Bulletin Column: August 15, 2019

These reports are from the previous four issues of the Daily Bulletin in Colfax. They are reprinted here for the benefit of Gazette readers who reside outside of Colfax. Some accounts have been updated.

RAINS STOP HARVEST

A heavy rain Saturday, followed by additional showers Sunday, put the brakes on harvest operations in the Colfax area. The rain storms, with some lightning strikes, hit the Colfax area at about 4:40 p.m. Saturday and additional rain fell Sunday afternoon.

Rainfall reading at the Colfax NRCS station Monday morning totaled .13 of an inch, enough to shut down cutting crews in the Colfax area.

Rainfall reports around the county were expected to vary around the county. Rain in LaCrosse measured .03, not enough to stop harvest.

Precipitation reading at Rosalia Monday morning totaled .17 inches. A strong rainstorm hit the area at about 11 a.m. Sunday and a lighter storm hit about 2 p.m.

Rosalia had a .03 rainfall reading on Sunday morning, and a .01 on Saturday morning for a .21 total over three days.

Sunshine and a little wind are needed to dry out fields to drop moisture content.

Staffers at the state grain inspection office expect to see a lag in the arriving samples as the stop in intake makes its way through the system.

JURY CONVICTS Colfax MAN

A superior court jury Monday found Paul Higginson, 49, Colfax, not guilty of a charge of residential burglary and guilty of a charge of malicious mischief. After ruling out the burglary charge, the jury found Higginson guilty of criminal trespass in the first degree. That was listed as an alternate charge.

Higginson testified Monday that he was attempting to enter the house to check on the well being of the occupant.

The jury also responded yes when asked by the court to determine if Higginson and the alleged victim, Elizabeth Martin, were members of the same household. The ruling is required to certify the domestic violence addition to the charges.

Higginson was arrested in the early morning of June 19 by Colfax Officer Perry Tate who used a taser gun to stop Higginson who kept moving around the house on Cromwell Street.

Tate's arrest report said when he responded to the scene he saw Higginson climbing into the residence through a broken bathroom window. He ordered Higginson to stop, but the suspect dropped down to the floor inside of the residence. Tate said he went into the house and repeatedly attempted to arrest Higginson and finally used the taser gun to stop him.

Tate received a first call at about 3 a.m. from Martin. She said Higginson was attempting to enter the house. She alleged Higginson was threatening to dig a grave for himself and take her into the grave with him.

Tate could not locate Higginson after the first response, but received another call two hours later about someone taking a wheelbarrow from the community garden behind Peace Lutheran Church. He later spotted Higginson attempting to enter the house on Cromwell Street.

Among evidence presented by the state were police videos of Tate encountering Higginson at the window in the back of the house and then chasing him inside the house and arresting him with the taser.

The jury began deliberation at 3:30 p.m. and returned a verdict at 4:51 p.m.

CITY DIG ON LAST STREET

City crews planned an excavation at the intersection of Last and Perkins streets Wednesday morning. Water from a suspected line break has surfaced on Last Street. Public Works Director Matt Hammer said they will have to determine whether the leak is coming from a service line or from the main line under the street.

A leak in the main would lead to service shutdown to the residents served by the main.

A lane of Main Street traffic was blocked in downtown Colfax Monday when a Quest crew made asphalt repairs around a new manhole. The manhole area had been filled with temporary mix material which was replaced by hot mix.

STRIPES GO DOWN ON 26

Centerline stripes went down on the new seal coated surface of Highway 26 Monday. The segment of highway between Colfax and Dusty received seal coating which has been curing. The process left the highway segment without painted lines last week when the eastbound migration of WSU students began to head for Pullman.

The fog line for the eastbound shoulder of the highway was still missing as of Monday night.

KISS THE PIG OFF FAIR SLATE

The Kiss the Pig event will not be staged at the fair this year. The event was started three years ago as a fund raiser by the Colfax & Community Fund. The format called for county or town celebrities to be nominated with the one getting the most "votes" winning the honor of kissing the pig.

Voting was done via donations with kiss honor going to the nominee who attracted the most donations.

Commissioner Michael Largent, Sheriff Brett Myers and Colfax Mayor Todd Vanek were contestants in the first round.

The pig kissing event was done at McDonald's Barn on the fairground where CCF could get the use of a pig. Over the three years, they raised approximately $1,800 for the fund. The big year was 2017 when Scott Ackerman and Allen Kirkpatrick were locked in a duel. Ackerman "won."

Commissioner Largent and Judge Gary Libey were the honorees in the first and third years of the event, respectively.

