2-0) with 16 points in the game. Tekoa-Rosalia 66, Liberty 47 The Timberwolves started the NE run Friday with a 66-47 win over Liberty on the Teka court with Olivia Pakootas putting down 19 points and snagging 20rebounds aga...
Colfax girls extended their league record to 2-0 with a 56-16 crunch of the Liberty Lancers on the road Tuesday night. The Bulldogs booked another one of their frantic starts with a 21-0 run over the Lancers in the first quarter. Amara Huber topped the Colfax scorers with 12 points as Coach Corey Baerlocher again put all Bulldog players in the action and sometimes used a platoon system for subbing. Baerlocher after the game credited his crew for solid defense through most of the game. Maggie Nelson led the Lancers with six points. Tuesday’s f... Full story
Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack of Lamont informed wildlife authorities that Monday evening another sheep was killed in a neighbor’s stubble field. He said Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials went to the scene Tuesday morning to investigate. That carcass was almost gone, but while searching the area, they found another dead sheep and a third skull/jaw set. The mostly intact carcass was determined to be a confirmed wolf kill. The other two are listed as “unknown.” The Swannacks run more than 1,100 head of sheep. The f... Full story
A draft plan which could lead to removal of railroad lines between Colfax and the Washington-Idaho state line will be issued next month, according to a report at a state rail review hearing last Tuesday, Dec. 9, in Clarkston. The hearing was one of three on this side of the state to get residents’ comments for an overall strategic plan for the state-owned PCC rail system which serves this area. Washington State Department Of Ttransportation (WSDOT) officials reported one of the items in a draft report, which will be issued Jan. 9, will be to co... Full story
Tekoa City Council is looking ahead to next year with a set of goals which it sets annually. “Every year we set goals, but we actually make an effort to address them,” said Tekoa Mayor John Jaeger. “We see which ones we can cross off.” For 2014, items crossed off include ongoing water and sewer projects and paving gravel streets. Projects moving ahead to next year include the attempt to get Main Street designated an arterial so it is eligible for Transportation Improvement Board funds. “It nee... Full story
The third marijuana producer and processor and producer license has been approved by the state. Whitman County commissioners on Monday reviewed the license for DP Farms, 13301 Pine City-Malden Road, St. John. Commissioners did not comment on the license. The license has been approved for marijuana producer tier 2 and marijuana processor, and is valid through Dec. 31, 2015. This license allows the producer a maximum of 5,325 square feet of marijuana for sale at wholesale to marijuana processor licensees and to other marijuana producer... Full story
J.P. Morgan Asset Management and First Wind announced Dec. 11 that institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan have made a 90 percent majority investment in the Palouse Wind project near Oakesdale. First Wind will continue to operate and manage the site as the company continues to expand its third-party operations group. The sale comes after an approval by the Federal Energy Commission for the deal which first came to light when Whitman County Planner Alan Thomson received a notice Oct. 17...
Lights of the First Baptist Church glow behind the crowd gathered in advance of the Christmas Festival Parade Saturday evening on Mill Street in Colfax. Hot chocolate, candy and warm fires were provided by the church....
