Top 13 Whitman County stories & more of 2013

Lazcano

A Spokane county jury’s guilty verdict Dec. 18 following the third murder trial of Daniel Lazcano ended a series of four murder trials. In a county where murder trials don’t happen every year, the four-trial run for the Lazano brothers was unprecedented.

The Lazcanos were arrested after the body of their victim, Marcus Schur, was found in the outlet creek of Bonnie Lake in March of 2012. The case advanced when the murder weapon, an AK-47 rifle, was found in the Spokane River under T.J. Meenach Bridge that September.

The third trial for Daniel Lazcano was moved to Spokane County after two previous trials in Whitman County each ended with a hung jury and a declaration of a mistrial.

Judge David Frazier agreed to move the third trial for Daniel Lazcano to Spokane County after concluding the pool of remaining jurors in Whitman County might not be able to produce enough jurors who hadn’t been prejudiced by reports of the first three trials and the murder investigation.

In July, Judge Frazier rejected a plea bargain proposal which would have sentenced Daniel Lazcano to up to 27 months in prison on a manslaughter conviction.

After Daniel Lazcano’s first trial, his brother, Frank Lazcano, now 25, was convicted March 1 of felony murder and later was sentenced to 25 years in prison by Judge Frazier.

Daniel Lazcano was represented at all three trials by Eric Christianson of Spokane. Christianson initially agreed to take the case with proceeds from a fund raising effort at Rosalia, but later became a court-appointed attorney.

Judge Maryann Moreno is scheduled to sentence Daniel Lazcano Jan. 31. Tracy said he could face a sentence between 25 and 35 years.

Palouse skate park gets site

The town of Palouse wrestled with the idea of a proposed skate park in 2013, settling on a likely spot for it in November.

The stage is now set for a volunteer group led by Aaron Flansburg to begin construction on a plot of land across from Hayton Greene Park near the sewer plant.

At the start of last year, the group was raising money, aiming for a mark of $10,000 to be able to start construction – if granted approval for a site.

On Jan. 8, Flansburg made the first of several appearances before the Palouse City Council which included fundraising updates and pitches to the council to approve a location.

At the January meeting, he mentioned the sewer plant site and reported that his group’s bank account stood at $4,200.

In late June, Flansburg sought comment on two potential spots in Hayton Greene Park.

On July 9, the city council discussed the skate park issue at length and gave a tentative approval for a spot near the city pool.

Questions came up about what a skate park would cost the city – even if built with private funds and volunteer labor.

Flansburg assured the council it would be minimal.

A crowd of questions and criticism greeted the skate park idea at the Sept. 10 city council meeting when Flansburg returned with sketches.

Concerns brought up included whether a skate park is a good use for the greenspace of the park, visibility issues for policing, maintenance costs, insurance costs and how much use a skate park would get in Palouse.

Many voices also indicated a dislike not for a skate park itself, but putting it in Hayton Greene Park.

After considering a city-owned vacant lot on West Whitman Street and a site by the former trailer park at the east entrance of town, the spot by the sewer plant came up again.

On Nov. 19, the city council granted approval for the next-to sewer site, still with contingencies.

By the end of 2013, Flansburg’s group had a site location to work with and $20,500 for construction.

Budget battle

Whitman County elected officials and department managers received some unwelcome news about the 2014 budget.

During a budget discussion, commissioners learned that the projected budget deficit was a little more than $1.3 million, about one-tenth of the 2013 budget.

The deficit results from decreased revenue and increased expenses.

Commission Chairman Michael Largent referred to the one percent property tax limit imposed by voters several years ago and the unfunded state mandates passed on to counties without funding. While the county’s expenses have increased three to five percent, revenue from property tax is limited to a one percent growth.

They discussed adding a tax, but made no decision about a tax until December when the commissioners couldn’t figure out how to relieve the long range budget burden.

Farmers, gov’t collide

On a windy, cold April morning, ranchers and farmers filled a shop at the Riley’s River Ranch on Central Ferry to meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Both sides discussed letting cattle continue to graze along the Snake River.

The corps contend they own a 100-foot to 300-foot buffer along the river. Walter Riley, the host of the discussion and long-time rancher in the Central Ferry area, said they don’t own it, but they are the land’s caretakers, hired by the federal government.

A corps public affairs specialist said that corps’ policy does not permit cattle grazing, ranging, unauthorized structures or unauthorized use on district-managed lands without written authorization. Corps’ real estate records show no documentation of any agreements, even though ranchers say they have been wintering their cattle along the river for more than 40 years.

Approximately 60 ranchers from as far away as Idaho, along with several federal, state and county political representatives, attended the meeting. Three corps members also attended.

Col. Drew Kelly and two other representatives from the Corps sat at the front of the group at a table.

Although both sides said they wanted a resolution to the dispute over cattle grazing on corps ground, nothing was resolved, but both sides seemed hopeful this was a first step toward a compromise.

No second meeting was scheduled.

In mid-December, officials from the state Department of Ecology met with farmers and ranchers in Colfax.

