Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 5394 - 5418 of 18193
COLFAX – Whitman County Treasurer Chris Nelson updated the county commissioners during their Monday workshop regarding county property tax deadlines. Nelson said the first half of property taxes, by law, are due April 30 and the county will be staying with that original deadline. “The state government has not taken any action, as of yet, on pushing property tax deadlines. Leaving the decision up to individual counties,” Nelson said. “I will keep our first half of property tax deadlines at the original date, April 30. There are too many people...
Pet Peeves: Colfax Park Department hiring extra help so they don’t have to work themselves. Bring back the full page trivia! Especially while everyone is stuck at home. Send your pet peeves and okeydokes to Whitman County Gazette P.O Box 770, Colfax, WA 99111 or drop them off at the Gazette office...
Washington State Democrats have submitted a bill (SB 5395) to mandate sex education in schools grades K to 12 without the approval of parents or guardians. This should be a big help for those Democrats who want our children to learn that if they get pregnant they also have the right to get abortions to kill their babies. Democrats, what is your next brilliant plan? Could it be we also need to have mandatory training in our schools on how to use a gun to shoot each other? That way we can be assured that those children who haven’t been taught t...
Colfax farmer John Aeschliman earned a first-place state award in the 2019 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) National Corn Yield Contest. Aeschliman is honored as one of the highest corn yield producers in the nation with DEKALB ® DKC27-55RIB Brand Blend corn, yielding 121.21 bushels per acre in the No-Till Non-Irrigated category. "It's truly an honor John chooses to partner with the DEKALB brand in the quest for high yields," said Pete Uitenbroek, DEKALB Asgrow ® Deltapine ®...
Kathy Neilson met her husband, Brent, about five years after she divorced her first husband, while Brent was up from Texas visiting his brother in the greater Seattle area and looking for work. Both attended a church activity where they met. For both Neilson and her husband this is their second marriage. In each of their first marriages they had four children. Kathy had four daughters, while Brent had three sons and a daughter. Both remained single for about five years before they met. They...
Dane Robert Hall, 19, son of Dean and Carla Hall of Colfax, became engaged to Jaymee Elizabeth Finke, 20, daughter of Jason and Amy Finke of Spokane on Nov. 9, 2019. They plan to be wed on June 28, 2020, near Deer Park, Wash. If alternative plans need made, they will let friends and family know. Dane is currently a junior at Eastern Washington University studying exercise science/pre-athletic training, and Jayme is a sophomore at Gonzaga University majoring in psychology with a minor in...
When Whitman County Library planned the celebration of our 75th anniversary, who would have thought that all 14 branch locations would be closed for business due to a worldwide pandemic? Thankfully, today's technology allows the library to continue providing service through our website and to offer Wi-Fi access surrounding library buildings to area residents who need it. Still, it's not what we envisioned. Starting in April, the library was set to host community parties in all of our branch...
Loraine E. Scaggs, 86, a longtime Dusty and Colfax area resident passed away March 29, 2020, at Whitman Health and Rehabilitation Center in Colfax, Wash. Private family graveside services will be held at the Dusty Cemetery. Visitation for family and friends will be held at Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax on Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Loraine was born February 8, 1934, in Colfax, Wash., to Albert & Bertha (Ottmar) Broeckel. She grew up in Dusty and attended school in LaCrosse whe...
Mary Jo Robinson, DO, passed away at her home in Azle, Texas, on March 23, 2020. She was born in Spokane, Wash., to Jerry Lee Robinson and Ann Brodie Robinson on May 26, 1954. Her grandparents were Mr. And Mrs. Ray Robinson of Pasco, Wash., and Mr. And Mrs John Brodie of Colfax, Wash. Born into a military family, she lived in many places around the world including Okinawa, Germany, Aberdeen, Md., and Fort Lewis, Wash. She graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., and Des Moines...
Georgia Webb Gordon, lifelong St. John resident, passed away March 25, 2020, at the Whitman Hospital in Colfax. She was 96. A private family burial has taken place in the St. John Cemetery where she was laid to rest next to husband Harold. Georgia was born on the family farm just outside St. John on October 6, 1923, to George and Utta Bageant Webb. She grew up on the farm and attended school in St. John where she graduated from high school. Georgia married Harold Gordon on March 19, 1947. They lived on the family farm between St. John and Pine...
Celeste died in Whitman County Hospital in Colfax, Washington. She is survived by her son Kevin Mills; daughter-in-law, Janet Mills; and her grandchildren, Sarah and David Mills. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lester Harrison Mills; and her son Chris Maurice Mills. Celeste grew up in the town of Milton-Freewater, Ore., as the adopted daughter of Maurice and Harriet Frazier. She often told the family stories of spending many a summer's days as a child in the Walla Walla River. Later in high school, she drove a truck during harvest for...
The Emergency Operations Center has announced one more positive COVID-19 test, bringing the total now to 12. The new patient is a female in the 40-59 age range; her status is unknown as of press time. Whitman County Public Health is investigating. In addition to social distancing of at least six feet from other individuals, the CDC is recommending people wear homemade masks when in public where social distancing is impractical....