The pig kissing event was dropped this year because the CCF could not locate volunteers to be contestants, according to Jeanette Solimine, board member. She added the number of board members for the organization has dropped to a point where time has been limited to recruit members.

YARD SALE TALLY AT 18

As of Tuesday morning, 18 locations have been listed for this weekend's town wide yard sale in Colfax. Residents can list via the garagesalemap app. The Colfax sale sites will be listed under the 99111 zip code.

Val Gregory said Dusty Attic and the new Route 26 store in the former Buri Medical building plan to participate.

The Center at Colfax Library started a yard sale Monday, and it will continue during library hours until Aug. 30. Proceeds will go for maintenance and operation of The Center.

JOHNSON SENTENCED FOR METH

Everett C. Johnson, 64, Garfield, was sentenced to two years of probation, which will include three to six months of residential drug treatment Friday in superior court. Johnson was convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver after an arrest while driving south out of Oakesdale last May 5.

Deputy Ron Cox reported he stopped the car Johnson was driving after observing a faulty tail light. Johnson was arrested for driving with a suspended license.

A total of six baggies of meth were found on Johnson along with six $100 bills. Another $294 in cash was later found in his wallet.

The arrest report on Johnson alleges he had been suspected of dealing methamphetamine in the Garfield area for a long time.

During the two years of probation, Johnson was ordered to refrain from using alcoholic beverages and drugs.

After his arrest Johnson allegedly told deputies he had been smoking meth at a residence occupied by Thomas McBride, 53, on 3rd Street in Oakesdale. Deputies subsequently went to the McBride house and arrested McBride for possession of meth with intent to deliver. A jury convicted McBride of the charge July 9 and he has subsequently appealed the conviction to the Division III appeals court.

McBride is now scheduled for a sentencing Aug. 23.

FARMINGTON APPROVALS HOLD

The Town of Farmington's two levy measures remained just over the edge of approval Friday after another tally by the auditor's elections office. Another 30 ballots were counted for the primary, but none went into the Farmington tallies. An $8,000 levy proposal for streets held right at the 60 percent approval rating with 30 yes and 20 no.

Farmington's current expense request for $15,000 held at 62 percent approval with a tally on 31 yes and 19 no.

With 50 votes counted for Farmington, one vote now rates as two percent.

Friday afternoon's count brought the primary election tally up to 1,282 for a 35.9 percent turnout from the 3,568 registered voters in the five district's which had measures on the primary ballot.

Results for Endicott's mayoral race remained unchanged with an even 100 ballots. Incumbent Steve Salzman received 63, Daniel Larson 32 and Don Adsitt five.

The votes for city council remained at 58 for Derek Starrett, 25 for Kenda Hergert and 16 for Amber Hilton.

The St. John Cemetery district's request for $16,000 stands at 78.4 percent approval with 191 yes and 59 no, and the Colfax Cemetery district's request for $200,000 stands at 67.12 percent with 590 yes and 32.88 percent no with 289.

The canvass board session for the primary election has been scheduled for Monday and the election will be certified Tuesday.

Possibly 15 ballots will go before the canvass board for a ruling on validation. Approving ballot signature matchups or return of signatures for unsigned ballots are normally decisions made by the canvass board.

Friday, the auditor's office added 30 primary ballots to the count. None of those ballots related to Farmington's request measures.

LACROSSE AUCTION SETS MARK

LaCrosse Community Pride silent auction during Farmers' Festival set a record with more than $8,600 net proceeds. Donations and support provide economic development and vital services to area residents. Auction proceeds assist with on-going expenses for the historic market building, bank and café buildings. The businesses and services in these buildings provide LaCrosse with goods and services.

LaCrosse Community Pride's recent improvements made with auction proceeds and local donations included a new exhaust system for the grill in the café kitchen and new air conditioning/heat units in the café dining area and kitchen, according to Lois Startin, auction organizer.

COLFAX FIRE RESPONSE

A Colfax fire crew responded Sunday at 4:21 p.m. to a report of a possible car fire in south Colfax. A family moving a student to WSU observed smoke coming out the of the 2000 Oldmobile and pulled into the short segment of Wawawai Street on the north side of Firemen's Park.

When they opened the trunk of the sedan, contents of the trunk ignited when air hit. The fire was doused and contents in the trunk removed.

The fire is believed to have started from a faulty muffler which was under the trunk.

The move to campus was a two-car operation, and the family planned to leave the Oldsmobile with the student at Pullman.

Items burned by the fire were placed in garbage bags and the remaining contents placed in the second car for the final leg of the trip to Pullman.