DOE sent warning letters to landowners about buffers along creeks in the Whitman Conservation District.

Although DOE officials said they respect the farming and ranching industry, their goal is clean water and they have no intention of wavering from that goal.

After a 45-minute presentation, meeting attendees finally had a chance to ask questions. Several people asked DOE to have common sense.

A second meeting might be scheduled for February.

Newly-elected commissioners face first year

Art Swannack of Lamont and Dean Kinzer of Ewartsville were officially sworn in on Dec. 27, 2012, in Whitman County Superior Court by Judge David Frazier. County employees, friends, family and wives also attended the ceremony. The new commissioners officially began their terms Jan. 1, 2013.

Kinzer and Swannack defeated incumbents Greg Partch of Garfield and Pat O’Neill of Johnson in the November 2012 election.

Swannack was elected to represent District 1, replacing Partch. The district encompasses Tekoa, Oakesdale, Farmington, Steptoe, Garfield, Palouse, northern sections of Pullman, Lamont, St. John, Malden, Rosalia and Thornton.

Swannack not only beat Partch, but he also defeated challenger Rosalia Fire Chief Bill Tensfeld. Tensfeld was later hired as the new county Emergency Manager.

Swannack and his wife, Jill, have three children who attend St. John-Endicott schools. The couple operates a 2,000-acre wheat, hay and sheep ranch just outside of Lamont.

Kinzer represents District 2 which encompasses Colton, Uniontown and southern voting districts in Pullman.

Kinzer is originally from Genesee and farms land south of Pullman. He and his wife, Barb, have two daughters.

Kinzer also is on the Pullman School District’s board of directors and is on the governing board for the Washington State School Directors Association.

The session concluded 12 years on the commission for Partch who was defeated in a bid for a fourth term in the primary election in August 2012. O’Neill concluded a four-year term after being defeated by Kinzer in the general election.

Concrete River Festival returns

The Concrete River Festival started July 26 and lasted over the weekend.

According to the festival’s web site, the Concrete River Festival is a return of Colfax’s summer festival called Concrete River Days and Crazy Days before that.

The festival put the Colfax celebration of summer back in the lineup.

One of the festival’s main attractions was the Color Mob 5K Fun Run.

About 400 entrants started at the Colfax High School football field, ran south on Mill Street, slid down to the Palouse River channel, ran in the channel, then climbed up the bank, crossed Main Street and finished at Schmuck Park. The run was 3.1 miles with colors thrown at runners as they made their way along the trail.

The festival also included a photography exhibit at the Whitman County Library, music, food and beer, arts and crafts, a car cruise, a parade, car show, kids’ carnival and an evening of music at Schmuck Park.

The festival will return this year, July 18-20 and will remain scheduled for the third weekend in July.

TO sports dissolve

Next year, Tekoa and Oakesdale high school athletes will no longer be on the same team as the 30-year Nighthawk sports combo comes to an end.

The cooperative came to end Oct. 25 by a vote of the Tekoa school board. The decision came after a disagreement between the two school districts on how to respond to a November 2012 proposal to add Rosalia for all sports.

Members of the Oakesdale school board indicated that it may not be the right time yet to go all-TOR in sports and bump the WIAA sports classification to 2B for all seasons. Meanwhile, Tekoa board members displayed their belief that they would like to accept the proposal.

In March, Rosalia pulled back its offer to Tekoa-Oakesdale, expressing interest in working a new agreement with Tekoa in the future.

Over the summer and fall, efforts by Oakesdale to work something out with Tekoa and/or Rosalia fell through. This included a proposal by the Oakesdale board to co-op with Rosalia if the T.O. partnership was disbanded.

In October, Tekoa formally dissolved the cooperative to begin a new one with Rosalia. A month later, Oakesdale put forth a proposal to the Garfield-Palouse districts to join them for sports.

After public meetings on the subject in Palouse and Garfield, the Oakesdale board rescinded its proposal in December.

For now, Tekoa-Rosalia has a new sports cooperative beginning next fall.

Meanwhile, Oakesdale High makes plans for what sports it will offer students in 2014-15.

Drug homicide takes life of Malden youth

Just before the start of his jury trial Aug. 26 Bobby Bilderback, 44, Malden, pleaded guilty to charges of controlled substance homicide and unlawful disposal of human remains. Bilderback’s victim was Donavin Stapert, 17, who initially was reported missing in early March.

The teen’s missing person status changed March 18 when deputies received a tip that the Stapert youth had over-dosed on methamphetamine at the Bilderback house on Birch Street in Malden.

They learned the youth had died at the Bilderback residence and was later placed in a safe and taken to a rural area near Chatteroy north of Spokane and buried. His body was recovered from a shallow grave March 27.

He entered the plea after 46 county residents had reported for jury selection that Monday morning.

The pleas came after negotiations between Prosecutor Denis Tracy and Bilderback’s attorney, Frank Cikutovich. Tracy agreed to drop other pending charges in exchange for Bilderback’s guilty pleas on the two initial charges.

