Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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The Ritzville City Council opened the floor to discussion on Sept. 17 in regards to designating the city as a quiet zone for trains traveling through Ritzville. The topic was listed on the city council meeting agenda, under the discussion agenda section, and was led mostly by councilmember Dennis Chamberlain, who supports making Ritzville a quiet zone. Under the Federal Railroad Administration's Train Horn Rule, which went into effect in 2005, locomotive engineers must begin...
Over 600 farms in Adams County received a combined $2.46 million in federal payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in an effort to help farmers recoup losses in 2018 from recent and ongoing trade disputes. The vast majority--almost $2.25 million--went to farms that grow wheat, according to the data that was obtained by The Associated Press from the USDA. And while the payments have helped mitigate some of the lost sales due to trade disputes between the U.S. and...
The Ritzville farming community rose to the occasion for one of their own last weekend, in a big way. On July 28, some 17 combines, as well as semis and bankout wagons, were put into action to help harvest the 1,200-acre wheat field of Larry Yockey, a fourth-generation farmer who earlier this year was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma-skin cancer. Yockey was diagnosed in February of this year, and a scan showed that the cancer had spread to his bones. He has been on treatment...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos football team ended its early season non-league schedule on a down note, falling 34-13 to the Columbia (Burbank) Coyotes to drop to 1-3 (0-0 in league play) on the season. The Bronco defense limited the Coyotes to just 62 passing yards on 3-12 passing but gave up 261 rushing yards, including an 86-yard touchdown run early in the opening quarter. Offensively, Columbia outgained LRS 323-217, despite the Broncos running six more plays and...
Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler approved eight health insurers to sell health plans in Washington state's 2020 Exchange-including two in Adams County-it was announced on Sept. 12. The approved plans-which were certified by the Washington Health Benefit Exchange Board later that day-have an average rate decrease of -3.27%, a record low since the Exchange was created in 2011 as a public-private partnership. Two health insurers, Coordinated Care Corporation and...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos football team hung with the Lake Roosevelt Raiders for the game's first 24 minutes, but were stifled on offense in the second half of the team's 25-7 loss on Sept. 20. The loss, in which the Broncos totaled just 100 yards of offense, moved LRS to 1-2 (0-0 in league play) on the season with one more non-league game this week before their league season begins. While LRS struggled on offense throughout the entire game, the defense put up an...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos romped on offense and stymied the Northwest Christian Crusaders on defense in a 36-6 rout in the team's home opener on Sept. 13. The Broncos football team improved to 1-1 (0-0 in league play) on the young season with the victory, avenging last year's 34-13 loss to the Crusaders in Colbert. LRS dominated from start to finish and on offense, defense and special teams. "I was really pleased," said Broncos head coach Greg Whitmore, who added...
For the vendors at the East Adams Rural Healthcare health fair, they all had one simple but important objective in mind: get their information out and let people know that they exist. About 30 vendors set up shop at the health fair on Saturday morning at the fairgrounds in Ritzville, meeting with a steady stream of attendees. Vendors included People for People, Aflac, East Adams Library District, Kaiser Permanente, Premera Blue Cross, Adams County Integrated Health Care...
The medical staff at East Adams Rural Healthcare has grown in numbers this year, with the addition of a new physician's assistant, doctor and now family nurse practitioner, with the hiring of Julie Trofibio earlier this summer. Originally from Daytona Beach, Florida, Trofibio comes to EARH with 18 years of experience as a nurse, working her way up the chain beginning as a licensed practical nurse, then a registered nurse and now as a nurse practitioner. She received her...
On Sept. 9, Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM) and four other cosponsors introduced the Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services (MOMS) Act—H.R. 4243—in the U.S. House of Representatives, after a bill with the same name—S. 2373—was introduced in the U.S. Senate in July by Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and three other cosponsors. The bill aims to address rural maternal mortality and morbidity rates by “expanding convenient and consistent access to health care services for pregnant women and new m...
The 2019 season got off to a rocky start for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos football team, falling on the road 34-19 to the Davenport Gorillas in a non-league matchup on Sept. 6. The Broncos' run defense took punch after punch from the Gorillas' ground game, giving up 435 rushing yards on 37 attempts, an average of 11.8 yards per carry. The Gorillas struck first early in the game, capitalizing on a Broncos interception in their own territory to score a touchdown less than...
The Wheat Land Communities' Fair Junior Livestock Sale recorded huge numbers on Aug. 31, as this year's auction grossed over $96,000, surpassing the totals from each of the previous three years. The average prices per pound at the auction, by species, were: beef at $2.33 for 13 steers, swine at $4.68 for 34 hogs, sheep at $6.12 for 13 lambs, and goats at $4.29 for 7 goats. Livestock Sale Treasurer Lori Williams thanked the "generous" buyers and supporters for investing in the...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos football team got its first dose of live action on Aug. 30, as it hosted the Ritzville Jamboree. The Broncos welcomed five other teams to Jimmie Snider Field last Friday: Davenport, Northwest Christian, Colfax, Medical Lake and Dayton-Waitsburg. Each team played four ten-play drives; two offensive drives and two defensive drives. LRS kicked things off on offense against Medical Lake, where they found the end zone on a 40-yard touchdown run...