COLFAX — Health officials reported Monday that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the county has climbed to eight. All of the patients are stable and self-isolating, officials said. In the two most recent cases, patients Nos. 7 and 8 are women; the former is 50-59 years old and the latter is 30-39 years, officials said. The Public Health Department is currently investigating close contacts with recent positive patients, officials said. Whitman County has received a limited supply of personal protective equipment, officials said, n...
COLFAX – Washington State University recently completed a United States Department of Agriculture grant application to establish an agricultural innovation center and is requesting financial support from the Port of Whitman County. A motion was placed before the commissioners to authorize a project match of $70,000 and an in-kind match of $10,000 to include 50 percent of six months' of the communication director's staff time for educating Whitman County agriculture producers on the center's services. The port staff recommends providing a m...
With confirmed cases of COVID-19 now reported in Whitman County, Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics would like to re-emphasize the importance of social distancing and also remind the public of what to do if experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. As a reminder, if you are experiencing a fever, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, coughing, and/or sore throat and body aches, please call your local Whitman Medical Clinic. They will talk with you about seeking care and options for testing while minimizing the risk of exposing yourself or...
A Lewiston man, Taylor Forsman, 28, was booked into Whitman County Jail yesterday after the discovery of two guns, heroin and methamphetamine when he was stopped for speeding in the south end of Colfax. According to the police report by Deputy Cory Alcantar, he initially pulled Forsman over for driving 35 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour zone. When Alcantar spoke to him, Forsman informed the deputy he had a pistol between the front seat and center console and an AR-15 in the back seat. Forsman admitted he did not have a concealed pistol...
Whitman County received two more positive test results for COVID-19 today. Both of the new cases are males in their 50s. Like the other positive cases, the men are stable and isolating at home. Public Health Department is investigating close contacts of the three most recent positive patients. While it was determined the first two cases had been infected outside the county, Public Health Director Troy Henderson this morning said the case of the third, a teenage female, was an incidence of community spread within the county. The infection...
COLFAX -- A teenage girl is being reported as Whitman County's third positive coronavirus patient today, Thursday, March 26. The Public Health Department is investigating whom the girl may have come in contact with; her name has not been released. More information will follow when it becomes available, officials said....
The Fonk's building in Colfax stands condemned, a week after a three-alarm fire burned its interior and roof to the ground, its owners vowing to rebuild as the investigation is held back, the structure deemed unsafe to enter. The Colfax Fire Department turned over control of the 1892 building's remains March 19 to its owners, the Warwick family, after monitoring the structure for two days. Firefighters sprayed water on and off until 4 a.m. the second morning after the St. Patrick's Day fire....
The City of Colfax and Police Chief Rick McNannay reached a settlement on his pending lawsuit March 16, which included an $85,000 payment from city funds and the chief’s resignation. “He resigned and retired,” said Mayor Jim Retzer. The lawsuit was for $5.2 million in damages related to wrongful termination. A separate claim was for $250,000 for alleged damages to McNannay’s wife. The $85,000 represents money paid specifically from the City of Colfax. “I am not at liberty to say anything...
COLFAX – Whitman County Commissioners met for their weekly workshop before a live and web audience Monday. To help promote social distancing, county commissioners set up a Zoom video conferencing service for those who would like to attend the workshop, but to keep distance from large crowds. There were other department heads and elected officials present in the commissioner’s chambers. Whitman County Health Department Director Troy Henderson reported to the commissioners, starting Monday, the health department recommends Whitman County operatio...
COLFAX – As concerns for being quarantined sweeps across the county, grocery stores in the area are finding shelves, which used to be stocked with toilet paper, pasta, canned foods, etcetera, swept bare. Whitman County Emergency Management Director Bill Tensfeld said since there has been some lead time, people have had the time to go shopping all at once and that many people are out buying for three to four weeks when it should be for roughly two weeks. "It's going to take a few weeks for the s...
COLFAX – Planned for the gravel lot behind Rosauers on Mill Street, S&L Rentals will be building a 6,000 square foot office space designed for three to four tenants. The building currently has two long-term tenants planned to move into the property. Scott Ackerman, owner of S&L Rentals, said there is a total of 1,500 square feet available that can be leased or split into two 750 square foot spaces. The scheduled start date for this project was supposed to be Tuesday, March 17, but with c...
COLFAX – The first phone-in public comment meeting on the Draft Environmental Impact Study regarding the Columbia River System was held Tuesday, March 17. Three additional phone-in meetings occurred March 18, 19 and 25, with one more meeting today and the last phone-in meeting on Tuesday, March 31. The draft EIS rejects dam breaching, stating the approach of breaching the dams would destabilize the power grid and increase overall greenhouse emissions. With the open comment period, the Port of W...
I want to express condolences to all of us for recent losses in our local and regional community: 1. The retirement of Gazette Editor Jerry Jones, whose name became synonymous with the Colfax Gazette (Whitman County Gazette) and who was the trusted and unfailing reporter and photographer who chronicled our county sports, the county fair and decades of events that defined our community; 2. Fonk’s, a centerpiece building in our Main Street historic district that fell victim to a fire last week. In the earlier years, Fonk’s was the five and dim...
