Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 15494
COLFAX — Whitman Hospital and Medical will continue to offer obstetrics services while working with the state to meet abortion requirements. In the public Whitman County Hospital District Commission meeting last night, Wednesday, March 20, four commissioners voted to continue obstetric services. Commissioner Kathy Wride abstained from the vote. The meeting took place in the administrative annex at the hospital. Only about 10 people were allowed; many of those seats were occupied by hospital employees, forcing the public outside. A hospital e...
LACROSSE — The town ofhas received a $691,742 state grant to improve the sidewalks along Second and Main Streets. Public Works Supervisor Don Keeney said sidewalk work will begin in about a month, after Avista finishes moving a gas main. “It’s primarily updating some sidewalks, putting in some drains and moving existing utilities to accommodate,” Keeney said of the upcoming project, adding it’s not very big, but expensive. Town Clerk/Treasurer Angela Broeckel said the town applied for the state Transportation Improvement Board grant to improv...
PALOUSE — A railroad company wants to resume services through the city as early as July. The City Council met with Washington Idaho and Montana Railway owners Feb. 13 to discuss resuming railway operations through the city along Whitman Street. Company co-owner and project manager, Maddi Farnsworth, said she, General Manager Jason Hill and Senior Adviser John Howell started the railroad company in Northwestern Idaho. Now, they want to refurbish the railroad tracks here and start service moving lumber for Bennett Lumber Products, a f...
TEKOA -The Miss Tekoa crown was passed to Lulu Taylor during a pageant Saturday afternoon, March 16. Before a crowd of more than 60 residents, family members and visitors, 2023 Queen Carrie Sanchez crowned Taylor at the end of a 90-minute pageant in the historic Empire Theater. It was Sanchez's final act as the 2023-24 Tekoa queen. "I've always wanted to be a queen," Taylor said after the coronation. "When I was younger, I would go to the parades and I always wanted to be like them. "I want to...
GARFIELD - A Palouse High School junior has been named Garfield-Palouse Distinguished Young Woman for the Class of 2025. Hailey Beckner was selected Sunday, March 17, during a pageant at Garfield High School. Iris Turner and Camryn Blankenchip, both Palouse juniors, were runners-up. Beckner will represent both the Garfield and Palouse communities in the statewide Distinguished Young Woman showcase in Pullman in August. The winner of the showcase will be named Distinguished Young Woman of...
COLFAX — Birthing services at Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics will end if abortion services are not offered by Dec. 15. That’s according to hospital officials citing a letter from Washington State Attorney General Robert “Bob” Ferguson dated Nov. 22. The letter requests compliance with the Reproductive Privacy Act. Ferguson, who is the leading Democrat in the gubernatorial race to replace Gov. Jay Inslee, sent a similar letter to 25 other public hospitals across the state. According to Ferguson's letter, the Reproductive Privacy Act req...
By Teresa Simpson Gazette Reporter COLFAX — County residents, farmers and landowners concerned about proposed wind turbines near Kamiak Butte filled Colfax Golf Course Clubhouse Wednesday, March 13, to organized opposition. “What we need to do is get focused and organized,” resident Dan Lenssen said, opening the meeting. The meeting stems from recent efforts by corporations to secure wind turbine leases on farm land surrounding Kamiak Butte, which has been designated a Natural National Landmark. The project, dubbed Harvest Hills Wind, is being...
OLYMPIA — The state’s supplemental capital budget approved March 6 included funding for several 9th Legislative District projects. Several school districts were allocated funds from the modernization program, including LaCrosse, Palouse, Pomeroy, Steptoe and others. In Pullman, Washington State University also is allocated $10 million for anew digester for the Knott Dairy Center, which makes Cougar Gold cheese. The school will also get $3 million for an energy program. Eastern Washington University in Cheney also received allocations, inc...
**UPDATE - As of 3/14, the new time for the hearing will begin at 2:00 p.m., March 14, in Room 408 with Judge Hazel ** COLFAX — A local family is facing another extension in Spokane Superior Court over the November 18, 2022, death of Shannon Kambitsch. Dean Ayers, 58, of Spokane, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree domestic violence murder following the death of his wife, Shannon Kambitsch. Reports say the arrest came after investigators uncovered inconsistencies in Ayers’ statements and evidence suggesting foul play in Kam...
COLFAX — The Colfax Downtown Association is moving forward with its restaurant incubator project, with an expected completion date in June of this year. The Association is collaborating with architectural firm, Hoist, of Palouse, and Magnum Construction, of Clarkston. “We’re confident this facility will be more than just a collection of restaurants; it’ll be a place where friends and family gather, and entrepreneurs will chase their goals while also promoting economic vitality,” states an association press release from Monday, March 11. An in...
PALOUSE - The City of Palouse met with citizens Thursday, March 7, at the Community Center to discuss updates to the St. Elmo Building project, with the unfortunate news that the building's structure is not salvageable. Haley and Aldrich, an environmental and geotechnical engineering consultant group from Spokane were present at the meeting to give updates on the building's structural integrity. According to Haley and Aldrich's technical memorandum, St. Elmo's building does not have adequate...
ALBION — A local woman pleaded guilty to three narcotic-related felonies in Whitman County Superior Court on Friday, March 8. Lameece Dillsi, 51, of Albion, pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin with intent to deliver. According to court documents, Dillsi was on pretrial release but was returned to the Whitman County jail on Friday for use of fentanyl. Reports say fentanyl has been found in her system twice since she has been out of jail. Judge Gary Libey agreed with the prosecution’s request to keep Dillsi in jai...