A recent 2018 financial audit by a public accounting firm based out of Spokane Valley provided mostly good news for East Adams Rural Healthcare in regards to improvements over the 2017 fiscal year. The audit was performed by Dingus, Zarecor & Associates PLLC, an accounting firm that specializes in servicing critical access hospitals, nonprofit healthcare agencies and public sector organizations. EARH has used DZA in previous years, as well. EARH paid around $25,000 for the rep...
The Ritzville City Council touched on a number of different topics during its 48-minute meeting on Aug. 20, which included approving a street closure request for the Ritzville Community Parade on Saturday, Aug. 31. The request came from the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce, who requested the following streets be closed from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Aug. 31: Main Avenue, from Jefferson Street to Columbia Street; Broadway Avenue, from Jefferson Street to Division Street (Division Street will remain open for emergencies). Councilm...
Practice is underway for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos football team, as the beginning of the season is just days away as they prepare to host the annual Ritzville Jamboree. For LRS football head coach Greg Whitmore, the opening weeks of practice is all about making sure his team is well-conditioned for the long season ahead. "We're not in very good shape, we've got to really work on getting in shape," Whitmore told The Journal. "That's always kind of a struggle early in...
The Ritzville Community Parade will pay tribute to longstanding members of the community this weekend, as Bill and Karen Curtis were selected to be the 2019 Grand Marshals. The Curtises have lived in the Ritzville area since the summer of 1957. Thirteen years later in 1970, they helped successfully launch the inaugural Ritzville Rodeo. Now, the rodeo will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend, and the Curtises will be playing a big role as the parade's grand...
The Ritzville City Council voted to move ahead with the Standpipe Recoating Project at the Aug. 6 council meeting. The city received a memo from Ben Varela, of Varela & Associates, on Aug. 5, who recommended that the city should move forward now with the project, using available Drinking Water State Revolving Funds that are set to expire on Dec. 31 of this year. The project has been delayed in the past, as detailed in the memo, “due to the motor failure at Well No. 9, the Park Reservoir cleaning schedule and uncertainties w...
The Aug. 6 primary election came and went quietly in Adams County, as four maintenance levies easily passed and the attention now turns toward the Nov. 5 general election. According to the most recent update from the Adams County Auditor's Office, all four maintenance and operation levies were passing with at least 65% of the vote. Three of the levies are Adams County Park and Recreation Districts in Ritzville, Lind and Washtucna, while the fourth levy is for the Adams County...
Jinkins will be the first woman and open lesbian to serve as speaker of the House in the state. She was first elected as a state representative in 2010. “I first ran for public office because I wanted to make sure all families have the same opportunities for success,” said Jinkins in a press release on July 31. “Washington continues to rank among the top states to live, work, and do business in large part due to the forward-thinking policies adopted by the Legislature over the last twenty years.” Jinkins is a native Midwest...
More than 400 bills passed by the Washington State Legislature during the 2019 legislative session went into effect and became law on July 28. Although the bills were passed by the legislature and then signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee several months ago, a provision in the Washington State Constitution states that bills must wait 90 days after the end of the year's legislative session to become law, unless the bill is an emergency or on a special schedule. In all, some 500...
East Adams Rural Healthcare will be hosting a meet and greet next week to introduce the new additions to its healthcare team. The meet and greet will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 14 from 5-7 p.m. outside the EARH building by the gabezo. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet four of the new recent additions to the hospital district: CEO Corey Fedie; Dr. Anthony Anderson; Julietta Shapiro, PA-C; and Julie Trofibio, ARNP. Appetizers, cookies and punch will be provided at the meet and greet....
Joel Curran moved to Ritzville several years ago for a couple of reasons. One of them was that he simply enjoys living in small communities like Ritzville-and the low housing cost that comes with it. The other? Location, location, location. About a year ago, Curran founded Eco Surface Prep, which provides a mobile dustless blasting service that allows Curran to go to his customers in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, rather than his customers coming to him. "Located in...
The Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2 Board of Commissioners and new East Adams Rural Healthcare CEO Corey Fedie weighed the possibility of tossing out their contract with Merritt Hawkins, a firm tasked with searching for and recruiting providers to EARH. Fedie, who replaced the retiring Gary Bostrom as CEO in mid-June, told the board at the July 24 board meeting that he has been having some "very frank" discussions with Merritt Hawkins and that he is not very...
The City of Ritzville has hired a new Public Works Director to replace the outgoing Larry Swift, but the new director is a familiar face for city officials. Dave Breazeale, an employee in the Public Works Department, was hired as the next Public Works Director, announced Mayor Gary Cook at the Ritzville City Council meeting on July 16. Breazeale will start on an interim basis under Swift’s guidance beginning on Sept. 3 and will be on probation for six months. Cook noted that the city agreed to not backfill his current p...