Bilderback was sentenced four days later to 68 months in prison. The sentencing included testimony from the Stapert boy’s father who resided in Malden and his mother who testified by telephone from Oregon.

Judge David Frazier sentenced him to the maximum term after noting Bilderback was standing in court on a felony conviction after serving a 20-year prison term for a murder conviction in Chelan County.

One of the charges dropped in the plea bargain agreement was an allegation Bilderback had supplied methamphetamine to another juvenile, a friend of the Stapert youth, March 16, about 10 days after the Stapert boy had been reported missing.

Assenberg outcome signals new pot status

Michael A. Assenberg of Colfax was pictured on the front of the Feb. 7 Gazette packing a box of former state’s evidence, paper bags of marijuana, which had been taken from his Colfax residence in May of 2011. Return of the marijuana came after charges against him were dismissed Jan. 4 in superior court.

The state’s case against Assenberg ended Jan. 4 after county prosecutor Denis Tracy filed a motion to dismiss citing new interpretation of medical marijuana laws in the state.

Assenberg had pleaded not guilty to four felony charges after Quad Cities Drug Task Force agents confiscated 82 marijuana plants in a raid on Assenberg’s Colfax home in May 2011.

Assenberg said he ran a dispensary from his home in compliance with state law.

Although not directly connected, the Assenberg case signaled the new status of marijuana after Washington voters approved Initiative 502 in the November election, making it legal to possess and smoke up to one ounce of marijuana. Whitman County voters gave the measure 52 percent approval.

Initiative 502 made it legal for anyone over 21 to possess up to an ounce of marijuana.

Assenberg, 52, has announced he is running for sheriff. He believes he can do a better job than Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers and is running for the office in this year’s election.

Assenberg’s latest issue with Sheriff Myers is not allowing him any more ride-alongs with officers since his first one on May 11.

LaCrosse market, cafe mark town comeback

Officially opening Jan. 14, 2013, the LaCrosse market marked a big point in the town’s comeback.

LaCrosse Community Pride, which is working on economic development in the small town, coordinated the project to get the store open again. The town hadn’t had a grocery store since February 2009.

The 1915 building was remodeled with the wiring, refrigeration and ceiling all replaced.

New stained glass windows above the main windows also were installed last summer to make the building look more like the old market.

The grocery store stocks basic grocery items and offers customers coffee.

Santa posed for photos in the new common area last month for the first time and the library is enjoyed by area children.

LaCrosse Community Pride also helped open the Grillbilly Cafe across the street from the market the last of May. Dionne Evans, with the help of family and friends, remodeled the former Tea Pot Cafe, working hundreds of hours on the renovation.

The Pride organization also received a donation of land in the town and is researching possibilities about what to do with the land.

McCoy Loader marks new era

The McCoy Loader went into operation on Highway 271 in August when it began taking in transfer loads of grain for rail shipment to the BNSF main line at Marshall in Spokane County.

The start marked the end of a massive construction project at the site and a new chapter in grain shipment.

A joint project by Co-Ag and Pacific Northwest Farmers Co-Op, the loader features 1.3 million bushels of storage capacity and approximately two miles of railroad track in a loop configuration.

The overall complex, estimated at $16 million, is one of the largest single private ventures in the county.

The loader offers growers and grain companies the option of unit train shipments on the BNSF mainline.

The loader was designed with the aim of loading a 110-car unit train within 15 hours, but crews hope to get the trains loaded in 10 hours.

A 110-unit car train totals approximately 405,000 bushels, so the capacity of the loader equals approximately three of the train units.

Intake capacity at the loader has been rated at 40,000 bushels per hour.

McCoy was visited by Gov. Jay Inslee July 8 when he made an economic development tour to the county to also check out the Palouse Wind Turbine project which is located just across the hill from McCoy.

The loader is expected to attract transfer shipments of grain from a regional area with shippers now having a new option in the overall rail vs. river barge alternatives.

Colton girls bag 5th-straight state title

The T-shirts read “The Drive for Five” as Colton High School players, coaches and fans traveled around Eastern Washington last winter on a quest to win a record fifth-straight girls basketball state championship – in any classification.

After a one-loss regular season in which Kamiah (Idaho) broke the Wildcats’ 37-game winning streak, Colton ran through the district tournament in Colfax, then dismissed Columbia 89-27 in the regional round in Walla Walla to make the state tournament.

At Spokane Arena, they beat Taholah 77-15 and Wilbur-Creston 71-30 to meet Sunnyside Christian in the final.

Before winning two games in Spokane, the undefeated Knights advanced to state with a 57-51 win over Tekoa-Oakesdale.

Finally, the lights went down for the state championship game. When they came up, the Knights took command.

Building a 10-0 lead to open the game, they made it appear as if the Colton Drive for Five could end at four.

But Jenna Moser had barely made a shot yet.

After the first one fell, they kept coming as the junior guard led the Colton comeback with 20 points in the 55-40 victory while Paige Vincent added 19.

In the end, the Drive for Five reached its goal, and Colton set a new record for Washington state.