OAKESDALE — A McCoy metal grain tank on State Route (SR) 271 spilled early in the morning last Friday, March 8, spreading grain across the roadway, causing a traffic hazard with no injuries to motorists or drivers. Whitman County Deputy Tim Cox reports that he was advised at approximately 8:10 a.m. of a traffic hazard at the McCoy Grain Elevators with further information stating that a grain tank had “crumpled over, was leaning on another grain tank, and was leaking grain out onto the highway.” “I responded, and upon my arrival, several...
PALOUSE - Several Whitman County residents are speaking out against a proposed Harvest Hills Wind Project near Kamiak Butte. Opposition is also building to wind turbine construction plans for nearby Spangle, Fairfield, Reardan, Edwall and Davenport areas. At press time, local residents were planning an organizational meeting for March 13 at Colfax Golf Course. The newspaper went to press before the meeting. Colfax-area resident Dan Lenssen said the meeting was organized to provide information...
SPOKANE — Following the Tuesday, March 12, primary in Washington and other states, its appears that voters will see a rematch in the race for U.S. President. Both former President Republican Donald J. Trump and current Democrat President Joseph R. Biden Jr. secured enough support to become the presumptive nominees for their parties. In Washington, Trump received 442,048 votes statewide, or 73.8% of Republican votes cast. Biden received 559,996 votes, or 85.7% of Democrat votes. In Whitman County, support for both Trump and Biden slipped. T...
OLYMPIA — After voters submitted an initiative rolling back some police pursuit regulations, the Legislature approved the measure. As a result, new rules giving police more leeway to engage in high-speed pursuits become law June 5. “The people of the state are suffering increasing rates of crime, property, crime, violent crime,” said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen. “When I talked to cops and sheriff's deputies, they told me the one thing more than anything else that we need is the ability to chase bad people.” In 2021, the Legislature restricte...
OLYMPIA — A bill written to reduce the number of rejected ballots in elections is on its way to Gov. Jay Inslee's desk. Signature verification is done to curtail fraud in mail-in ballots. But, state officials say, too often people change the way they sign their name or they don’t sign their ballot at all. That results in a rejection of their ballot. Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, introduced Senate Bill 5890 after reviewing statistics on ballot rejection rates. The bill received unanimous approval in both the House and Senate and now awaits the...
OLYMPIA - An initiative prohibiting the imposition of a state income tax was approved March 5 by the Legislature. "This is a great day for everyone in Washington," said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen. "Codifying Washington's long-standing tradition of opposing any state tax on personal income will help working families and local economies...When common-sense conservative policies lead the way, things get better for everyone." At the hearing on the initiative, every chair in the joint Senate and Hous...
COLFAX - Local women may still be forced to seek childbirth healthcare services elsewhere if the local hospital moves ahead with a previous decision to shutter obstetric services. Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinic commissioners decided Feb. 21 to end the services, but revised the issue during a special meeting Wednesday, March 6, at the Colfax Library. Commissioners on the public hospital district board are expected to take up the issue again at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, during a meeting...
Americans eagerly anticipate payday. For some, it is an opportunity for a little well-deserved self-indulgence through shopping, dates, and dinners after weeks of hard work. For others, it is a moment of financial respite for paying off overdue bills and making monthly debt and mortgage payments. And while payday is universally a good day, it doesn't come at the same time or same frequency for everyone. State regulations on pay frequency vary. For example, Alabama and Florida do not specify...
Education programs at colleges across the country are in trouble. Oklahoma City University, a liberal arts college with more than 1,300 undergraduate students, has no early childhood and elementary teacher prep programs at the undergrad level. The university determined the programs to be no longer sustainable due to declining enrollment and suspended them for new students in 2020. By early 2022, only three students remained in the combined teaching programs. News about OCU's decision to suspend...
TEKOA — The School District directed students to shelter-in-place this morning, Wednesday, March 20, with all students required to remain inside buildings. A notice went out to parents that campus closure was underway, but details were not immediately released. " As of 9:00 am this morning we have placed the district in a secure situation," the notice said. "Which means that we are staying inside the building due to precautionary measures. There is no threat at this time. "Please be aware when you come to the school that we are taking p...
Simeon Lippert, 33, of Missoula Mont., and Cynthia Dvorak, 56, of Colfax, were arrested Friday, Feb. 23, for possession and burglary and were in Superior Court Friday, Mar. 1 for arraignment, plea and a notice of trial. Lippert went before Superior Court Judge Gary Libey on pleading not guilty to 1st-degree burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm 2nd degree, and possession of a controlled substance. Lippert’s jury trial is set for Apr. 15, 2024, at 9 a.m. Dvorak pled not guilty to 2nd-degree burglary and possession of a controlled s...
ROSALIA — On Monday, Mar. 4, at 9:38 a.m., the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reported that a jackknifed semi-truck was partly blocking US 195 northbound at milepost 66 near Rosalia. Washington State Patrol (WSP) Public Information Officer Sergeant Greg Riddell said that Divines Towing of Spokane was able to remove the blockage within an hour. “The roads were extremely icy,” Riddell said, noting that there were no injuries and the road was closed for a short time. Riddell said that the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office...
OLYMPIA — A bill to encourage home ownership by making it easier to construct smaller condominium buildings is on its way to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 5792, introduced by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, would exclude buildings with 12 or fewer units that are no more than three stories high from the definition of “multiunit residential building” if one story is utilized for above- or below-ground parking or retail space. The House of Representatives passed the measure Friday, 96-0; the Senate approved it 49-0 last month. It now awa...
